WOAD. 



tion. In cafes where the foils are fufBciently dry, only 

 breaking them up early in the month of February ; and 

 where the contrary is the cafe, deferring it to a later period, 

 taking care to plough the land in a perfeft manner to the 

 depth of five inches, or more : and that the furrow-flices 

 may be well turned, laid flat, and nicely jointed, a perfon is 

 employed with a fpade for the purpofe of adjufting them. 

 This prevents the graffy matters from rifing in the feams. 

 When this has been done, the furface is repeatedly harrowed 

 over, to raife a fufficient depth of good mould for the drill 

 to work in ; and before the feed is put in a roller is pafTed 

 over the land. 



It is probable, however, that this method is inferior to 

 the former, as the land is not brought nearly to fo fine a ftate 

 of mould, or the graffy material fo effeftually covered and 

 deftroyed, from which injury may be done to the woad 

 plants in their early growth. 



But a method which is equally effeftual with the firft, 

 more expeditious, and which has a fuperiority over it, in 

 more completely deftroying grubs, infers, and other ver- 

 min, which are apt to feed on the plants in their early 

 growth, is that of paring and burning. This is, however, 

 chiefly praftifed where the fward is rough, and abounds with 

 rufhes, fedge, and other plants of the coarfe kind, but might 

 be had recourfe to on others, with vaft benefit. 



Where the latter modes are made ufe of as foon as the 

 feed has been put in, the land fhould be carefully drained by 

 forming grips in fuitable direftions, as wherever water ftag- 

 nates, the woad plants are liable to be injured or de- 

 ftroyed. 



Seed. — In refpeft to the feed, it fliould be coUetted from 

 ground that has been left covered with the beft plants from 

 the preceding feafon, as they only run up to ftem and form 

 feeds in the fccond year ; and in order to have good feed, 

 the leaves fhould not be cropped at all or but once, the ftems 

 being fuffered to remain till the feeds in the huflcs become 

 perfeAly ripened ; which is fliewn by their attaining a 

 brownifh-yeilow colour, and the pods having a darkblackifh 

 appearance. It fliould then be gathered as foon as pofTible, 

 by reaping the Hems in the manner of grain, and then fpread- 

 ing them in rows thinly upon the ground if the weather be 

 fine, when in the courfe of a few days they will be in a ftate 

 to be threfhed out from the huflcs or pods. When they are 

 fuffered to remain too long, the pods are Hable to open, and 

 (hed the feed. Although the pod in which the feeds are con- 

 tained is of a large fize, the feeds are lefs than thofe of the 

 turnip. New feed, where it can be procured, fhould always 

 be fown in preference to fuch as has been kept for fome 

 time ; but when of the latter kind, it fhould be fteeped for 

 fome time before it is put into the ground. 



In regard to the quantity of feed which is neceffary, it 

 muft be regulated by the foil, and the manner in which it is 

 fown. Where the drill is employed, lefs will be required 

 than in the broad-caft method. It has been found that a 

 rood of land, where the crop is good, will in general afford 

 feed fufficient for eight or ten acres ; and in fome cafes, in 

 the broad-caft method, five or fix bufhels are made ufe of to 

 the acre. In Kent they ufe ten or twelve pounds to the 

 i acre. 



: Sowing. — The time of fowing crops of this nature muft 

 [ be regulated, in fome degree, by the mode of preparation 

 j that has been employed. Where the firft of the above me- 

 I thods has been followed, it will be much later than in the 

 I other cafes. But early fowing is in general to be preferred, 

 I as there will be lefs danger of the plants being injured 

 I by the attacks of the fly or grub. Where the weather is 

 ' fuitable, and the land in a proper ftate of preparation, the 



feed may be fown in the latter end of February or Marcll» 

 continuing the fowings, in different portions of land, till 

 about the middle of May, at fuitable intervals of time to 

 vary the times of cropping the leaves of the plants. The 

 late fowings are commonly executed about the latter end of 

 July, or early in the following month at the fartheft. 



With refpeft to the manner in which the feed is fown, it 

 differs according to the nature and ftate of preparation of the 

 land. Where it is in a fine ftate of mould, the drill or row me- 

 thod is the method moftly pradlifed, which is by much the 

 beft, as by it the plants may be kept more eafily clean and 

 free from weeds, becoming more ilrong and vigorous, from 

 the earth being more ftirred about the plants : but where 

 the contrary is the cafe, the broad-cafl mode is generally 

 followed ; but which does not by any means admit of 4he 

 plants being kept fo free from weeds, or the mould fo well 

 ftirred about the roots of them. 



Where the firft method is had recourfe to, the feed is 

 fown by a drilling-machine, fuch as is ufed for turnips, in 

 equidiftant rows, eight or nine inches apart, covering it in, 

 either by means of a harrow attached to the implement, or 

 by paffing a light common harrow over the ground after- 

 wards, once in a place, raking off any clods that may be 

 prefent to the fides, or into the furrows : but in the latter 

 mode, it mull be difperfed by the hand in as equal a manner 

 as polfible, over the whole of the land, being then harrowed 

 in by a light harrow, fo as to leave the land in as even and 

 level a ftate as poffible. The ground is frequently rolled 

 afterwards, that the furface may be left as even as poffible. 



In favourable feafons with good feed, the plants moftly 

 appear in the courfe of a fortnight, when much attention 

 fliould be paid to fee that they are not deftroyed by the 

 turnip-fly, or the frofts in thofe of the more early fowings ; 

 as, where that is the cafe, the land fhould be immediately 

 refown ; as in fome cafes it is not uncommon to fow the 

 greateft part of the crop two or three times over. In the 

 very late fowings, where the crops rife thin on the ground, 

 it is fometimes a practice to give a better plant by forming 

 holes with a hoe in the vacant fpots, and direfting feeds to 

 be dropped into them by the hand by women or children. 

 This is the cafe with the late fpring-fowings till the begin- 

 ning of June, or a later period. 



Culture ■while growing. — From much of the goodnefs of 

 the woad plants depending on the luxuriance of their 

 growth, and the thicknefs of their leaves, it is neceffary to 

 beftow great attention in the culture of the crop while 

 growing. It is advifed that the fpring-fown crops, as well as 

 thofe that are fown in the latter part of the fummer, fhould 

 have the firft hoeings given them as foon as the plants are 

 fully diftinguifhable above the ground, as by this means the 

 weeds will not only be prevented from retarding the vegeta- 

 tion of the plants, but thefe by being thinned out to greater 

 diftances be more at liberty to advance and become vi- 

 gorous in their firft or early growth, which is a matter of 

 much confequence to the fuccefs of the crop ; and fecond 

 hoeings fhould be given in the courfe of four or five weeks 

 afterwards, when the plants fhould be thinned out to the full 

 diftances at which they are to ftand, which may be fix or 

 feven inches, or more, according to the goodnefs of the 

 foil, conftantly leaving fufficient room to prevent the plants 

 from being in any way crowded. The work is fometimes 

 executed in much the fame manner as for turnips, by hand- 

 hoes ; but in others by fmall ftiort fpuds, ufed with one 

 hand, while the other is employed in clearing away the 

 weeds ; the labourers, moftly women and children, kneeling 

 while they perform the work. When this work has been 

 done, nothing further is neceffary till the firft cropping of 



the 



