Feb.] THE NURSERY. j^3 



if not sown at this time or before, a great number of those roots 

 will be broken oft' in the act of sowing, and thereby totally lost; 

 the others which escape this accident, having their radicles extend- 

 ed on the surface, penetrate the earth at the extreme points of those 

 roots, forming right angles with the parts already produced, by 

 which means they can never drive up the seed-leaves with as much 

 vigour as if the radicles descended immediately in a perpendicular 

 direction from the stones of the fruit; hence the necessity of early 

 sowing. 



The ground, however, must not be wrought while wet. or at least 

 the seeds should not be covered with wet or heavy earth, nor too 

 deep, for if the surface should cake or become stiff in consequence 

 of dry weather ensuing, few of these young plants having broad 

 seed-leaves could bear up through it; therefore you must be very 

 cautious in that point; and if the earth of your bed is not light and 

 dry enough for this purpose, you must carry as much as will cover 

 the seeds from some dry compost heap, or some quarter of the gar- 

 den where it can be found in a suitable condition. 



On examining your haws if you find the earth in which they are 

 mixed any way clogged with too much moisture, so that the parts 

 and seeds would not separate freely in the act of sowing, mix there- 

 with a sufficient quantity of slack-lime or wood-ashes, to accom- 

 plish that end. 



Having every thing in readiness, and your ground well dug, and 

 raked effectually as you proceed in the digging, still presuming 

 that it is in the best possible state of preparation, lay it out into 

 four feet wide beds, leaving twelve or fourteen inches of an alley 

 between each, and with the back of the rake push off into these 

 alleys about three-quarters of an inch of the fine raked surface of 

 the beds, one-half of each bed to the one side, and the other to the 

 opposite; this done, sow your haws thereon, earth and all, as they 

 had lain, so thick that you may expect a thousand plants at least 

 after every reasonable allowance for faulty or imperfect seeds, 

 (there being many of these,) on every three or four yards of your 

 beds; (I have often had that number upon as many feet;) then, with a 

 spade or shovel cast the earth out of the alleys evenly over the beds, 

 covering the seeds not more than three-quarters of an inch deep, 

 and not more than half an inch if the earth be any way stiff'; after 

 which, rake the tops of the beds very lightly, taking care not to 

 disturb the seeds, in order to take oft' the lumps and to give a neat 

 appearance to the work. 



The business being thus finished for the present, should you at 

 a future period perceive, especially when the plants are beginning 

 to appear above ground, any stiffness on the surface occasioned by 

 dry weather, give the beds frequent but gentle waterings, till all 

 those innocent prisoners are released from their bondage, after 

 which you will have pleasure and profit in their progress. 



But this is not all; the whole of your former trouble will be 

 totally lost, unless you are particularly careful in keeping these 

 beds effectually free from weeds from the moment the plants appear 

 above ground, till they arc fit to be planted in hedge-rows, and 



