(946) 
Plough the Ground in the beginning of Jfril^ and lay k 
very fmooth and levels 
About three weeks or a month after , fpread upon every 
Acre twenty Loads of rotten Dung, and plough it in. 
Ac ^/^>wr^r plough it again, and plant the Saffron- 
heads in rows, every way , three Inches diftanc one from 
another, and three fncbes deep. 
The mod expedite way of planting, is to make a Trench 
the whole length of the Field, three Inches deep with a 
Spit-fliovel. 
The Spit-fhovelis to^ be madc-of a thin ftrcight Iron ten 
Inches long, and five Inches broad , with a Socket in the 
fide of it to put a ftafF or handle. Lay the Saffron-h^d^ds 
three Inches diftant in the Trench, and with the Shovel fpit ^ 
up three inches of Earth upon thero^ 
Obferve this order in planting of whole Fields, where- 
by the Heads will lie every way three inches fquare one 
from another. Only Paths or Ithallow Trenches are to be 
left two or three yards afunder , which ferve every year to 
lay the Weeds to rot, that are to be weeded and pared off the 
ground. 
As foon as the Heads begin toflioot or fpeer within^the 
ground (which is ufually a fortnighc before Michaelmas) 
howe or pare the ground all over very thin : and rake 
lightly all the Weeds and Grafs very clean , left itchoak 
the Flowers, which will foon after appear ; and are then 
to be gathered, and the Saffron to be picked and dried for 
ufe* 
The Ground muft be very carefully fenced from Sheep 
orGattel, which by treading break ihe^^/r^^/^ grafs, and 
make the chives come up (malU 
In the Saffron-gVdi^s will be quite withered away, 
after which, the Weeds and Grafs the ground produceth 
may be cut or mowed off from time to time to feed Cartel 
tiWzhout Michaelmas^ at which time the Heads will begin 
to fpeer within the ground. 
Then howc^pare and rake the Ground clean,as before, for 
afecondcrop. The like direftioas are to be obferved the 
laext year for a third crop. 
The 
