220 GARDENING. 



leys but two or three inches. The beds laid out four 

 feet in width are the m st convenient. Never phmt 

 when the ground is wet ; nor in':ieed, if it can be avoid- 

 ed, perform any other act with, or on, the ground of a 

 garden. If you dig ground in wet weather, you make a 

 sort of mortar of it ; it binds when the sun cr wind dries 

 it. The fermentation does not take place ; and it be- 

 comes untavoural le to vegetation, especially if the 

 ground be of a stiff nature. Sow, therefore, if ptss^ible, 

 in dry weather, but in freshly moved ground. Seed 

 should be *own deepest when the ground is dried ; but 

 an almost universal rule, is to j'ropoiiion the depth of 

 the sowing to the size oi" the seeiL if seed be ever so 

 good, you oughi to sow at least doutle what you Vvould 

 wish to have grow. Injects and various other causes, 

 may destroy many of the sp.iall and tencier plants. Sow 

 liberaiiy if you would rea]? abundantly; for it will be 

 found m'lcn ea-ier to thin out the surplus, than to sup- 

 ply any detioieijC}'; 



Thinning, la thinning close crops, as onions, carrots, 

 parsr.ipi^, fee. be sure t>iOy are not loft too near; for in- 

 stead of rta['ing a gre;.tf.r i reduce, there would surely 

 be a less. When they stand lOO cio're, ihey will make 

 tali and large tops, but are prevented swelling in their 

 ro- is; better to err on the tic'ide side, /or tbonc,h there 

 are fewer plants they will le tiJior. Let ihem also 

 be thinned early ; for, even wlii.e in seed loaf, they in- 

 jure each other. Every tlnug ought to be tl inned in 

 the seed leaf. 



lioeinpr and V/eedin^. Hoe, o^- weed, immediately af- 

 t2r the crops are up. Onions, cirrois, parsnips, and all 

 other close and low growing crops, should be always 

 kept free from weeds, from tl^e n»oinent they appear 

 above ground, till grown to their full size. A small 

 hoe may be applied where it will answer, but where 

 not, hand-weedi!ig mu'^^t be practis d. A large piece of 

 ground may soon be gone over with a hoe, wJ-cn the 

 weeds aie small ; but when they are perm)iU;d to grow 

 large, it requires double labour to destroy them. Weeds 

 grow much faster than the p ants cuKi . ated, and if not 

 cleared away in time vvi;! totally ut'Siro\ the crops. 

 Hoeing requires to be frequently repeated, and to a con- 



