DIG 



[ 296 ] 



DIG 



spit, still preserving an open trench, a 

 good spade width and depth, between the 

 dug and undug ground, that you may 

 have full room to give every spit a clean 

 turn, taking all the spits perpendicularly 

 and not taking too much before the 

 spade, especially in stiff land, or where 

 the surface is full of weeds, or is much 

 dunged ; so giving every spit a clean turn, 

 the top to the bottom and the bottom to 

 the top, that the weeds or dung on the 

 surface may be buried a due depth, and 

 that the fresh earth may be turned up. 

 As you proceed, break all large clods, and 

 preserve an even surface carrying both 

 sides and middle on equally, unless one 

 side shall be hollow; then carry on the 

 hollow side first in a gradual sweep, in- 

 clining the spits of earth rather that way, 

 which will raise that side and reduce the 

 high one, observing the same it' both 

 sides are high and the middle hollow, or 

 both sides hollow and the middle high, 

 always keeping the lower ground advanc- 

 ing gradually before the higher, by which 

 you will always maintain a uniform level. 

 The same should also be observed in 

 beginning to dig any piece of ground, 

 that if one corner is much lower than 

 another, carry on the lower part some- 

 what first, in a slanting direction, as far 

 as necessary. Likewise, in finishing any 

 pieces of digging, gradually round upon 

 the lower side so as to finish at the high- 

 est corner; and having dug to where you 

 intend to finish, then use the earth taken 

 out of the first trench to make the larst 

 opening equal with the other ground. 

 In plain digging dunged ground, if the 

 dung is quite rotten you may dig clean 

 through, giving each spit a clean turn to 

 bury the dung in the bottom of the 

 trench ; but if you cannot readily do this, 

 trim the dung a spade's width at a time 

 into the furrow or open trench, and so 

 dig the ground upon it, which is rather 

 the most effectual method, whether rot- 

 ten or long fresh dung. 



All weeds that are perennial should be 

 carefully picked out, particularly couch- 

 grass and bear-bind. But annual weeds, 

 groundsel, and the like, should be turned 

 down to the bottom of the trench, where 

 they will rot. 



A man will dig, by plain digging of 

 light, free- working, clean ground, eight, 

 ten, or twelve rods a day, from six to six, 

 though in some of the light, clean ground 

 about London, a man will turn up fifteen 



or twenty rods a day, from fire to seven ; 

 but in stiff, stubborn soils, a man may 

 work hard for six or eight rods in a day 

 of twelve hours. Trenchiny, if only one 

 spade deep, without the crumbs or sho- 

 velling at bottom, a man will dig almost 

 as much as by plain digging; or two 

 spades' depth, from four to six rods a 

 day may be good work, though in harsh- 

 working ground digging three or four 

 rods per day may be hard work. (Maiue.) 

 Most garden soils dig best the day after 

 a fall of rain; and if the soil has in its 

 composition a larger proportion than 

 usual of clay, the operation will be fa- 

 cilitated by dipping occasionally the spade 

 into water. Most gardeners object to 

 digging while snow is upon the ground, 

 and the objection is not mere prejudice, 

 for experience proves the bad result of 

 the practice. The evil is owing to the 

 great quantity of heat required to reduce 

 ice or snow from the solid to the fluid 

 state ; and when buried so that the at- 

 mospheric beat cannot act directly upon 

 it, the thawing must be very slowly ef- 

 fected, by the abstraction of heat from 

 the soil by which the frozen mass is sur- 

 rounded. Instances have occurred of 

 frozen soil not being completely thawed 

 at midsummer. 



DIGITA'LIS. Foxglove. (From the Latin 

 digitale, a finger-stall; referring to the 

 shape of the flowers. Nat. ord., Fiyworts 

 [Scrophulariacese]. Linn., l-Didynamia 

 2-Angiospermia.) 



The seeds shov 1 ,* un ; when 



sown in the . iJj*\ twelve 



months befor ,?& most 

 of them ple" 4 ^ 



D. erio 



pi 



D. ambi'gu 



au'rea (goldenj. 



fusee' scens (dark brow 



gary. 1823. 

 fu'lva (tawny). 3. 



lacinia'ta (cut-le 



Spain. IF 



leeviga'ta (smoc 



Hungary. 



lana'ta( woolly)! 2. Yellow. 



178?. 



leucophai'a(grey). 2. White, brown. June. 



Greece. 1788. 



lu'tea (yellow). 2. July. France. 1629. 



