40 TREATISE on 



doubly dcflrudive, particularly in ftrong ftiff ground. Common 

 reafon, one would readily believe, fliould point out the abfurdi- 

 ty of tliis practice to every gardener of obfervation ; notwith- 

 ftanding w^hicli, I do not remember any author v^ho warns us 

 againfl it, but, on the contrary, many direct it for general prac- 

 tice. If a man, however, refleds but a very little, he muft be ' 

 fen£lble, that the roots of plants, fqueezed into a hole made 

 hard by the firong prelTure of a dibble, muft neceffarily retain the 

 moifhure in wet weather, to fuch a degree, as to endanger the root- 

 ing of the roots, and that in dry weather this hole will be- 

 come fo hard, as to prevent the tender fibres from extending them- 

 felves, and procuring proper nourifliment ; fo that if the plant 

 lives, its roots are comprelTed into a fmall hard duller of moul- 

 dy fibres, which nothing but fevere pruning a great part of a- 

 way, and different removals in good foil, will ever recover to a 

 vigorous fiate. Nothin'g can excufe this pradlice in fenfible 

 nurferymen, but its being done at lefs expence than laying them 

 v/ith the fpade ; and that they are in fome meafure forced to it, 

 from the ignorance and avarice of untutor'd upftarts, who af- 

 fame the name of nurferymen, and take every opportunity that 

 the worfl pra6tice prefents, fo it b^ cheap, of under-felling the 

 fcnfible, honefl, indujlrious gardener, and cheating the unlkil- 

 ful purchafer, no regard being paid to the quality of the plants. 



Neiti-ier is the ill e&Ct of dibbling confined to trees alone, 

 but extends to many of the herbaceous plants, and other vegeta- 

 bles, which fuffer in the fame proportion. I have often made the 

 experiment of this in Cabbages, Colly flov/ers. Potatoes, <6'T. 

 planted on the i?ane ground, the fame day ; and 'tis amazing 

 how much larger thofe were, put in with the fpgde or trewel, 



