THE CULTURE OF PLANTS 



patch more in a few houres than afterwards in a 

 whole day ; whereas, if you neglect it till they are 

 ready to seed, you do but stir and repair the earth 

 for a more numerous crop, and your ground shall 

 never be cleared." 



And this agrees with what I have written my self, 

 viz. to destroy weeds while young ; for when they 

 have growen strong, and got deep rooting, they'll 

 not only take the nourishment from the good plant, 

 but there will be such difficulty in grubbing them 

 out, that the good seed or plant is in danger of being 

 destroyed ; but if you suffer them to bear and sow 

 their seeds, then (besides that they exhaust much 

 more of the substance of the ground) you shall find 

 the work intolerable, for they'll poyson the whole 

 ground, insomuch that one year's seeds will cost 

 many years' weeding ; and therefore prevent these 

 things by keeping down the weeds ; so shall your 

 work become easie, and the gardens handsome. 



In beds where hawes cannot go, you must weed 

 with your hands on both sides, sitting in a furrow 

 on a straw cushion ; pull up the roots cleanly, tak- 

 ing the help of the weeding-ir on where needful ; but 

 make use of the haw in all the intervals, drill-beds, 

 nurseries, f urrowes, tables or pathes, whereby one 



149 



