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A DISCOURSE

Mr. Cooke’s directions are these: Prepare as for sowing of barley;about February scatter your seeds : If you plough your ground into greatridges, the thicknefs of the earth on the top •will afford more depth andnourishment for the roots, and the furrows being filled up with leaves,when rotten, will lead the roots from one ridge to another: In dry ground,plough the ridges crofs the descent, not to drain, but to keep the water onthe ground; but in wet lands, contrary: This I hold to be an excellentnote: He conceives the.barley season to be of the latest to sow your seeds,but with oats it does well, so you sow them not too thick; but it is bestof all to sow them by themselves, without any crop of grain at all.

A more expeditious way is to plant with sets, making holes or fofses,(which are best,) two feet wide and deep, and about a half a rod distant,viz. four in every rod square, r two sets in each hole, sowing your keysand seeds among them the ensuing spring, and that continued as oft asyou find Jlampings and keys to be had, even till your wood be perfectlyfurnished, only, taking care that they lie not long too thick, because itwill heat,and burn the kernels; and therefore let them be put into theground as soon as they are prefsed, or else lay them thin, or parted with

straw. _■

In case your land be poor, and wanting depth, or but indifferent, ob-serving the posture of your ground, divide it into four yards distance atboth extremes, by smgll stakes, making rows of them, by setting up somefew between them, to direct and lay your work straight, ploughing oneyard of each side of the stakes, if the ground be green sward, for theeasier running of the roots: Having thus ploughed two yards, and left twounploughed through the whole piece, some short time before the plantingseason, so soon as the fall of the leaf begins, dig up the unploughed inter-stices, laying one half of the earth on the unploughed pieces, and the otherhalf upon the rest; and as you do this, plant your prepared sets about ayard distant, with store of sallow or other cuttings with them, diggingthat ground which you laid on the ploughed part a good spade deep, whichwill make it near a foot thick to plant your sets in: Thus proceed fromone unploughcd ground to another, till all of it is planted: Two men oneach side of the ridges avill soon despatch the work, which should befinished by the latter end of January, which is the best time for the sowingyour keys, nuts, and other seeds, unlefs the weather be frosty, in whichcase you may a little defer it; and when all is sowed, cover them a little