2S^ ANNUAL REGISTER, 175^.
up. This Ihould have at leaft a depth of two feet and a half, or three ffet of good earth, that the roots ntay run down without ob- ftruiftion, and mull be qui c clear from couch, or the roots of any bad weeds ; for as the roots of madder fliould remain three years in the j-rcund, fo where there are any of thofc weeds which fpread and multiply at their roots, ihey will intermix with the madder TOOts, and in three years will have taken foch pofTeffion of the ground as ;n greatly weaken the madder, and render it very troublefome to feparate when the madder is taken tip.
The ground (hculd be ploughed deep before winter, and laid in very high rough ridges to mel- low; and if it is not too ftrong, there will be no necefl-ty for ploughing again, till juft before the time of planting the madder, when the l.md fhould he ploughed as deep as the beam of the plough will admit; and there fhould be men following the plough in the furrows, who ihould dig a full fpit below the bottom of the furrow, and turn it up on the top. By preparing the ground of this depth, the roots of the madder -.mII flrike down and be of greater length, in which the goodnefs of the crop chiifly confifls. The land being thus prepared and made level, will be fit to receive the plants. The belt time for planting the madder, is about the middle or latter end of April, according as the feafon is more or lefs forward, which mull be determined by the young lhoot> ; for when thefe are about ar. inch and a half, or two inches above ground, they are in the befl Hate for planting. When the (hoots are
longer, they are very apt to droop upon being moved, efpccially if the feafon (hould prove warm and dry ; and if their tops wither and decay, the roots will be greatly weakened.
In the taking up of thefe fhoots for planting, the ground fhould be opened with a fpade, that ihey may be feparared from the mother plants with as much root as pof- lible; for if the roots are broken oft", they will not fucceed. 'J hefe plants (hould be drawn up no fader than they are planted, for if they lie long above ground, they will (brink, and their tops wither, and then they often mif- carry ; therefore if they are brought from a diflint place, the flipi (hould be taken off as foon as they begin to (hoot, for the lefs top they have, the better they will bear carriage ; there (bcuFd be great care taken in the packing of them up for carriage; efpecial regard (hould be had not to pack them fo clofe, or in fo great quantity, as to caufe them to heat, for that will foon fpoil them ; bet if they are a little withered by lying out of the ground, their roots (hould be fee upright in water for a few hours before they are planted, which will (lifFen and recover them a- gain.
In the planting of madder, there are fome who make the rows but one foot afunder, others one foot and a half, fome two feet, and others who allow them three feet didance; I have made trial of the three latl diflances, and have found when the roots have been left three years in the ground, that three feet diftance row from row is the bed; but if they are taken up in two years, two feet afunder
may
A
