March.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 209 
inferior condition to what it could be had, if cultivated at home. 
In hopes that this may be attempted by some spirited persons, who 
may have the welfare of their country, as well as their own at heart, 
I shall proceed to give the method of bringing this valuable plant to 
the utmost perfection. 
The liquorice delights in a light sandy rich soil, which should be 
three feet deep at least, for the goodness as well as the profits 
arising from the culture of this plant is proportionate to the size 
and length of its roots; the ground in which you intend to plant 
it, should be highly manured and well dug the autumn before, that 
the dung may be perfectly rotted and mixed with the earth| im- 
mediately previous to planting, trench the ground three spades deep, 
if the natural soil be good that depth, and lay it very light; when 
your ground is thus prepared, you should furnish yourself with 
fresh plants, taken from the sides or heads of the old roots, observ- 
ing that each has one or two good buds or eyes, otherwise they are 
subject to miscarry; these plants should be from six to ten inches 
long and perfectly sound. 
The best season for planting them in the middle states is the 
latter end of March, or just when their buds begin to show symp- 
toms of fresh vegetation, which must be done in the following 
manner, viz: first strain a line across the ground, then with a long 
dibble put in the roots so that the whole plant may be set straight 
in the ground, with the top about an inch under the surface, in a 
straight line, and about a foot or a little more asundftr, and two feet 
distance from row to row: you may then sow a thin ci'op of radishes, 
onions, lettuces or any other small growing crops, in drills, between 
the rows, keeping the whole clean, particularly the rising plants of 
liquorice, during the summer and autumn; in the November follow- 
ing, you should carefully hoe and clean the ground; the shoots and 
leaves being then decayed, cut them oft' and spread a little rotten 
dung on the surface, the virtue of which will be washed into the 
ground by the rains and the plants greatly improved thereby. 
In the March following you should slightly dig the ground 
between the rows, burying the remaining part of the dung, but in 
doing this you should be careful not to injure the roots. Let no- 
thing now be either sowed or planted between the rows, but keep 
them always clean, and in autumn when the stalks of the liquorice 
are decayed, cut them down close to the surface of the earth as 
before. 
The same work is to be repeated annually, till the plants are 
three years old, when they will be tit for taking up; that is, slightly 
stir the ground every spring and autumn, keeping down the weeds 
in summer by hoeing; but after the first or second year, the stalks 
will shoot so vigorously as soon to cover the ground and greatly 
retard the growth of weeds. 
The proper season for taking up the roots is November, for they 
should not be taken up until the stalks are fully decayed, nor de- 
ferred till the sap begins to circulate afresh in spring, for in either 
case the roots would be apt to shrivel and diminish in weight, 
2 C • 
