PREFACE. 
T HE Gardeners Dictionary having already gone through feveral editions, it may 
reafonahly be fuppofed, the public are well acquainted with the nature of it, which renders 
it lefs neceffary to enlarge on that fubjecl. The author therefore thinks himfelf obliged to 
return his thanks for the kind reception his work has met with. 
But as there may be fome, who may think that the republifhing it is doing them an injury, 
efpecially thofe who have purchafed a former edition, it may not be amifs to make fome apology 
for this. 
When the firft edition was published, gardening was then much lefs known than at prefent ; and 
therefore, as the knowledge of the art increafed, it became more neceffary to enlarge on the 
fubjedl, by adding the new improvements to the former, without which it would have been deem- 
ed imperfedt : for as the author’s fituation in life rendered him capable of being well informed of the 
progrefs made in the art, by his great correfpondence both at home and abroad, he thought it 
would not be unpleafing to communicate thofe improvements to the public : in doing which, he has 
been careful not to publifh any thing imparted to him, until he was fully fatisfied of the fadts by 
experiments. 
Others have fuggefted, that printing the improvements feparately would give ample fatisfaclion 
in this point ; but the author had made trial of former purchafers fome years pad, by publifhing 
feveral fheets of new articles, by way of Supplement, for which there was fcarce any demand ; fo that 
the few which were fold, would not defray the expence of paper and printing. 
As the number of plants now cultivated in England, are more than double thofe which were here 
when the firft edition of this book was publifhed, the mentioning of them, together with their 
culture, could not well be avoided in a work of this nature, therefore the author hopes his care in 
inferring them will not be cenfured. 
From the title of this book it may feem to be only a Didtionary on the art of gardening, but all 
the branches of agriculture are included in it, in a more complete manner than can be found in 
any other book extant, though written wholly on the fame fubjedf. Nor are the inftrudtions 
here given for performing the work in every part taken up haftily, or upon flight experiment 5 
but moft of them are the refult of more than twenty years pradtice in different parts of England, 
where the author has been permitted to fuperintend and direct the whole : therefore he can allure 
the public he has been very cautious in recommending any thing, which he is not thoroughly con-? 
vinced to be true. 
It is amazing to fee, in moft of the books which have been publifhed concerning hufbandry, that 
fcarce any of the compilers have taken the leaft notice of the common pradtice of lowing eight times 
the quantity of Corn upon land that is neceffary, to the great expence and detriment of the farmers, 
who are fo wedded to their old cuftoms, as not to be convinced of the error : for fo obftinate are 
they in this matter, that unlefs the whole ground be covered with the blades of Corn by the fpring, 
they judge it not worth {landing, and in confequence thereof frequently plough up their Wheat 
and winter Corn, to fow the land with Barley, or other Lent Corn; whereas, if the former 
had been left {landing, it wmuld have produced a better crop than any land can do where the blades 
are very thick, as the author has frequently obferved. I have mentioned this to feveral fam 
mers, but the anfvver has conftantly been, that on rich ground a thin crop of roots will often pro- 
duce a large crop of Corn, but on poor land it will not pay coft, which is a very great abfurdity 5 
for how is it poflible, that bad land can fupply proper nourifhment to a greater number of roots 
than better ground ? and where this pradtice is obferved, feldom more than three or four bufhels are 
reaped from onefown; whereas, where the fame quantity is fown upon the fame, ora like foil, and 
has room to grow, the produce will be at leaft fix or feven bufhels. Yefc I have feen growing 
upon land not very good, and uncultivated, for more than twenty years, which land was fown with 
