THE MANSE GARDEN. 171 



the seed, put a few grains into a flowerpot, which 

 place on a shelf of the kitchen, and observe how many 

 of them spring up. 



In February, or as soon as the ground is dry, 

 prepare for sowing by leveling down the ridges, 

 not by digging, for it were wrong to bury that part 

 of the soil which is in the best condition, being dry 

 and mellowed by the frost ; and as the roots seek 

 but little depth, they will not encounter the less 

 favourable soil which lies beneath, and will derive 

 no benefit from the best if it be put lowest by the 

 spade. When the ground is finely raked, make 

 the drills half an inch deep and one foot apart. It 

 is of great consequence to have an hour or two of 

 sunshine before sowing. To form the drills, it an- 

 swers well to lay down the handle of the rake, where 

 its length may be nearly equal to that of the drill, 

 and to walk along it, which will make an equal im- 

 pression of the proper depth, and save a good deal of 

 time and of poaching about in shifting and setting 

 the line. Having sown the seed, make no further 

 use of the rake than merely to obliterate the drills. 



Drilling is greatly preferable to broadcast, as the 

 former admits of the hoe, which both saves trouble 

 of weeding and promotes the growth of the crop.. 

 Of "the seedlings make two thinnings, the first to 

 give air to the plants as soon as they can be handled, 

 the second to be final, leaving the plants a hand' 

 breadth apart; and that those which are extracted 

 may not be lost, they may be planted in close drills, 

 on any spare piece of ground, for occasional use. 

 Thus the main crop has fair play, and suffers no 

 molestation by unskilful intruders till ripe for gather- 



