S P R 



rye, tare, rape, cabbage, preferved grafs, artificial grafs, 

 natural grafs, or any other kind, which is made ufe o.f for 

 live-ftock, efpecially (heep, in the fpring feafon. 



Spring Garden, that fort of ornamental garden which 

 is chiefly defigned for the introdndion of all forte of curious 

 early buddine; and flowering trees, fhrubs, and flower-plants, 

 in the intention of afFordinjr beauty, variety, and cffeft. 



Gardens of this nature (hould be fuitably fituated fome- 

 what contiguous to thofe of the winter kind, being con- 

 nefted with them and the refidences by fuitable walks of 

 the gravel kind, fo as that they may be gone into at any 

 feafon or period without inconvenience. The ground or 

 foil for them ihould be of the more light, friable, and dry 

 kind, and be fo fituated as to be well expofed to the in- 

 fluence of the fun, being completely fheltered on the 

 northern fides, fo as to prevent the blafts from that quarter 

 having any injurious effefts on them. They fhould alfo 

 have fome fort of neat ornamental ereftion in them for con- 

 lainintf the heaths, the auriculas, and different other tender 

 early flowering plants. 



Gardens of this fort have a fine effeft in many fituations, 

 when well laid out and managed. See Parterre. 



Spring Grafs, a term fometimes applied to the fweet- 

 fcented vernal or meadow-grafs, from its being fo forward 

 or early in its growth. See Antiioxanthum odoratum. 



It alfo fignifies the grafs of any kind that fprings early 

 in the fpring feafon, and which affords the firft. bite for live- 

 ftock of any fort. 



Spring Sowing, fuch fowings as are performed in the 

 fpring feafon, as that for fpring wheat, oats, barley, and 

 many other crops. See Sowing of Seeds. 



Spring Sowing, in Gardening, comprehends all thofe 

 fowings which are made at that feafon of the year, efpe- 

 cially for any fort of general feed crops, as thofe of the 

 pea, bean, and fmall feed kinds. Small flower and other 

 feeds are put into the ground rt an early period with ad- 

 vantage, as they are much lefs liable to be injured by iiifefts 

 in their after-growth, and rife more favourably than where 

 the contrary is the cafe. The fame is fometimes the cafe with 

 fmall grafs feeds fown in the field. See Sowing of Seeds. 



Spring Tare, a term ufed to fignify that fort of tender 

 tare, which is fown and cultivated in the fpring feafon for 

 fummer ufe, in contradiftinftion to the winter tare, which is 

 ufually fown in the autumn, and Itands the feverity of the 

 winter feafon. See Take. 



Spring Tide is the inci eaCng of a tide after a dead neap ; 

 or the periodical excefs of the elevation and depreffion of 

 the tide ; which fee. 



Spring Wheat, that fort of this kind of grain, which is 

 capable of being fown or put into the ground in the early 

 fpring feafon, and cultivated or grown with the fame or greater 

 fuccefs and advantage, than the common kind. It has been 

 ftated by fir Jofcph Banks, that real fpring wheat, the trilicum 

 afiivum, or fummer wheat of the botanilts, is a grain too tender 

 to tland and bear the fnifts of the winter in this climate, but 

 as quick in its progrefs from its firft fliont to riper.efs, as bar- 

 ley, oats, or any other fpring corn. See Triticom. 



The writer of the trail on the refult of an Inquiry into 

 the nature and caufes of the blight, the ruft, and the mil- 

 dew, which have affefted the wheat-crops on the borders 

 of England and Scotland, has fuggedcd, that common or 

 winter wheat requires the moft expenfive culture, being 

 generally put into the ground in the autumn, and ufually 

 requiring eleven months before it arrives at maturity ; that 

 confequrntly the returns from fuch a fpecies or fort of grain, 

 fhould be more lucrative than when fpring corn of this 

 kind IS raifed, which, after remaining only about four 



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months in and on the ground, is then in a projjer ftate to be 

 cut down. Nor is the difference in point of produce fup<- 

 pofed to be fo very material, as to render it indifpenfably 

 neceffary to exclufively cultivate winter wheat, with a view 

 to profit ; and, indeed, it would appear, it is faid, that in 

 feveral other refpefts, it would be defirable to grow a con- 

 fidcrable quantity of fpring wheat in this kingdom, as being 

 better calculated for the different foils and fituations in dif- 

 ferent parts and places, as being lefs liable to difeafe, and as 

 furnifhing a moit important refource in cale there be reafon 

 to apprehend that the autumn or winter-fown wheats may- 

 become unproductive, or of a bad quality. 



It is well known, that in (ome parts of the kingdom it i* 

 the praftice to fow winter wheat in the fpring, feldom, how- 

 ever, it is fuppofed, later than the month of February, or 

 the middle of March, and haveoccafionally good crops from 

 it ; and it is underftood, from the moll refpeClable autho- 

 rity, that though the winter wheat fown in the fpring is at 

 firlt later in ripening than the fame fort fown in autumn, yet 

 that this difadvantage, in regard to becoming ripe, leffens, 

 when the crop of wheat of that fort which was fown in the 

 fpring, is fown again in the fucceeding fpring. Winter 

 wheat fown in fpring thence acquires a tendency, it is faid, 

 to earlier maturity, if refown in the fpring ; but from an ex- 

 periment which was tried in the county of Middlefex, it 

 does not appear, that when fown in the autumn it becomes 

 ripe earlier than common winter wheat. But Uill, it is ad- 

 mitted, that it does not ripen quite fo foon as wheat fown 

 in autumn, nor as real fpnng wheat, nor can it be fown fo 

 late in the feafon. An intelligent farmer, it is faid, flates the 

 difference between real fpring wheat and winter fpring- 

 fown wheat, at three weeks ; which is a molb material ad- 

 vantage in favour of the former. But as we have a fpecies 

 or fort of wheat which is peculiarly calculated for fpring 

 culture, why, it is aflced, Ihould we endeavour to force an- 

 other fort to alter its nature and properties, and to grow and 

 acquire maturity in a fliorter] period of time than nature 

 intended ? And if confiderable quantities of wheat too can 

 be fown in the fpring, with perfedl fafety and fuccefs, why, 

 it is alfo aflied, fhould we confine our Lent or fpring crops 

 of grains to oats and barley ? It is fuggelted, as being alfo 

 underltood by the fame writer, on refpeftable authority, 

 that the fpring-fown wheats were, at one time, getting out 

 of ufe or fafhion in France ; but that they were foon under 

 the ncceffity of again returning to them as an effential fource 

 of fupply. 



In this place we may then (hortly confider the hiftory, 

 nature, qualities, ufe?, and advantages of it, as well as the 

 forts of land and expofures moll fuited to its growth, and 

 the means by which the feed of it may be the beft and mofl 

 readily procured ; leaving the methods of its cultivation, 

 growth, application, and other points and circumftances, to 

 the head wheat, to which indeed they as well as it properly 

 belong. See Wheat. 



Spring, or this fort of wheat, is fuppofed, and with great 

 probability, to have been originally produced in Sicily, where 

 it is known, it is faid, under the name ofTumenia, a corruption 

 u{ Trimenia, or three months' gram. It is alfo much culti- 

 vated in Barbary, in Spain, in Portugal, in France, in Ger- 

 many, and in almofl all the corn countries, with the exception 

 of this country, where, on account of the immenfe con- 

 fumption of malt-liquors, barley is more in demand, than 

 where wine is the common beverage of tlie people. The 

 former of the above writers confiders it as well known over 

 all parts of the continent of Europe, and to be much ufed 

 and employed in cultivation in France, where it is called B/e de 

 Mars, from the feafon in which it is ufually fown ; and in fome 



province* 



