423 
at the first hoeing, if they are separated to the distance of three or four 
inches, and at the last to six inches, it will be space enough for the growth 
of the plants; if this is carefully performed, and in dry weather, most of the 
weeds will be destroyed: but as some of them may escape in this operation, 
and young weeds will arise, the ground will be a second time hoed„ in Octo¬ 
ber, always choosing a dry time for this work; at this second operation, the 
plants should be singled out to the distance they are to remain. After this 
the ground will be clean from weeds till the spring, when young weeds will 
come up, therefore about a fortnight in April will be a good time to hoe the 
ground again, when the weeds will be young, and it may be performed in 
less than half the time it would require if the weeds were permitted to grow 
large, and the sun and wind will much sooner kill them; this hoeing will 
also stir the surface of the ground, and greatly promote the growth of the 
plants-; if it is performed in dry weather, the ground will be clean till the 
first crop of Woad is gathered, after which it must be again well cleaned; if 
this is carefully repeated, after the gathering of each crop, the land will 
always lie clean, and the plants will thrive the better. The expence of the 
first hoeing will, be about six shillings per acre; and for the after-hoeings 
half that price will be sufficient, provided they are performed when the 
weeds are young; for if they are suffered to grow large, it will require more 
labour, nor can it be so well performed; therefore it is not only the best 
husbandry to do this work soon, but it will be found the cheapest method; 
for the same number of men will hoe a field of ten acres three times, 
when it is performed while the weeds are young, as is required to hoe 
it twice only, because the weeds have longer time to grow between the 
operations. 
If the land in which the seed is sown, should have been in culture be¬ 
fore for other crops, so not in good heart, it will require dressing before it is 
sown, in which case rotten stable dung is preferable to any other; but this 
should not be laid on till the last ploughing before the seeds are sown, and 
not spread but as the land is ploughed, that the sun may not exhale the 
goodness of it, which in summer is soon lost, when spread on the ground. 
The quantity should not be less than twenty loads to each acre, which will 
keep the ground in heart till the crop of Woad is spent. . 
The time for gathering the crop is according to the season, but it should 
be performed as soon as the leaves are fully grown, while they are perfectly 
