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the purpose of destroying every vegetable that Nature had 

 put in possession, and then sows his own seed, or plants 

 his favourite ; repeating the same operation for every dis- 

 tinct crop he looks for, to the exclusion of all others. 



I believe I am the first that sought to obtain an exclu- 

 sive crop of a favourite vegetable by less violent means, 

 that used conciliation, and compounded with Nature, not 

 obtruding any favourite of my own, but selecting, and fos- 

 tering one of those she had already put into possession. 



The general rule for calling one of these into more luxu- 

 riant vegetation, giving it the predominance, and, if we 

 can, the exclusive possession, is simple : select from among 

 your natural green soles, a portion whose soil is congenial 

 to the vegetable you wish to bring forward, — enhyen it 

 with the manure that agrees best with your favourite ; and 

 relieve it by weeding, from the rivals that crowd upon and 

 encumber it. 



The particular rule for giving exclusive possession of 

 our grassy surface to the agrostis stolonifera, is derived 

 from the character and habits of this grass. 



The soil in which it delights most, is loose, dry, and of 

 some depdi, whether peaty or loamy ; — any manure suits 

 It, and it agrees particularly well with ashes and lime, pure, 

 and still better if mixed up in compost. 



I say the soil should be dry ; this is indispensably ne- 

 cessary : but I prefer a soil 7nade dry by many surface 

 drams, to one naturally so ; for a soil kept wet, by a re- 

 tentive bottom refusing a passage downwards to the de- 

 luges of rain, is clothed mostly with the grasses that affect 

 such soil,, and some florin among them. Change the na- 

 ture of the soil, from wet to dry, from poor to rich, and 

 the paltry ungrateful aquatic occupants pine and vanish ; 

 while the florin, now in its favourite soil, comes forward in 

 luxuriance, and takes possession. 



