358 



CULINARY GARDENING. 



BOOK I. 



may be ranked among the best culinary gardeners that Scot- 

 land ever produced. It is excellently adapted for producing 

 the same effect as above, and should be used jointly with it; by 

 which means a large portion of fresh surface soil would every 

 year be obtained. As this practice is not much known in 

 England, I shall give the directions for performing it in Mr. 

 Nicol's own words. " Take three crops off the first surface, 

 then trench three spit deep, by which the bottom and top is 

 reversed, and the middle remains in the middle; take three 

 crops of this surface, and then trench two spit deep, by which 

 the top becomes the middle and the middle the top; take also 

 three crops off this surface, and then trench three spit deep, 

 whereby that which was last the middle, and now the top, be- 

 comes the bottom; and that which is now the bottom, and was 

 the surface at first, now becomes surface again, after having 

 rested six years. Proceed in this manner alternately; the one 

 time trenching two spit deep, and the other three ; by which 

 means the surface will always be changed, and will rest six 

 years and produce three. Hence will there always be new soil 

 on the garden for the production of wholesome vegetables ; and 

 hence also will much less manure be required than when the 

 soil is shallow and the same surface constantly in crop." 



Rotation is the species of cultivation next in importance. 

 In managing it, the vegetables cultivated should be divided 



