SPINACIA. 



Immediately on the removal of fuch fmall crops, the inter- 

 vals of the rows are hoed over to loofen the earth, which 

 is then drawn up to the items of tiie plants or other crops. 

 Thefe methods of cropping are, however, only to be ufed 

 in fuch cafes as the above. 



When the plants have leaves two or three inches broad, 

 they may be gathered. The method of which is, either 

 by cutting them up with a knife wholly to the bottom, or 

 drawing and cleaning them out by the root, if the crops 

 want thinning ; or only cropping the large outer leaves, 

 the root and heart remaining to fhoot out again. With the 

 fpring crops, when the plants want thinning, thoy may be 

 cut up wholly to the root, thinning them out where thickefl 

 in a gradual manner, fo as to leave the Handing plants at 

 lealt fix or eight inches diftant to grow to perfeflion, which, 

 when beginning to flioot for feed, may alfo be cut up wholly 

 to the bottom : and in the winter crops, if the plants ftand 

 too clofe at firft, fome may be thinned out quite to the bot- 

 tom, afterwards the larger outer leaves only mull be crop- 

 ped in the winter and early part of the fpring ; but when 

 the fpring is more advanced, and the plants grown large 

 snd require thinning, or when they begin to run to feed, 

 cutting them up to the bottom in a thinning order is the 

 bell method. 



Some of the beft of the different forts of plants (hould 

 be left in the fpring to Hand for feed, which (hould be col- 

 lefted, when well ripened, in the manner direcled below. 



Culture in the early and fuccejfwn Crops. — In raifing early 

 crops of this fort, as well as thofe which are to come 

 in regular fuccedion, during the beginning of the fpring 

 and the firft part of the fummer feafon, it will be neeeliary 

 to commence and continue the fowing of the feed at two or 

 three different times in the month of January, when the 

 weather is mild and open, chufing the moll dry and warm 

 fituations that can be found for the purpofe, and only put- 

 ting in fmall quantities in each of fuch fowings, as the crops 

 are extremely liable to be dellroyed or to ran to feed. In 

 the fucceeding month it will likewife be proper to continue 

 the fowings in a more full manner as to the quantities, at 

 two or three additional different periods, in almoft any open 

 places of the garden, by which means full fucceffions may 

 be provided, for fome length of time, to follow the crops 

 of the firll winter fowings, which will now foon run up to 

 feed, thefe fowings coming in much about the fame time. 

 In the two months which follow the lall, it will flill be 

 proper to proceed or go on with the fovring of this fort of 

 feed every ten days, or fortnigiu, making ufe of open but 

 rather cooler fituations. By this means regular fupplies 

 will be provided for the concluding fpring and beginnnig 

 fummer months. 



And in cafes where conftant fucceffions of crops of this 

 kind arc wanted the whole of the fummer feafon, it will be 

 requifite and proper to continue the repetition of the fow- 

 ings every fortnight during the months of May, June, and 

 July, as the plants in thefe fowings very quickly run up 

 for feed. The mod moill fpots which the garden affords 

 (hould now be fclefted for fuch crops, they being free and 

 open. It is alfo advantageous in the fummer fowings to 

 have fhowery weather for performing the work in, when it 

 can be had. The feed fhould be fowu rather thin, when in 

 the broad-cafl method ; and in the drill mode to only the 

 depth of about an inch. The plants are to be kept pretty 

 well thinned, in order to prevent their drawing up to feed. 

 The fowmgs which arc made in the lall of thefe months, 

 will continue the crops in fucceffion, until they are fuc- 

 ceeded by thofe of the winter fowings. 



In thefe cafes the fpinach is fometimes not fuffered to 



grow large, but cut in its young growth, allowing the 

 bottom parts to grow again. 



In the after-culture there is nothing material in thefe 

 crops, befides that which is neceflary in the general ones. 



Culture in the late or winter Crops. — In thefe cafes the 

 feed is fown to the moll advantage for the fucceedirg crops 

 towards the end of the firft week in Auguft, the beginning 

 of the fecond, and the middle of the third, according to 

 the nature, fituation, and ftate of the ground, as they are 

 the moll prevented in common from running up too early to 

 feed, while they get a little growth, and become fomewhat 

 forwarded and ftrong before the winter weather fets in. It 

 is beft when the fowings can be performed in rather moill 

 lliowery times, as when it is done at dry hot periods, the 

 feed is apt to fprout and come up in an irregular manner, 

 the plants appearing in a ftraggling fparing Hate. Thefe 

 crops fhould conftantly have, as much as' poffible, open 

 fituations, which lie dry at this feafon of the year, and 

 which have fuimy expofures. 



The feed is to be immediately fown on the frefh newly 

 turned up foil, either over the whole furface, or in the bed 

 manner, which is more convenient for the cultivation and 

 coUedling of the produce. In fome places, a flight fprink- 

 ling of the brown Dutch and common cabbage lettuce feed, 

 or other fimilar forts, are fown along with this kind of feed 

 in thefe crops, in order to ftand for culling out during the 

 winter and early fpring months. The feed is to be covered 

 and trod in directly after being fown. 



Thefe late crops are alfo occafionally, though rarely, 

 fown in the drill manner, but the former methods are more 

 fuitable in thefe cafes, where gradual thinning is to be prac- 

 tifed with the crops, which is by much the beft fort of cul- 

 tivation for having fuch crops in fine perfeilion. 



Where large crops of the winter kind are raifed, as in 

 market gardens, early cabbages are fometimes planted out 

 with thefe crops in wide rows, as three or four feet apart. 

 The fetting out of thefe plants takes place in Oftober or 

 the following month. At thefe dillances no injury is done 

 to the fpinach crops by the growth of the cabbage plants, 

 and in the early fpring, the fpinach being wholly cleared 

 away for ufe, a full forward cabbage crop is left, and the 

 moft is made of the land and time. 



The plants in thefe late crops want thinning and clearing 

 from weeds early in their growth, as when lefs than an inch 

 in the breadth of the leaves, which may be done by the 

 ufe of the hoe in a dry time, leaving the plants not more 

 than three or four inches apart, as fome may be gradually 

 afterwards thinned out for ufe, fo as to let them ultimately 

 ftand about five inches from each other ; the leaves arc after 

 this only to be gathered for ufe, during the whole winter 

 feafon, the larger outer ones being alone taken, the fmallcr 

 inner ones being always left to expand themfelvcs by de- 

 grees, in their turn, and afford regular fuccellional fup- 

 phes until the end of the fpring, at which time, when the 

 plants begin to grow large and crowd each other, or to 

 fhoot up for feed, they may be wholly cleared away. 



In thefe crops much attention is neceflary to keep them 

 clear from weeds, by frequent hoeing and hand-weeding, 

 being careful to remove chick-weed, which is always liable 

 to infell thcfc crops much in winter. All the large weeds 

 fhould be wholly removed from the ground, as if left they 

 do great injury, and not unfrequently take root again. 



As the fpring advance?, the furface of the ground fhould 

 be lightly hoed among and about the plants, taking a fine 

 mild dry day for the purpofe ; which will greatly promote 

 the growth of them, and by which they will foon flioot 

 out ftrongly, becoming further in a fine ftate of perfedion 

 3 Y 2 for 



