Cmap. 11. of Gardening. 1 1 



good, or be already worn out and exkiufled, it mufl theu 

 be di^.g three Foot deep throughout, xhz l\id Ezrdi rnufl: bg: 

 cleared ^way^ and its Place fupplied with the bqfi that can 

 be got thereabouts^ or, at leall, the fame Earth returned^^ 

 with a good Quantity of Dung at the bottoni of it^ which 1$ 

 indeed o. great Ilxpence, bm that which cannot be avoided j 

 for I know no ether Expedient to mend a bad Coil, h Man 

 is fometimes obliged to be at this Chr^rge^ v/heii he byys 

 a Country-IIoiife ready built, or has one that falls to him 

 by Succeffion. And this is all that can be dene ^o repair 

 the natural Defedis of an old Garden. Ent if it be new 

 Seat you defign to make choice of, in an open Ccvntry^^ 

 there are many other Things to be confider'd. It ihcidd be' 

 firft examined what covers the Ground adjacen:,- and if 

 Heath, Thifdes, and other V/eeds that grow of th^mfelves, 

 be found upon it, you may judge the Soil is bad, and to be 

 totally rejeded, without fear of being decci'/cd in your 

 Judgment. You may alfo obferve, if there are great Trees 

 near, whether they grow crooked, iU-fiiap'd, and grubby, 

 of a faded Green, and full of Mofs i if fo^ you'll do well 

 to leave this Part of the Country v/ich Speed, and feel: ano- 

 ther far otherwife : But if the Trees are ftrair, tall, vigorous, 

 and of a lively Green, not loaded with lAois ds\d Vermin, 

 and the Ground be covered with good Grafs, fit for Failure^ 

 <)r the like,- this is a good Encouragement for thofe that 

 would make ufe ox tSe Soil, to qxaniine farther into its 

 Qualities. 



For this purpofe, fomewhat near the Place you would" 

 inclofe for a Garden, Ihould be dug five or fix Holes in feveral 

 Places,- as about the Extremities, and in the Middle, to fearch 

 the Ground, the better to underftand its Qualities. Thefe 

 Eloles fliould be dug about fix Foot broad, <..nd four Foot 

 deepi and when the Earth is cleared out, you may then 

 examine, by the Rod, w^hat Depth there is of good Ground : 

 To do the Bufmefs well, there fliould be three Foot j but by 

 no means lefs than two. 



Ground, to be good, fiiould neither be ftony, nor hard Qudhks 

 to work 5 neither too dry, nor too moift, nor too fandy and ^^^^^^^^f^I 

 lights nor, efpecially, too ftrong, as the Rank and Clay 



C s Grounds I 



