By Henry Bellenden Ker, Esq. .539 



plant, at a considerable expense, beds of the Cress at West 

 Hyde, near Rick mans worth. It was found necessary to vary 

 the spaces between the rows, according to the depth of the 

 water. When it is deep the rows are five, six, and even 

 seven feet apart, whilst in shallow waters, about eighteen in- 

 ches space between the rows is considered as sufficient. The 

 plants are found to thrive best in shallow water ; that is, 

 when the depth is about an inch and a half, which encreases 

 when the plants begin to grow, and thereby to check the cur- 

 rent, to about three inches. In deep water the roots are 

 easily drawn out of the soil, which makes it difficult to gather 

 the vegetable freed from the roots : if, therefore, a sufficient 

 space covered with shallow water could be obtained, the deep 

 water would not in any case be used. 



The shoots are cut for market, not broken off, which is 

 the usual mode of gathering the wild Cress, and which latter 

 practice is found to be very injurious to the plants in the 

 beds. After frequent cutting, the heads are found to grow 

 small. 



The most expensive part of the cultivation is the necessity 

 of clearing out and replanting the beds twice a year ; as 

 the mud quickly collects about the roots, and the duck 

 weed and other plants become intermixed with, and choak 

 up the Cress, it is almost impossible to pick it in a fit state 

 for market after the plantation has been made five or six 

 months. 



The mode of replanting is to remove all the rows of plants, 

 beginning at the stream-head, and then clear the bed of the 

 stream from mud and rubbish, which, however, it should be 



