Feb.] the NURSERY. 153 
if not sown at this time or before, a great number of those roots 
will be broken oft' in the act of sowing, and thereby totally lost; 
the others which escape this accident, having their radicles extend- 
ed on the surface, penetrate the earth at the extreme points of those 
roots, forming right angles with the parts already produced, by 
which means they can never drive up the seed-leaves with as much 
vigour as if the radicles descended immediately in a perpendicular 
direction from the stones of the fruit j hence the necessity of early 
sowing. 
The ground, however, must not be wrought while wet, or at least 
the seeds should not be covered with wet or heavy earth, nor too 
deep, for if the surface should cake or become stift"in consequence 
of dry weather ensuing, few of these young plants having broad 
seed-leaves could bear up through it; therefore you must be very 
cautious in that point; and if the earth of your bed is not light and 
dry enough for this purpose, you must carry as much as will cover 
the seeds from some dry compost heap, or some quarter of the gar- 
den where it can be found in a suitable condition. 
On examining your haws if you find the earth in which they are 
mixed any way clogged with too much moisture, so that the parts 
and seeds would not separate freely in the act of sowing, mix there- 
with a sufficient quantity of slack-lime or wood-ashes, to accom- 
plish that end. 
Having every thing in readiness, and your ground well dug, and 
raked effectually as you proceed in the digging, still presuming 
that it is in the best possible state of preparation, lay it out into 
four feet wide beds, leaving twelve or fourteen inches of an alley 
between each, and with the back of the rake push off into these 
alleys about three-quarters of an inch of the fine raked surface of 
the beds, one-half of each bed to the one side, and the other to the 
opposite; this done, sow your haws thereon, earth and all, as they 
had lain, so thick that you may expect a thousand plants at least 
after every reasonable allowance for faulty or imperfect seeds, 
(there being many of these,) on every three or four yards of your 
beds; (I have often had that number upon as many feet;) then, with a 
spade or shovel cast the earth out of the alleys evenly over the beds, 
covering the seeds not more than three-quarters of an inch deep, 
and not more than half an inch if the earth be any way stitt'; after 
which, rake the tops of the beds very lightly, taking care not to 
disturb the seeds, in order to take oft" the lumps and to give a neat 
appearance to the work. 
The business being thus finished for the present, should you at 
a future period perceive, especially when the plants are beginning 
to appear above ground, any stiffness on the surface occasioned by 
dry weather, give the beds frequent but gentle waterings, till all 
those innocent prisoners are released from their bondage, after 
which you will have pleasure and profit in their progress. 
But this is not all; the whole of your former trouble will be 
totally lost, unless you are particularly careful in keeping these 
beds effectually free from weeds from the moment the plants appear 
above ground, till they are fit to be planted in hedge-rows, and 
U 
