Margins og Ely 께 ​Ho SB 97 438 1527 ና ና BETTER THE PETEFFE www.se ODGAIARAL A, is to too. CALAMAN WA 18 VA IV des WOR *** 21322 21 NA **11 199 . SI MAN ya Perſpective liew of HisRoyal Ilighneſs the Prince of Wallis Houfi at Cichmond UNIL OF A NEW SYSTEM OF BEING A AGRICULTURE COMPLETE BODY Husbandry and Gardening OF In all the parts of them. Viz. Husbandry in the FIELD, and its ſeveral Improvements. Of Foreſt and Timber-Trees, Great > Of the Fruit-Garden. and Small; with Ever-Greens and Of the Kitchen-Garden. Flow'ring Shrubs, &c. sze Of the Flower-Garden. In FIVE BOOK S. CONTAINING All the Beſt and Lateſt, as well as many New Improvements, uſeful to the Husbandman, Grazier, Planter, Gardener, and Floriſt. Wherein are interſperſed Many curious Obſervations on Vegetation; on the Diſeaſes of Trees, and the general Annoyances to Vegetables, and their probable Cures. As alſo a Particular Account of the famous SILPHIUM of the Antients. By JOHN LAVRENCE, M. A. Rector of Biſhops-Weremouth, in the Biſhoprick of Durham, and Prebendary of the Church of Sarum. Omnium autem rerum ex quibus aliquid acquiritur, nihil eſt Agriculturâ melius, nihil uberius, nihil dulcius, nihil homine, nibil libero dignius. Cicero de offic. Lib. II. Cap. 42. Nec verò dùbitet Agricola, quamvis Senex, quærenti cui ferat, reſpondere ; Dies immortalibus, qui me non accipere molò hæc à majoribus voluerunt, fed etiam pofteris prodere. Cato Major, Cap. 7. Ταύτα δε, ώ Κριτόβελο, εγώ διηγύμαι, έφη ο Σωκράτης, ότι η γεωργίας ' δι πάνυ μακάριοι δύνανται απέχεσθαι. "Εοικε γάς ή επιμέλεια αυτής είναι άμα τε ηδυπάθεια τις, και οίκε αύξησις, και σωμάτων άσκησις, εις το δύνασθαι όσα ανδρι ελευθέρω προσήκει. Χenoph. 'Οικογ. Cap. 5. DU B L I N: Printed by and for J. HYDE and E. DOB'S O N, and for R. GUNNE and R. OWEN, Bookſellers, MDCCXXVII. Landscape Webster 12-13-29 14:! TALACE 4 G" 00e TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS OF W A L E S. MADAM, Eſteem it the higheſt Honour, to be permitted to de- dicate the following Papers to Your Royal Highneſs; Whoſe known Character for Virtue and Goodneſs, for a ſingular and impartial Love of Truth, and for encouraging every uſeful Art and Science, cannot but derive Credit upon a Work publiſhed under Your Royal Highneſs's Protection. The World will readily judge, that this Preſumption of mine could not proceed from any Inclination to flatter. For, That good Senſe and Judgment, joined with a moſt endearing Affa- bility; which has rendred Your Royal Highneſs ſo univerſally eſteemed, and ſo juſtly beloved; makes you too wiſe to bear Flattery, and too Good to need it. But the Diverſion Your Royal Highneſs is ſometimes pleaſed to take, in viewing the Effects of ſuch Experiments as are the Subject of this Treatiſe; naturally led me to be ambitious of this Honour. I have D E DI CATION Ν. I have, for ſome Years paſt, employed my vacant Hours in recommending the innocent Diverſions of the Flower-Garden; in being an Advocate for the Culture of my Native Country in general; and particularly in ſhewing the reſt of the World the growing Riches and Beauty even of that more Northern Cli- mate, which has but lately been thought capable of Improve- ment. And nothing could be a more ſatisfactory Reward to theſe my Labours, than the being allowed to publiſh them un- der the Patronage of a Perſon, who is a perfect Judge even of theſe meaner Performances, at the ſame Time that She is an Or- nament to the Royal Family, and a Bleſſing to the Nation. That Your Royal Highneſs may long live a Pattern of Virtue and Goodneſs, a Lover of Reaſon and Truth, a Friend to Vir- tuous Liberty, and an Enemy to the Antichriſtian Spirit of Po- pery, whereſoever found; And that theſe Kingdoms may, to the lateſt Poſterity, continue to be governed by Deſcendents in- heriting theſe Your Illuſtrious Virtues, which are the greateſt Temporal Bleſſings to Mankind; is the Prayer of, M ADAM, Your Royal Highneſs's Mof Humble and Moft Obedient Servant, J. Laurence. VO Dame Τ Η Ε P R E F A C E TO THE R E A D E R. T is now twelve Years ſince I firſt began to treat upon the Subject of Vegetables. And in thoſe ſeveral ſmall Tracts al- ready publiſhed I confined my ſelf to that Part only, which reſpects the Fruit-Garden, as what I thought would beſt and eaſieſt make its Way amongſt the Inquiſitive Part of the No. bility, Clergy, and Gentry. Whether I judged rightly or not, I muſt leave to ſuch Perſons, into whoſe Hands thoſe Books have fallen: But I muſt own my ſelf ſo far encouraged by the kind Reception of thoſe Books, that I have been ſeveral Years laying in Materials to do my Part to extend and enlarge the knowledge of Agriculture in all its Parts. I had ar that Time the Honour of being the firſt and almoſt only Wri- ter in this laſt Century, who had revived the Spirit of Gardening, and pre- tended to give a rational and intelligible Account of the Laws of Nature, for the better and more regular Government of Fruit-Trees, hitherto but imper- fectly underſtood, and therefore very darkly explained. Since which Time there have aroſe other Authors, and very many Books have been wrote on the Subject to pleaſe the Taſte of the Age ; ſome of which have furniſhed us with divercing and ingenious Novelties: Tho’ it muſt be confeſſed, that ſeveral others have rather obſcured the Subject, and confounded the Rea- der ; eſpecially the Dictionary Writers, by inſerting all promiſcuouſly, both good and bad, from other Authors. As every Age of Life hath commonly its Amuſements (the more inno- cene the better) peculiar to itſelf; fo almoſt every Age of the World hath been remarkable for ſome one particular Purſuit of Knowledge, wherein Men have excelled to the Advantage of their Fellow Creatures. This Age, iç is plain, ſeems to taſte and reliſh every Thing new on the Subject of Vegetable a The P REF AC E. Vegetable Nature ; and Men are cager in their Enquiries into its Receſſes, Great Lighc hath been ſtruck, and more Remains to be let in. Which Confi- deration, inſtead of Diſcouragement, ſhould be an Argument to excite Mens Zeal, and enflame their Ambition to find our Truth. Many in the World are apt to be diſcouraged in their Purſuit of Know- ledge, when they ſee and conſider the Difficulties that lie before them; or when they obſerve that moſt Sciences have their Chimæra's, after which Men are wont to run without ever overtaking them: Whereas at the ſame Time it ſhould be owned, that they are often the Occaſion of our finding our many uſeful Things in the Way. Ic doth not require a great deal of the Spirit of Prophecy, to ſay, that as long as the World laſts, the Pleaſures and Entertainments which Garden- ing and Agriculture afford, will be the Purſuit of wiſe Men, who, whilſt they find and reliſh Retirement, will alſo find the pleaſure of enquiring inco the Powers of Nature, whoſe Returns are abundant Recompences for their moſt laborious Searches. And happy ſurely they, who find Satisfaction in thoſe ſo innocent Pleaſures, inſtead of diſturbing the World or their Neigh- bours, when they cannot be quiet themſelves, tho' no Body hurts them. The Evening of Life is thus, to be fure, moſt wiſely and agreeably ſpent. When the Decline of Nature tends to Peeviſhneſs and a froward Weak- neſs, and we cannot ſo firmly bear the Frowns of Fortune, the Ingrati- tude of a Friend, the Malice and Treachery of an Enemy; then to ſtep aſide, as it were, out of the World a little before our Time, and give ſuch a decent Turn to our Thoughts, as may hide the Weakneſſes of human Nature, and at the ſame Time recreate our Minds with innocent and ad- vantageous Pleaſures, hath always been, and muſt always be accounted Wiſdom. It muſt be owned indeed, that the Town hath its Pleaſures as well as the Country; And if Virtue were the Rule and Guide of Mens Actions, as Man was made for Society, the Delights of Company and Converſation ought to be preferred to a private Life, and to all the Charms chat Ve- getable Nature affords us in Solitude and Retirement. But how alluring foever the Pleaſures of the Town may ſeem to us, whilſt Health and Strength and the Gaieties of Youth laſt; yer conſidering the Difficulties and Dangers, with which a Freedom in Converſation is commonly attended, as alſo the Envy, Malice, and Double-dealing fo frequent in the moſt buſy Parts of the World, which tend to mar all thoſe Delights; we ſhall be inclined to declare in Favour of the innocent Simplicity of a Country-Life. The antient Heathens, Moraliſts and Philoſophers, are ſo full of this Way of reaſoning, that you no ſooner dip into their Writings, but you find beautiful Defcriprions of the Pleaſures of Agriculture, and frequent Ex- amples of Men of great Merit, who fled from the tumultuous Hurry of Cities filled with raging Paſſions, that they might recreate both their Minds and Bodies with rural Exerciſes. If Clergy-men and other ſtudious Perſons, that have a Taſte for Beau- ey and Order, really want theſe reputable Relaxations, I hope there will not need a Juſtification of my ſelf, that I here amuſe my ſelf and others of my own Profeſſion with Studies ſo ſeemingly different from it. Ler the Reader look back to that Place in Tully's Cato major, quoted in the Title Page, and he will ſee a noble Sentence and Sentiment of an old Heathen, which may be look'd upon as a Leſſon to Chriſtian Clergy-men, and is at the fame Time a full Juſtification of this my Undertaking. And truly I cannot but here take Occaſion to exhort all Philoſophical Gentlemen, to employ a reaſonable Share of their Thoughts and Experi- nents The P R E F A C E. 1 ; whoſe Products are more ments on the Subject of Agriculture, as a more becoming Exerciſe and Re- laxation than Hunting or Cards, and to be ſure, more conducing to the Health of the Body, the Strength of the Mind, and to the Capacity of Generoſity in the Fortune, than many other faſhionable but criminal Ex- ceffes. For it ought to be obſerved, that it is an Employment, which will at once contract their Wants, and give a larger Ability to ſupply them; ’rwill give greater Reliſh to the Enjoyments of Life, and make every part thereof ſweetly varied between joyous Eaſe and delightful Labour. If there are any who can complain of the Toil of that Pleaſure I am perſwading them to undertake and enjoy, let them conſider that juſt Admo- nition of Epicharmis cited and applauded by Socrates, των πόνων πωλήσιν ημίν πάντα qayal'i soi. And the wiſely choſen Motto of our preſent Excellent Lord Chancellour, is the grateful Sentiment of a Mind who hath purchas'd Happineſs by theſe Means. Labor ipſe Voluptas. The Greek is an Expli- cation of the Charter which God gave to Man when Husbandry was firſt made Neceſſary ; the Latin admoniſhes us with what Thankfulneſs Man ought to receive the Puniſhment inflicted by infinite Goodneſs. If Gentlemen could perſwade themſelves to caſt their Eſtates into Beau- ty and Order, they would quickly experience it the nobleſt Exerciſe and greateſt Delight. The Deſigning Arts, are unqueſtionably the moſt becoming Retirement, as well as moſt natural Enjoyment of Life. God made Man as ardently deſireous of the Beauty of Order, as of any Indulgence of Senſe. The laſt may be an Injury to others: But the Love of the first, within the Bounds of a generous Frugality, is a Bleſſing ; becauſe it gives Politeneſs and Or- nament to a Nation. If a Circle drawn on the Sand could make an old Ship-wrack'd Philoſopher cry out ; Courage ! my Companions, here are hu- mane Creatures live in this Iſlınd; ſurely the Sight of every Portion of a Country drawn out into all the regular Variety of ſome noble Deſign, will give Evidence of a Love for Beauty. Which is indeed an external Proof of a Love for Humanity: For none can be greatly tranſported with Beauty and Regularity amidſt Plantations, and the Gracefulneſs of Order in inanimate Proportion but he muſt be much more ſo by the diviner Harmony of a virtuous Conduct. And if Variety in Uniformity is what de- lights Human Minds; what greater united Variety, than beholding all the Duties of Life drawn from the one Principle of Chriſtian Charity, or a de- fire to make Happineſs enjoyed, in proportion to the Merics and Capacity of Creatures endued with Senſe and Underſtanding ? Beſides, it is to be conſidered further, that the Delight in adding Beauty to a Country here recommended, is likely to extinguiſh that Secularity of Spirit, that ſelfiſh Taſte, which ſo much reigns in the World. For this is ſo evidently labouring to pleaſe others, that no Man can be pleaſed long with what himſelf doth, if he did not believe that others would be pleaſed with what he hath done; and none could preſerve a wrong Taſte if there were not others to admire and applaud ir. The general Admi- ration which every Age hạch ſhewn for the Quincunx Order, is a full Proof, that Beauty conſiſts where the ingenious Mr. Hutchinſon, and Monf. Croufaz place it; viz. in Variety amidſt Uniformity: And this, every Farm may have added to it by ſmall Expence and agreeable Labour, and become more Convenient as well as more Beautiful. What a Field of Pleaſure then is here, for a virtuous ; Reliſhing than what Vice can pretend to offer ; where Reaſon will deſire the Aid of Ima- gination, which yet fubmits its Inventions to Reaſon; where he may in- dulge in what will at once improve his Pleaſure, his Fortune, and his Mind: The PRE FACE Mind ; in what will promote the Cauſe of Virtue, the Good of his Coun- try, and the Intereſt of his family. If we conſult the ſacred Hiſtorian, we ſhall ſee, that in the Beginning, even before Sin enter'd into the World, God planted a Garden, wherein were made to grow every Tree that is pleaſant to the Sight, and good for Food, and there be put the Man whom he had formed, that he might till it and keep it, Gen. ii. 8, 9, 15. And thus alſo we ſhall find, according to the Lan- guage of the Poets, that the Golden Age was ſpent not in Cities, but in the Country; where the firſt, moſt innocent, and happieſt Men, applied them- ſelves to cultivate the Earth, no leſs for their Pleaſure than Advantage. Not that it would be a reaſonable Attempt, to perſwade all Perſons to turn Farmers and Country-men. Men may be uſeful as well as neceſſary in every Station of Life. Multiplicity of Buſineſs in ſome, and the Love of Eafe and Voluptuouſneſs in others, hinder both the Study and the Practice of Husbandry ; ſo that the Culture of the Earth is now fallen ta the Lor of Men, whom we eſteem ſervile and born to Labour. However, it were to be wiſhed, that Men of Thought and Leiſure would more apply their Study and Care to improve their Eſtates; that they would join Ex- perience and Practice to Theory, and do their utmoſt to perfect the Know- ledge of Agriculture and Planting, and this with the fame Diligence where- with we ſee others have endeavoured to bring to Perfection divers Arts and Sciences, that are leſs uſeful in Life. The Philoſophical Tranſactions of the Royal Society are ſtanding Me- moirs of the Zeal and Activity of many Perſons of Quality and Learning, that have made ſeveral excellent Diſcoveries to this End; having advanced much Light in the Art of Husbandry, by their learned Diſcourſes and Ex- periments. What I aim at in the following Papers, is to diffuſe, improve, and lay open all ſuch important Secrets, as are fit for Country-men and Peaſants to know ; to inculcate even on the common People all the moſt rational Methods of improving Land, and managing Farms to the beſt Advantage ; and to add all the late and uſeful Diſcoveries of the Learned, that relate as well to Agriculture as Gardening; that the World may reap the Advan- tage of them in regular Crops and plentiful Harveſts: And that we may no longer have Reaſon to apprehend thoſe dreadful Scarcities, with which both City and Country have from Time to Time been ſo ſorely and grie- Vouſly afflicted Some perhaps would expect, that a Performance of this Nature ſent into the World under the Name of a Clergy-man, ſhould have had the uſual Embelliſhments of Marginal Notes from the Antients, toſhew that I had conſulted what they had all ſaid de Re Ruſticâ : And that, in the Body of the Book, according to the Faſhion of ſome Moderns, I ſhould have di- verted the Reader with frequent Citations from the Greek, Latin and En- gliſh Poers. This I might have done, and have acted the Part of the Philologer, as well as the Philoſopher and Husbandman; but that I think ſuch a laborious Search, at beſt, only like other difficiles Nuge, a pompous Way of ſaying nothing to any real Advantage or Advancement of Knowledge. I confeſs therefore I have voluntarily omitted ſuch uſe- leſs Learning; my End in writing, being to inſtruct, not to amuſe the Reader with Authorities from thoſe who knew little of the Matrer, in Compariſon of the Light we now enjoy. So that though I might without much Difficulty have put on the Ornaments of the Scholar; yet I rather choſe to appear Simplex Munditiis, to dreſs with nothing but thar natural Evidence and Beauty, which the Importance of the Subject required to re- commend my Diſcourſe. Gratitude, The P R E FACE. Gratitude, and a becoming Senſe of the Favour of my Lord Biſhop of Durham, naturally invite me to take Notice here, that by his Lordſhip’s Bounty I have been removed (very agreeably) into the Biſhoprick of Durham, which may properly be called the Garden of the North. For if Trade, and a Multitude of Inhabitants ; if the natural Riches of the Country, and Wealth, acquired and improved by the hafty Diligence of a wiſe and po- lite People ; if the natural Goodneſs of the Soil, and the Situation of the greateſt Part of the County ; if any, or all of theſe, tend to make Im- provements both in the field and Garden; here we may ſee them all, growing and increaſing every Day into ſuch Beauties, as raiſe a very agree- able Surprize in Strangers, too often prejudiced againſt the North. There Things have opened to me a new and different Scene, and have given me, Opportunities (as the Reader will obſerve to take Notice of many Things worthy of Imitation, and to ingraft upon them ſome other Improvements, not yet put in Practice. It is fit that I thould here acknowledge, and put the Reader in Mind, that in treating of Foreſt-Trees, I have made Uſe of the ingenious Mr. Evelyn, who hath wrote with moſt Senſe on that Subject; endeavouring to reject what is ſuperfluous, or too much tending to Superftition, the Bane of all true Knowledge: And moreover, that I have been beholden to Mr. Houghton on Husbandry ; and withal, that I ſhould have made more Ufe of Mr. Mortimer, but that I found I could not depend upon him; being at ſame Time well aſſured, that if a Farmer was to practiſe every Thing, and in the Manner he recommends it, he would ſoon become a Beggar. I have been honeſt and careful not to miſlead the Husbandman, by in- dulging any mere Speculations, or recommending what I am not ſure is true and profitable. I could have indulged my own and the Reader's Fancy, like too many Authors on this Subject, with Variety of Methods of Im- provement, which might have promiſed Mountains, but would have diſap- pointed the Hopes of the Induſtrious, that ſhould endeavour to reduce them into Practice. Such Chimera's are what delight and flatter the Covetouſneſs of the Reader, but (like Souih-Sea Stock in the miraculous Year 1720.) they would bring thoſe that truſt them to real Poverty, by tempting them to catch at imaginary Riches. Let nor the Farmer expect Novelties in every Page ; let him not won- der if he finds his every-day Practice plainly and conciſely related. My Book is not (as I have obſerved) deſigned to amuſe, but to inſtruct ; being filled with Truth, not Fancies. And Truth is ſo plain and obvious, that in great Meaſure ’tis known to all in every Age: And thoſe Diſcoveries which are here new and firſt mentioned, are ſo genuine and ſo natural, and ſo reſembling to common experienced Maxims, that People will ſcarce be- lieve that they are not part of the moſt obvious Methods. I think it not becoming the Integrity of my Character, to miſlead. And therefore when I am not quite certain of what I publiſh, I mention my Diffidence, and give warning that if any try what others recommend, or I relate with Caution, they may not blame me. 'Tis right to propoſe things to Conſideration, to incite to Experiments to engage the Abilities of others to improve further. And often a Hint (tho' not exactly true, as firſt gi- ven) may occaſion the nobleſt Diſcoveries. I could eaſily have ſwelled the Book to a greater Bulk ; but I deſire to be as ſhort as is conſiſtent with Clearneſs; not aiming ſo much to write Multa, as Multum. I have tranſlated one Chapter of Kempfer, which I hope will encourage ſome Perſon to give the Whole to the Reader. Scarcely can one find any b where The P R E F A C E. went over where more curious Things concealed under dark Language. Reading him, is like travelling over thoſe craggy Rocks and rough Mountains, that he to gather his Obſervations and compoſe his Treatiſe. And many who would have been delighted with his fine Obſervations, could they have ſeen them at once, will not think it pollible that any thing can reward them for the unpleaſant Pains of underſtanding him. I ſhould think my ſelf extremely happy, if I could be inſtrumental in reviving among Gentlemen, whoſe Affairs do not oblige them to ſpend a great part of their Year in London, a Spirit of improving their Eſtates and imploying their Time in making Experiments, which cannot be ex- pected from the Farmer. He, whoſe Thoughts muſt be fixed on making up his Rent and maintaining his Family by early and conſtant Labour, cannot venture the Expence of a Trial, which, if it ſhould not ſucceed, muſt deeply injure bis Fortune, and half ſtarve his Children. But the very Pleaſure and Amuſement, which a Gentleman will find in fuch Exerciſe of his Body and Mind, will be cheaply purchaſed by the Lofs he may ſome- tiines meet with. How many Volumes of Mathematicks are daily compoſed, merely for the Pleaſure of the Study, without Application to any thing uſeful? Many Books were wrote on the Conic Sections, before the Uſe of any of them were furmiſed; tho' now we know that they are uſed by Providence in the Conduct of Nature ; and, without ſuch formerly barren Meditations on the Properties of thoſe Figures, we at this Time ſhould not have rejoiced in the glorious Diſcoveries of a NEWTON. The very Beauty of fecing ſuch infinite Variety of Truths united in one general Theorem, ſtrongly engaged in Mens Contemplations, before they ſuſpected that Planets moved in the Eclipſe ; that Projectiles deſcribe a Parabola ; that Fluids aſcend between Glaſs Planes, or in a Series of gra- dual Tubes, ſo as form an Hyperbola. From which ſurprizing Obſervation, the riſing of the Juices in Plants can alone be clearly explained. Gentlemen therefore may at a ſmall Expence here employ their Philoſo- phical Thoughts, and preſerve their Health, if they cannot reap other Ad- vantages : But frequently their Prudence and Care will have other Recom- pence, beſides that enjoyed in the very Labour and Search. As Virtue and Wiſdom are their own Rewards, and the Reliſh in the Practice of them is infinitely more delightful than any other Enjoyment; yet they lead to every other Enjoyment which is worth deſiring: And as reading of Hiſtory, is itſelf highly entertaining, yet, beſides the accompa- nying Pleaſure, a Man gains from thence Knowledge and Wiſdom in the Management of the higheſt Affairs in Life: So is Agriculture greatly de- lightful in the very Labour, as well as attended with the moſt advantageous Returns. 'Tis not like the Toil of the Hunter, where the Game when caught is deſpicable ; but the Exerciſe thereof is as much more wholſome and more agreeable, as the Game (give me Leave to call ic fo) is more valuable. But whether Gentlemen will live in the Country or no, moſt of my Bre- thren muſt, becauſe it is their Duty. Many of the common Diverſions they cannot attend with Decency ; yet ſome Relaxation and Refreſhment they require. Their Glebes are therefore proper for chat Purpoſe; and too many of them want not only the Amuſement, but the Advantage which will ariſe from a skilful Labour. But I will not exhort them any farther in my own Words, bur refer them to ſuch as will be more effectual. Tully makes Cato recommend Xenophon's Oeconomicks to Scipio and his friend, as the moſt powerful Pleader' for this noble Art. Tully was ſo delighted wich The P R E FACE, with the ſweer Simplicity and Majeſty of good Senſe which ſhines in thar Treatiſe, that he tranſlated it into Latin. His Verſion is loſt, but the Ori- ginal is ſtill preſerv'd, and will more effectually perſwade Men to love the Study of Husbandry, than any thing that I can ſay. Xenophon hath obtained the Admiration and Love of every Age; and no Age was ever better inclined to regard the amiable, the elegant, the un- affected Neatneſs and Strength of that Author than the preſent: And I hope the Rules that Men are forced to admire, they will obey. i will only add, and ſubmit with great Humility to our Legiſlature the Project of a Friend of mine, which will be a great Ornament to our Na- tion, without any Expence: Thar a Clauſe ſhould be added in every Bill for mending the Roads, (and it may be made to extend to thoſe already granted,) to oblige the Undertakers to plant and preſerve on each side the Turnpike Roads, ſuch Timber-Trees as the Soil will beſt bear, and the Country wants; which will ſupply in Time the Loſs of thoſe Woods that are daily deſtroy’d. If this Hint happen to make any Impreſſion, I may poſſibly my ſelf in due Time, communicate my Thoughts to the World, not only about the beſt Way and Manner of planting ſuch Trees in the Road for their future Security, but alſo concerning the cheapeſt and moſt expeditious Method of mending the Roads themſelves. 1 THE CONTENTS, BOOK I. 74 76 78 T 2 8 9 15 32 36 81 39 91 44 40 Corn Granaries, 73 Hemp and Flax, Turnips, Carrots, Rape and Cole-seed, ibid. Woad, ibid. Weld, 79 Saffron, ibid. Liquorice, 80 Madder, „Teafils, ibid, Hops, 82 Malt, 86 Cattle, ſuch eſpecially ds are moſt uſeful and profi- table to the Farmer, 88 Milk, Butter, 93 Cheeſe, 95 Sheep, 98 Goats, 100 Swine, ibid, the Rabit or Coney, fuch Tiowls as are moſt profitable to the Farmer, 102 The Hen, ibid. Turkies, ibid. Duck, 103 Gooſe, ibid. Pidgeon, ibid. Peacock and Swans 104 Bees, 105 Silkworms, Fiſh Ponds, 114 Mines, Minerals and Quarrie's, Copper, 119 Tin, ibid. Iron and Iron Works 120 Allom, I 22 Lead, 123 Salt, Sulphur, &c, in the Earth, 124 -Salt made, and Salt Works, 126 Quarries, &c. 129 - Coals and Coruke, IT Brickmaking, IOI HE Introduction, Page 1 Chảp. 1. Of Air, Chap. 2. Earth, Chap. 3. — Fire, Chap. 4. - Water, Incloſures, -Meadows and Paſture Ground, Making Hay, 37 Concerning Arable Land and Tillage, - the Plough, and the ſeveral ſorts of them, ibid. the Uſe of Tillage and Ploughing of Land, 41 Ploughing of Land, ibid. the ſeveral Methods of laying sp Lands in Ridges, in order to the fowing of them, the ſeveral times and Methods of Sowing of Corn, 45 om the ſeveral ſorts of Soils good and bad, with ſome Directions interſperſed how to improve them, - Dung, its Nature and Uſe for the Improvement of Land, and the ſerveral ſorts of it, the ſeveral ſorts of Dung ſtrictly and properly ſo called, Concerning other Materials to be uſed as Helps for Vo- getation, and proper for Improvements, 54 baino Lime, - Chalk, 57 patein Clay and clayey Land, ibid. Marle, its Improvement of Land, Blood, its Uſe in Improvement of Land, &c. 6I Urine for Improvement of Land, &c. Digging, its Improvement in Husbandry, 63 Concerning the ſeveral ſorts of Corn or Grain gene- rally ſown in England, viz. Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Beans and Peaſe, &c, with the proper Me- thods for their Cultivation and Increaſes Wheat, ibid. -Barley, • Rye, 68 Oats, 69 Beans and Peafe, &c. 71 48 53 56 IIO 59 117 62 64 66 134 a BOOK The Contents. O 138 0 201 202 208 210 Althea Frutex, IGO Tulip Tree, ibid. BOOK II. Spirea Frutex, ibid. Spaniſh Broom, ibid. Chap, 1. f the ſeveral sorts of Foreft, Timber Syringa, ibid. Trees, great and ſmall, Ever-greens and --- Dog Wood, ibid. Flow'ring-ſhrubs, ſuch as are found to grow in Eng -Sea Ragwort, ibid. land without houſing, Shewing their Nature, Uſe, Barbara Fovis, 191 and Virtues, Page 137 Virgins Bower, ibid. The Soil, - Periwincle, ibid. The Seminary, 139 Chap. 4. Of the beſt Ways and moſt general Seaſons for A Catalogue of the ſeveral Claſſes of Foreſt-Trees, 141 Setting Plants, &c. ibid, Oak Tree, 142 The Miſetoe, 149 BOOK III. Aſh Tree, 150 Elm Tree, 153 Beech Tree, 156 F the Fruit Garden, Page 195 Aſpen and Poplar, Abele, &c. Chap. 1. Of the moſt deſirabie Situation for a ibid. Fruit Garden, Walnut Tree, 196 Lime Tree, 159 Chap. 2. Of the moſt deſirable Soil for a Fruit Garden, Sycamore Tree, 160 197 Alder Trees, 161 Chap. 3. Of Planting : the beſt Method and Time of do- Birch Trees, 162 ing it, 198 Hazel Tree and Filbert, ibid. Chap. 4. of Pruning, Horn Beam, 163 Chap. 5. Of the Vine, Maple Tree, 164 Chap. 6. of the Peach, Nectarine, and Aprècot, &c. Service Tree, or Sorbus, 165 204 Wild Pear, and the Crab, ibid. Chap. 7. Of the Pear, 205 Mulberry, ibid. Chap. 5. Of the Fig, 207 Cheſnut Tree, 166 Chap. 9. Of the L'Azzarole, Wild Cherry, black and red, 167 Chap: 10. Of the Mulberry, ibid. Quicken, or Quick Beam, ibid. - Chap: 11. Of the Apple, White and Black Thorn, and Glaffenbury Thorn, 168 Chap. 12. Of the Medlar and Quince, Withy, Sallow, and Ozier, ibid. Chap. 13. Of Grafting, ibid. Willow Trees, ibid. of Grafting by Approach, 211 Tamarisk, 169 Chap. 14. Of Inoculation, 216 Platanus, or Plane Tree, ibid. Chap. 15. Of Seminaries, the beſt Method of Ordering Elder and Medlar, and L’Azzerole, ibid. them, and Furniſhing them with proper Stocks for Lotus, the Cornel Tree, and the Larch or Larix, 170 Fruit, 217 Buckſhorn Tree, ibid. Chap. 16. Concerning the ſeveral ſorts of Stone Fruit, Acacia, and Buckthorn, ibid. how to diſpoſe them, whether for Walls, Dwarfs, Chap. 2. Of the ſeveral ſorts of Ever-green Trees, great or Standards, their Deſcription, their Order and and ſmall, ſuch as will bear our Climate without Time of Ripening, 218 houſing, ibid. 171 of Peaches and Nectarines, the Ilex, ibid. White and Red Nutmeg Peach, ibid. the Holly Tree, ibid. Anne Peach, 219 fines the rew or Eugh, ibid. 172 Royal George Peach, the Philirea and Alaternus, ibid. 173 -White and Red Magdalen Peach, be the Box, ibid. Minion Peach, ibid. the Cork Tree, ibid. 174 Alberge Peach, ibid. wthe Juniper Tree, Burdine Peach, ibid. the Laurel; Engliſh, Alexandrian and Cherry, 175 - Montabon Peach, ibid. Cypreſs Trees, ibid. Belle Chevereufe Peach, ibid. Fir Trees, -Nobleſs, ibid. Pine Trees, &c. 178 Admirable, ibid. Arbor Vita, 180 New Newington Peach, ibid. ibid. Ivy, ſtrip'd and plain, old Newington Peach, ibid. Savine, ibid, Roman Nectarine, Pyracantha, ibid. Elrong e Netarine, ibid. Celaſtrus and Arbutus, 181 Newington Nectarines, ibid, Cedar Trees, ibid. - Dutch Tawny Nectarines, ibid. Roſemary of ſeveral ſorts, 1 82 Katherine Nectarine, ibid. Bay Tree, 183 Chap. 17. Of Aprecots, ibid. Laurus-tinus, ibid. . Maſculine. Aprecot, ibid. Privet, Lentiſc, and Maternus, 184 Orange Aprecot, ibid. Wood and Timber, ibid. „ Turkey Aprecot, ibid. Chap. 3. Of Flow ring-ſhrubs, 1 86 Breda Aprecot, Sena, ibid. Chap. 18. Of Plums, ibid, Laburnum, ibid. Haſtive aud Mirabel Plum, ibid. Maraco or Paſnin Tree, ibid. Drab d’Or Plum, ibid. - Honeyſuckle, Maitre Claud Plum, ibid, Pomegranate, 188 Blue Perdigran Plum, ibid. Solanum, ibid. -Royal Plum, ibid. Mefereon, ibid, Rich Corban, ibid. Gilder Roſe, ibid. White Perdrigan Plum, ibid. Roſe, ibid. ibid. Imperatrice Plum, Lilac, 189 Catalogue of other good Plums, Almond, ibid. Chap. 19. of Cherries, the ſeveral fortsa ibid. Jeffamine, ibid, Slaap 177 220 221 187 222 The Contents ibid. 238 O , T Chap. 20. Of Kernel Fruit, ſuch as Apples, Pears, &c. Capſicum Indicum, or Indian Pepper, ibid. how to diſpoſe them, whether for Walls, Dwarfs, Sage, 261 or Standards, their Deſcription; Order and Time of Taragon, ibid, 223 Mint, ripening, ibid. Of the Pear, ibid. Baulm, ibid. ibid. - Fuly Pears, Borrage, ibid ibid. Auguſt Pears, -Bugloſs, ibid. Pears which ripen in September; 224 Cornſallad, ibid. - Pears ripe in October, ibid. Mallow, ibide 225 Dandelion, Pears ripe in November, ibid. Elder, ibid, Pears ripe in December, January, and February, Parſley, Ibid. 226 Chap. 21. A Catalogue of the best Apples, Burnet, ibid, Vines that will ripen in England, ibid. Sampier, 262 Chap. 22. Of the Gooſeberry, Currant, Philbud; Raf - Scurvygraſs, ibid. berry, and Strawberry, 227 Small Herbs, ibid, the Gooſeberry, ibid. the Silphium of the Antients, ibid. the Currant, ibid. The Hiſtory of the Afa Fætida, 265 the Philbud, ibid. Chap. 7. of Pot and Aromatick Herbs 276 the Rasberry, 228 Roſemary and Lavender, ibid, the Strawberry; ibid. Thyme, ibid. the Berberry, 229 Hy ſop, ibid. ibid. Rhue, ibid. Chap. 23. Of the Diſeaſes of Fruit Trees; Chap. 24. Of Blights, 231 Tanſy, ibid. Horizontal Shelters to prevent Blights; Savory, ibid. Chap. 25. An Exhortation and Addreſs to the Nurſery Marjoram, ibid. men throughout the ſerveral Parts of Great-Britain, Penneroyal and Camomile, 277 235 Angelica, ibid, Chap. 26. Of the Differences of Climates, with the Con Carduus, ibid. veniencies and Inconveniencies of Soils; Situation, -- Baſil, ibid. And Degrees of Latitude, 235 Chap. s. Of the Nature, Properties, and great Advana tages of untried Earth, both in the Fruit and the Kitchin Garden, ibido BOOK İV. BOOK V. F the Kitchen Garden, Page 243 Chap. 1, Of Melons, Cucumbers, Pumpions , Gourds, &c. 244 HE Flower Garden, 281 Chap. 2. Of Artichokes, Chardons, and Aſparagus, 248 Chap. 1. Concerning the Situation and Diſpo- Artichokes, ibid. ſition of the Flower Garden, 283 - Spaniſh Cardon, ibid. Chap. 2. Of ſuch Soils and Compoſitions of Earths as are Aſparagas, ibid. found to be in the general molt agreeable to Flower, Chap. 3. Of Efculent Roots uſeful in the Kitchen; 250 miCarrots, ibid. A complete Catalogue of Flowers, great and ſmall, per- Radiſh ibid, annual or annual, uſually known or propagated in - Parſnipsa ibid. England, either in the naked Ground or Hot-Bed, Turneps, ibid, 286 Beet, ibid. Chap. 3. Of perannual Flowers of the talleſt Size, 287 Scorzonerá, ibid. the Starflower, ibid. Radiſhes, 251 the Hollyhocks, ibid. Potatoes, ibid. the Sunflower, ibid. - Jeruſalem Artichokes, ibid. the Everlaſting Pea; ibid, con Onions, ibid. - Canterbury Bells, ibid. Leeks, ibid. -Foxgloves, 288 Skirret, ibid. Lillies, ibid. Chap. 4. Of Collyflowers, and the several Kinds of Cab- Martagons, ibid. bage, ibid. 252 Mulleins, -Collyflowers ibid. the Primroſe Tree, ibid. - Brocauly, ibid. the Tuberoſe, ibid. - Cabbages, ibid. -the Cardinal Flower, 289 Chap. 5. Of Beans, Peaſe; Kidney-Beans, and other Belvedere, ibid. Pulſe, 254 Comfry, ibid. Beans, ibid. Chap. 4. Of perannual Flowers of the middle Size; whea ibid. Peale, ther from bulbous Roots or Off-fets ibid. - Kidney Beans, 255 à Molly, ibid. Chap. 6. of ſuch Herbs and Plants as are commonly ufed - Aſphodils, ibid. in Sallads, with the beſt Methods of cultivating Peoney, ibid. and mixing them, 256 Julian, 290 mm Lettuce, 258 • Narciſſus or Daffodil, ibid. thimi Endive, ibid. Fraxinelle, 291 - Purſain, ibid. Valerian, ibid. Sellery, ibid. 259 Cyanus, Fennel, ibid. - Rose Campion, ibid. Sorrel, ibid. Rocket, ibid. Spinage, ibid. Moonkshood, ibid. Cherville, Scarlet Lychnis, ibid, Creſſes, ibid. Sweet William, ibid. Garlick, 1 ibid. panne Crown Imperial, 292 Onions, Leeks, &c, ibid. Acanthus, ibid. 283 260 - Cara The Contents. the Poppy, Carnations, ibid. ibid. Pinks, 294 -the Candia Tuft, 303 - Stock Gilliflowers, ibid. the double Marigold, ibid. the Wall Flower, ibid. - the Venus Looking-glaſs and Venus Navelwort, ibid. the French Honeyſuckle, ibid. 295 the Parnaſſus, ibid. the Catch Fly or Mufcipula, bow Cardinal Flower, ibid. ibid. the Flos Adonis; Hyacinth, ibid. ibid. the Nigella, Collumbine, ibid. ibid. the Lupine, ibid. Iris, 296 the Scarlet Bean, Cornflag, ibid. ibid. the Annual Stock, ibid. Prchis, Frittillary, ibid. the Viola tricolor, ibid. minns the Globe Flower, ibid. - the Scabius, ibid. the Star Flower, ibid. Chap. 7. Of Annuals to be forn in Hot-beds, 304 ibid. --the French and African Marigold, sowie Geranium, ibid. the Amaranthus, ibid. - Anemony, 297 the Tulip, ibid. the Bind-weed or Convolvulus, 305 298 the Marvel of Peru, ence the Ranunculus, ibid. ibid. the Female Balfom, the Cyclamen, ibid. Hellebore, 299 the ſweet Sultan, 306 the Ladies Slipper, ibid. the Guinea Pepper, or Capſicum Indicum, ibid, the Bacchus-bole, ibid. the Indian Creſs, or yellow Lark-ſpur, ibid. the Jonquil, ibid. the ſenſitive Plant, ibid. the Balinet, ibid. Chap. 8. of the serveral Hindrances and Obſtructions to ibid. the Lilly of the Valley, Improvement, and the general Annoyances to Vege- ibid. the Dogs Tooth, tables, whether in the Field, the Foreſt, the Fruit mathe Spiderwort, ibid. Garden, or the Flower Garden, with their probable Remedies, 307 Chap. 5. Reptiles, on the loweſt vivacious Flowers, 300 ibid. monio Ant-Hills, 308 of the Auricula, - Moles, ibid. the Polianthus, 301 the Gentionella, ibid. Furze, 309 ibid. ibid. be the Hepatica, the Violet, ibid. ibid. the Crocus, ibid. Heath Ruſhes, ibid. ibid. me the Snowdrop, - Thiſtles, ibid, ibid. the Indian Pink, Couch Graſs, ibid. the Panſy, 302 -Carlock, Ž 10 ibid; Wild Oats the Aconite, ibid. ibid. Chap. 6. Annual Flowers from the Seedo - Moſs, ibid. ibid. of the Sunflower, -Rubbing of Cattle, ibid. ibid. the Snapdragon, Rooks, ibid. the Lark-heel, bid. The Concluſion, 31% sme Broom, Fern, 092 THE Τ Η Ε Subſcribers NAMES R R D R STI A. Ight Honourable Lord Athenree, Reverend Doctor William Andrews, Arch-Deacon of Offory, Richard Alhe of Alhfield, Eſq; William Aſhe, Eſq; William Aſton, Merchant, Samuel Aughmooty, Efq; B: Everend Mr. Tho. Breviter, M. A. Rey, Mr. Rob. Blackball, School Master of Dungannon, Reverend Richard Bolton, Vicar of Ra. toah, Reverend Edward Bolton, A. M. Honourable Major Nich. Bunbury, Martin Blake, Eſq; Peter Blake, Eſq; Thomas Burgh, Eſq; Mr. Skeffington Briſtoc, Mr. John Bailey, of the Treaſury, Mr. Timothy Brown, Matthew Brown, Eſq; Mr. Alexander Barry, Mr. Ulicke Burke, Robert Blakeney, Eſq; Joſeph Bolton, Eſq; Mr. Baſil Brooke, F. C. T. C. Mrs. Sarah Belcher, Mr. Rowland Bradſtock, Reverend Mr. Roger Blackhal, M. A. Alderman George Bennett, of Corke, 7 C. Ight Rev. Lord Biſhop of Cloyne, Reverend Barclay Cope, Preben- dary of Armagh, Reverend John Chaloner, A. M. Honourable and Reverend John Caulfield, Thomas Collier, Efq; John Conree, of Cloonahee, Eſq; Mr. John Chantry, 7 Sir Edward Crofton, Baronet, Mr. Peter Cook, A. B. Sir Maurice Crosby, Reverend Dean Carlton, Thomas Chriſtmas, Eſg; William Crowe, Eſq; George Cunningham, Eſq; Dixy Coddington, Eſq; Andrew Crawford, Eſq; Alderman Frederick Cunningham, of Lon- don-derry, Richard Colley, Eſq; Mrs. Elinor Caulfield, Edward Crofton, of Mote, Eſq; John Carter, Efq; Mr. James Crofton, Attorney, D. Ight Rev. Lord Biſhop of Derry, Reverend Dr. Dongworth, Reverend Mr. Tho. Dawſon, L. L. B. John Dawſon, Eſq; Mr. Walter D'Arcy, John Davis, Eſq; Mr. James Dawſon, Mr. Combra Daniel, 7 Mr. Luke Dillon, Arthur Dobbs, Eſq; Mr. John Donoldſon. E. Aniel Eccles, Eſq; Mr. George Ewing, 1 Archibald Edmonſton, Eſq; Eyre Evans, Eſq; F. Everend Mr. Tho. Franklin, A. M. Reverend Nat. France, A. M. Arthur French, of Cloonaquin, Efq; John Forbes, Eſq; Edward Finn, Eſq; Samuel Fuller, 7 G. Ir Arthur Gore, Baronet, Mr. Walter Goold, Attorney, James Garſtin, Efq; Gore, Eſq; Mr. Arthur Grahame, Richard Grahame, Eſq; Mr. George Grierſon, 7 Reverend Michael Griffin, A, M. Edward Griffith, Gent. H. Everend Dean Howard, Reverend Samuel Holt, A. M Michael Head, Eſq; Mr. John Hall, Mrs. Mary Hamerton, Guſtavus Handcock, Efq; William Handcock, Eſq; Toby Hall, Eſq; Reverend William Hamilton, Arch-Des- con of Armagh, Reverend Mr. Hartſton, A. M. Wentworth Harmon, Eſq; Hans Hamilton, Eſq; Honourable and Reverend Francis Ha. milton, Mr. John Hopkins, George Hely, Eſq; Reyerend James Higgins, 1. Obert Jocelyne, Efq; Walter Jones, Eſq; Reverend Mr. William Janiſon, Reverend Henry Jenny, D. D, Preben- dary of Armagh, Reverend John Jackſon, A, M. Henry Ingoldsby, Eſq; R R R R Righs R R HS MAT R , Mr. St. George, Barrack-maſter of Kinſale, SUBSCRIBERS N AMES. K. Mrs. Richards, Ight Rev. Lord Biſhop of Killalla, Joſeph Rea of Newton Rea, Eſq; Right Hon. John Lord Kingſton, Mr. Robert Roberts, Rev. James King, Fellow of Trinity Col- Lieutenant William Rofs. lege. S. Mr. Martin Kirwan, Ight Hon. Lord St. George, Mr. Nicholas King, Honourable Richard Stewart, Eſq; Mr. Edward Kean. Honourable John Skeffington, Eſq; L. Ezekiel Stewart, Eſq; Onourable Col, Nicholas Loftus, Sir Richard Levinge, Bart. Richard Stone, Eſq; Mr. Peter Lynch Rev. Ed. Sampſon, A. M. Rev, Edm. Lewis, M. A. Alexander Stewart, Eſq; Mr. Leſlie. Rev. - Story; A. M. Mr. Edward Laſendý. Anthony Stawell, Eſq; M. Captain Philip Savage, Ight Hon. Lord Vif. Maſſereen, William Sheppard of Bettyſtown, Eſq; Rev. Ed. Maurice, A, M. Rev. Thomas Sheridan, D. D. Henry Maxwell, Eſq; Robert Sandford, Eſq; Robert Magill, Eſq; Eaton Stannard, Eſq; Rev. Thomas Martin, A. M. Rev. Edward Synge, A. M. Prebendary of Henry Mac Manus, Eſq; St. Patrick's Dublin, Rev. Charles Maſſey, A. M. Boyle Spencer, Eſq; Mr. Thomas Morſe, Mr. Robert Skerrit. Mr. William Montgomery, T. Mr. Terence Magrath, Ight Hon. Richard Eſq; Lewis Mears, Erg; Rev. John Trayers, A. M. Rey. Robert Maxwell, D. D. Rector of Rev. David Tweed, Tynan. Thomas Tickell, Eſq; Mr. John Martin, Richard Tickell, Efq; Mr. Jaſper Martin, Robert Temple, Eſq; Captain Mac Cauſland, Alexander Tompkins, Eſq; Captain George Mac Ghee, Rev. John Towers, A. M. John Mead, Eſq; Mr. Daniel Threſhers Robert Marſhall, Eſq; Charles Totenham, Eſq; Richard Morgan, Eſq; Harry Townley, Eſq; Rev. Richard Martin. Rev. William Thompſon, Senior Fellow William Mac Gwire, Eſq; of Trinity College. Major John Mac Cullum. U. N. Everend William Uſher Archdeacon R. Fælix O Neil of Randalſtown, of Clonfert, John Nixon, Eſq; Morgan Vaughan, Eſq; Henry Newburg, Eſq; Mr. Luke Vipond. 0. W. Onourable Col. Oliver, Enry Ware, Eſq; Arthur Ormsby of Rookwood, Eſq; Rev. John Walmſley, D. D. Rev. John Owen, A. M. Michael Ward, Eſq; P. George Weſt, Eſq; Onourable Col. Thomas Palliſer, John Wooten, Eſq; Sir Henry Piers, Bart. George Warburton, Eſq; Mr. John Putland, Captain John Williamſon, Thomas Palmer, Eſq; Mr. Richard Waddy C. Wexford, Mr. Joſhua Parſley, Cornet Worth Watſon, Joſhua Paul, Eſq; Rey. Ch. Ward, A. M. Jeffry Paul, Eſq; Rev. Hugh Wigton, A. M. Thomas Philips, Eſq; Mr. Bartholomew Wybrants, Lieutenant John Plucknett, James Wilkinſon, Eſq; Captain John Preſton, Y. Major Toby Purcell, R. Owen Young Mervyn Pratt, Efq; R. Onourable Col. Edward Richbell, Rey. Archdeacon Ruſſell, R : HO H H M HO A NEW pe vo A NE W SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE AND GARD EN IN G. Β Ο Ο Κ Ι. Of Husbandry in the Field, and its ſeveral Improvements. INTRODUCTION. IR, E ARTH, FIRE and WATER, being known to have their Ef- fects, and various Influences in Husbandry; and, if made to exert their natural Properties in a due manner, and regular proportion, to contribute greatly to the Improvement of Land; it may be expected that I ſhould take ſome particular Notice of them in a Philoſophical manner; and yet ſo, as with a View always of bringing Theory down to Pra&tice, B СНАР, 2 A New Syſtem of CHAP I. Of A I R. B may Y the Air, is commonly underſtood that Fluid wherein we live and breathe, and which covers the Earth to a conſiderable Height in a different Denſity. But this is more properly called the Atmoſphere ; which is a compound Maſs made up of light and fine Atoms, or ſmall Parts, ſuch as are the Efluvia, or Streams of all forts of Matter, viz. Water, Smoke, Plants, Animals, Nitre, &c. But the much greater Part thereof is a pure and native Subſtance of its own kind, which we call Air. Air is a diaphanous fluid Subſtance, whoſe Parts mutually avoid each other, and by means of that Avoidance become Elaſtic. Whether this mutual Avoidance ariſes from a Law of the Fluid it ſelf, or from its being attracted ſtronger by the Fluid of Fire, of which ſome curious Naturaliſts of late ſpeak, than the Parts are by each other, is not eaſy to determine. The Parts of Salts mutually attract each other till put into Water, and then they mutually avoid each other, diſperſing all over the diffolving Fluid; and it is cer- tain, that Heat will certainly encreaſe the Elaſticity of Air. The Air is alſo compreſjible and dilatable ; for the lower Parts thereof are always more compreſſed than thoſe above, and reciprocally proportional to its Compreſſion, its neareſt Particles receding from each other with Forces reciprocally proportional to the Diſtances of their Centers. It is alſo to be obſerved, that the Weight of the Air is different in different Parts of the Year, and in different Seaſons of the Weather; altho' Heat and Cold make no greater al- teration than this, viz. 'Tis ſcarcely ever leſs than 800 Times ſpecifically lighter than Wa- ter, and in its natural State ſeldom more than 1000 Times; tho’ in Condenſers it be compreſſed to a much greater Degree, and by Heat and an Air-Pump expanded to a ſur- priſing Rareneſs. But becauſe the Nature and Properties of the Air are either not generally well under- ſtood, ſometimes darkly explained, and ſeldom ſet in a clear Light; all Philoſophical Per- ſons will expect ſomething new of this Kind, from one that engages to give an intelligible Syſtem of Vegetable Nature. And I own, I rather take upon me the Part of the Philo- ſopher, as well as the experienced Husbandman; becauſe I acknowledge my ſelf to have been greatly affifted by the Converſation and Correſpondence I have had on this Subject with ſome ingenious and learned Friends. Having ſaid that Air is an Elaſtic Fluid, which ſurrounds the whole Earth, it is but ne- ceſſary that this be ſaid further here alſo ; that by an Elaſtic Fluid, is meant a Fluid whoſe Parts mutually avoid cach other, from what Cauſe foever that mucual Avoidance comes. The Conſequence of this Property of the Air is, that its Denſity (as was hinted before) will be in proportion to its Compreſſion, and that the higher you aſcend, the thinner is the Air. Hence it follows, that was the Atmoſphere of much leſs Altitude than it is at preſent, or of much greater, neither Plants nor Animals could ſubſiſt, at leaſt not so well, as they do at preſent. Had it been of much leſs Altitude, than the Air we breathe would have been proportionably thinner, and leſs fit for Reſpiration ; for 'tis generally obſerved, that at the Top of very high Mountains, (ſuch as the Pike of Tenariffe, which may be near three Miles perpendicular Height) Animals reſpire with difficulty. Had the Altitude of the Air been conſiderably leſs, we ſhould feel much greater difficulty ſtill. Beſides, we find that the preſent Denſity can only bring up Vapours to the Height of Hills, and Tops of Mountains, where they continually hang till they diſſolve in Rain, and fo run into and form Springs : So that if Air was on the Surface or horizontal Plane but even as light as now it is on the higheſt Mountains, we ſhould live in a perpetual Fog, and both Men and Vegetables be deſtroyed for want of free Perſpiration ; for Vegetables muſt per- ſpire alſo, or they ſtarve. By Dr. Woodward's Experiments, it appears that daily many hundred times as much Water as the Quantity of the Augment is carried thro’ the Vel- fels; and when thoſe Juices come to the perſpiratory Orifices, if the Air was not of a pro- portionable Weight to buoy up and carry off the watry Excrement, it would there ftag- nate, and by the Veffel's being already full, prevent new Juices from aſcending; and conſe- quently, prevent all Nouriſhment from ariſing in the Tubes. For, Tis Agriculture and Gardening. 3 'Tis poſſible indeed, that ſome few forts of Plants may have Perſpiration fine enough to be carried off by Mountain- Air, as the Fir-Kind, and ſome other Plants, which delight in Hills; but all the other Varieties would be loſt by a much lower, and conſequently thin- ner Atmoſphere. Thus therefore it is ſeen a certain proportionable Quantity of Air is neceſſary to Vege- tation, to ſupport Vapours, to carry off vegetable Perſpiration, and by Winds to agitate and ſhake the Trees, to hinder the Secretory Glands (if I may uſe that Metaphor) from bea ing obſtructed. This will ſerve to explain the odd Phænomenon of the Fountain-Tree in the Illand Fero, which drops ſuch Quantities of Water. It differs only from other Plants, as a Man who perſpires freely doth from one who ſweats profuſely; the Orifices of his Veſſels are fo large, that the Particles which exſude are too heavy to be carried off. Theſe therefore run into each other on the ſmoth Leaf, and form there Drops which fall and refreſh the Earth. Thus in our Country, the Ros Solis hath its Leaves in the hotteſt Weather ſurcharged with a very large Drop of Water, which it conſtantly fills faſter than the Sun can drink it up. Hence alſo follows the Reaſon why Wood-land Countries are ſo damp and aguiſh; for if the Perſpiration of Vegetables be ſo great, no wonder that the Air is ſo moiſt. And this, by the way, may ſerve as a right and leaſonable Caution to all Gentlemen who value their Healths, not to be too buſy and profuſe in the Ornaments of Planting, as they com- monly are, eſpecially too near their Houſes: But yet, at the ſame time, another Hint may be taken from hence, that ſome Trees may by their Quality and Quantity of Perſpiration make the Air Medicinal. The Turpentine Kind throws off a large Quantity of warm active Particles, and probably would much contribute to the Salubrity of a Gentleman's Seat. For that the Sweat of thoſe Plants is warm, may be collected thus: That in great Numbers cloſely growing, they cheriſh and defend each other againſt the Cold of the bleak- eſt Climates; while ſingle, they grow ſtunted in very temperate and ſheltered ones. This is ſufficient to Thew the Inconveniencies which would follow, ſuppoſing the Atmoſ- phere leſs high. And yet it is as eaſy to ſhew, that not fewer would ariſe, if the Atmoſ phere was conſiderably higher : For in that Caſe, the Compreſſion of the Air on the Earth's Surface would be greater, and conſequently the Air denſer. 'Tis true, we might breathe as well in ſuch a compreſs’d Air ; as is proved by the Gentleinen who have continued long in diving Bells, and by Animals which have ſhewn no Uneaſineſs in Condenſers : But in every other reſpect, the Change would be fatal; for, firſt, the Vapours would be carried up to ſo great an Height, that they would not deſcend in Rain, unleſs it be when Storms conſiderably altered the Denſity below : Dews would never fall: The Clouds would be car- ried up ſo much higher than the Tops of Mountains, that the Vapours would not be ſtop- ped by them, and condenſe there, and return in Streams to the Sea. And thus the Face of the Earth, in great meaſure, would ceaſe to be refreſhed with Water ; at leaſt, it would not be nouriſhed with that regular and gentle Moiſture it rejoyceth in at preſent ; tho' now and then the Flood-Gates of Heaven might be opened, and the * Waters above the Firmament be poured down in Cataracts to deſtroy rather than to bleſs the Fruits of the Earth. Beſides, had the Denſity of the lower Air been conſiderably greater, on every Storm, no- thing could have withſtood its Force, the Momenta of Bodies being as their Quantities of Matter multiplied by the Motion. Thus wiſely hath the Author of Nature choſen that only Denſity of our Air and Height of our Atmoſphere, which was relative to our Neceſ- fities, and the Nature of Animals, Plants, and Water. And thus both the Chriſtian and the Philoſopher may behold, with an Heart opening with Gratitude, that there is a Melio- rity obſervable in every Thing. I have taken notice, that one Neceſſity why the Air ſhould not be much denſer, was, that Vapours ſhould not aſcend above the Brows of Hills, becauſe by that means Fountains would have been prevented; for the Origine of Springs chiefly ariſes from thoſe. It is well known, by Dr. Halley's Experiments, that Vapours ariſe in proportion, not to the Depth, but to the Surface Waters. 'Tis known, that all the Rivers running into the Sea, never increaſe its Bounds ; for if it gets in one Place, it loſes as much in another. And again, it is not leſs well known, that the Winds from the Sea bring us our Rains. If therefore we have not too much Rain and Dew; if not too many Springs and Rivers, as every one confeſſes we have not; then the Quantity of Sea on our Earth is but in ſuch a proportion, as is neceſſary to make the dry Land fruitful and habitable: And we ſee, that what is brought from thence, and returned thither, doth but juſt keep the Balance even. Gen, i. 31. The 4 A New Syſtem of The next Obſervation that offers it ſelf to be made on Air, is, that its Quantity con- tinually, in ſome ſmall degrée, increaſes and decreaſes : Inaſmuch as no Fermentation what ever but looſens from Bodies fome Particles, which have a mutual Avoidance, and become therefore Air. Pat any Fruit, or Bread, or dead Animal, in an exhauſted Receiver, and in a few Days, by corrupting, they will fill it again with a vaſt Quantity of Air; which could not be, if the corrupted Efluvia were not turned to Air : But yet it is an Air fo noxious and imperfect, that if by a Transferrer 'tis thrown on any Place where a Bird is confined, it immediately falls into Convulſions and expires. Not unlike the manner by which Dogs are deſtroyed in the Grotta del Cani * in Italy. Again, If a few Particles of Gun-powder ate fired in an emptied Air-Pump, when the Quickſilver Gage is riſen to the Height of the Barometer, it immediately finks, as if the whole Atmoſphere was re-admit- ted. If two Oils, which burſt into Flames when mingled, are put together in an exhauft- ed Receiver, they not only generate Air enough to link the Gage, but to burſt the Re- ceiver with incredible Violence. Thus every Fermentation ſhakes off Particles of Air from the Bodies to which they were united." But as Air thus continually increaſes, it alſo as continually decreaſes : For as it conſtantly afcends in the Tubes of Plants, great Part of it remains there, plumping up the Fruit, and filling the Veſſels, as well as Water : And tho' the Parts of Air avoid each other, they ſtill unite with all other Bodies. Hence therefore may be learnt, that Air is in ordinary Caſes uſeful to Vegetation, to carry up the Juices, to open and ſupport the Veſſels againſt the Preſſure of external Air, and to lwell the Fruit ; but it may be alſo uſeful to the fame purpoſe, by mingling great Quantities of Air with the Soil, to repleniſh it with what is ſo neceſſary for the Growth of Plants. Theſe Hints are ſufficient to put others upon enlarging on ſuch Particulars. I paſs on to another Property of the Air, viz. Its being capable of a ſurpriſing Rare- faétion. Mr. Boyle hath ſhewn by Experiments, that it may be thinned 14000 times more than what it is on the Earth's Surface, even without Heat, but vaſtly more with it. Dr. Halley has calculated how high our Atmoſphere is by the Duration of the Twy-light; but that Calculation only proves, that the Air is not ſtrong enough beyond that Height to re- fect and act on Light, tho' it may ſtill be of conſiderable Strength and Force. Thus in the Water-Bubble, which Boys blow up with Soap; the Skin of Water becomes at laſt on the Top ſo thin, that it can reflect no Light, and looks therefore black; but ſtill ’tis a Skin of Water. The Air may alſo be many Miles higher many Miles higher than that Part of it which hath Force to bend a Ray. The Ball of Light, which a few Years ſince ſurpriſed at once ſo many diſtant Countries, proves, that fulphureous acid Vapours to ferment with them, could be ſuſpen- ded ſeveral Miles higher, than that Part of our Atmoſphere which cauſes Twy-light: And indeed from this great Power of Dilatation, part of its Activity in Vegetation ariſes. When by internal and external Heat it expands itſelf, it aſcends; and by aſcending carries with it the ſurrounding Films of Water, faturated with vegetable Salts, (& pua data porta ruit ) enters into every open Orifice, and conſequently into all the ſubterraneous Pores of Vege- tables. The next Thing I ſhall take notice of is, not what is properly a Quality of the Air, but of what it contains ; but yet is the principal Thing, by which it becomes a Manure ; and that is, an acid Spirit, with which it is plentifully repleted, and by which it performs many of its moſt ſurpriſing Effects. 'Tis this which corrodes Íron, and turns it into Ruft. 'Tis this which corrodes Braſs and Copper, and turns them into that Ruſt, which is cal- led Verdegreaſe. "Tis this which, uniting itſelf with the Salt of Lime, forms a Nitre. Diſtil from Vitriol all the Oil you can, expoſe the Remainder for ſome time to the Air, and it will thereby be ſo repleted by this acid Spirit, that it will render it able to yield plentifully on a fecond Diſtillation.' 'Tis this acid Spirit, which twitches the Stomachs of thoſe who continue long in a free Air, and gives them the pleaſing Senſation called Hunger ; which City-Air (where this Spirit is blunted by Smoke, groſs Perſpirations, and Stagnating, ) is not able to beltow. 'Tis this which feeds Flame ; for when 'tis blown up- on the minuteſt Fire conſtantly, it makes it burn with Fierceneſs. This alſo accounts for that odd Appearance of Sun-Shine putting out a Fire: The Heat of the Sun ſublimes and draws away a great part of this acid Spirit, which was neceſſary to nouriſh the Fire. Nigh to a Fire there is always a Rarefa&tion, which makes the freſh cool dir flow in, and bring with it that Spirit ; but when the Sun ſhines, the Rarefaction * See MEDE of Poiſonsa IS Agriculture and Gardening. 5 is nearly equal all over the Room, and conſequently no fuch Current or freſh Supply near the Fire, which was fo neceſſary to keep up its Vigour. 'Tis this acid Spirit, which, fermenting with ſulphureous Steams, cauſes all the Thun- ders, and Lightnings, and other fiery Meteors. This therefore, when the Soil is turned up, joins and ferments with the Sulphur and Salts of the Earth, whereby it becomes a kind of Nitre, that mellows and relaxes the Soil, thereby permitting the fattening Dews to penetrate and enrich it. The great Quantity of this acid Spirit (whoſe volatile Particles are endued with a vio- lent attractive Power, which they exert towards every thing; and therefore makes them capable of uniting with, and ruſhing to, and conſequently agitating every thing ;) This acid Spirit, I ſay, which pervades all our Earth, and performs the greateſt Wonders which we admire and gaze at, is a Principle in Philoſophy, which till of late was neglected, tho? of univerſal Importance to Mankind. The Attractions of Gravitation, of Magnetiſm, of Electricity, exert their Effects at ſuch great Diſtances, as to fall under every one's Obſer- vation : But this different amazingly powerful Attraction of the Acid, exerting itſelf only at minute Diſtances, was not knɔwn, till Experimental Philoſophy, reaſon'd on by Sir Iſaac Newton, diſcovered it. The efficient Cauſe of this is perhaps as yet unknown; as like- wiſe of Gravity, of Magnetiſm, of Elaſticity, of Electricity, of reflecting and refracting Light. But the Faits are indiſputably proved; their Laws are diſcovered and diſcovering; their Conſequences obſerved, and to be regarded; and poſſibly theſe hereafter inay lead to the Knowledge of the efficient Cauſe . But if this cannot guide us thither, nothing can. Tho' perhaps this Knowledge we have is as far as our Capacities, are made to arrive, or our Neceſſities want to carry us. There remains yet one other Property of the Air to be conſidered, and that is, its Weight. And the whole of this is found to be equal to about a Cylinder of near 35 Foot of Water, whoſe Baſe is the Superficies of the Earth. The Preſſures of Fluids are every way equal. Every thing is therefore preſſed by the Air Horizontally as well as Perpendi- cularly. When this Weight is agitated by Winds, how muſt it ſqueeze and break and moulder the Clods of Earth ? How muſt it ſqueeze the Sides of Plants, and force out the Juices at every Pore? Was it not for the Quantity of Air within the Veſſels to reſiſt its Force, all the tender Plants would be flatted as thin as Paper. To calculate the Preſſure on a Tree a little. Every ſquare Foot fuſtains a Weight equal to 35 cubical Feet of Water, as before obſerved. Every cubical Foot of Water weighs 76 Pound, Troy Weight; therefore every ſquare Foot of any Body on its Horizontal Plane ſuſtains a Quantity of Air which weighs 2660 Pounds. Every Tree therefore of 12 In- ches Diameter, and ſuppoſe 20 Foot high, will be preſſed by a Weight of 160000 Pounds. The different Preſſure which ſuch a Tree would receive from different States of the Air would be more than that of 10000 Pounds, fuppoſing both at reft. But from either in Motion, the Momentum muſt be often much more different. This happens, tho' our Air is (as I have already obſerved) more than 800 Times ra- rer than Water. But had our Atmoſphere been higher, this amazing Weight would have been ſtill greater. And how, think you, muſt Plants be affected by ſuch a Force? How muft Clods of Earth, expoſed to it, loſe their Coheſion, and be cruſhed? How muit Diffolution be aſſiſted by ſuch a ſurpriſing Power? Its Weight, its Rarefaction and Con- denſation, its Elaſticity, the acid Spirit it contains, and the Vapours it ſupports, carrying from Place to Place all the finer Materials fit for Vegetation. All and every one of theſe, tend to ſhew how conſiderable a Share the Air hath in that truly divine Contrivance, of handing down with undiminiſhed Beauty the Furniture, which at preſent is of Ornament and Ule to the Globe, through the lateſt Generations. Were it not that I ſhould be accounted tedious in this Chapter, there might be ſuggeſt- ed many Meditations on the abſtruſeft Parts of Vegetable Philoſophy, as clear, and evident as they are uncommon and unknown, ſufficient to remove Difficulties that perplex the Minds of Enquirers, and make the Wiſdom aud Contrivance of the great efficient Cauſe, the grand Parent of the Univerſe, the mighty God and Lord of all Things, who is the Object of our Worſhip and Praiſe, to be the Object alſo of our greater Admiration and Love! The Uſe and Neceſſity of Air towards preſerving the Life, and forwarding the Encreaſe of Vegetables, being plain and obvious by every Day's Experience; I ſhall only mention one familiar Fact of Mr. Ray's, mentioned in Phil. Tran) No. 23. who faith, “ That “ Lettuce Seed being fown upon ſome Earth in the open Air, and ſome of the ſame Seed at the fame Time upon other Earth in a Glaſs Receiver of the Air-Pump, afterward " exhauſted and cleared of all Air: The Seed that was expoſed to the Air was grown an " Inch and half in eight Days Time; but That in the exhauſted Veſſel or Receiver that С 16 was 6 A New Syſtem of was cleared of Air, grew not at all: But the Air being afterward let into the empty " Receiver, the Seed in the Space of one Week grew up to the Height of two or three 66 Inches. From hence may be gathered the Neceſſity of Air for the Birth, as well as the Con- tinuance of Life and Motion of Vegetables ; and that the probable Cauſe of both is froni Action and Re-action. The Trunk of a Tree or Plant, is no other than a Canal made up of leſſer Pipes, through which the Juices are driven by Heat toward the Top,, and by the outward Preſſure of the Atmoſphere are forced from a larger to a narrower Space. And that the Juices, when forced up, may not fall down again, there are Valves in ihnie Pipes to prevent them from returning the ſame way; but when they have arrived at the Top, they return by other Veſſels, which may be called Veins. And thus Circulation is performed Tho') am far from being of Mr. Bradley's or his Correſpondent's Opinion, with re- ſpect to the Uſe of Earth, in the Buſineſs of Vegetation, viz. That its chief Uſe is to keep a Tree or Plant feddy ; becauſe Dr. Woodward's Experiments (as thall be ſeen preſently) directly prove the contrary: Yet I am ſo far convinced of the Neceſſity and Uſe of Air for Vegetation, that, by Experiments of my own, I find ſeveral Sorts of Sedums, and ſome bulbous rooted Plants, will encreaſe both in their Roots and Branches as they are hung up in the open Air, without the Help of ſolid Earth to ſtand in. This only proves the Uſe and Advantage of Air for the Life of Plants; but not negatively againſt the Neceſli- ty alſo of carthy Particles, of which the Air, and chiefly the lower Part of the Armo- ſphere, are always full. And accordingly, the Sedums are ever obſerved to grow and flou- riſh moſt, when the Air thickens and tends to Rain, or in Mitts and Fogs; when by all Experiments, it is found the Air is fulleſt of terreſtrial Matter. I cannot but think it very probable that the bulbous Roots of Turnips, which arrive to ſo great a Bulk from ſo ſmall a Seed, and are obſerved to give ſuch Riches and Fat-- neſs to Land, receive the greateſt Part of their Nouriſhment and Augment from the fat- tening Moiſture of the Air thro’ the Pores of their Leaves and Rhind: Inaſmuch as ’tis amazing into how ſmall Veſſels, Water will inſinuate its Particles. For this purpoſe, Take a Whip-Cord faſtened to an Iron-Hook; at the other End hang any Weight of what Magnitude you pleaſe leſs than will break it; then wet the Cord with a Sponge, and you'll find the ſuſpended Force overcome, and the Weight raiſed, by the Water in- finuating itſelf into the dry Tubes of the vegetable Subſtance; and by being there, dila- ring them laterally, and conſequently ſhortning the Perpendicular. The Globules of Water muſt be conſidered as Wedges; the horizontal Preſſure of the Air as the Force acting on the Wedges. The Power of Wedges to enter any Body, is known to encreaſe in Imall Angles, nearly as the Angle decreaſes in a reciprocal Propor- tion, that is, in this Cafe, as the Smalneſs of the Diameters of the little Spheres of the Water. Air will not enter where Water meets no Reliſtance, either becauſe the Par- ticles of the One are much ſmaller than thoſe of the Other, or that their mutual Avoi- dance prevents their confining themſelves together in an extremely narrow Pallage. If a Cord ſuſpended a Weight equal or ſuperior to a Cylinder of Air, whole Baſe was equal to the ſquare Inches of the Surface of the Cord, I ſhould doubt whether ’twould be poſibe for Water to be forced into and dilate the Tubes it is compoſed of : Nor does the famous Story of the Antonine Pillar's being brought into its Place by a Shower of Rain, when Engines could perform no more, and the Workmen deſpaired of accompliſh- ing their Undertaking, prove the contrary; for the Multitude of Cables which mutt' have been thep employed about erecting that monſtrous Stone, may be eaſily imagined to ſu- ftain an Atmolphere of Air of greater Weight than that huge Stone and therefore would drive the watry Wedges into the Pores, and by extending them laterally ſhortened the Cords, and performed the Buſineſs to the Amazement of the Vulgar, who preſently cry'd out, A Miracle, a Miracle ! Thus we ſee even Deal Boards ſwell with Moiſture. And if when dead and dry, and their Tubes contracted Vegetables can fuck in Water ; when growing, why may they not likewiſe ſwell, and when their Pipes are tender, open and dilatable, receive Nouriſh- ment often that Way alſo ? And this may give a rational Account how ſome Plants may ſwell to an aſtoniſhing Size without robbing the Earth of much of its Treaſures, and yer at the ſame time, either by rotting on the Soil, or by paſſing thro' the Bodies of Animals, give Riches which they never received from the Earth. Perhaps bulbous Plants may be formed ſo, as to do it in an extraordinary manner, and have large Veſſels conveying down Juices: Whilſt others may have Veſſels fo form- ed, ſomething analagous to Valves, which would hinder any thing from entering, tho' it gives free Power to all from within to diſcharge itſelf. Sir Agriculture and Gardening. 7 Sir Iſaac Newton defines Water (when pure) to be a fluid Salt, volatile, and void of Savour. And (if it would not be anticipating what I have to ſay on that Head) I would add, that it probably conſiſts of ſmall, finooth, hard and porous Spheres, of equal Diame- ters, and of equal ſpecific Gravities. Their being Spheres lets them touch only in one Point, and ſo the Attraction is not very ſtrong between themſelves. Their Smoothneſs gives them Power of ſliding eaſily over each other in obedience to every Preſſure, (which is Fluidi- ry.) By theſe two, their Friction in Niding on each other is almoſt Nothing. Their Hardneſs ſhews a Reaſon why, when free from Air or undilated by Heat, they are in- compreſſible. Their Porouſneſs explains why 'tis of ſo ſmall a ſpecific Gravity. Their Roundneſs fits them to be lapp'd about by every thing which is flexible, and to carry it where it goes. The various Flavours and Quality of Water ariſe from the fixtures, with which it is ſaturated. All Liquors are more or leſs fluid, as there is a greater or leſs mix- ture of other Bodies with watry ones. Spirits ſeem to be Sulphur wrapped round the Globes of Water, and intimately united with them in ſuch a manner, as to keep their Particles at a greater Diſtance than before, to leſſen its Gravity without deſtroying the Fluidity. They ſeem ſo cloſely united, that when Fire acts on the Sulphur, it carries up the Particle it had ſeized along with it. I have faid this here, the rather, that ſome intelligible Ideas may be formed how Air and Water with its terreſtrial Matter; may be fuppoſed to operate together in the Buſineſs of Vegetation. But that I may, from what hath been ſaid in a Philoſophical manner of the Nature and Properties of Air, proceed to ſomething practical and uſeful to all Lovers of Improvement in Vegetables, it may not be amiſs to ſay ſomething here of the different Effects of Air in its leveral different States. What we call a warm Air, is made fo originally from a due and regular Influence of the Sun immediately; or conſequentially ſo, from its driving Motion out of hotter Countries and Climates into colder. And this moderate warm Temper of the Air is what is ſo deſireable, that it gives Life, and Strength, and Motion, to the Vegetable Kingdom : And conſe- quently the Extremes are very hurtful, either ſcorching up the Sap and natural Moiſture of Plants and Trees, or elſe chilling and ſtarving their Juices and Pores by exceſſive Cold; even ſometimes, and in ſome Plants, to a degree of perfect Stagnation, which is Death. But yet it is to be obſerved, that for the avoiding the dangerous Effects of theſe two Extremes, there are even in the Air itſelf certain Diſpofitions and Qualities, which deſerve to be taken notice of with Thankfulneſs. That is to ſay ; In all the hot Iſland Countrics, there are obſerved to blow at certain Times cool and refreſhing Breezes; coming over Land, from the more Northern Parts. And it is found by Experience, that a cold Air deth not fo foon loſe its cold Quality coming over Land, as when coming over the Sea. So on the contrary, it is found that the Salt Particles of the Sea Water mixing themſelves with the Air, do greatly hinder and prevent any Intenſeneſs of Cold in ſuch Countries as lie near the Sea, or from ſuch Winds as come acroſs it. Infomuch, that we ſeldom find that either Snow or Froſt will abide long even in the Latitude of 55. And moreover, I have made my Obſervation, that it is much eaſier to winter any tender Plant even in that Latitude near the Sea, tolerably ſheltered, than in the more Southern Inland Parts of Northampton- ſhire : Which can be attributed to nothing elſe, but to the conſtant warmer Temper of the Air (in the Abſence of the Sun) impregnated with Saline, nitrous, and conſequently warmer Particles. This Head of Diſcourſe would naturally lead me to treat of ſome other fatal Effects of a diſtemper'd Air, accidentally very noxious, and many times fatal to all Sorts of Vegetables; ſuch as ſcorching Winds, cold Dews, and Blights. But foraſmuch as I intend to be a little more particular in my Directions againſt their Malignity and Influence, when I come to treat of the Fruit-Garden, I Mall reſerve what is to be ſaid on this Point to a Chapter by itſelf. it СНА Р. 8 A New Syſtem of : , С НА Р. II. Of E ARTH HIS Globe of Earth, on the Surface of which we live, and for which fo many unreaſonably ſtrive, is compounded of many heterogenious Particles and forts of Matter; all or moſt of them uſeful, or may be made fo, for the Purpoſes of or profper long According to Mr. Evelyn, the various ſorts of Earth every where to be met with are almoſt innumerable; eſpecially if we include the different Colours, Weights, and Conſi- itencies of the feveral soils . However, I cannot but think, allowing ſomething to ſmaller Variations in Colour and Richneſs, that all the different Sorts of Earth may be reduced to theſe three, viz. Loam, Sand, and Clay. For tho' there are many other Sorts, that bear other and different Names, yet they are all of them in ſome reſpect or other depending upon theſe; and which is more, one or other of Theſe do every where prevail, and all of them have Farts proper for Vegetation, tho' in different Degrees and Proportions. For it muſt not be denied, that all the Sorts of Gravels, till you come to Loam itſelf or Clay, are of the Sandy Race: And all thoſe binding Earths, which in any fort reſemble Chalk, or Clay, or Marle, may be reckoned of the Clay-kind. The due Mixture of Clay and Sand is the Foundation of Riches in Husbandry, becauſe either Extremes are worſt . And this it is which makes Loam preferable to all others in its natural State, as generally con- fiſting of a due proportion of Both. And whether this Mother Eartha or Loam; be of a black or yellow, or any other Colour, it matters not; for Experience ſhews that Plants of all Sorts will grow in it, as being beſt endued and moſt plentifully furniſhed with ſuch proper minute terreſtrial Matter as is fit to enter the Pores of Plants for their continual and gradual Encreaſe. It is not to be much wondered at, that there are yet fome Naturaliſts left, wḥo hold that Vegetation proceeds all from Water; becauſe ſome upon their own Experience have affirmed, that 18 Parts of Water out of 20 have been turned into Earth only by a re- peated Diſtillation, but this rather proves that there is alway Plenty of terreſtrial Matter in Water, fufficient to ſupply and augment the Plant, altho' the Manner of its Prepara- tion for that Uſe be not ſo eafy to be explained and determined. It is the Opinion of ſome learned Men, that what we commonly call Earth, if ſepa- rated from Water and the Parts of Animals and Vegetables, is nothing elſe but Sand, i.e. Stones; for I take Sand to be nothing elſe but ſmall Stones or Pebbles. But it is not eaſy to give into this Opinion; becauſe neither by the naked Eye, nor the Eye aſſiſted by a Microſcope, can be diſcovered any Likeneſs between the Sand taken out of Clay, and the other Matter that is left, properly enough called Clay; the one being gliſtering and nothing like it; the Sand ſticking, as the heavieſt Body, to the bottom of the Clay, when diſſolved in Water, being eaſily rubb'd off, whilſt the other by rubbing tends only to a Poliſh. Altho' therefore Sand be a very neceſſary Part towards making of Earth fit to perform the Office of Vegetation; yet it muſt be in its due proportion according to the Nature of the Plant it bears, and muſt have another Matter with it ſomething like to Glew to keep the Sand ſeparate, as well as the minute terreſtrial Food of the Plant (and ſuch are all extracted Dungs from Vegetables and Animals) from prefently ſinking away from it. Some Plants require a lighter, ſome a cloſer Mould, according to the different Demands of Moiſture. The right Knowledge of this Mixture would anſwer all the Ends of En- quiry, and reward us with Pleaſure and Profit. If a Clay mixt with Sand, which is an artificial Loam, be found out, that will bear any Sort of Grain we defire; it ſeems reaſonable to think, that there is no Sort of natu- ral Soil, bearing too much upon either Extremes, but may be made by diſcreet Mixtures fit for the ſame Purpoſes. And if the manner of Vegetation be pretty well underſtood, (as of late it ſeems to be ;) and if at the ſame time the proper Dung or Menftruum for Plants can be alſo found; then I ſhould think Husbandry and Gardening may be brought to the Rules of Art: And the Practice of thoſe Rules may prove as plealant and as profita- ble, as a great many other Philofophical Arts reduced to Practice are found to be. Without ز Agriculture and Gardening. 9 Without queſtion, Earth, eſpecially if freſh, untried or new turned, hath a certain Mag- netiſm, by which it attracts the Nitre and Virtue of the Air and Dews, which give it Life and Motion; and tho' it is not always underſtood, is the Logic and Reaſon of all that Labour and Stir we keep about it in Tilling, to ſuſtain us by its Encreaſe and Pro- ducts. It will not be neceſſary to dwell any longer upon this Head; or to point out the diffe- rent kinds of Earth, good and bad, as they may be diſtinguiſhed by their Colours, Smell, or Texture. This will be ſufficiently and occaſionally done, when I come to treat about Improvements. There is hardly any ſo bad toward the Surface; but what by Art and Induſtry may be made to anſwer the Labour and Charge beſtowed. But I cannot forbear ſaying here, that the beſt, the ſweeteſt and the richeſt Kind for all Uſes, but eſpecially for the occaſional Purpoſes of a Garden, is what I have ſo ſtrongly repeated and adviſed viz. Untry'd Virgin Earth. This is an Improvement wholly unknown to the Antients, and till of late a Stranger to the Moderns. And as I have had my ſelf the Pleaſure to in- troduce it into the Garden, it is a great Satisfaction to me, to find the Excellence of it confirmed daily by the Experience of Others coinciding with that of my own. Mr. Chomel, after he had added an Hypotheſis of his own, as if a great part of the good- neſs of Virgin Earth was owing to its being carried from one place to another, is forced at laſt to confeſs, “ That freſli or untried Earth, is an Improvement newly introduced into “ Gardens, and in all appearance unknown to antient Agriculture; not even Virgil in his « Georgics taking any notice thereof: However, in our Time we cannot practiſe the Uſe “ of it too much ; for it is certain that theſe new Earths had not only their primitive “ Salt imparted to them at the Inſtant of the Creation; but alſo moſt part of that con- 66 tained in the Surface of the Earth which ſinks downward, is conveyed thither by means “ of Water, whoſe Weight made it ſink down as far as it was able to penetrate. This “ Salt preſerves itſelf in thoſe concealed Earths, till coming to be a Superficies itſelf, the " Air gives it a Diſpoſition proper, it ſeems, to employ with Succeſs the Fertility where- « with it is endued. Indeed, they are not ſo ſoon at liberty to act, as to produce Vege- 66 tables of a ſurpriſing Beauty, I ſhall not ſay any thing further here of its Excellence and Uſes, having reſerved that Matter to a Chapter by itſelf. CHA P. III. Of FIRE. H Η AVING already given an Account of ſome of the moſt remarkable Effects of Air and Earth ; luch as I preſume may be uſeful to the Knowledge of moſt natural Operations, and particularly the Knowledge of Husbandry; I come now to ſay ſomething of the Nature of Fire and Heat, and of their wonderful and turpriſing Effects. Fire, or Heat which is a Degree of Fire, conſiſts chiefly in the lccal Motion of the ſmall Parts of a Body mechanically modified by certain Conditions, of which the Princi- pal is the vehement and various Agitations of the ſmall inſenſible Parts, and that quaqua- versùm. For that the progreſſive Velocity of a Body will not be ſufficient to create Heat or Fire, is plainly ſeen from the Motion of Air and Water, which do not grow any thing the hotter for being driven on with Violence by Storms and Floods. The Operation of Fire upon our Senſes, the Reſult whereof is called Heat, is to be eſti- mated by the Relation it bears to the Organs of Feeling. For no ſort of Body is ac- counted hot, unleſs the Motion of its ſmall Parts be rapid enough to increaſe or ſur- paſs the Particles of the Sentient, i. e. the Perſon or Part that feels it. If it be more quick in the Object than the Sentient, that Body is ſaid to be hot ; and if it be more lan- guid than the Sentient, we ſay it is cold. This is plain by Experience; becauſe the ſame Water is frequently ſaid to be hot or cold, as the Hand that is put into it is hotter or colder. D То IO A New Syſtem of To the Production of Heat it is requiſite, not only that the ſmall Parts be rapidly agi- tated, even in a much greater degree than is neceſſary to produce Fluidity; but alſo that the Particles thus variouſly and vehemently agitated be ſo ſmall , as, generally ſpeak- ing, to be ſingly inſenſible. For unleſs they are exceeding fine and ſubtile, they cannot readily penetrate the Pores of neighbouring Bodies, ſo as to warm or burn them. The In- tenſeneſs of Heat (and the ſame is true of Light) is cæteris paribus, always as the Denſity of the Rays or Particles of Fire which occaſion it ; and that Denſity is as the Square of the Diſtance from the radiating Point reciprocally. But it may not perhaps be unacceptable to the Reader, to be a little more particular on Fire'; and to obſerve that Heat may be ſuppoſed to be a Senſation excited by the Vibra- tions of a minute Fluid, ſui generis, which pervades all Bodies freely. For Fire in a Body ſeems to be nothing but the Action of theſe Vibrations on the Subitances we behold. So Smoke are the Fumes ſeparated from any Body by the Action of theſe Vibrations. Flame alſo is Smoke heated red hot, i.e. agitated violently enough to emit Light : and ſo it fol- lows, that whatſoever attrites a Body fufficiently to excite Vibrations in this Fluid, heats it. That this is a real Fluid, and of all others the moſt minute, may be proved from this Experiment. Place a Thermometer in an exhauſted Receiver, and another in the Air. Heat the Room where they both ſtand; and the Spirits ihall ariſe in Vacuo nearly as ſoon as in that ſurrounded with warm Air: And when 'tis thus riſen by the Heat, remove them both to a cold Cellar, and they will both deſcend with equal Quickneſs. Again fur- ther, All Bodies contain this active Fluid; for there is no Sort of Body but will be heated in all its Points : And which is more, all Bodies, whether fluid or ſolid, are expanded by Heat; and hard Bodies rubbed againſt each other (as I obſerved before) grow warm and ſometimes hot. Fire may, by this Motion quaquaversùm of the Parts, be put into violent Agitation and looſened from Bodies, but not generated by it. Motion in a Right Line of a whole Body cauſeth no Heat, howſoever rapid, becauſe no Vibration in the Parts among each other (nor conſequently in the united Fluid) is excited. The Experiments relating to Elettricity, which accompany the Heat which ariſes from Attrition, are moſt ſurpriſing, and diſcover ſome of the Properties of this Fluid. By Electricity, I mean a Power which hard Bodies rubbed into Heat have of drawing and repelling minute and light Bodies. Rub two Pieces of Chryſtal againſt each other, they will yield Light, but no ſenſible Heat ; ( for the Vibrations in a Body muſt be greater than the Heat in our Hand, or they cannot excite any new Senſation ;) but Light ſhews the Preſence of Fire as well as Heat : But to enable us to ſee the Light from Attrition, we muſt be in an unilluminated Place, as well as in a cold one to perceive the Heat. An empry Glaſs-Tube attrited by Woollen Cloath emits Light; and when this Tube is warmed by the Attrition, 'tis ſurpriſing how it agitates Leaf-Gold, Filings, Motes, and Threads, by repelling and attracting them at a great Diſtance, as they happen to coincide with or oppoſe the Vibration. I will not pretend to explain many Phænomena ariſing from this Attrition; or if I could, perhaps it is not proper to our preſent Subject. Fire unites with Bodies in great Quantities, as well as it is looſened from Bodies. Thus in what they call the Philoſophical Calcination of Quick-Silver, the Mercury placed on heated Sand covered with a Glaſs ſhall in length of Time loſe its Fluidity, and become a grey Powder ; the abſolute Weight greatly increaſed, tho' the ſpecific Gravity is lel- ſened. In fome of Sir Iſaac Newtons's Experiments on Light, may be ſeen how ſtrongly Light attracts and is attracted by all Bodies, but chiefly by Sulphur, i.e. in a Philofophical Senſe, by every thing inflammable. As Attrition excites thole Vibrations which cauſe Fire, ſó doth Fermentation moſt powerfully; Fermentation to the Eye in many Inſtances cauſing the moſt violent Motion every way amidſt its Parts, and therefore cannot but agitate with Violence. How Fermentation cauſeth Motion, is hard to ſay ; perhaps the Parts violently attract each other, and run fiercely into Contact : But on the Colliſion, the Parts being alſo elaſtic, fly back from the Place from whence they were drawn, into which other's by Gravity were fallen, and ſtriking againſt theſe, are again repelled; and thus the Mo- tion encreaſed, encreaſes a moſt violent Vibration of the Fluid of Fire, which is the Cauſe that the Parts are often heated red hot, and emit luminous Fumes, that is, Flame ; or clſe emit Fumes not ſo much heated, and therefore only Smoke. Fire Agriculture and Gardening. II Fire thus explained (whence foever it proceeds) may act in Vegetation much after the fame manner it expands the Air; and makes it, by ſo doing, aſcend and carry up with it Films of Water ; which when thus got above-ground, and there more heated, it opens and extends the Veſſels of Plants, and fits them to receive larger Supplies. Firc may ſwell and join with the Fruits of the Earth, as it did in the Experiment with Quick-ſilver, and fo may make Plants eaſily inflammable. And perhaps the Richneſs of fome Fruits' in Southern Countries, ſo much preferable to our own, may be chiefly owing to the want of a fufficient Plenty of this Nouriſhment; Plants being in this Senſe true Fire-Eaters, and expect to be fed with Heat, as well as to have due and proper Food drawn from the Soil. But Dr. Woodward rightly obſerves, Fire may be in too great a proportion for ſome Plants, and occaſion the hurrying off their Juices too faſt. And there- fore when the Day hath filled the Veſſels, may we not fay Plants want Reſt by Night? that the Cold may condenſe the inward Steams, and let it drop the Vegetable Matter to nourish them. For want of this Reſt in long hot Seaſons, it ſhould ſeem that ſome Plants are burnt up; the Juices being hurried thro', without leaving any Refreſhment behind them. And if ſo, the Managers of Fire-walls ſhould be admoniſhed to imitate Nature, and make ſome In- termiſſions of Heat. All that ſhould be given at Night, ſhould be only to take off the Rage and Fury of Froſts, rather to ſoften than to heat the Air ; but then again in the Day to let them rival the Heat and Sultrineſs of the Climate natural to the Fruit you would introduce. Again, Fire pulls every thing to pieces, and by that fits all Revegetation. It hardens Clay into Bricksy and ſoftens Stone into Lime. It will by burning the Roots of Weeds, prepare their Salts (the diſſoluble Parts) to be ſuſpended by Water, and lets the other act like Alhes. It unites with the Salts of Lime, and makes them Cauſtick; and by this means in proper Soils it makes the Lime act like an artificial Sun, and thereby much accilerates the ripening of Grain, which is ſometimes wanted in Northern Climes. Fire alſo itſelf acts as a Manure, by acting ſtrongly on the Sulphur in the Earth, the Rays of the Sun heating and agitating all the minute Parts of Vegetable Matter. And accordingly it hath been experimentally found true, that when the Land hath had its due Tillage and Fal- lows in a hot and dry Summer, it hath extracted as much Riches from the Sun, as it gets by being manured in a wet and cold one. In ſhort, Heat much contributes to the Fluidity of Bodies, by deſtroying the Tenacity of the Parts, and by that Means affifts Vegetation. Heat is retained in Bodies, after the Body which cauſed it is removed. But yet ſome Bodies retain Heat longer than others. Sand and Gravel, for Inſtance, longer than Loam or Chalk; Chalk longer than Marle, and Marle than Clay. From ſuch Obſervations as theſe, with a due Regard had to a Climate guarded from ſharp Winds, and out of the Neighbourhood of ſnowy Mountains ; the Variety of Situations and their Effects on Vegetables, I am fatisfied, may be much better and with greater Certainty deduced, than from a few Degrees of Latitude, or from what is commonly called a little Proximity to the Sun. Which glorious Body of Light and Fire now offers itſelf to be conſidered more particularly. It is manifeſt, there is no Heat, but there is alſo ſome Fire; therefore all Heat is a De- gree of Fire: Thus the Sun, being a Body of Fire, doth with Us all Things, and that more regularly, which a ſmall Fire will do; for its great and neceſſary Uſe in Vegetation is fufficiently known; Heat and Moiſture being what bring all Things to Maturity. Dr. Halley, in the Philoſophical Tranſaétions, No. 203. has given us a Table of the pro- portionable Heat of the Sun in all Latitudes; with the Method of collecting the fame : But ſince he eſtimated nothing but the bare Quantity of Rays, even without the Allow- ance for the weaker Impreſſion in greater Obliquities, and without any Conſideration of the great Loſs of thoſe Rays in pafling through a different Length of Atmoſphere at dif- ferent Altitudes, it will be proper to give the Curious a new Table. This I had from my good and learned Friend, Mr. Whilton, long ago, when I deſired him to conſider this Matter, as he then did ; and this, at my ſecond Deſire, he has now again improved, and gives me leave to ſet it down, together with his former Letter, which he has alſo im- proved. That Letter and Table here follow verbatim. Dear A New Syſtem of 66 Dear Sir, 1 Have conſidered the Problem you deſired the Solution of from me, and have peruſed the learned Dr. Halley's Account of the fame in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, “ Numb. 203. And the Reſult of my Enquiry is this : That the Quantity of Heat de- “ rived from the Sun, if there were no Atmoſphere to intercept any of its Rays, would “ be always as the Squares of the Sines of the Sun's Altitude above the Horizon, “ i. e. That the Quantity or Number of its Rays is ſtill as the Sines of that Altitude; " and the particular Force of each Ray, or equal Quantity of Rays, (which when more “ oblique are weaker, and more perpendicular are ſtronger) is in the ſame Proportion of “ the Sines alſo: Which equal Proportions, when compounded, do conſtitute the Propor- " tion of the Squares of thoſe Sines; and ſince there is an Atmoſphere, will be nearly as “ thoſe Numbers divided by other Numbers, expreſſing the Quantity of Air they paſs " through at every Angle of Elevation; which in the Horizon is about twelve times as “ much as in a vertical Situation; as Dr. Keill rightly ſtates this Matter in his Attrono- “mical Lectures, P. 316. Upon which Foot I have ſet down Tables of the Quantity of " Heat derived from the Sun at Noon on the longeſt Day, June 10. At the Sun's En- trance into Taurus and Virgo, April 10. and Auguſt 12. And on the Equinox-Days, “ March io. and September 12. for the ſeveral Latitudes from Forty Four to Fifty Six or from the Latitude of Montpelier in the South of France, to that of Edinburgh in Scot- “ land; which will be ſufficient for an Eſtimate of the Summer Quantity of this Heat " in general for the ſame Latitudes, or ſo far as the ripening of Summer Fruits is con- “ cerned : And it will in ſome meaſure prove what you aim at, viz. That 'tis hardly the ſingle Weakneſs of the Sun's Heat, that hinders thoſe Fruits from ripening tolerably « well in the Middle, or even fomewhat Northern Parts of England, which are known to come to conſiderable Perfection in the Southern Parts of it: Since it is evident by the Ta- “ bles, that the Difference of an entire Degree in the South of France is not quite the " Fortieth Part of the whole Solſtitial Heat in June ; but about the Thirtieth Part of " the other in April and Auguſt; and no more than the Eighteenth Part, even in March C and September ; and in the North of England, the Difference of an entire Degree is no more than the Thirtieth Part of the Heat in June ; but about the Eighteenth Part of " the other in April and Auguft, and no more than the Thirteenth Part in March and Sep- “tember. The other Occalions of Variety of Heat in ſeveral Countries are generally ob- vious, and do not come under our preſent Conſideration. I am, Sir, a hearty Well- “ wiſher to your uſeful Deſigns of improving and recommending the Art of Gardening ; 66 and withal, Your affectionate Friend and Brother, Great Ruſſel-Street, over- againſt Montagu Houſe, WILL. WHISTON. Feb, 1o. 1725-6. N. B. The following TABLES and CALCULATION, though they ſhew the real Dif- ference of the Sun's Meridian Heat in different Latitudes; yet do not account for the greit- ter Number of Hours of the Sun being above the Horizon, which a Northern Latitude has more than a Southern one; which yet is to my preſent Purpoſe to obſerve. I ſhall only therefore inform the Reader in general, and by one round Number, That during all the Summer Seaſon (the Time of ripening Fruits) betwixt the Two Equinoxes, there are no leſs than One Hundred Hours of Sunſhine at Durham, more than there are at Plymouth, as might eaſily be ſhewn by a particular TABLE. TABLES Agriculture and Gardening. 13 TABLES of the Quantity of the Sun's Heat at Noon, when it is Vertical; at the Summer Solitice; the two Equinoxes; and the Sun's Entrance into Tau- rus and Virgo, for the ſeveral Latitudes from 44° to 56º. N. B. The Angles are made by adding the Sun's Declination to the Elevation of the Equator. Degrees of Latitude. Heat, June 1o. Heat, Ap. 1o. and Aug. 12. Heat, Mar. 10. and Sept. 12. Places Names. Vertical Sun. 100 IOO I OO 44 Montpelier. 8 83 60 37 45 81 58 35 40 Lyons. 79 so 33 47 77 54 31 75 48 Orleance. 75 52 29 49 Paris. 73 ro 27 so The Lizard. 26 71 49 SI 69 47 24 SI London. 68 46 231 52 67 45 23 52 1 / Yelvertoft. 66 44 22 1 / 1 53 65 22 43 53 د ادب Lincoln. 64 42 21 54 63 41 20 55 Newcaſtle. 62 38 19 jo Edinburgh. 60 37 18 This is what the wiſe Author of Nature hath contrived for us; to ſet that glorious Bo- dy of Fire at ſuch an immenſe Diſtance from us, that it ſhall only warm and comfort, not Scorch and burn us; as it certainly would do, were our Planet placed but as near to the Sun as Venus and Mercury are, whoſe Inhabitants, (for doubtleſs ſuch there are ) by the E fame 14 A New Syſtem of is more But it Sun is really Fire, is proved by ſuch an eaſy and natural Demonſtration, as doth in a fort and there or leſs immediately Itrong, which is felt in a ſmall bright Point called the Focus : fame unerring Contriver and wiſe Governor of the Univerſe, are fo formed as to need and require a ſtronger and nearer Influence of the Sun. Now, that what we call Heat in the bring the Sun nearer to us, viz. By the help of a Burning-Glaſs, either Convex. in Diop- tricks , or Concave, in Catopricks, we collect the Rays of the Sun into a narrow Compais; and according to the Goodneſs , Dimenſion, and exact Poliſh thereof, its burning Influence a ; and that is nearer or further off the Glaſs, according to the different Dimenſion and Fi- gure of the Glaſs. From a late Contrivance of the great Sir Iſaac Newton, for multiplying the Glaſſes, and making their feveral Focus's meet in one, we are made to hope for great Improvements. may not be amiſs to relate here, by way of Illuſtration, what we find in the Phi- loſophical Tranſaktions, No. 360. of the ſeveral Experiments made concerning the great Power of Mr. Vilette's Burning Concave; which is 47 Inches wide, and ground to a Sphere of 76 Inches Radius, its Focus being about 38 Inches diſtant from the Vertex of the Glaſs . Upon Tryal it was found, that a Diamond weighing four Grains loft ſeven cights of its Weight. An Emerald was melted into a Subſtance like a Turquois Stone. King William's Copper Half-penny melted in 20 Seconds; a Silver Six-pence in ſeven and half; Tin melted in three; Caſt Iron in ſixteen; Slate in three; Tile in four, and vitrified thro’ in eighty; Calculus Humanus in two; Talk began to calcine in forty; a Foſſile-Shell in ſeven, and Chalk even fled away in twenty three Seconds. Theſe. Inſtances are ſufficient to ſhew, that the Sun is a prodigious immenſe Body of Fire, computed to contain 227500 times the Quantity of Matter which our Earth con- tains ; and tho' it is diftant from us no leſs than 81,000,000 Miles gives Light and Heat and Fire in ſuch due and regular Proportions, as abundantly anſwer the Purpoſes of human Life, and ſerve to aggrandize the Wiſdom and Skill of the All-wiſe God who created all Things, and to anſwer the Ends of his Providence; not only in this little World of ours, but in thoſe many other and greater in the remote Diſtances of the Heavens. Thus the Heavens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament ſbeweth his Handy-work. The genuine and comfortable Effect of this glorious Body of Fire, is Heat or Warmth; which in a due Proportion is as neceſſary to Vegetation, as Air or Earth or Water ; and indeed the total Abſence of any one of them is Death. By reaſon of the Weakneſs of the Sun's Rays in Winrer, artificial Heats are contrived to ſuſtain ſuch tender Plants as will not bear the Severities of our Cold; and thus we tranſlate the Climate of Italy into En- gland, and naturalize almoſt every fort of tender Exotic, by the Help of Fire and Heat con- trived by Art, to ſupply the Abſence of the Sun. Altho’ it be difficult to ſay exactly how Heat operates in Vegetation; yet thus much I think-is plain, that it fets in Motion the Salts of the Earth, and thereby prepares the Roots and Fibres of Plants to fetch in and imbibe their proper terreſtrial Food. The ear- ly and cold Dews, which would otherwiſe chill and ſtarve, are hereby diſpoſed to cheriſh and enliven, the Branches and Leaves of Trees. And indeed, the whole Buſineſs of the Circulation of Sap and Juices is begun and continued by Heat, the Abſence whereof muſt be Stagnation ; and Stagnation of Juices in Vegetables, is the ſame as the Stagnation of Blood in Animals, and that is Death. N. B. In ſpeaking of Fire and Heat, I would not be thought to exclude a Subterranean Fire, which may with a great deal of Eaſe be proved to be a reality, and uſeful in the Growth of Plants. This drives their Sap and Juices to the Stem ; and when they are there, the Heat of the Sun performs the reſt. CHAP Agriculture and Gardening 15 CH A P. IV. Of WATER. W ATE R is a mixt Auid Body. That which is found in Springs, Rivers, or falls from the Clouds in Rain, is mixt with Nitre; and ſeldom or ne- ver free from earthy Particles more or leſs , as appears by daily Obſervati- on and Experiments: But the chief Body thereof, which conſtitutes the Sea and great Ocean, is always mixt with a great degree of Salt. The Conſtituent Parts of this Fluid ſeem to be globular and hollow. If Water were not made up of Bubbles or round globular Parts, it could not eaſily be conceived to be a Fluid; for Things that have many Corners will not run upon a gentle Declivity down- wards, nothing but ſome outward Force would carry them on; but Things that are per- fectly round will not lie on a perfect ſmooth Place, unleſs exactly horizontal, without ha- ving one Part higher than another ; for otherwiſe one Side of the round Thing will be heavier than the other, which puts all in Motion, and ſo ſucceſſively till it meets with re- ſiſtance. If the watry Particles were not porous and hollow, Water might be as heavy as Gold; whereas Gold and Glaſs differ in their Specifick Gravity as Seven to One. And it is de- monſtrable from undoubted Experiments, that Weight is in all Bodies proportionable to the Quantity of Matter in each, there being an equal Propenſity, if I may lo ſtile it, of all Bodies whatſoever towards the Earth's Center; always ſenſible when the Impediment of the Medium is removed: And accordingly all Bodies deſcend in vacuo, be they they never ſo porous or compact in Tecture, with equal Velocity. It follows therefore, that there is ſeven times as much Matter in Gold as in a Piece of Glaſs of the fame Magni- tude, and conſequently that at leaſt ſix Parts in ſeven in the Bulk of Glaſs muſt be Va- cuity or Hollowneſs. Another Quality of Water is, That it will not of itſelf ſeparate from Air, be compreſ- ſed or crowded cloſer in its natural State, as Air will. Indeed, when it is boiled it will take up near a thirtieth part of Space more than when ready to freeze : Not that it will then be compreſsd by outward Force more than before; but when it grows cold, it will fall of itſelf, as Bubbles in boiling Water will when the Water cools. Another Quality of Water is, its Freezing ; for it will turn into Ice, which takes up more room : For altho' hot Water takes up more Space than cold, as hath been ſaid; yet Experience ſhews that Ice will ſo ſwell, that a Bottle of Water not full, will be more than full when frozen, and accordingly the dilated Force will break the Bottle. What fhould be the true and real Cauſe of this Dilatation and Swelling upon extreme Cold, is not ſo eaſy to determine; only I ſuppoſe it a vulgar Error, that Ice ever ſinks in Water: For by certain Experiments it is about an eighth Part lighter than Water, and conſe- quently muſt ſwim. This Fact is made plain by diſſolving a Piece of Ice in hot Water over the Fire, where it will be found to ſwim to the laſt Bit, tho' hot Water be much lighter than cold. Some ingenious Men have thought that Nitre flying in the Air adheres to the ſmall Bubbles of Water, and ſo fixes them into Hail, Snow or Ice; that the Nitre in the Form of Wedges ſticks between the Bubbles of Water, and ſo faftens them together. This in- deed (if true) would make Water take up more Space, and anſwer the Difficulty above : But then it would follow, that Ice, Snow and Hail, are plentifully impregnated with Nitre, and of conſequence the Northern Countries ſhould abound therewith; which yet is not con- firmed by any Experience, and it is plain we have moſt of our Salt-Petre out of the South: Neither doth it appear by any Experiments in diffolving Snow, and boiling it away, that any Nitre remains. If it ſhould be asked, what Good Snow doth to the Earth? It may be anſwered, That it keeps it from external Cold, as well as the Plants which grow in it. And altho' as yet it cannot be diſcovered that it conveys any Nitre with it in falling; yet by its Poroſity it may imbibe fome, while it lieth on the Earth. The great Uſe of Rain and Dews to moiſten and refreſh the Earth, and to add to the Maturity of Vegetables, is too obvious to require any particular mention here; becauſe indeed Nitre itſelf, ſo eſſentially neceſſary to Vege- tation, cannot exert its Qualities, nor be put in Motion without it. Another Quality, more than what I have already ſpoken of, is the Volatility of Water : But this may without difficulty be apprehended, by conſidering that globular Parts touch one 16 A New Syſtem of may be one another but in Points; and Water having but little glutinous Matter in it, the Globes or Bubbles may very thin and light, and ſo eaſily fly away by the leaſt Force of Fire or Heat. For the like Reaſon Spirits fly ſooner than Water, having thoſe Qualities of Thinneſs and Lightneſs in much higher Perfection. If it ſhould be thought that the aforegoing Definition of Water is too ſhort, and there- fore defective; I would add here, that when pure, it is a Fluid, not only volatile, but void of all Savour and Taſte. The Reaſon may be, becauſe its flexible Parts lip gently over the Tongue, and are not ſharp enough to prick the Nerves and affect the Taſte. But this is to be underſtood of pure Water, void of all kind of Salt, ſuch as diſtilled Wa- ter is, and next, that of Rain: For the moſt wholeſome Fountain-Water often derives ſomething of Saltneſs from the Earth. Moreover, if pure, it is alſo without Smell; for the purer any Water is, the leſs Smell it hath: For the Reaſon why the Particles do not prick the Tongue, may likewiſe be the Reaſon why they do not affect the Smell. The Flexibility and Smoothneſs of Water is alſo ſuch, that they cannot pierce the Olfactory Nerves. Fountain-Water has indeed ſome Smell ; but then it is a ſign that ſuch Water is not pure. The other Part of the Definition of Water, is, that it probably conſiſts of ſmall, hard, porous, Spherical Particles, of equal Diameters, and equal ſpecific Gravities : That there are alſo between them Spaces ſo large, and ranged in ſuch a manner, as to be pervious on all Sides. Their Smoothneſs accounts for their ſliding eaſily over the Surface of one ano- ther; and their Sphericity keeps them from touching one another in more Points than one; and by both theſe, their Fričtion in ſliding over each other is made very ſmall and eaſy. But becauſe the Operation and Uſe of Water in the Buſineſs of Vegetation, is of ſome Conſequence to be well underſtood; I purpoſe to ſet it in a Light already given us by the learned and ingenious Dr. Woodward, whoſe Experiments have been exact and regular, and his Obſervations drawn for them allowed to be juſt and rational. Both his Obſervations and Experiments are to be found in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, No. 259. And altho’ ſe- veral late Writers have tranſcribed them for a more diffuſive Knowledge; yet I think no Syſtem of Vegetables ſhould want them: And until others of Leiſure and Ingenuity ſhall think fit to oblige the World with more and further Experiments and Obſervations there- on, we may well be content with theſe, as founded on Reaſon, as well as Experience. The Experiments and Facts of Plants ſet in Waters of different Natures and in diffe- rent Seaſons, I ſhall not repeat; becauſe the Obſervations and Reaſonings deduced from them will occaſionally explain them: And thoſe who are more curious may caſily has recourſe to the Treatiſe itſelf, which hath hitherto given univerſal Satisfaction. OBSERVATION I. In Plants of the ſame kind, the leſs they are in Bulk, the ſmaller Quantity of the fluid Maſs in which they are ſet, is drawn off; the Diſpendium of it where the Maſs is of equal Thickneſs, being pretty nearly proportioned to the Bulk of the Plant. Thus the plant in the Glaſs marked A that weighed 27 Grains, drew off but 2558 Grains of the Fluid; and that Plant in B that weighed 28 Ounces and a quarter, took up but 3004 Grains of the Fluid: Whereas that Plant in H that weighed 127 Grains, took up 14190 Grains of the liquid Maſs. The Water ſeems to aſcend up the Veſſels of Plants much after the fame manner as up a Filter : And it is no ſtrange thing that a lar- ger Filter ſhould draw off more Water than a leffer one; or that a Plant that hath more and larger Veſſels ſhould take up a greater ſhare of the Fluid in which it is ſet, than one that hath fewer and ſmaller ones can. This is not noted as a thing very conſiderable in it- ſelf; but chiefly in regard to what is to be offered anon, and that it may be ſeen that in other Collations of Things a due Allowance has been made for this Difference. OBSERVATION II. The much greater Part of the fluid Maſs that is firſt drawn off and conveyed into the Plants doth not ſettle nor abide' there, but paſſes thro’ thé Pores of them and is exhaled up into the Atmoſphere. It is certain, that the Water in theſe Experiments aſcended only thro' the Veſſels of the Plants : The Glaſſes F and G, which had no Plants in them, (tho’ they were diſpoſed in the like manner as the the reſt were) remained at the end of the Experiment as at firſt, and none of the Water was gone off: And it is as certain, that the greateſt Part of it flies off from the Plant into the Atmoſphere. The leaſt Proportion of the Water expen- ded, was to the Augmentation of the plant as 46 or so to 1; and in ſome the Water drawn off was 100, 200, nay in one above 700 times as much as the Plant had received Addition. This ſo continual an Emiſſion and Detachment of Water in ſo great plenty from the Parts of Plants, affords a manifeſt Reaſon, why thoſe Countries which abound with Trees, Agriculture and Gardening. 17 Trees, and the larger Vegetables eſpecially, ſhould be very obnoxious to Damps, great Hu- midity in the Air, and more frequent Rains, than others which are more open and free. The great Moiſture in the Air was a great Annoyance to thoſe who firſt ſettled in America, which then was much over-grown with Woods and Groves : But as they were burnt and deſtroyed, to make room for Habitations and the Culture of the Earth, the Air mended and cleared up apace, and became of a Temper much more dry and ſerene than before. Nor doth this Humidity go off pure and alone; but uſually carries out along with it many Parts of the ſame Nature, whereof the Plants thro' which it paſſes do conſiſt. It is true, the Graſſer are not ſo eaſily born up into the Atmoſphere, but are uſually depoſi- ted on the Surface of the Flowers, Leaves, and other Parts of the Plants. Hence are produced our Mannaes, our Honeys, and other gummous Exſudations of Vegetables. But the finer and lighter the Parts are, with ſo much the greater eaſe they are ſent up into the Atmoſphere, and thence are conveyed to our Organs of Smelling by the Air we draw in by Reſpiration; and are either pleaſant or offenſive, beneficent or injurious to us, according to the Nature of the Plants from whence they ariſe. And ſince theſe owe their Riſe to the Water which aſcends out of the Earth thro’ the Bodies of Plants, we cannot be far to ſeek for the Cauſe why they are more numerous in the Air, and we find a greater Quantity of Odours exhaling from Vegetables in warm hu- mid Seafons, than in any other whatever. OBSERVATION III. A great Part of the Terreſtrial Matter that is mixt with the Waa ter aſcends up into the Plant as well as the Water. There was much more Terreſtial Matter, at the end of the Experiment, in the Water of the Glaſſes F and G that had no Plants in them, than in thoſe that had Plants. The Garden-Mould in the Glaſſes K and L was conſiderably diminiſhed and carried off. Nay, the Terreſtrial and Vegetable Matter was born up in the Tubes filled with Sand, Cotton, &c. and in that Quantity as to be evident even to Senſe. And the Bodies in the Cavities of the other Tubes, which had their lower Ends immerſed in Water, wherein Saffron, Cochineal, &c. had been infuſed, were tinged with yellow, purple, &c. If it may be permitted to look abroad awhile toward the Shores and Parts within the Verge of the Sea, there will be found a large Scene of Plants, that along with the Vege- tables take up the mere Mineral Matter allo; ſuch as Sea Purſiains, the ſeveral Sorts of Al- gas, Samphires and other Marine Plants. Theſe contain common Sea Salt, which is all one with the Foſſile, in ſuch Plenty, as not only to be plainly diſtinguiſhed on the Palate, but may be drawn forth from them in conſiderable Quantities; and ſome affirm that there are Plants found that will yield Nitre and other Mineral Salts. As to Vegetable Matter, it is manifeft how apt and how much diſpoſed it is (being ſo very fine and light) to attend Water in all its Motions, and to follow it into each of its Receſſes; not only from the Inſtances that have been alleged above, but from many others. If you percolate it with all the Care imaginable, if you filter it with never ſo many Filtrations, yet there will remain ſome Terreſtrial Matter: It is true, the Fluid will be thinner every time than other, and more diſengaged from the ſame Matter, but never wholly free and clear. I have filtered Water thro' ſeveral wholly free and clear Sheets of thick Paper, and after that thro' very cloſe and fine Cloath twelve times doubled, nay have done this over and over again, and yet after all there was a conſiderable Quantity of this Matter dif- coverable in the Water. Now if it paſſes thus thro' Interſtices that are ſo very ſmall and fine along with the Water, it is leſs ſtrange it ſhould attend it in its Paſſage thro’ the Ducts and Veſſels of Plants. It is true, that filtering and diſtilling of Water does intercept and make it quit ſome of the earthy Matter it was before impregnated with; but then that which after this continues with the Water is fine and light, and conſequently ſuch as in a peculiar manner is fit for the Growth and Nouriſhment of Vegetables. And this is the Caſe of Rain- Water. The Quantity of Terreſtrial Matter that it bears up into the Atmoſphere is not great ; but that which it doth bear up is mainly of that light kind of Vegetable Matter, and that too perfectly diſſolved and reduced to fingle Corpuſcles, all fit to enter the Tubules and Veſſels of Plants : And upon this Account it is that Rain-Water is ſo fertile and prolific. The Reaſon why in this Propoſition I ſay, that only a great Part of the Terreſtrial Mat- ter that is mixt with the Water aſcends up with it into the Plant is, becauſe all of it The Mineral Matter is a great deal of it, not only groſs and ponderous, but ſca- brous and inflexible, and ſo not diſpoſed to enter the Pores of the Roots. And a great many F of cannot. 18 A New Syſtem of of the ſimple Vegetable Particles do by degrees unite and form, ſome of them, fmall Clods and Molecule, ſuch as before mentioned in H, K, and L, ſticking to the Extremities of the Roots of thoſe Plants: Others of them intangle in a more looſe manner, and form the Nubecula and great Bodies that are commonly obſerved in ftagnant Water. When theſe are thus conjoined, they are too big to enter the Pores which they might have done ſingly Thoſe Perſons who are converſant in Agriculture, will eaſily ſubmit to this. They are well aware, that tho’ their Earth be never ſo rich and good, and ſo fit for the Producti- on of Corn and other Vegetables, yet unleſs the Parts of it be ſeparate and looſe, little will come of it. It is therefore upon this account that they beſtow the Pains they do in the Culture of it, plowing, harrowing, and breaking the clodded Lumps of Earth. It is the ſame way that Sea Salt , Nitre and other Salts promote Vegetation. I am ſorry I cannot ſubſcribe to the Opinion of thoſe learned Gentlemen, who imagine that Nitre is eſſential to Plants, and that nothing is acted in the Vegetable Kingdom without it: For by all the Trials, I have been able to make, the Thing is quite otherwiſe. But this, Nitre and other Salts certainly do; they looſen the Earth and ſeparate the concreted Parts of it, and by that means fit and diſpoſe them to be aſſumed by the Water, and carried up into the Seed or Plant for its Formation and Augment. There is no body but muſt obſerve how apt all Sorts of Salts are to be wrought upon by Moiſture; how eaſily they liquate and run with it; and when theſe drawn are off, and have deferted the Lumps wherewith they were incorporated, thoſe muſt moulder imme- diately, and fall aſunder of courſe. The hardeſt Stone, if it happen, as it frequently doth, to have any Salt intermixed with the Sand of which it conſiſts; upon being expoſed to an humid Air, in a ſhort time diſſolves and crumbles all to Pieces : And much more will clodded Earth and Clay, which are not near of ſo compact and ſolid a Conſtitution as Stone is. The ſame way likewiſe it is, that Lime is ſerviceable in this Affair. The Husbandman faith of it, that it does not fatten but only mellow the Ground : By which they mean, that it doth not contain any thing in itſelf that is of the fame Nature with the Vegetable Mould, or afford any Matter fit for the Formation of Plants; but meerly ſoftens and re- laxes the Earth, and by that means renders it more capable of entring the Seeds and Ve- getables ſet in it, in order to their Nouriſhment, than otherwiſe it would have been. The Properties of Lime are well known, and how apt it is to be put into a Ferment and Com- motion by Water; nor can ſuch Commotion ever happen when Lime is mixt with Earth, however hard and clodded that may be, without opening and looſening of it. OBSERVATION IV. The Plant is more or leſs nouriſhed and augmented, in proportion as the Water in which it ſtands contains a greater or ſmaller Quantity of proper Terreſtrial Matter in it. The Truth of this Propoſition is ſo eminently diſcernable thro' the whole Proceſs of theſe Trials, that I think no doubt can be made of it. The Mint in the Glaſs C was much of the fame Bulk and Weight with thoſe in A and B; but the Water in which that was, being River-Water, which was apparently more ſtored with Terreſtrial Matter than the Spring or Rain-Water, wherein they ſtood, were; it had thriven to almoſt double the Bulk that either of them had, and with a leſs Expence of Water too. So, in like manner, the Mint in L, in whoſe Water a Quantity of good Garden-Mould had been diſſolved, tho' it had the Diſadvantage to be leſs when it was firſt ſet than either of the Mints H or I, the Water of which was the very fame with that in L, but had not any of the Earth mixt with it; yet in a ſhort time the Plant not only overtook, but much outſtript thoſe, and at the End of the Experiment was very conſiderably bigger and heavier than either of them. Alſo the Mint in N, tho' it was leſs at firſt than that in M, being ſet in that turbid thick feculent Water that remained behind, after that wherein M was ſet was diſtilled off, had in the End more than double its original Weight and Bulk, and received above twice the additional Encreaſe which that in M had done, which ſtood in the thinner diſtilled Water ; and, which is as conſiderable, had not drawn off half the Quantity of Water which that had. The Reaſon why, in the beginning of this Article, I limit the pro- portion of the Augment of the Plant to the Quantity of the proper Terreſtrial Matter in the Water, is, becauſe All, even the Vegetable Mattery to ſay nothing of the Mineral, is not proper for the Nouriſhment of every Plant, There Agriculture and Gardening. 19 cannot. There may be, and doubtleſs there are, fome Parts that are much alike in different Spe- cies of Plants, and ſo owe their Supply to the fame common Matter ; but it is plain all And there are other Parts ſo differing, that it is no ways credible that they ſhould be formed all out of the fame Sort of Corpuſcles. So far from it, that there want not good Indications (as we ſhall fee by and by) that every Kind of Vegetable requires a peculiar and ſpecific Matter for its Formation and Nouriſhment; yea, each Part of the fame Vegetable doth fo, and there are very many and different Ingredients that go to the Compoſition of the ſame individual Plant. If therefore the Soil, wherein any Vegetable or Seed is planted, contains all or moſt of theſe Ingredients, and thoſe in due Quantity, it will grow and thrive there, otherwiſe it will not. If there be not as many Sorts of Corpuſcles as are requiſite for the Conſtituti- on of the main and eſſential Parts of the Plant, it will not proſper at all. If there be theſe, and not ſufficient Plenty, it will ſtarve, and never arrive at its natutal Stature : Or if there be any the leſs neceſſary and eſſential Corpuſcles wanting, there will be ſome Failure in the Plant. It will be defective in Taſte, in Smell; in Colour, or ſome other way. But tho' a Tract of Land may happen not to contain Matter proper for the Conſtitution of ſome one particular Kind of Plant, yet it may for ſeveral others, and thoſe much differing among themſelves. The Vegetative Particles are commixt and blended in the Earth, with all the Diverſity and Variety as well as all the Uncertainty conceivable. I have given ſome Intimations of this elſewhere, * and ſhall not repeat them here; but hope in due time to put them into a much better Light than that they there ſtand in. It is not poſlīble to imagine how one uniform homogeneous Matter; having its Prin- ciples or organical Parts all of the fame Subſtance, Conſtitution, Magnitude, Figure and Gra- vity, ſhould ever conſtitute Bodies fo egregiouſly unlike in all thoſe Reipects, as Vegetables of different kinds are, nay even as the different Parts of the fame Vegetable ; that one ſhould carry a reſinous, another a milky, a third a yellow, a fourth a red Juice in its Veins : One afford a fragrant, another an offenſive Smell; one be ſweet to the Taſte, another bitter, acid, acerb, auftere, &c. that one ſhould be nouriſhing, rnother poiſonous; one purging, an other aftringent. In brief, that there ſhould be that vaſt Difference in them in their ſeveral Conſtitutions, Makes, Properties and Effects, and yet all ariſe from the very fame Sort of Matter, would be very ſtrange. And ſo note that, by the by, this Argument makes equally ſtrong againſt thoſe, who ſuppoſe meer Water the Matter out of which all Bodies are formed. The Cataputia in the Glaſs F received but very little Encreaſe, only three Grains and a half, all the while it ſtood, tho’ 2501 Grains of Water were ſpent upon it. I will not ſay the Reaſon was, becauſe that Water did not contain in it Matter fit and proper for the Nouriſhment of that peculiar and remarkable Plant. No, it may be the Water was not a proper Medium for it to grow in, and we know there are very many Plants that will not thrive in it. Too much of that Liquor in ſome Plants may probably hurry the Terreſtrial Matter thro' their Veſſels too faſt, for them to arreſt and lay hold of it. Be that as it will, ’tis moſt certain there are peculiar Soils that ſuit particular Plants. In En- gland, Cherries are obſerved to ſucceed beſt in Kent; Apples in Herefordſhire; Saffron in Cambridgeſhire; Woad in two or three of our Midland Counties; and Teazles in Somerſet- Shire. This is an Obſervation that hath held in all Parts, and indeed in all Ages of the World. The moſt antient Writers of Husbandry took Notice of it, and are not want- ing in their Rules for making choice of Soils ſuited to the Nature of each Kind of Ve- getable they thought valuable or worth propagating. But, which is a further Proof of what I am here endeavouring to advance, that Soil that is once proper and fit for the Production of ſome one Sort of Vegetable, does not ever continue to be ſo. No, in Tract of Time it loſes that Property ; but ſooner in ſome Lands, and later in others. This is what All who are converſant in theſe Things know very well. If Wheat, for Example, be fown upon a Tract of Land that is proper for that Grain, the firſt Crop will ſucceed very well , and perhaps the ſecond and the third, as long as the Ground is in Heart, as the Farmers ſpeak; but in a few Years it will pro- duce no more, if fow'd with that Corn. Some other Grain indeed it may, as Barley : And after this hath been fowed ſo often, that the Land can bring forth no more of the fame, it may afterward yield good Oats; and perhaps Peaſe after them. At length it will become barren; the Vegetative Matter that at firſt it abounded withal being educed forth of it by thoſe ſucceſſive Crops, and moſt of it borne off. Each Sort of Grain takes forth that peculiar Matter that is proper for its own Nou- riſhment. Firſt the Wheat draws off thoſe Particles that ſuit the Body of that Plant, the * Nat. Hift. of the Earth, p. 228, reft 20 A New Syſtem of reſt lying all quiet and undiſturbed the while. And when the Earth has yielded up all them, thoſe that are proper for Barley, a different Grain, remain ſtill behind, till the luc- ceffive Crops of that Corn fetch them forth too: And ſo the Oats and Peaſe in their turn; till in fine all is carried off, and the Earth in great meaſure drained of thar Sort of Mat- ter. After all which, that very Tract of Land may be brought to produce another Series of the ſame Vegetables; but never till it is ſupplied with a new Fund of Matter of like Sort with that it at firſt contained. This Supply is made ſeveral Ways: By the Ground's lying Fallow for ſome Time, till the Rain has poured down a freſh Stock upon it; or by the Tiller's Care in manuring it. And for further Evidence that this Supply is really of like Sort, we need only reflect a while upon thoſe Manures, that are found by conſtant Ex- perience beſt to promote Vegetation, and the Fruitfulneſs of the Earth. Theſe are chiefly either Parts of Vegetables, or of Animals which indeed either derive their own Nouriſh- ment immediately from Vegetable Bodies, or from other Animals that do ſo. In parti- cular, the Blood, Urine, and Excrements of Animals, Shavings of Horns and Hoofs ; Hair, Wool, Feathers, calcined Shells, Lees of Wine and of Beer; Aſhes of all Sorts of Vegetable Bodies, Leaves, Straw, Roots and Stubble, turned into the Earth, by Plowing, or other- wife to rot, and diſſolve there : Theſe, I ſay, are our beſt Manures ; and, being Vegetable Subſtances, when refunded back again into the Earth, ſerve for the Formation of other like Bodies. Not wholly to confine our Thoughts to the Fields ; let us look a while into our Gar- dens, where we ſhall meet with ftill further Confirmations of the fame Thing. The Trees, Shrubs, and Herbs, cultivated in Theſe, after they have continued in one Station, till they have derived thence the greater Part of the Matter fit for their Augment, will decay and degenerate, unleſs either freſh Earth or ſome fit Manure be apply'd unto them. 'Tis true, they may maintain themſelves there for ſome Time, by ſending forth Roots further and further to a great Extent all round to fetch in more remote Proviſion; but at laſt, all will fail, and they muſt either have a freſh Supply brought to them, or they themſelves be removed and tranſplanted to ſome Place better furniſhed with Matter for their Sub- fiſtence. And accordingly, Gardeners obſerve that Plants that have ſtood a great while in a Place, have longer Roots than uſual; Part of which they cut off when they tranſplant them to a freſh Soil, as now not of any further Uſe to them. All theſe Inſtances, to paſs over a great many others that might be alleged, point forth a particular Terreſtrial Matter, and not Water, for the Subject to which Plants owe their Encreaſe. Were it Water only, there would be no Need of Manures, or of tranſplanting them from Place to Place. The Rain falls in all Places alike: In this field and in that in- differently: In one Side of an Orchard or Garden, as well as another: Nor could there be any Reaſon why a Tract of Land fhould yield Wheat one Year, and not the next, ſince the Rain, ſhowers down alike in each. OBSERVATION V. Vegetables are not formed of Water, but of a certain Terrefirial Matter. It hath been ſhewn, that there is a conſiderable Quantity of this Matter contained both in Rain, Spring and River Water; that the much greater Part of the Auid Maſs that aſcends up into Plants, does not ſettle or abide there, but paſſes thro’ the Pores of them, and exhales up into the Atmoſphere: That a great Part of the Terreſtrial Matter mixt with the Water paſſes up into the Plant along with it; and that the Plant is more or leſs augmented, in Proportion as the Water contains a greater or ſmaller Quantity of that Matter. From all which we may very reaſonably infer, that Earth, and not Water, is the Matter that conſtitutes Vegetables. The Plant in E drew up into it 2501 Grains of the fluid Maſs, and yet had received but three Grains and a half Encreaſe from all that. The Mint in L, tho' it had at firſt the Diſadvantage to be much leſs than in 1, .yet being ſet in Water wherein Earth was plentifully mixt, and that in I only in Water without any ſuch additional Earth, it had vaſtly out-grown the other, weighing at laſt 145 Grains more than that did, and ſo having gained about twice as much as that had. In like man- ner, that in K, tho' it was a great deal leſs when put in, than that in I, and alſo was impaired and offended by Inſects; yet being planted in Water wherein Earth was diſſolved, (whereas the Water wherein I ſtood had none,) it not only overtook, but conſiderably ſurpaſſed the other, weighing at leaſt 29 Grains more than that in I; and yet had not expended ſo much Water as that by above 2400 Grains. The Plant in N, tho’ at firſt a great deal leſs than that in M; yet being ſet in the foul craſs Water, that was left in the Still, after that in which M was ſet, was drawn off, in Concluſion had gained in Weight above Agriculture and Gardening. 21 above double what that in the finer and thinner Water had. The Proportion of the Aug- ment of that Plant that throve moſt, was to the fluid Maſs ſpent upon it as I to 40. In others it was but as I to 60, 100 and 200. Nay, in the Cataputia it was but as i to 714. The Mint in B took up 39 Grains of Water a day, one day with another, which was much more than the whole Weight of the Plant originally : And yet with all this it gained not one fourth of a Grain a day in Weight. Nay, that in H took up 253 Grains a day of the Fluid, which was near twice as much of its original Weight, it weighing when firſt ſet in the Water but 127 Grains; and after all, the daily Encreaſe of the Plant was no more than 26 Grains. OBSERVATION VI. Spring and Rain Watei contain pretty near an equal Charge of Vea getable Matter ; River-Water more than either of them. The Plants in the Glaſſes A B and C were at firſt of much the ſame Size and Weight. At the End of the Experiment, the Mint in A had gained 15 Grains out of 2558 Grains of Spring-Water ; that in B 17 Grains and a half out of 3004 Grains of Rain-Water ; but that in C had got 26 Grains out of only 2493 Grains of River-Water. I do not found this Propoſition ſolely upon theſe Trials, having made fome more, which I do not here relate, that agree well enough with theſe. So that the Proportion here deli- vered will hold for the main; but a ſtrict and juft Compariſon is hardly to be expected. So far from it, that I make no doubt but the Water that falls in Rain at fome times, con- tains a greater Share of Terreſtrial Matter, than that which falls at others. A more pow- erful and intenſe Heat muſt needs hurry up a larger Quantity of that Matter along with the humid Vapours, that form Rain, than one more feeble and remiſs ever poſſibly can. The Water of one Spring may flow forth with an higher Charge of this Matter, than that of another : This depending partly upon the Quickneſs of the Ebullition of the Water, and partly upon the Quantity of that Matter latent in the Strata thro' which the Fluid paſſes, and the greater or leſs Laxity of thoſe Strata. For the fame Reaſon the Water of one River may abound with it more than that of another. Nay, the ſame River, when much agitated and in Commotion, muſt bear up more of it, than when it moves with leſs Ra- pidity and Violence. That there is a great Quantity of this Matter in Rivers, and that it contributes vaſtly to the ordinary Fertility of the Earth, we have an illuſtrious Inſtance in the Nile, the Ganges, and other Rivers, that yearly overflow the neighbouring Plains. Their Banks ſhew the faireſt and largeſt Crops of any in the whole World : They are even loaded with the Multitude of their Productions : And thoſe who have not ſeen them, will hardly be in- duced to believe the mighty Returns thoſe Tracts make in compariſon of Others that have not the Benefit of like Inundations. OBSERVATION VII. Water ſerves only for a Vehicle to the Terreſtrial Matter which forms Vegetables, and doth not itſelf make any Addition unto them. Where the proper Terreſtrial Matter is wanting, the Plant is not augmented, tho' never ſo much Water aſcend into it. The Cataputia in E took up more Water than the Mint in C, and yet had grown but very little, having received only 3 Grains and a half of ad- ditional Weight; whereas the Other liad received no leſs than 26 Grains. The Mint in I was planted in the fame fort of Water as that in K was, only the latter had Earth diſ- ſolved in the Water; and yet that drew off 13140 Grains of the Water, gaining itſelf no more than 139 Grains in Weight; whereas the other took up but 10731 Grains in Weight : Conſequently that ſpent 2409 Grains more of the Water than this in K did, and yet was not ſo much increaſed in Weight as this by 29 Grains. The Mint in M ftood in the very fame Kind of Water as that in N did; but the Water in M having much leſs Terreſtrial Matter in it than that in N had, the Plant bore up 8803 Grains of it, gaining itſelf only 41 Grains the while. Whereas that in N drew off no more than 4344, and yet was augmented 94 Grains. So that it ſpent 4459 Grains of Water more than that did; and yet was not itſelf ſo much increaſed in Weight as that was by 53 Grains. This is both a very fair and a very concluſive Inſtance; on which account it is that I make oftener uſe of it. Indeed they are all ſo: And to add any thing further on this Head, will not be needful. 'Tis evident therefore, Water is not the Matter that compoſes Vegetable Bodies; it is only the Agent that conveys that Matter to them, that introduces and diſtributes it to their ſeveral Parts for their Nouriſhment : That Matter is ſluggiſh and unactive, and would lie eternally confined to its Beds of Earth, without ever advancing up into Plants, did not Water, or ſome like Inſtrument, ferch it forth and carry it unto them. That therefore there is that plentiful Proviſion and vaft Abundance of it ſupplied to all Parts of the Earth, G 1s 22 A New Syſtem of is a Mark of a natural Providence fuperintending over the Globe we inhabit, and or- daining a due Diſpenſation of that Fluid, without the Miniſtry of which the noble Succeſs fjon of Bodies we behold, Animals, Vegetables and Minerals, would be all at a ſtand. But to keep to Plants. 'Tis manifeft, Water, as well on this, as upon the other Hypo- theſis, is abſolutely neceſſary in the Affair of Vegetation, and it will not ſucceed without it; which indeed gave occaſion to the Opinion, that Water itſelf nouriſhed, and was changed into Vegetable Bodies : They ſaw tho' theſe were planted in a Soil never ſo rich, ſo happy, ſo advantageous, nothing came of it, unleſs there was Water too in conſidera- ble Quantity. And it muſt be allowed, Vegetables will not come on or proſper where that is wanting : But yet what thoſe Gentlemen inferred thence was not, we ſee, well grounded. This Fluid is capacitated for the Office here aſſigned it, ſeveral ways. By the Figure of its Parts, which (as appears from many Experiments) is exactly and mathematically Spheria cal, their Surfaces being perfectly polite, and without any the leaſt Inequalities. Tis evi- dent, Corpuſcles of ſuch a Figure are eaſily ſuſceptible of Motion; yea, far above any others whatever'; and conſequently the moſt capable of moving and conveying other Mat- ter that is not ſo active and voluble. Then the Intervals of Bodies of that Figure are, with reſpect to their Bulk, of all other the largeſt, and ſo the moſt fitted to receive and entertain foreign Matter in them. Beſides, as the Trials hitherto made, inform us, the conſtituent Corpuſcles of Water are each ſingly conſidered abſolutely folid, and do not yield to the greateſt external Force. This ſecures their Figure againſt any Alteration; and the Intervals of the Corpuſcles muſt be always alike. By the latter it will be ever diſpoſed to receive Matter into it; and by the former, when once received, to bear it on along with it. Water is further capacitated to be a Vehicle to this Matter by the Tenuity and Fine- neſs of the Corpuſcles of which it confifts. We hardly know any Fluid in all Nature, except Fire, whoſe conſtituent Parts are ſo exceeding ſubtle and ſmall as thoſe of Water are. They will paſs Pores and Interſtices, that neither Air nor any other Fluid will. This enables them to enter the fineſt Tubes and Veſſels of Plants, and to introduce the Terre- ftrial Matter, conveying it to all Parts of them; which each, by Means of Organs it is endued with to that Purpoſe, intercepts and aſſumes into itſelf ſuch Particles as are ſuitable to its own Nature, letting the reſt paſs on thro' the common Ducts. Nay, we have al- moſt every where mechanical Inſtances of much the ſame Tenor. 'Tis obvious to eve- ry one, how eaſily and ſuddenly Humidity, or the Corpuſcles of Water ſuſtained in the Air, pervade and inſinuate themſelves into Cords however tightly twiſted, into Leather, Parchment, Vegetable Bodies, Wood, and the like. This it is that fits them for Hygro- meters, and to meaſure and determine the different Quantities of Moiſture in the Air, in different places and Seaſons. How freely Water paſſes and carries with it Terreſtrial Mat- ter, thro’ Filters, Colatures, Diſtillations, hath been intimated already. OBSERVATION VIII. Water is not capable of performing this Office to Plants, unleſs allifted by a due Quantity of Heat; and this muſt concur, or Vegetation will not ſucceed. The Plants that were ſet in the Glaſſes, Q, R, S, &c. in O&tober, and the following colder Months, had not near the Quantity of Water ſent up into them, or ſo great an additional Encreaſe by much, as thoſe that were ſet in June and July, and the hotter Months. 'Tis plain, Water has no Power of moving itſelf, or riſing to the vaſt Height it doth in the more tall and lofty Plants; fo far from this, that it doth not appear from any Diſcovery yet made, that even its own Fluidity conſiſts in the inteſtine Motion of its Parts; whatever ſome, otherwiſe very learned and knowing Perſons, may have thought. There is no need of any thing more for ſolving all the Phänomena of Fluidity, than ſuch a Figure and Diſpoſition of the Parts as Water has. Corpuſcles of that Make, and that are all abſolutely Spherical, muſt ſtand fo very tickly and nicely upon each other, as to be ſuf- ceptible of every Impreſſion; and tho' not perpetually in Motion, yet muſt be ever ready and liable to be put into it, by any the ſlighteſt Force imaginable. It is true, the Parts of Fire or Heat are not capable of moving themſelves, any more than thoſe of Water ; but they are more ſubtile, light and active than thoſe are, and ſo more eaſily put in Motion. In fine, it is evident and Matter of Fact, that Heat does operate upon and move the Water in order to its carrying on the Work of Vegetation; but how it is agitated itſelf, and where the Motion firſt begins, this is no fit Place to enquire. That the Concourſe of Hear in this work is really neceſſary, appears not only from the Experiments before us, but from all Nature : From our Fields and Foreſts, our Gar- dens and our Orchards. We ſee in Autumn, as the Sun's Power grows gradually leſs and lefs, Agriculture and Gardening. 23 leſs, ſo its Effect on Plants is remitted, and their Vegetation ſlackens by little and little. Its Failure is firſt diſcernable in Trees : Theſe are raiſed higheſt above the Earth, and re- quire a more intenſe Heat to elevate the Water charged with their Nouriſhment to the Tops and Extremities of them; ſo that for want of freſh Support and Nutriment, they ſhed their Leaves, unleſs ſecured by a very firm and hardy Conſtitution indeed, as our Ever-Greens are. Next, the Shrubs part with theirs, and then the Herbs and lower Tribes; the Heat being at length not ſufficient to ſupply even theſe, tho' ſo near the Earth the Fund of their Nouriſhment. As the Heat returns the ſucceeding Spring, they all re- cruit again, and are furniſhed with freſh Supplies and Verdure. But firſt thoſe which are loweit and neareſt the Earth, Herbs, and they that require a leſs Degree of Heat to raiſe the Water with its earthy Charge into them: Then the Shrubs and higher Vegetables in their turns; and laſtly, the Trees. As the Heat increaſes it grows too powerful, and hur- ries the Matter with too great Rapidity thro' the finer and more tender Plants. Theſe therefore go off and decay, and others that are more hardy and vigorous, and require a greater Share of Heat, ſucceed in their Order. By which Mechaniſm, provident Nature furniſhes us with a very various and differing Entertainment, and what is beſt ſuited to each Seaſon all the Year round. As the Heat of the ſeveral Seaſons affords us a different Face of Things, ſo the ſeveral diſtant Climates ſhew different Scenes of Nature and Productions of the Earth. The hotter Countries yield ordinarily the largeſt and talleſt Trees, and thoſe too in much greater Variety than the colder ever do. Even thoſe Plants, which are common to Both, attain to a much greater Bulk in the Southern than in the Northen Clime. Nay, there are ſome Regions lo bleak and chill, that they raiſe no Vegetables at all to any conſiderable Size. This we learn from Greenland, from Iſland, and other Places of like cold Site and Condition. In theſe no Tree ever appears, and the very Shrubs they afford are few, little and low. Thus far this great Philoſopher and ingenious Author, Dr. Woodward; who, in explain- ing the Nature of Vegetation, has perhaps ſaid more, at leaſt more to the Purpoſe, in that ſmall Treatiſe, than is to be found in all the voluminous Authors on that Subjet, not excepting Mr. Evelyn himſelf. I was willing therefore here to recite his Obſervations and Reaſonings, even as they now preſent themielves to the World; hoping yet, ſome time or other, that ſuperior Genius will, as his Affairs may fuffer, oblige the World with ſome further Enlargement on the Subject, as the Doctor has been ſo good as to make me hope he will, in a late Letter to my ſelf. In the mean Time, altho’ it is a very undeſireable Thing to differ in Sentiment from ſo good a Reaſoner and nice Obſerver of Vegetable Nature; yet I know the Doctor's Good- neſs will excuſe me, if I am forced to ſay, I cannot altogether give in to ſome parts of the aforegoing Propoſitions, at leaſt as they ſtand there explained. In OBSERVATION III. where a Reaſon is given why only a great Part of the Ter- reſtrial Matter aſcends up into the Plant, and that all of it cannot, becauſe he thinks the Mineral Matter not only too groſs and ponderous, but ſcabrous and inflexible ; he proceeds further on to illuſtrate this, by explaining the Nature of Lime, viz. that it doth not fat- ten, but only mellow the Ground ; containing nothing in itſelf of the fame Nature with the Vegetable Mould, or affording any Matter fit for the Formation of Plants, but merely Softens and relaxes the Earth. It is indeed the Nature of Lime, when it is firſt flacked, to open and relax whatever it is mixt with; but it is well known, that that ſudden Power of Relaxation is ſoon over, and preſently obtains a quite contrary Quality of binding and contracting every thing it is mixt with, to itſelf. And indeed, the Art and Practice of the Husbandman is founded upon this very Principle and Reaſon, that the mixing Things of the moſt contrary Na- tures, and which moft cauſe Relaxation, is the Life of Vegetation. Accordingly they ne- ver chuſe Lime for Clays; which are the Soils, if any, that want Opening and Relaxation. So far from that, that they reckon (at leaſt after a Year or two) it doth more harm than good, by ſaddening and making the Soil more untračtable. The Soils, where Lime is juſtly and with reaſon eſteemed a proper and ſuitable Manure, are ſandy; gravelly, or other light mixt and mellow Soils; ſuch as do not want Opening and Relaxation; but, on the contra- ry, want Tenacity, and to be made heavier and more binding. For the ſame purpoſe alſo are uſed Chalk and Marle, not to looſen, but to ſadden the Soil and hold it together, that the Rain may not fink too ſoon away, nor be too ſoon exhauſted by the Heat of the Sun. Accordingly Theſe alſo are by Experience found in a wonderful manner to anſwer the Husbandman's Hopes, by a long and continued Enrichment of the Soil diſcreetly choſen; even of ſuch Soils as have not wanted Opening and Relaxation, (having 24 A New Syſtem of (having been of themſelves rather too light,) but were become ſteril and deſtitute of a pro- per nutritive Matter fit for Vegetation. Theſe Obſervations, founded upon Practice and Experience, I think, demonſtratively prove ſomething more and other than what the Doctor is willing to allow to the Power and Force of Lime. That Lime is a Manure, and an excellent one too, laid on a proper Soil, we are both agreed; but we differ as to the Effects of its Operation. And if the Doctor had not too ſtrictly confined himſelf to an Opinion, that nothing but Vegetable Subſtances, refunded back again into the Earth, are proper Manures, and ſerve for the Formation of other like Bodies, his Doctrine in the main would have ſtood perfectly right; only by al- lowing that the Aſhes or Salts of Minerals, or the Minute and Terreſtrial Parts of Mine- yal Bodies, are alſo a proper Food for Vegetables. This Suppoſition will appear more rational and probable, by what I ſhall ſay in the Se- quel of another Obſervation I have to make on what the Doctor hath been pleaſed to ſay toward the End of his laſt Propoſition, with reſpect to the Effects of Heat, viz. That thoſe Plants which are common to both hot and cold Countries, attain to a much greater Bulk in the Southern than in the Northern Clime. This, I doubt, will be found to be indefenſible, as carrying the Virtue and Power of Heat beyond its Strength, and further than Experience will confirm. We do not find, for Inſtance, that the Oak and Aſh and Elm (Trees com- mon to both hot and cold Countries) do obſerve any ſuch Proportion. So far from that, that the Stature and Bull of an Engliſh Oak eſpecially, (ſuch as I have mentioned under the Article of Foreſt-Trees) is juſtly ſurpriſing, and not to be paralleled in hotter Countries. As far as my Obſervation has gone in this Matter, the Productions of Nature in the Growth and Increaſe of Trees are commonly anſwerable, (not to the Heat and Cold of Climates, but) to the Situation and Soil wherein they are planted, agreeable to the Nature and Con- ſtitution of each reſpective Tree. We need not go further for a Proof of this than Scotland or Norway, where the Firs of all Kinds are known to proſper to admiration; and accordingly from thence are fetched the beft, the moſt, and the largeſt Trees. Firs will grow in Italy and Spain, and there make fine and handſome Trees, if the Soil and Situation be ſuited to their Nature; otherwiſe they ſoon become dwarfiſh and ſtunted in their Growth, and diſcover many Indications of their Dif- like and ill Health : And even at the beſt, and under the moſt deſireable Circumſtances of a well-choſen Place, they are far from being able to vye with the Productions of the North, either as to the Goodneſs or Largeneſs of the Timber. The Reaſon of all which I take to be this ; that too much Heat in many caſes is as injurious to Vegetation as too much Cold. As to Trees and Plants that bear Fruit, there may be ſome Shew of Reaſon to ſupport the Doctors Obſervation; becauſe the Heat of the Sun and Clime is, in the general, ſo neceſſary for the ripening the beſt Fruits, and bringing them to Perfection : But even here (if it be rightly conſidered) the Propoſition will not hold as to the Bulk of Trees com- mon to both North and South. I cannot call Vines, Peaches, Figs, &c. Plants common to both; for they are of a Southern Original and Extraction, and are nurſed here with Care and Art, that we may be rewarded with their Fruits, which want their native Sun: But the Trees and Plants themſelves (tho’ Foreigners) do not even diſcover any Want of Heat to explain their Productions. However, the Compariſion ought to be made of Fruit-Trees that are plainly common to both Climates ; ſuch as are Pears, Apples, Plums, &c. and theſe are not obſerved to grow bigger in Italy or Spain than in England; but rather the contrary, from the Reaſon above. But to return to the Productions of Nature in Foreſt-Trees. It is almoſt unaccount- able how Elms and Aſhes in England, and Firs in Scotland and Norway, will grow; and to what a Bulk and Height they will arrive, even on barren Rocks, where their Roots are ob- ſerved to extend themſelves, and to find out their difficult Paſſage thro’ the narrow Clefts and Crevices thereof, to fetch Nouriſhment for their Augment and Support. It cannot well be imagined, that here is ordinarily to be found common Terreſtrial Matter fufficient for ſuch large Productions. The opening ſuch Rocks, and following the Meanders and Windings of ſuch Roots and Fibres, diſcover little Foundation for ſuch a Suppofition. I can therefore ſee no Reaſon to hinder the Belief, that ſuch Trees fetch their Support and derive their Nouriſhment from Mineral Matter; from ſuch Exſudations, Salts, and minute Parts of Minerals, as are proper to be conveyed by the Help of Water thro' the Veſſels of Plants. I ſhall always be willing to be ſet right by any ſuperiour Genius : But by what I have obſerved and ſaid above of the Natures of Lime, Marle and Chalk, and have here remarked concerning Aſhes, Elms and Firs, growing on barren Rocks; I am inclined to think that the Aſhes or minute Parts of ſome Minerals unforined, are equally ſerviceable for Vegeta- tion Agriculture and Gardening: 25 tion with the minute Parts of Terreſtrial Matter fetched from Vegetables. As to the Objection, that Mineral Matter is too ponderous and inflexible to be conveyed thro' the Vefſels of Plants; that may be of ſome Force with reſpect to the heavier and harder Sorts, as Iron, Lead, Copper, &c. but can be of little with reſpect to Stone, Marle and Chalk pulverized; which need not be imagined more angular or unfit to enter the Pores of Plants, than Terreſtrial Matter itſelf. Thus far I have thought fit to remark, to clear up a little further the Vegetable Sy- ſtem ; but yet with great Submiſſion and Reſpect to Dr. Woodward's ſecond Thoughts. However, in the mean time, I would have it be obſerved here, That the Doctor's main Propoſitions and Reaſonings thereupon ſtand yet firm and unſhaken, viz. That a great Part of the Terreſtrial Matter mixt with the Water, aſcends up into a Plant as well as the Water : That a Plant is more or leſs nouriſhed, in proportion as the Water in which it ſtands contains a greater or ſmaller Quantity of Terreſtrial Matter : And therefore, That Terreſtrial Matter, not Water, is the Subject to which Plants owe their Increaſe : But yet, That both Water and Heat are abſolutely neceſſary to put all in Motion for the pur- poſe of Vegetation : And finally, That even Nitre itſelf is no otherwiſe eſſential to Plants, but only to looſen and ſeparate the Parts of Earth, ſo as to diſpoſe them to be carried in- co the Seed or Plant for its Formation and Increaſe. But this being a Matter hitherto tenderly touched, talked of by all Writers only in Ge- nerals and ambiguous Expreſſions ; and wherein I own my ſelf to have ſome Doubts, and to be yet not perfectly clear' ; I was willing to have the Opinion and Philoſophical Rea- ſonings of an ingenious and learned Friend, who needs no other Encomium but his own Reaſonings. And becauſe he has been ſo good as to ſuffer me to make uſe of his Sentiments, I ſhall here lay them before the Reader, as they were kindly communicated to me in his Letter, which came to me after I had ſhewn him the Remarks above; and I think they do not need the modeſt Apology he made. I (C Dear Sir, Have read your Obſervations on Dr. Woodward, and am pleaſed to obſerve, that the Difference between you in the grand Point, is, like moſt other Diſputes, chiefly “ Verbal. If you mean by Mineral Matter, only Matter contained in the Bowels of the “ Earth, that never had been Parts of Plants ; I readily agree, that vaft Quantities of ſuch are mixt in the Earth, and with the groſſeit Minerals, fit to aſſimulate themſelves with Vegetables ; nay, that perhaps Metals and Stones are not free from them; but when " their Fumes are drawn off by Fire, theſe may perhaps be found to contain no ſmall " Quantities. All Marles and Chalks abound with them; and every Thing which the “ Rain can penetrate will be repleted with theſe Particles. But then theſe Particles are as “ diſtinct in their Nature from Stone, or any Mineral Subſtance, as Gold is from Chryſtal, or the two moſt oppoſite Things which are lodged in the Earth; and they differ no more from the Parts of Plants, than new Bricks fit for Building do from thoſe which were once united in the Form of an Houſe. Your Argument to prove your Pro- “ poſition, from the vaſt Bulk to which Trees will grow on Rocks and barren Places “ only; I think makes it evident, that they receive their Nouriſhment not from the Soil “ that ſupports them, but from the Vegetable Subſtance with which the Dews and Rains are repleted. Thus the * Sedum arboreſcens will grow to a large Bulk, and flouriſh 56 like a Camelion on the Luxury of the Air; for when tied up in a String, it extends its " Roots to fuck the fattening Moiſture from far, and ſupports it bulky Leaves in Vigour on that thin Diet. So your + Vine, which from the Crevices of a Caſtle-Wall poured “ forth yearly a Vintage, gave only what the floating Moiſture, with the Vegetable Ma- " terials ſuſpended in it, enriched it with. And I ſhall conſtantly believe this, till ſome “ Experiments fhew that the ſmall Particles of any Mineral can be drawn from Plants " by a chymical Analyſis, excepting perhaps Sulphur, whoſe Parts are ſo thin and volatile, " that they may be carried up, and unite with the Parts of Plants, and be retained in “ If Gold was ſuſpended inviſibly in Aqua regia, and any proper Precipitate in Ramifi- « cations was extended thro' the Fluid to collect the flying Gold, and gather it again into a viſible Maſs, it would repreſent my Sentiments exactly: For you fee, that in this Caſe nothing but Gold would be united with this kind of Vegetation ; ſo nothing but the 66 66 Fruits. 60 * Moſt bulbous rooted Plants will do the ſame, viz. Onions, Tulips, Tuberoſe, &c. See Clergyman's Recreation, H 66 Subſtance 26 A New Syſtem of се (6 rals. 66 6 Subſtance of the Plant-Materials in the other. But I think this is only a Diſpute about 66 Words; what you call Mineral Subſtance, we more intelligibly, and I think more rea- fonably, contend is the fame Sort of Subſtance with the Plants, lodged with the Mine- “ As to another Point indeed, I differ from you toto coelo : Fermentation is not only not 6s the Life of Vegetables, but it is the ſure unavoidable Death of them. Fermentation is " that which will diſunite the Parts, and ſeparate them from each other; and when that « Separation is performed, then indeed they are fit to be put together again : As when you pull to pieces an old Houſe, the Materials are fit to be employed again ; but the 6 pulling down is not the Life of Architecture. The Heat which Fermentation cauſes indeed, will act and aſſiſt in Vegetation like all other Heat ; and if that Heat ſends forth " Steams of well diſunited Particles, it will enrich the Earth thro' which it percolares « with proper Materials and Food for Plants ; but whilſt the Fermentation continues, and " in the place where it actually isy Plants would be abſolutely deſtroyed by its violent C Motion. “ You mention the mingling of Contraries as the preſumptive Cauſe of Fermentation. " What the Cauſe of that ſurpriſing Power is, I am as ignorant as I am what is the Cauſe of C Gravity or Elaſticity: Neither Friend nor any other fatisfy me: But that Things being “ merely contrary to each other cauſes not always Fermentation, is moſt evident; and c that Things which are by no means contrary to each other will ferment, is every day?s • Experience. This Philoſophical Age therefore will not reliſh the common Expreſlions 6 of contrary Things raiſing a Buſtle and Ferment ; becauſe theſe give no clear Ideas of any 66 efficient Cauſe to the Mind which fatisfieth. Fermentation is properly the Life (if I may call it fo) of one of the Three old Principles which the Followers of Ariſtotle faid went to the Compoſition of all Things; Materia, Forma & Privatio. The Laſt indeed " is almoſt wholly owing to it; Bodies not often putting off one Form to aſſume a ſe- " cond, but by its Aſſiſtance. " I muſt confeſs, I think you in the right to queſtion that Fact, That Vegetables com- mon to all Climates are better always in hot than cold Countries ; if it is true, that any “ Plants may be ſaid to be naturally common to very diſtant Climates : And my Reaſon 6 for it is this , That the vaſt Heat may make in ſome ſuch a large Perſpiration and “ Hurry of Juices; which, tho' they can live under, they cannot thrive with. But I - doubt whether all Plants, tho' they will ſupport every Degree of Heat, want not a “ certain one to attain their Perfection: Tho' it muſt be owned that many Plants, as " Wheat, &c. are vaſtly plumper and whiter in Southern than Northern Harveits, and the C Taſte of others (as Onions) more luſcious, and the Size more large. " As to your Inltances, two Things muſt be obſerved: That Firs of Southern Moun- Có tains and the Northern are not Trees of the fame Kind, tho' the fame Name; the Silver C and Spruce greatly differing : That the Climates in Heat do not differ ſo much, as in " Denomination; for eternal Snows cover the Brows of the Alps, where Firs flouriſh to a moit gigantick Size, as well as the Hills of Norweigh. " To come now to the grand Point, the Nature and Force of Lime. But how ſhall we determine this Diſpute, when we do not agree in the Facts? You ſay, that Lime is not proper for Clay-Land, according to your Hypotheſis ; Woodward faith, it is not proper for Sand and light Soils , according to his Hypotheſis : But Farmers ſhake their “ Heads at you Both, and conſtantly employ it in both Kinds in this very Country; but “ in Devonſhire moſtly in Clay-Soils, Sand and Lime being judged proper Manures for the (6 fame Land. Lime is nothing but Stone burnt in Fire to a very great Degree, thorough- 6 ly fated with the Flames in which it had ſo long lain. Water breaks the Parts of the “ Stone, which hung but tenderly together, and ſuffers the Fire by that means to meet " and unite. The Activity of the Lime is owing to the actual Fire; and the Parts of the " Stone act like other hard yet ſpongy Subſtances, as an Abſorbent: It is known to tear every Thing to pieces it is mingled with at firſt; but the minute Parts of the “ Lime, when the Fire is ſeparated from them, have ſo ſtrong an Attraction, as to unite “ together again as ſoon as the Moiſture by its own Heat and Time is avaporated, and “ encloſe any Thing that is mingled with it, unleſs it is joined in fo large a Quantity as to keep the Parts at too great a Diſtance that they cannot join to each other; and by " that means their uniting with the Materials neareſt them deſtroys the Union which be- 66 fore was between the Parts of Clay itſelf, and conſequently crumble it. “ Thus you ſee, Sir, how poſſible it is, for the fame Thing to form Mortar, mixt with a little Sánd; to crumble Clay, when a little of it is joined to a great Quantity of the 66 ſticky Soil; and to bind the fandy Soil, by making an Union between Parts where there 26 66 66 C6 was Agriculture and Gardening. 27 66 it. CG was none before. When it crumbles Clay, it by that means ſuffers the Rain with its " Riches to penetrate every Part, and makes way for the tender Fibres to follow after “ You rightly explain the Benefit fandy Soil receives from it, by hindering the Wa- ter from running thro' it, without lodging its proper Sediment amongſt it; to ftiffen " it to ſupport Plants; and ſuch like good Effects. Beſides theſe Benefits from Lime, others belong to it. Its Hcat may aſſiſt Vegetation in all kinds of Land great- ly. Heat may remain enough to actuate Steams, tho’ it is lower in Degree than to affect our Senſes. Fire will not leave the Stone Particles, to which it was ſo intimately united, " intirely, probably for ever. And if Fire (for Fire is not meerly a Quality common to " all Subitances, but a Fluid of its own Kind) is there, its active Virtue will be there " allo. “ As to Marle, the Virtues are as various as its Kinds. Some contains prodigious Quan- " tities of Vegetable Matter which it gained from Rain, which Age after Age penetrated “ it ; which immediately on becoming dry would admit no Vegetable to enter and rob it “ of the Treaſure: Some of it, when conſtantly expoſed to Air and Rain, and crumbled 56 amidſt Earth, turns to a ſofter Sand: Some contains very oily Particles mixt with Salts, " (as Fullers Earth :) Some contains Fire alſo, as Chalk; for I have known a Beam fixed. “ in Chalk burnt to a Coal, as if placed in unextinguiſhed Cinders. Thus, Sir, you ſee “ how theſe may, by diſcreet Uſe, be capable of improving moſt amazingly all kinds of “ Soils. I have tired you with this long and hafty Anſwer. But I am lo fatisfied with co what I have faid about Lime, that I am perſwaded a very great Light may be thrown on the Whole of Husbandry from theſe Principles, drawn out at length and explained; “ for there is nothing but what is moſt agreeable to Experience and true Philoſophy; it " is clear and ſatisfactory to the Mind, and uſeful in Practice : And Lime thus explained " acts in Surgery, in Medicine, and Husbandry, by the ſame Principles. Uſe the Principles “ in this Letter as you pleale ; the Letter itſelf is writ in too great a Hurry to be re- " garded by any but one who is willing to pardon all Faults in his Affectionate Friend. P.S. “ I can hardly forbear explaining more at large the Nature of Lime ; and ſhew you, that its Compoſition is a fixed Salt, and an abſorbent Earth, and Fire both united to and encloſed between the Parts of the other two; and convince you that it is poſſi- « ble, nay, that it muſt neceſſarily perform All I have attributed to it; and conſequently “ſhew how it becomes ſo excellent a Manure. But it is too long to undertake in ſuch a manner, as to deduce it from the firſt Principles of genuine Philoſophy, without know- ing whether it will be uſeful to youl, which alone can make it acceptable. Only this " ealy Experiment carefully tried would convince the moſt obſtinate. Take so Pound “ Weight of ſticky Clay, and mingle with it 8 Pound Weight of powdered Quick- “ Lime, with a due Quantity of Water to make them incorporate : Beat theſe together " in a paved Court, expoſed to the Weather ; Mortar will not be made by it, but the Clay will become diſunited, looſe, and crumble, and continue fo, till Rain paſſing thro' " it drains away all the Lime. At the ſame time, in another Part of the Court, mingle “ the fame Weight of Lime with the ſame Quantity of ſandy looſe Soil, 8 with so; Itir " them together with Water, and you'll find the Sand clot and grow more connected, « and become a former Soil by it. And ſuch contrary Phænomena being explained by the “ fame Principles, give a great Sanction and Authority to the Principles themſelves. CC CC Y The ANSWER to the aforegoing LETTER. Dear SIR, OU are extremely good in ſo freely communicating your Thoughts to one, who always fets ſo high a Value upon them. You have acted the part of a right Me- “ diator betwixt Dr. Woodward and my ſelf, in your Explanation of Mineral Matter. 5. Only I am apt to think (and we can but gueſs) that there are, beſides Terreſtrial Mat- ter, among the barren Rocks, and amidſt the deep Crevices of bulky Stones, ſome ſuch “Exſudations and unformed Mineral Matter, (for that Minerals grow I do not in the leaſt “ doubt) as unite themſelves to the fibrous Roots of Plants and Trees for their Support, «s and otherwiſe unaccountable Magnitude. “ When I ſay ſometimes, and in ſome caſes, that Fermentation is the Life and Cauſe of Vegetation, and always that it is a great Help to it; it is to be underſtood of a Fermen- tation already performed, or of ſuch an one as ſupplies the Defect of natural Hcat. - There 28 A New Syſtem of non. 66 C6 « There is an immediate Cauſe, a remote Cauſe, an efficient Cauſe, and a Caufa fine quå And this laſt is the Cauſe I had in my Eye, and is a true one. " I ſhall not at preſent ( Time will not ſuffer me) ſay any thing againſt your ingeni- " ous philoſophical Reaſoning about the Nature and Operations of Lime: Philoſophy is very pretty ; but never to be depended upon, till confirmed, or not contradicted, by Ex- "s perience and Facts. The Ambiguity of the Word Clay led your Farmers to ſmile, and your ſelf to think that Lime was proper Manure for all Clays; whereas there is almost as much Difference betwixt one Clay and another, as there is betwixt Gravel and Clay. " Some Clays are of that eaſy tractable Nature, that they will of themſelves fall aſunder C6 ( when turned up) with Rain and Weather; and ſuch are much mended with Lime: " But there are others (and thoſe the moſt frequent) of that ſtiff, four, wet, untractable “ Nature, that nothing but Sand, Coal, Alhes, &c. will ſeparate their Parts, at leaſt that will leave any abiding Effects. “ I could ſhew you, even in my own Pariſh here, the melancholly Sight of many Acres os of Ground quite ruined and ſpoiled by Lime ; ſo that with all the laborious Diligence “ of applying ſeaſonable and ſufficient Quantities of Lime, it would bear no Corn, and now it is laid down, it will hardly bear a Spire of Graſs; inſomuch, that it is not to “ be recovered, but by a long Courſe of better Husbandry of Sea-Sand and Coal-Aſhes, “ &c. which has begun already to reſtore ſome Parts, and to expel the Poiſon. “ I have had Thirty Years Experience of theſe Things; and am ſo ſure that my Facts are right, that tho' I love Reaſoning ſhould go along with Experience, yet when the cc Former is ſeparated from the Latter, I ſhall believe that Lime is bad for ftiff untractable “ Clays. What Farmers often call Clays, are either more properly loamy Soils, where the “ Clay lieth twelve or fourteen Inches under the Surface, or elfe are inclinable to Marle or Chalk; both which eaſily fall, and when worn out, are mended with Lime. “ Not but that, by ſuch an Experiment as you mention, even the worſt of Clays, by " tampering them with a Quantity of quick Lime, may be opened, and their Parts looſen- « ed for the preſent by the active Parts of new Lime; but thoſe a Etive Parts ſoon, too “ ſoon, become paſſive, and are in Time meer dead Lumps of Earth, cold, heavy, ſtiff, 66 and untractable. " And the very fame Effects muſt be expected from Clay Land, where the Superin- « ductions of Lime have been conſiderable, and frequently repeated; it will every Year grow worſe and worſe, till even the active Parts of Fire and Salt in the Lime will do “ it no good, but leave it a fteril unactive Lump, fit for nothing but to hold Water like a Baſon. When I receive the Favour of your next, poſſibly I may have an Opportu- " nity to ſay ſomething further on this Point. In the mean Time, I am, CC Dear SIR, Yours affe&tionately, 7. LAURENCE. The ANSWER. 66 6C Dear S IR S to the Diſpute between us, I ſtill continue of the ſaine Opinion : If you mean A by Exſudations of unformed Mineral Matter amongſt Rocks, nothing but that “ Vegetable Matter which may be brought up thro' the Crevices and Cracks with the “aſcending Steams, which internal Heat lublimes, I will not deny the Probability: But " then I would not chuſe to expreſs the true Idea by Words, which all philofophical “ People will imagine convey the contrary Opinion; but would call every thing which “ is capable to be carried into the Veſſels of Plants by Water to encreaſe their Bulk, Ve- “ getable Subſtance, or Salts; meaning by Salts, what the Chymiſts do, every thing eaſily “ diſſoluble in Water, till it is diſperſed thro’ it, and becomes inviſible. And then, whe- " ther theſe were originally lodged in the Interſtices of Rocks, or brought up thither by “ Fumes ariſing from the Heat in the Bowels of the Earth; or whether mingled with " Loam, Sand, Clay, or any other Subſtance at firſt; or by the Corruption of old Ve- getables or Animals, (which by feeding on them are of the fame Nature,) are returned to as theſe again from whence they were drawn;ſit is all one: If there, they will encreaſe the 6 Bulk of the Plants; and without it, the Plants can never thrive. 66 As Agriculture and Gardening. 29 C6 66 As to Fermentation, I am glad we ſo far agree, that it is only neceſſary to prepare " the Materials for Vegetation, or ſometimes by its Heat fupply the Abſence of other « Warmth: And if we agree in the Thing, methinks we ſhould agree in the Expreſſions 6 alſo, that People may not be led into Miſtakes about it. The Cauſa fine quâ non's are " quite out of Faſhion, and ſeldom come into the Heads of any who are unacquainted with << School-Philoſophy; and for the Admirers of that Philoſophy; you ſcorn to write. 66 Fermentation aſſiſts, perhaps wholly cauſes, Corruption; and conſequently, by fepa- “ rating the Parts, makes them proper to be again ſuſpended in Water, and perco- 6 late thro' the fine Strainers of the Roots: If the Fermentation hath not produced its 6 perfect Work, and yet the Maſs is forced by more than common Heat, which relaxes - and dilates the ſlender Channels or Tubes of the Vegetables to paſs into them, they « flouriſh with a ſickly Vigour, loſe their own proper Flavour, and taſte of the very Com- C5 poſts out of which they grew; witneſs the Aſparagus on Hot-Beds, and the Dung which “ gives a Taint to all the Plants which are compelled to grow in it. Fermentation therefore is highly neceſſary to reduce into the original Particles the old 56 waſte decaying Vegetables, and to prepare the Materials to be employed a ſecond Time " to build up Plants. Fermentation may affiſt alſo to break and crumble the Clods of 66 Earth, to let the Rain and Fibres of Plants penetrate them to fuck up the fattening 66 Moiſture. " I again confeſs, that I am ignorant of the Cauſe of this great Power, whoſe Effects are aſtoniſhing, as much as I am of Elaſticity or Attraction ; tho' perhaps it is nothing " but a Modification of thoſe Two conjoined, acting on and exciting the Fluid of Fire, « which pervades and is contain’d in every Maſs. Friend and his Followers are unſatisfa- " Etorily ingenious in their Attempts to deduce it from thoſe two Principles, without taking in this Fluid. The Attraction of the ſmall Particles is the Cauſe of Coheſion; “ this Fluid of Diſſolution, when it is fo moved that its Expanſion overcomes the Power c of the other. « Now for Lime, where I ſtill think I am right, and can account for every Fact you " mention from my Principles, I have ſince talk'd with moſt notable Farmers, who con- (6 firm what you obſerve, and yet agree with me. No Clay (ſay they) is ſo ſtiff and “ four, but it will grow tender and mellow by Lime; but after three or four Years, “ the Tenderneſs will go off; and if you lay it down with the Lime, it will be harder < than ever, and nothing will grow on it.' This is the very Thing I ſhould expect : " Lime by joining its fixt Mineral Salts with Particles of the Clay, diſunites them from « each other, and gives leave for Rain to mix with it, and diffolve and ſuſpend all the Ve- “ getable Matter which was impriſoned in its Bowels : But by Time, the Rains carrying away the Parts of Lime, which had thus ſeparated the Clay, the Parts of Clay more " ſtrongly unite, by having all the Mixture of Loam and Vegetable Subſtance robb’d from 6 it, and thus becomes harder and ſtiffer than before, and nothing can penetrate its Parts, or “ if it could, a ſingle Blade of Graſs muſt be ſtarved there. “ But if while the Lime had thus broken the Union of the Parts of the Clay, Sand “ and Coal-Aſhes and Parts of old Bricks or Manure, as Rags, (which acts the two Parts « in Improvements,) or any Vegetable Subſtance, was mingled to keep it hollow and en- “ rich it, then the Rain and Dew would have continually brought new Treaſures to it, « and made it excellent Soil. Thus then in ſtiff Clay, a proper Mixture of Lime, at firſt “ breaking up, will be highly beneficial; but it will ruin the Land, if laid down again “ without ſome other Aid and Aſſiſtance. This Philoſophy teacheth, and Experience con- “ firms. Lime alſo aſſiſts in diffolving Dung and Vegetable Subſtances the ſooner"; fo Un- “ dertakers mingle it in large Quantities in Coffins to deſtroy and rot the Bodies. So far “ for Husbandry. I offer theſe Thoughts to your Conſideration, becauſe I deſire that your “ Work ſhould give no Offence to the Philoſophical Gentlemen, who will expect from you not Fa£t only, but the Reaſons of the Facts, in a clear intelligible Manner, ſupport- " ed by the beſt and unconteſtable Principles of the beſt and genuine Philoſophy. People " will expect the acute Philoſopher, as well as the experienced Husbandman, from one 6 of your Character." I add no further, but an Aſſurance that I am Your moſt Affectionate, &c. 1 30 A New Syſtem of I The ANSWER. Dear SIR, Think moſt of our ſeeming Differences are adjuſted, except about the Powers and Effects of Lime; in which I cannot be clear, but by adhering to what I firſt laid « down as a Maxim ſupported by Experience, and no way contrary to Reaſon or true " Philoſophy, That Lime tho' it be good for light Soils, is bad for binding Clays; becauſe " tho' Quick Lime hath by its Fire and Salts the Power of Relaxation, yet foraſmuch as “ it ſoon obtains (agreeably to your own Principles) a quite contrary Quality of binding 6 and contracting every thing iť is mixt with to itſelf, till by repeated Superinductions the “ Soil becomes fit for neither Tillage nor Paſture, it muſt be look'd upon by the Hus- 6 bandman as Poiſon to his Clays. And there is this demonſtrative Reaſon to be given, " that it is Poiſon there, or (which is the fame Thing) leaves poiſonous Effects ; becauſe “ Land thus ſpoilt by Lime, can neither be recovered, nor made to anſwer in Tillage, by con- « tinuing it even in the greateſt Plenty; which plainly fhews, that there are ſuch ſtiff, cold 66 untractable Soils, which the Power of Lime can neither mend nor cure. “ After all, perhaps there is not a great deal of Difference between us. You own that € Clays ſhould be open’d and mended, with Sand, Coal-Afhes, Rags, &c. before they are “ laid down from Lime, to prevent and remedy its contracting Qualities and binding Effects : 6. I ſay, the beſt way is to keep the Diſeaſe far off, that there may be no Occalion for a " Cure, which cannot be perfected but by a long and tedious Courſe of Phyſick, and to “ keep to ſuch wholſome Diet and proper Manures as want none. “ However, what I have learnt from your inſtructive Obſervations and philoſophical “ Reaſonings, is to me a Treaſure, which I ſhall always value; and will at the fame Time 6 make me proud that I have differed from you, and yet have differed ſo little. I am Your moſt affe£tionate Friend and Servant, 3. LAURENCE. BECAUSE I am unwilling the Publick ſhould be deprived of any of my friend's cu- rious Reaſonings and Philoſophy, and becauſe he was willing to explain himſelf further on the Head of Lime, &c. what follows in another Letter may not be unacceptable to the in- quiſitive Reader. I Dear SIRg Am perſuaded, with you, that if a ſtiff Clay was lain down with Lime, it would bear nothing, and that the more Lime was afterwards added, the harder and bar- rener it would grow. Light Soils therefore ſhould be laid down with Lime ; ftiff Ones es taken up with it. “ Lime crumbles the One and binds the Other, by the fame Quality and Power of its 66 Parts; that is, by the attraktive Virtue of its fixt Salts, and the active Power of its actual “ Fire. Salts are hard Bodies endued with much Surface; which Surfaces coming into “ Contact with one another unite, (for Attraction is in Proportion to the Points in Contact) or diſunite, as any other Body mingled with it can hinder the Contact, or join with " them, by offering more Parts to contact. Water inſinuates itſelf into its Pores, and by " that means attracts, and is attracted by Salts, and they are diſſolved, i. e. diſperſed and “ ſuſpended in every Part of the Water, and ſo kept aſunder out of the Sphere of their " attractive Powers: But if the greateſt Part of the Water is evaporated, then the Parts "S of Salt come nearer to each other, and within the Reach of their mutual Power, they 6 Thoot into Chryſtals, i. e. unite their Parts into Maſles, till they become viſible. Analo- gous to this, Mortar is made by Lime; that is, all the Fire contained within the Stone, « and not united to its fixt Salts, (which Union makes thoſe Salts ſo remarkably cauſtick) " is ſuffered to go out, by the Salt’s being diſſolved by the Water ; but the Water which at firſt diſſolved the Salts, in the Stone being evaporated by the Fire which was thus emitted, they run into Contact and unite; and unite alſo between themſelves the Sand, CC and other Materials mixt with it. “ But had thoſe Materials been in Quantity fufficient to keep the Parts of thoſe Salts at a diſtance from each other beyond the reach of their attractive Virtue, which is of a very ſmall Extent, they could never form a Mortar, and then only would attract the “ Parts of Matter which ſurrounded them: By which, if theſe were before diſunited, they Agriculture and Gardening. SI CC 6 they would be clotted and become firmer; but if before they were ſtrongly united be- “ tween themſelves, they would be crumbled, the Attraction to the Parts of Lime over- “ coming the Attraction of the Parts between themſelves, juſt after the ſame manner as “ Salt is diſſolved in Water ; but if the Water is evaporated, the Salts ſhoot again, i. e. “ reunite. So when Clay is tendered, if that which kept the Parts of the Lime at diſtance, “ is by Rain and Vegetation drained away, it anſwers to Evaporation in the other Caſey 66 and it binds unconquerably hard. “ I do not chuſe to uſe the Terms, Poiſon, &c. becauſe they convey Ideas of an Effect, “ and not of a Cauſe'; which will be demanded from you, I do confeſs, that your ob- “ jection and Obſervations on what I have offered, appear to me a great Evidence that I explain this right; becauſe every Caſe you ſtate is ſolvable by thoſe fimple and uniform " Principles. And I believe no Fact can be offered, but may be made intelligible by this “ Method of Reaſoning : And if a Farmer well underſtands this, he can never be at a “ Loſs to know when to uſe Lime or to forbear, or what Manure is beſt for every kind of Land: Too looſe Soils muſt be hardened ; too ſtiff muſt be tendered; both enriched. “ Lime and Clay, added to the fandy Fields, will give them a Firmneſs; Lime at firſt “ breaking up uſed with Clay, and the continual Quantities of Sand, or Things analogous to it, as Coal-Aſhes, &c. added in a plentiful manner, will ſubdue the other ; but both can only be enriched by Air, Rain, afcending Steams from below, or the Parts of Ve- “ getables, or Animals, (which have fed on them, or on what feeds on them) the Parts << of theſe are broken into their original Particles by Fermentation, and ſo fitted to re- CG aſcend into the ſmall Tubes of Plants and unite with them. " This Aſcent is cauſed by the Heat of the Sun expanding the Air lodged with the “ Earth, and Moiſture, which carries up with it little Films of Water, which roll them- “ ſelves round a Particle of Air, and form by that means a minute Bubble. All Steams are minute Bubbles, as I could produce many Experiments to prove. With this Water " is united Vegetable Matter, and is ſublimed with it in the Bubble. " A ſecond Cauſe of this Aſcent is internal Heat, which alſo rarifies the Air mingled “ in Earth, and carries up in like manner Films of Vegetable Moiſture. A third Cauſe is “ that which makes Fluids aſcend berween Glaſs Planes and form an Hyperbola, and in a " Series of Glaſs Tubes. The Law of Aſcent is, it mounts higheſt in the ſmalleſt Pipes ; “ but no Tubes are ſmaller than thoſe of Plants, therefore the Fluids would get up fome " way by this Principle alone; the other two aſſiſt and compleat it. From this Principle " it muſt follow, that Plants which have the largeſt Veſſels will be the loweſt; which is “ confirm’d by Experience; the loftieſ Trees conſiſting of firmeft Timber, whilſt creeping c Plants, are ſoft and ſucculent. “ When I began this Letter I reſolved to have filled it with ſome Thoughts about “ Air; but other Things came in the way, which I thought not improper to ſend to you, becauſe poſſibly not leſs neceſſary to clear up what I had ſaid before. i That Hint I have added about Air, is a very ſmall part of what that Fluid performs " in Vegetation; but I could not explain the Aſcent of the Juices, without anticipating “ ſo far what I have to ſay, and ſhall ſend to you. That Water is fitted to form itſelf “ into Bubbles, is evident from its frothing on Agitation, and its boiling up when in an “ Air-Pump. But this Experiment proves clearly, that there is a conſiderable Tenacity be- tween its Parts; becauſc a fine Needle placed Horizontally on cold Water, ſwims; " which would not be, if the Tenacity did not overcome the different ſpecific Gravity. “ No Art can make it ſwim on boiling Water, becauſe that violent Heat” by its Motion deſtroys a great part of the Tenacity, and then Gravity acts uninterrupted; but that " there is ſtill ſome Tenacity between Parts of boiling Water is evident, becauſe the “Steams which aſcend, beheld in a darkened Chamber, into which a Sun-beam is admit- " ted through a very ſmall Foramen, by this Beam appear nothing but minute Bladders of “Water, containing highly rarified Air. I'll foon offer fome Hints about Water to your « Conſideration, which either uſe or deſtroy as you pleaſe. I am, Dear SIR, Your Affectionate, &c. THAT I may not be thought tireſome on the Subject of Lime, whilft I am treating about the Nature and Properties of Water; I ſhall only ſum up the whole, as follows. That Lime is an excellent Manure, rightly and diſcreetly apply'd, Dr. Woodward, my Friend, and my ſelf, are all agreed; but I am ftill ſo unfortunate as a little to differ from the two former, 32 A New Syſtem of former, as to its operative Effects, and the Manner of applying it. Thoſe two learned Gentlemen think Lime doth not fatten, but only mellows the Ground, affording no Matter fit for the Formation of Plants, but meerly ſoftens and relaxes the Earth ; but becauſe I have found by long Experience, that from its heavy, faddening and binding Quality have been drawn forth the greateſt Riches on light and mixt Soils, I ſaw nothing contrary to Reaſon and true Philoſophy, but that the Duſt and moſt minute Parts of Lime (which is a calcined Mineral and full of Salts) might themſelves by the help of Water, be carried up into the Veſſels of Plants for their Augment and Encreaſe. Poor light Land is certainly made fatter by Lime; and rich cold Clays do not need it, eſpecially at firſt breaking up, whilſt the Sward is left uncorrupted, and the Roots and Fibres of the Graſs keep it fufficiently porous and hollow, to receive ihe fattening Dews of the Air; and yet if Lime is afterwards repeated here, it is by all agreed, and found ſo by long Experience, to do more harm than good. Agreeable to this Philoſophy and Reaſoning it is, that the Farmer ſometimes lays his Lime upon light ſpongy Soils, (where Furze or Broom have grown, and much worn out the Ground) even at firſt breaking up; but then it is not with a View to open and relax it, (for that it doth not want) but to fatten and enrich it, as well as to ſadden and bind it; and to give it ſuch a proper Tenacity, that moiſtening Dews and Rains may not fink too ſoon away, nor be too ſoon exhauſted by the Heat of the Sun. Reaſon and Philoſophy are great Helps to the clearing up the Truth: But abſtracted from Experience, under the Semblance of Truth, they often lead us into Errors and Mil- takes. And poſſible it is, that my own adhering to ſeeming Reaſons, and milapplying Ex- perience to them, may be the Cauſe that I am not yet convinced of the Juſtneſs of the Concluſions drawn by thoſe learned Gentlemen above. Of Incloſures. I N Northampton and Staffordſhire, and in ſeveral other Inland Counties, there is great Difference between the Common Fields and Incloſures : This laſt has ſeven, eight or ten Years Crops ſucceſſively, when the other has them but two Years in three. This employs, befides the extraordinary Tillage, a great Labour, both of Man and Horſe, to manure it; and the Product is more than twenty Buſhels to the Acre; and at the End of its Ploughing, when it is laid to gain freſh Heart, it yields good Graſs, and no Time at all is loit. And I am told by a Gentleman in Lancaſhire, that there they Marle their In- cloſures, then Plough twelve_Years together; then Marle, and Plough for twelve Years more; and fo ad infinitum. For it muſt be granted to be a true Maxim, That the Ground is never weary of doing Good, if well fed, and well worked. So that I cannot but admire, the People of England ſhould be ſo backward to Incloſe; which would be worth more to us, than the Mines of the Indies to the King of Spain. Incloſure encreaſes the Rent of Land ſometimes Ten-fold; and yet it is believed, that almoſt one Half Part of the King- dom are Commons: But to be ſure, a Third of all the Kingdom is what we call Common- Fields; and if ſo, then the raiſing the Rent of theſe will vaſtly enrich the Kingdom, though we abate Eight of the Ten-fold. England has been allowed to contain Nine and Twenty Millions of Acres ; but it is rea- ſonably ſuppoſed, that there are about Forty Millions. If ſo much ; then about Thirteen Millions of Land will have its Price doubled, at leaſt: And ſuppoſe it now but a Crown the Acre, one with the other, it will improve yearly above Three Millions of Pounds Sterling ; almoſt enough to pay our Taxes, and ſometimes more. Some People have urged, that the Improving of fome Ground would depreciate the Price of others; and ſo the whole be no ways benefited. But this has been rightly anſwered, that Improvement will encreaſe more in Quantity; the Conſequence of which will be, that either more will be exported in Kind, or it will farther Improvements, or feed more People, or be thrown away ; but who ever did fo with their Hay, Corn or Cattle ? If ſome ſhould urge, that the Product will be Graſs, but no Corn for the Poor; the contrary is notorious in all incloſed Counties: For we ſee ploughed Land in Incloſures almoſt every where. But if Paſture ſhould be thereby increaſed, will not the Wool and Skins Agriculture and Gardening. 33 Skins, produced by an Acre of Paſture, make greater Employment for the Poor, than the Tillage of ſuch an Acre can do? I think the Anſwer is plain, they will : And yet there will be an Overplus of Corn for the Poor too. In ſhort, there can be no Argument uſed againſt Incloſures, but what, if it proves any thing, will prove too much, viz. That if the Land is made better, the Inhabitants will be made worſe ; or that Riches will be made a Burden. The Abſurdity whereof is eaſily ſeen in this Light, tho' not perhaps in the other. Without all queſtion, Improvements, of what Kind ſoever, make Riches and Plenty : And Plenty calls together Inhabitants and Peo- ple to conſume it: And even the Overplus ‘is demanded in a Foreign Trade; which natu- l'ally tends to maintain the Grandeur and Magnificence of ſome, and the Luxury and In- temperance of Others. However, the Abuſe of Wealth is no Argument againſt an honeſt Induſtry in getting it. And it is certainly a Bleſſing to him that knows how to make a wiſe uſe of it, i. e. To be a Father to the Fatherleſs, à Husband to the Widow; To be Eyes to the Blind, and Feet to the Lame. To have a Power of Improvement, 'and not to improve, is to have a Talent laid by or hid in a Napkin; which is an Indolence and Slothfulneſs always accounted Crimi- nal. But becauſe what I have hitherto ſaid may be thought too general, to make any great Impreſſion upon thoſe who are not yet convinced that Incloſures are a general Advantage both to Poor and Rich; it may be obſerved, that the Waſtes and Open Fields draw to them the Poor and Neceſſitous, only for the Advantage of Pilfering and Stealing; who, when an Incloſure is once reſolved on, will be employ'd for many Years in planting and preſerving the Hedges; and afterwards will be ſet to work, both in the Tillage and Pa- īture, wherein they may get an honeſt Livelihood. And as to the Proprietors, their Ad- vantage in Incloſures is undeniable ; if there were nothing elſe in it, but that it lays a Foundation for Induſtry, and gives a Man Security in the quier Poileſſion of his Labour and Care, which he is never fure of in the Waſtes and Open Fields. But indeed, the Ob- ſervation of only theſe two Things; the great Quantities of Ground that have been of late incloſed and are daily incloſing, and the Increaſe of Rent that is every where made by thoſe who do inclofe ; ſufficiently demonſtrate the Benefit and Uſe of Incloſures. This Improvement has been moſt neglected in the North of England; tho it is now ſuficiently plain they begin to grow wiſer. And as to the Biſhoprick of Durham, which is by much the richeſt Part of the North, it is remarkable, that Nine Parts in Ten are already incloſed, and conſequently improved in their Value and Rents to a degree almoſt incredible. Accordingly, the more Northern Parts are following their Example. For tho' the North is come lateſt into this good Husbandry, yet if we conſider it well, it receives the greateſt Advantage thereby. A good tall Hedge-Row preſerves the Ground warm, and defends it from the violent and nipping Winds, that generally deſtroy and pinch much of the Corn, Pulſe, Graſs, or whatever grows in the open Fields or Champion Grounds ; preſerving it alſo from thoſe drying and ſcorching Winds, fo frequent in the Spring; and encouraging that Fertility and Richneſs, which the Land is either naturally ſubject to, or that is added by the diligent Care and Expence of the Farmer. Moreover, it is a means to furniſh the Husbandman with a greater Burden of Corn and Pulſe ; and when it is laid down to Graſs, yields much more than the open Field. The Hedges alſo being well planted with Trees, afford Shadow and Shelter for the Cattle, both in Summer and Winter ; which elſe would deſtroy more with their Feet, than they would eat with their Mouths; preſenting at the ſame time the Husbandman Neceſſaries for the Maintenance of his Fire, his Plough, and his Cart. Beſides : If the Trees in the Hedge-Rows be diſcreetly choſen and rightly planted, there may be a Supply of wiaſt for Swine and Fruit for Cyder. So plain is it that Incloſure is the greateſt Encouragement to good Husbandry, and a Remedy for Beggary, the Poor being employed by the continual Labour that is beſtowed thereon; which is doubly repaid, as I have obſerved, by the fruitful Crop it annually yields. Neither indeed are Incloſures ſubject to ſeveral grand Inconveniencies that attend the Com- mon Field; which, being generally fowed with Corn, are ſubject to be ſpoiled by Cattle, that ſtray out of the Commons and Highways adjacent to them. The Tenants alſo or Owners of the ſeveral Portions are ſtrictly bound, whatever other Buſineſs they have up- on their Hands, to keep exact Time, as well in Sowing as in reaping, if they would ſecure the Fruits of their Labour to themſelves. Moreover ; the Differences of the Profits are plainly to be diſcerned by the Severals or incloſed Parcels of Land that have formerly been taken out of the Common-Field, even K how 34 A New Syſtem of how much they excel the other in every Reſpect, tho' of the ſame Soil, and only an Hedge between, and what a yearly Value they bear above them. It is further obſervable of moſt Sorts of Lands, that by how much the ſmaller the In- cloſure is, the greater yearly Value it bears, and the better Burden of Corn and Graſs; and, on the contrary, the larger the Fields or Incloſures are, the more they reſemble the Com- mon Fields or Plains, and conſequently are moſt ſubject to the like Inconveniencies : Info- much, that generally ſpeaking it is found that a Farm, divided into many Severals or Inclo- fures, yields a greater Rent than if the fame were but in few: Tho' at the ſame time it ſhould be obſerved with Caution, that too many tall Hedges, eſpecially if interſperſed with Trees in rich watered Meadows, do harm to the Soil and four the Graſs ; which yet may be much prevented by taking off all projecting Branches. Having thus far cleared the way, by removing Objections againſt Incloſures, and ſhew- ing their general Benefit to every induſtrious Improver; the next Thing we have to do, is to lay down ſome general Directions for the performing that Undertaking in ſuch a man- ner, as may beſt and fooneſt anſwer the End and the Deſign of it. Every one knows, that as ſoon as an Incloſure is agreed upon, each one's Portion and Share muſt be divided and aſcertained to him, by throwing up Ditches in their proper Places and Boundaries. But as there have been great Errors and Miſtakes committed in this important Work, it will be neceſſary to be a little particular herein. He that plants either Hedges or Trees, plants for his Life and Poſterity : And an Error in the Beginning of ſuch a Work, is very undeſireable ; becauſe tho' it may and will end in Repentance, yet the Maftake here, ordinarily ſpeaking, cannot eaſily be rectified afterward: The beſt Way is to be wiſe in Time, and to take Advice beforehand. A provident Perſon therefore, who foreſees (as commonly it may be foreſeen) that a large Demand will be made of ſuch proper Sets as may ſerve for a laſting Security againſt all Treſpaſſes and Encroachments, naturally thinks how to do this in the cheapeſt, as well as the belt Manner. For which Purpoſe, a large Quantity of Hawes ſhould be got together before Winter : And becauſe (whatever ignorant People may ſay) they will ſeep, not ſhoot, the firſt Year; it is the moſt adviſeable way, to prevent a Year's Weeding, to bury them in a Hole in the Ground all in one Heap; and at Michaelmas or Martlemas following, ſow them in ſuch a convenient Place or Nurſery, where they may ſtand four or five Years care- fully cleaned from Weeds. Here will be a conſtant Seminary for all Demands, and at all Times. Moreover, Quick-Sets, thus raiſed, are much to be preferred to thoſe which are gathered out of the Woods, and from the Bottom of Hedge-Rows, as having ſtraiter clearer Stems, and better Roots. It is very defireable, if poſſible, to have theſe Quick-Sets when they are as thick as one's little Finger; for beſides, that it is plain from Experience that they will ſhoot much ſtronger, and conſequently make a Fence much ſooner, than the ſmall fort commonly made uſe of; fo alſo a leſs Number will ſerve the Turn. The induſtrious Incloſer then being furniſhed at hand, and with his own convenient Number of Quick-Sets; I adviſe by all Means, if poſſible, to begin his Plantation in Oftober, and ſo continue it, when Froſts will permit, till the latter End of February; ſtill remembering, that thoſe which are planted in Autumn will much out-ſtrip thoſe planted in the Spring, eſpecially if a dry Summer ſucceed. There are feveral Methods uſed in ſeveral Countries for making Quick-Set Hedges; but af- ter long Obſervation and Experience, the Manner and Method I moſt approve of, is as followeth : Mark a ſtrait Ditch out four Foot broad; and on that Side you intend to make your Bank, (which ſhould, if poſſible, be to the Northy) lay the Turf with the Graſs-lide downward even with the Edge of the Ditch ; upon which lay ſome of your beſt Mould to bed the Quick in : Thus lay your Sets about eight Inches aſunder, with their Heads cut off, and lying in a Poſture betwixt horizontal and perpendicular inclining; only remembering the Convenience of future Shade, Maft or Fruit, now is the Time to put in at about thirty Foot aſunder either a young Oak or Aſh or Crab to be grafted. When the firſt Row of Quicks is thus diſcreetly laid at their due Diſtances, cover it over with good Mouid about three Inches, and lay a Turf upon it, as before, and on that plant a ſecond Row of Sets in the Method as above, pointing to the intermediate Spaces of the lowermoft Row, the Heads of the Sets extending themſelves only an Inch beyond the Turf on which they lie: Cover theſe alſo with the beſt Mould, as you did the former, and top the Bank with the bottom of the Ditch. But remember not to load the Quick with too great a Weight of Earth, (not above fix Inches ;) and what is more throw on the Backſide, on which is to be ſet the dry or dead Hedge to defend the Whole. Both Sices Agriculture and Gardening. 35 Sides of the Ditch are to be made ſloping, till the Bottom is reduced to ſeven or eight Inches. Sometimes the Graſs on the Edge of the Turf is apt to grow and to annoy the Quick; therefore it may be convenient to take off an Inch of its outermoft Edge, with a Knife or other ſharp Inſtrument, after it is laid, And having ſaid thus much about plant- ing the Quicks, I think I need not ſay any thing about a Method of ſetting the Dead- Hedge, which every Country is fo well acquainted with; every one knowing that it muſt or ſhould be ſuch as will effectually defend the tender Shoots of the Quick from Cattle. The Method of planting Quick-ſet Hedges, as they do here in the North, in ſingle Rows, I can by no means approve of; and it appears to be not right for common Practice, for theſe following Reaſons. 1. Becauſe in caſe of a Failure in the Sets, (as ſome there will always be) eſpecially if two or three happen to fail together, there muſt of neceſſity be a Gap; which is very undeſireable in a Hedge that is to keep out Cattle of all ſorts. For altho' indeed a Gap may be greatly helped and mended afterwards, either by planting other Sets in the Place of the dead ones, or by plaſhing or laying horizontally the neighbouring Sets at three or four Years old; yet neither thele Ways are what any one would deſire to chuſe, as plain- ly loſing Time, and not always anſwering Expectation. 2. Becauſe ſingle Rows, at the beſt, are much more liable to become thin and bare at the Bottom in Proceſs of Time, and as they grow old: Inſomuch as then Hugs will ea- ſily be able to penetrate them, tho’ at the ſame time the Hedges look fair and flouriſhing at the Top 3. Becauſe they want the Advantages for their Preſervation, and to compleat their Good- neſs, which the preſent recommended Practice of the South Country of planting two Rows on a floping Bank have, viz. That after three or four Years growth, by cutting down one Row after another, they preſerve each other without a new Fence; which by this means ſoon becomes an impenetrable Hedge. It may perhaps be wondered, that I have mentioned and recommended only the Haw or White-Thorn as proper for Hedges and Fences. But as That is undoubtedly the beſt of all Others, almoſt in every Soil and Climate, Nature having furniſhed it with ſuch ſtrong Ar- mory and many Inſtruments of Defence, I cannot ſee Reaſon to leave a known good One fo Others of more uncertain Value, or leſs eſteemed ; ſuch as Crabs er Elm, &c. The Holly indeed offers itſelf to our Choice with the beſt Reputation of moſt others, retaining its Leaves all the Winter, as a better Defence againſt the cold Winds; which being armed alſo with deſperate Prickles, is a great Security againſt foreign Invaders . But as this is not ordinarily to be had in any great Quantities out of the Nurſeries, (for Thoſe out of the Woods are worth little) and being known alſo to be of a ſlow Growth, ex- cept in ſome particular Soils and Places, it hath been generally neglected, perhaps too much, (for it reſiſts the coldeſt Winds and ſharpeſt Seaſons) for the common Uſe of In- cloſures. The Ilex indeed in the South of England would be preferable to all other Plants, as growing quicker and higher than other Plants, and continuing green all Winter. The Black-Thorn, which as ſome late Writers have been ſo weak to recommend, is plainly intolerable, and is to be avoided as a Nuiſance and Peſt to every Incloſure; like Superſti- tion in Religion, or moſt noxious Weeds in a Garden, eaſy to be brought in, but hard to be got out ; ſhooting up from every Fibre of its Roots, and ſpreading itſelf like Wild-Fire over the beſt Land. Furze indeed is a Thing that will grow in old worn-out Banks, where almoſt nothing elſe will, and may be railed either from Seeds or Sets, and will make a very ſecure De- fence; but then being ſo ſubject to poiſon the whole Ground with its Seed carried abroad by the Wind, it hath been generally rejected as rather a Nuiſance than any Advantage, eſpe- cially in good Land. We are told of a French Furze that will grow to the Height of fif- teen or fixteen Foot, not ſubject to ſpread like the common fort; but I could never yet hear ſo much of its good Qualities, as to tempt any to reject the known Virtues and Good- neſs of the White-Thorn to introduce that. But, beſides the Method of planting of Quick-ſet Hedges; there is alſo ſomething to be ſaid about the Manner of cutting and plaſhing the fame, when they come to be ten or twelve Years old; in the doing of which, there is required no little Art and Skill. For indeed, I can as little like and approve of the common Method of the North in the cutting their Hedges, as I do of their planting them. They only cut down their Hedges to about two Foot, and there leave them, oftentimes haggled and ſplit with the Stroke of 36 A New Syſtem of of the Hatchet downwards, like ſo many Pollards ſtanding cloſe together : Whereas the more Southern Practice in Northampton, Bedford and Hertfordſhire, is much rather to be commended and imitated; where they cut down their tall Hedges with Diſcretion, having always a Regard to the filling the Bottom of the Fence with young Wood. A good Drel- ſer of a Hedge then ſhould always contrive to leave the upright Stems at different Lengths : Some are to be cut to the very Bottom, others to be left two Foot, and others three Foot high; ſtill remembering that the Stroke of the Bill move upwards, which will cauſe the Wound to be left ſmooth, the better to carry off the Wet. But becauſe there will always be ſome Defects in the beſt Hedges ; whereſoever a thin Place or Gap is found, there ſome of the moſt convenient neighbouring Branches are to be laid down horizontally at different Heights to fill them up: In the doing of which, Care and Caution is to be uſed in theſe following Particulars. Firſt, that the Top of each ſuch horizontal Branch be pruned and headed : Secondly, for the better laying it horizontally, that it be cut half-way, and only half-way through at the Place where it is bent : Again, that no Branch be bent beyond an horizontal Poſture, for then it will ſurely die : And laſtly, that for the better fixing ſuch Branches, a Stick with a Hook at the Top be thruſt into the Ground to keep it in its due Place, except fome natural Stay happen to offer it- ſelf in the Hedge. After this is done, there is a good deal of Art and Dexterity to be uſed in watling the Top of the Fence throughout, either with ſome long ſlender Branches of its own, or with ſuch Briars as can be conveniently got. An Hedge thus managed once in ten or twelve Years, becomes an impregnable and almoſt everlaſting Fence; and at the fame Time, affords a large and plentiful Supply of Thorns and Stakes for other younger Hedges, that are not able to defend themſelves. A good Husbandman, I ſhould think, need hardly be told, that it is neceſſary, as often as his Hedges are thus cut, if not oftner, to ſcour up the Ditches, and to lay what will conveniently lie at the Roots of the Quick, for its better Nouriſhment and Defence both from Weather and Cattle. If an Eſtate is to be divided, and now firſt incloſed, Beauty requires that the Hedges ſhould be in ſtrait Lines, or according to ſome Plan and Deſign; where Variety united by Uniformity will make a Farm more agreeable than a Garden : And what will be thus more pleaſing to the Eye, will be cheapeſt and moſt convenient ; ftrait Lines are the ſhorteit, and Gothick Buildings are vaſtly more expenſive than the majeſtick Simplicity of Grecian Architecture. A Of MEADOWS and PASTURE-GROUND. FTER an Eſtate is divided from the Common Field; and an Incloſure, toge- ther with the Method of doing it, is agreed upon: The next Thing to be confi- dered is the Propoſition that one Part ought to bear to another ; and the natural Diſpoſi- tion of every Part ſhould be ſettled and adjuſted in ſuch a Manner, that nothing may be wanting which might tend to enrich both the Farmer and the Farm. For which Purpoſe it is generally agreed, that to make the moſt of an Eſtate, there ſhould be a due and regular Proportion reſerved relating to theſe three Things, viz. Mea- dow and Paſture-Ground; Tillage ; and Fallows. Some think, that if Tillage and Fallows to- gether be made equal to the Meadow and Paſture-Ground, it is ſufficient. But this Pro- portion depends altogether upon the Nature and Richneſs of the Soil. For if the Land be naturally good for Corn, and a Supply can be had of a ſufficient Quantity of Manure and Dung; then the greater Part ought to be reſerved for Tillage. And ſo on the other Side, if the Land be naturally good for Hay and Paſture, and there be a good Demand for Both; then Diſcretion teacheth, that Meadow and Paſture are to be indulged. And altho’ I am now ſpeaking of Meadow and Paſture under one Head, yet there is ſome Difference with regard to their Diſpoſition and Place. The Paſture-Ground where Cattle of all sorts are conſtantly bred and kept, muſt of neceſſity be well ſupplied with Water, or elſe many Inconveniencies and Damages enſue. But what is intended for Mea- dow being made Several in the moſt dangerous Time, (viz. from May-Day to Lammas) may do much better without ſuch a conſtant Supply. Reaſon and Foreſight therefore muſt here direct and govern. But the moſt deſireable Contrivance (if it can be had) is to chuſe a Spring or Supply of Water, that may anſwer ſeveral Incloſures at once : And this is not uncommon. IC Agriculture and Gardening. 37 It is hard to chuſe ſuch a proper Place for Meadows as will anſwer all Seaſons, and give Plenty both in Wet and Dry Summers. The Up-land Meadows, tho’ they give the leaſt, yer it is commonly the ſweeteſt Hay. And the Meadows in Bottoms, tho' they give great Plenty, are fometimes ſubject to Inundations, or at leaſt to ſuch great Wets, as make the Hay coarſe and rank. So that too much or too little Water are almoſt equally prejudicial to Meadows. But if one had the Choice of Land proper for Meadow and Paſture too, it ſhould be ſuch as lieth low, or on a hanging Level, or on ſuch a rich Soil as hath a moift Bortom, eſpecially where ſome little Spring or Brook may be brought over it, and where there is ſome De- ſcent in the Meadow to carry Water off on occaſion. Theſe are much better Circum- ſtances and Situations than thoſe by great Rivers, where the Crops are ſo frequently loft or ſpoiled. The worſt Circumſtance of elevated Meadows is, that they often need Help and Mending; which the other ſeldom or never do, except when it can be eaſily done, and without Charge. I ſhall have occaſion hereafter to ſpeak particularly of the Nature and Properties of all the ſeveral Sorts of Dungs and Manures proper for Improvement both of Mcadow and Paſture. I ſhall only therefore here put the diligent Farmer in mind, that what Dung foever is laid either in Paſture or Meadow, ſhould be well harrowed in with Thorns drawn thro' the Back of the Harrow. And this is a Work may be done all the Winter till Candlemas or Lady-Day; when the Stones or other uſeleſs Trumpery Mould be taken off, and the Bottoms of Hay-Sracks, and whatever Hay-Seed can be got together, laid on; which is much better beſtowed here than on the common Dunghill, which would pro- duce Grafs and Weeds amongſt the Corn. There is little need to ſay much of the other ſort of Grazing-Ground, or Meadows, ly- ing near Rivers or Fens; becauſe their greateſt Improvement is overflowing, which brings the Soil of the Uplands upon them ; ſo that they need no other mending, tho' conftant- ly mowed : Which Overflowing, and the Method of doing it, is ſo eaſy and natural, and of late ſo well underſtood by conſtant Practice, that I ſhall not need to ſay any thing fur- ther on that Head, but refer the Reader to ſome general Direction under the Chapter of Improvements. As to the ſtocking either Meadows or Paſture with proper and ſuitable Cattle, here lies the great Skill and Management of the Grazier, which yet is generally pretty well underſtood, viz. That the beſt Ground is to be ſtock'd with the beſt and largeſt Oxen, Cows, and Sheep; the middle Sort with a lefſer Size ; and the more barren with Sheep alone, and thoſe chiefly Ewes for a breeding Stock; the rocky Part with Goats; and the worſt with Rabbets. For indeed, nothing is of greater Prejudice to the Farmer, than ſtocking his Land with Cattle that are larger than it will well bear. Of Making HAY. one. IN N diſcourſing of Meadows, we are naturally led to ſay ſomething of Hay, and the ſe- veral Methods of managing and making of it: For by a right and timely Care in this Particular, the provident Farmer ſecures a Winter's Suſtenance for his Cattle, when Na- ture has denied them the immediate Product of the Earth, lock'd up with Froſt or cover- ed with Snow. Nay, and the ſame Wiſdom teaches him this further Providence, to lay up a good Store in a plentiful Year, to ſupply his unavoidable Want in a dry and ſcarce And then it need not be ſaid how much Diligence and Care ought to be uſed in the making and managing of that Food, which if it proves bad and damaged, doth but deceive both the Cattle and the Owner. It ſhould be obſerved then, that tho' it is not ſo material for the Paſture to be laid level and free from Banks ; becauſe the Graſs will grow for Bite well enough, and ſome think better, among ſmall Hillocks and little Unevenneſſes of the Ground : But yet it is otherwiſe with Meadows, which ſhould be very carefully levelled in the Spring, and the Dung made thereon beaten to pieces and ſcattered. And if a good Husband can at all ſuffer them, all Mole-Heaps and Ant-Banks muſt be ſpread abroad and diſperſed; that the Stroke of the Scythe may not be interrupted in Harveſt, nor hindered from coming near the Ground. For conſtant Obſervation makes it undeniably true, that one Inch at the Bottom is worth four at the Top. And that the Force of this Rule 'may not be weakened, by imagining that what is left, is not loft in an Incloſure; it is to be conſidered, that what is called the After-Marth is not properly what is left from the Scythe; but rather what preſently grows up after the Mower is gone : For what the Scythe leaves is in the main little elſe but the Stumps of full grown Graſs, worth little after it is died in the Sun three or four days ; and 38 A New Syſtem of and yet would have made a conſiderable Addition to the Bulk of Hay made and diſpoſed of in proper Seaſon. The Time of laying Meadows for Hay is very different, according to the Nature and Situation of the Ground, and according to the different Rules and Practices of the Coun- try in letting their Farms, and for the Convenience of their Cattle; but all agree, that the ſooner they are laid the better. Near London, where they have Dung enough, and where they have commonly two Crops in a Year, their common Practice is to lay their Meadows about Candlemas; and then they will be fit to Mow the firſt Time by the Middle or the latter End of May. But the more common Practice in the Inland and more Northern Parts is, not to lay them at ſooneſt till Lady-Day, and too often not till May-Day. By which means, if a dry Summer comes on, they are ſcorched up, and dif- appointed of a Crop; which yet they are forced to wait for even till the latter End of the Year, and then likewiſe often find themſelves diſappointed: And, which is worſt of all, what they have is not near ſo good as Hay in its proper Seaſon. If, by the Bleſſing of God, their Labours and Expectations are rewarded with a good Crop, there is yet great Care and Caution to be uſed in the making and gathering it to- gether. In the doing of which, there is great Difference between the Southern and the Northern Practice. In the North they only turn it in the Sun two or three times, ſtill letting it lie in the Swarth and in Wind-Rows, without putting it in Cocks; till at lait they think it is well nigh made : And then they put it in large Cocks, letting it ſtand in the Meadows a Week or Ten Days to ſweat: And after that they carry it home, or make a great Rick of it abroad. Which Practice methinks cannot be altogether juſtified; inaſmuch as it ſubjects the Hay to be Mow-burnt, and to loſe its Colour. And howſoever theſe Things may be dif- regarded, it is certain, Loſs of Colour is always attended with ſome Degree of Loſs of Taſte, and conſequently of that real Goodneſs and Proof which ſhould be given to Cattle that eat it. The Practice therefore of the South, and their Induſtry and Care in making their Hay, ſo as to preſerve its Colour, is much rather to be commended and imitated. For when the Time of Mowing, their Graſs is come, which they judge of by its looking brown, and beginning to bend its Head, they let it lie in the Swarth after Mowing, ſometimes two or three Days, but take the firſt fine Day to caſt it abroad, which is called Tedding ; at Night they make it into little Graſs-Cocks. The next Day (if fair ) as ſoon as the Dew is off the Ground, they ſpread it again and turn it, that it may wither on the other Side ; and ſo before the Dew falls in the Evening, it is Cocked up again. The next Day it is ſpread again, and drawn into long Wind-Rows; which is a convenient Method to dry the Hay, and makes it eaſy to get together again in Caſe of Rain, ſo as to be made into Cocks ; in which they are very dexterous and expeditious. Before theſe large Cocks are carried, it is very proper juſt to ſpread them in the Sun, becauſe it is apt to give in the Cocks; and if any Rain happen to fall, do not turn it till the upper Part be dry; for to turn the wet Graſs to the moiſt Earth, is dangerous. Where thick-leaved Weeds are much amongſt the Graſs, more than ordinary Drying and Weather will be re- quired : But when Scalon favours, call in all the Hands and Help you can, that it may ap- pear the old Proverb juſtly takes place, Make Hay while the Sun ſhines. It needs hardly, I think, be ſaid, that Mowing of Land too often and too long, is a very great Prejudice to it; except it be fuch Meadows as are conſtantly mended with Plenty of Dung, or with Water-Floods. Therefore where theſe Conveniencies are want- ed, once in Three Years at leaſt, your Mowing-Ground ſhould be fed with Cattle: Feed- ing being as requiſite and neceſſary for Hay-Ground, as Fallowing is for Corn. Having above treated of Meadow-Grounds, as reſerved for Graſs and Hay; it might be expected that I ſhould, in the next Place, treat of the ſeveral Sorts of artificial Graſs- Seeds, which have of late Years been uſed with ſo much Succeſs, that almoſt every one knows the vaſt Improvements in Husbandry made thereby. But becauſe their Uſe and Ad- vantage depends greatly upon the right Knowledge of Ploughing and Sowing; and be- cauſe they are ſeldom made uſe of but for laying down the Land after two or three Crops of other Grain ; I ſhall reſerve the particular Conſideration of them, to their proper Place, and proceed to treat concerning Tillage and Arable-Land; which will lead me to confider the ſeveral Methods of Ploughing, and the proper Seeds to be ſown upon the ſeveral Soils moſt agreeable to every Kind of Seed. Concerning Agriculture and Gardening. 39 Concerning ARAB L E-L AND and TILLAGE. TI cation, yet ILLAGE is that Branch of Husbandry, which, if duly managed and well under- ſtood, brings undoubtedly the greateſt Profit to the Farmer: And if not underſtood or wrongly managed, will, of all other Employments, ſooneſt bring him to Beggary. It is a miſtake to think that the chief Gain and Advantage accruing to the Husbandman, is from the Labour of his Hand: For tho' a conſtant Affiduity and Care and Application of his Mind to his proper Buſineſs be abſolutely neceſſary; yet his Eye to watch, and his Underſtanding and Judgment to direct, are the chief Hinges upon which the Succeſs of his whole Buſineſs depends. As to the Management of his Arable-Land, which falls under our preſent Conſideration; tho' it is a Knowledge, for the attaining whereof there is required a good deal of Appli- much allo of the Myſtery lieth in a diſcreet ſuiting each Sort of Soil with right Seed and proper Manure. Which Myſtery, tho' it has been of late Years pretty well explained, and better under- ſtood by Practice; and becauſe there are yer very many People in this Kingdom unac- countably wedded to their own Cuftoms, and will look upon every new Improvement, that ſhall drive them from their antient Faith, to be a Sort of Hereſy in Agriculture ; yet I would fain hope, if I can but offer ſome ſuch undeniable Reaſons, as are founded on Facts, to convince their Judgments, that they will not any longer retain their Prejudices, but lend their helping Hand to enrich both themſelves and their Native Country ; that at length we may be the Envy of our Neighbours under every View. In order then to attain a right and diſtinct Knowledge of the Art of Tilling Land, it will be neceſſary to ſay ſomething of the Plough, the chief Inſtrument in this Work, and one of the firſt Things the Farmer takes in Hand. Of the PLOUGH, and the ſeveral Sorts of them. TH HE Reaſons for Ploughing of Land are as follow : To kill the Weeds ; to make the Ground looſe, that the Corn may fall into any part of it; and alſo that it may with the Rains and Dews receive the Nitre from the Air, in order to its Fertility. For the Air and Sun drying the Earth, make it more porous, and conſequently more apt to ſuck in any freſh Moiſture, which the Sun carries away again ; but leaves behind it the Nitre, as not being ſubject, when joined with Earth, to ariſe by Heat; unleſs it be ex- treme, as all Chymiits know. Now if the Ground be ſeldom ploughed, there can but a little Part be made fit to re- ceive the Nitre: Whereas if it be oft turned, there is ſo much more made fit to anſwer the Purpoſe of Vegetation, by the continual Suction of Nitrous Dews to every Part. But that I may proceed to ſomething Practical. It is very obſervable that the Make and Shape of the Plough is vaſtly different, according to the Fancy or Humour of the People, or it may be the real Exigence of the Soil and Situation of the Place. Some differ in the Length and Shape of their Beams ; Some in the Share; Others in the Coulter, and in the Handle : Every Place being almoſt wedded to their own Form; not always with a juſt regard to the real Goodneſs and Uſefulneſs of their own particular Sort. I will not there- fore ſo much as attempt to deſcribe all the ſeveral Kinds in uſe; but ſhall content my ſelf with mentioning ſome of the principal Sorts. Among which theſe which follow are ; 1. The double-wheeled Plough, which for its general Uſe and eaſy Draught, juſtly de- ſerves the Preference to all others, eſpecially where the Land is hard, flinty, or on ſharp Gravels. Nay, this Sort is fingularly uſeful on ſtrong Clays for the Summer-Fallows, even after the Sun hath hardened them to ſuch a degree, that no other Plough will touch or penetrate. I remember at Yelvertoft, ſome Years the Summer-Fallow was half loft, and great Damage thereby attended the following Crop, till this Plough was introduced, to the great Benefit and Advantage to the Farmers. It doth not anſwer ſo well in wet Soils and Seaſons; becauſe Mire and Clay is apt to clog the Wheels. It is conſtantly and almoſt univerſally uſed in Hertfordſhire, and elſewhere. Being made ſtronger than moſt other Ploughs, they are uſually drawn with Horſes and Oxen two a-breaſt; the Wheels being eighteen or twenty Inches Diameter; and the Furrow-Wheel is thought by fome to be beft made a little larger in Circumference than the other, which goes on the folid Land. Theſe 40 A New Syſtem of Theſe are peculiarly uſeful for all Sorts of rough and uneven Work; they turn the Turf better than any of the common Sort, and plough up Mole-Hils or uneven Ground with- out levelling; and (as hath been obſerved) fallow Land in Summer in the drieſt Weather. The Fault found by Some, is their Handles ; which ſtanding ſloping on one Side makes them very troubleſome to hold, till they become well acquainted with them. And then that Difficulty becomes familiar. This Plough being now become frequent, it will be no difficult Matter to get its Form and Make by Inſpection, which is much better than the beſt Deſcription : But I was wil- ng to give it its Merit and Preference by ſuch a Character, as may recommend it to the diligent Farmer for its general Uſe. 2. There is alſo a ſingle-wheeled Plough much uſed in ſome Places, as it ſuits almoſt all Sorts of Soils, and is much lighter and nimbler than the other. But ſtrong Land is too hard for it; otherwiſe if the Soil be light and clean, it may be drawn by one Horſe and held by one Man, and yet near an Acre may be turned up in one Day. 3. The plain Plough, which is made without either Wheel or Foot, is what much keeps its Credit for ſtrong and heavy Work, and will abide to be drawn with four or five Horſes at length. It hath generally a good even Gate, and therefore fitteſt for all ſtrong and clayey Lands, if they lie any thing level. But if the Land is extremely Irregular, or full of Stones, Roots or other ſtubborn Obſtructions, there the double-wheeled Plough muſt take Place. Beſides theſe, there have been ſeveral Contrivances for Ploughs to make Expedition; which if they have not been found altogether to anſwer for general Ufe, yet Ingenuity ſhould always be encouraged; becauſe the old Rule takes place in this as well as in moſt other Caſes, Facile eſt inventis addere. There has been a Contrivance of a double Plough, that with the Help of four Horſes and two Men, a double Portion of Land may be ploughed, one Furrow by the Side of the other. Beſides which, there is another of the Sort, whereby two Furrows have been ploughed at once, one under another; ſo that the Land is ſtirred up twelve or fourteen Inches deep, which would be in many Places of exceeding great Uſe: And I mention them with a View, that Others may improve them; as there have been of late great Attempts; when, for Inſtance, the Harrow has alſo been fixed to a Plough, that ploughing, fowing and harrowing may all be performed at the ſame Time. The general Rules to be obſerved in the Shape of Ploughs, are theſe ; ( 1.) They muſt be great or ſmall, according to the Depth or Strength of the Soil you plough. (2.) The Coulter, where the Land is ſtiff, muſt be the greater and the ſtronger, and go the deeper ; which rnuſt be proportioned to the Soil; becauſe in deep Grounds the Weeds root the deeper: For the better cutting of which, ſome place on the right Side of the Coulter a ſmall Wing, which curs in two the Bottom of the Roots, and gives quicker Motion to the Plough. (3.) A great Art in making of Ploughs, is to make them go true to the Pitch they are ſet at, and keep to the Line you let them in, without ſwerving to the Right or Left; which depends much upon the Truth of the Iron-Work: And therefore it is rightly judged, that the Plough ſhould rather be ſuited to the Irons than the Irons to the Plough, the Wood-Work being eaſieſt altered if there be Occaſion. Upon the whole; and upon all Occaſions great regard is to be had that the Plough be well proportioned for Strength to the Nature or Strength of the Ground that is to be ploughed; that the Irons be ſharpened and wear bright; and by how much any Plough is made ſhorter or leſſer, having its true Pitch, with its true Cait on the Shield-board by ſo much the eaſier it is both to Man and Horſe. But after all, if the Plough is made according to Art, with Judgment and Diſcretion; yet if either of them are wanting in the Plough-Man, from a too ſuperſtitious regard to the Cuſtoms and Faſhions of the Place, to the great Prejudice of good Husbandry. Indeed, his own Experience will beſt teach him how to lay his Furrows; of what Depth he hould plough them; and how he may be able to gain or raiſe the greateſt Store of Mould: So alſo he muſt judge with Diſcretion how to order his Cattle, and chuſe them for the diverſity of Ground to be tilled. But in caſe the Arable-Land ſhall lie againſt the Side of any ſteep Hill , ( as for the moſt part all barren Earths do) if a Man ſhould plough that Land directly againſt the Hill, this very Labour would neceſſarily breed lucha Weariſomneſs in the Cattle, beſides the over-heating and ſurfeiting them, that the Work muft of neceſſity ſtand ſtill. Wiſdom therefore will teach him to plough it Side-ways, overthwart the Hill, where the Beaſts may tread on the level Ground, and never directly up and down: By which means alſo the Compoſt laid thereon will not be ſo ſoon waſted away from the upper Part; for the Furrows not lying ſtrait down in an eyen Deſcent, but turned Agriculture and Gardening. 41 turned Crof-ways upwards againſt the Hill, muſt of neceſſity the better hold the Soil and Manure within it. Of the Uſe of TILL A G E and PLOUGHING of LAND. T TILLAGE is a moving or ſtirring of the Earth; which being performed on the Top of the Ground, enters to a certain Depth, and makes the lower and upper Part change Place. In reſpect to Arable-Land; tho' the Spade was antiently uſed as well as the Plough, yet the latter being found more expeditious and convenient, the other is grown out of uſe. The Lands proper or made uſe of for Tillage, are reckoned of three Sorts. 1. Such as clayey, ſtiff, cold and moiſt; which Sort of Land is uſually thrice ploughed, viz. In the Spring, Summer, and at Seed-time, for Wheat ; and four times for Barley. Theſe Plough- ings or Fallowings, as they are called, are very advantageous to the Ground; for hereby the Land by degrees is laid in ſuch Ridges, as the Nature thereof requires : For the more in Number and the higher the Ridges, the better, generally ſpeaking, they are for Wheat ; which delights naturally in a moiſt Ground, provided it be not ſubject to be drowned or overmuch glutted with Wet. It is a means likewiſe to make the Land lighter and fitter for the Seed to take Root in ; the Clods being apt to diſſolve when expoſed to the Wea- ther, and often broken by the Plough. As alſo it kills the Weeds, and puts the Land into a Capacity to receive the nitrous Dews and celeſtial Influences, which more eaſily coa- gulate and fix on a light Earth, than on a ſad and heavy Lump. Moreover, it defends the Corn from the Extremities of the Weather, eſpecially the cold Winds; for the more uneven any Land is, the better ir bears ſuch Extremities. 2. Good rich mellow Land, that hath lain long in Paſture, till overgrown with Mofs, is improved by Ploughing ; that being not only a Medicine to cure its Mofs and unhealth- ful State; but it raiſes an immediate Advantage, and improves the Land for the future, in caſe a Crop or two only be taken off at a time, and laid down for Paſture again well foiled or ſown with Graſſes ; as ſhall be hereafter more particularly explained. 3. As for poor and barren Land, which hath lain long neglected and unimproved ; here, without all queſtion, Tillage takes place with great Advantage: Inaſmuch as it is the readieſt and fureft Means to keep down, if not kill, all four Grals, Fern, Broom and Ruſhes; whereby an evil Juice hath been long contracted, ſo injurious to Vegetation and ſo hurtful to Cattle. But the Method of doing this to the greateſt Advantage, with re- ſpect both to the Land and the Farmer, will be occaſionally directed in its proper Place. Only I cannot forbear adding a Caution here; That great care ſhould be taken, that ſuch Land as this be not turned up above twice before it be laid down with Graſs-Seeds, ex- cept ſome extraordinary Quantity of Manure be laid on: Inaſmuch as it is a work of the greateſt Difficulty, Expence and Length of Time, to reduce Land beggared and worn out with indiſcreet and avaritious Ploughing; or to bring it into any tolerable Order for Tillage after groſs Abuſe. OF PLOUGHING of L AN D. ТЕ. HAT the Time and Method of Ploughing may be rightly underſtood, we muſt conſider diſtinctly what is commonly called Layes or Greenſward, and Fallows. The Ploughing up of Layes, or Graſs-Ground, is commonly performed ſoon after Chrift- mas, and, if poſſible, when the Land is throughly ſoaked with Wet; for then the Turf is tough, and will not break in turning. In the doing of which, great Diſcretion in the Ploughman is to be uſed; that he turn the Turf in ſuch a manner, that the Graſs may not grow betwixt the Seams, and yet that he may go ſo deep as to get Mould enough to bury his Seed. For which purpoſe it is, that Ploughing ſo early is recommen- ded, that the Froſt and Weather nay looſen and mellow the Soil, that at Seed-Time the Harrow may take place amongſt the Roots of the Graſs, and cover the Seed with a fuffi- cient Quantity of Mould. Otherwiſe it is demonſtratively true in Experience, that Seed thrown into freſh Earth anſwers the Expectation of the Sower much better, than where the Land is firſt ploughed and ſome time after fown. In this Caſe, however, it is ſeldom known that the Harrow will immediately take place after the ploughing up. of Layes ; and therefore it is generally neceſſary to wait a Month or fix Weeks for a fufficient Depth of Soil. M Where 42 A New Syſtem of Where the Sward is old and full of large Ant-Hills, it is uſual in the firſt open Wea- ther after Chriſtmas to make uſe of a large Hoe, whereby to cut and diſperſe moſt of the Banks, that the Plough may proceed regularly and lay the Turf fiat and true; otherwiſe much of the Seed will be buried with the Harrow, and yet fome will lie ſo ſhallow as to be devoured by Birds. In ploughing of Layes, ſome recommend the laying the Turf ſo perfectly flat, that you may not difcern where the Plough went. But as this is hardly practicable, ſo neither is it very deſireable; inaſmuch as where the Turf rides, and is laid a little ſoping one upon another, the Seed falls regularly between the Seans; and that is always found to make the eveneſt and the beſt Crop. As to the ploughing of Fallows, and the Time of doing it, great regard is to be had to the Nature of the Soil. But the Benefit of it is allowed by All to be very great, by its univerſal Practice, and by the Care that Landlords every where take to oblige their Te- nants to a ſtrict Obſervance of it once at leaſt in Three Years. The Advantages of this Practice are chiefly theſe Three. Firſt, It kills the Weeds, by turning up their Roots to the Air and the Sun in the drieſt Seaſon; and if Wild-Oats, Darnel, or other noxious Weeds, happen to low them- ſelves afterwards ; yet the Repetition ſoon again deſtroys them alſo, when they begin to peep out of the Ground; whereby the Heart and Strength of the Ground is preſerved from ſuch haſty Suckers. Secondly, It is a Means to lay the Land in Ridges, thereby better expoſing it to receive the nitrous Influence of Froſt, Wi 1, Sun and Dews. Theſe all tend to ſweeten and mel- low the Land very much; and the often ſtirring it breaks the otherwiſe untractable Clods of Clay, and ſo diſpoſes the Ground to receive the Seeds with all the Advantages of a pro- per Soil mixt with Dung, and mellow'd with Weather. Thirdly, The Fallows are a great Advantage and Relief to the Farmers Sheep, even till the middle or the later End of May, and in ſome meaſure all the Summer, eſpecially in ſuch Corners and Places near the Hedges where the Plough cannot corne. To anſwer which Purpoſe the better, in the open Fields in Northamptonſhire and Leiceſterſhire, and in moſt of the Inland Counties, they contrive to leave a Baulk two or three Yards wide betwixt every Land, for Graſs to ſupport their Sheep in the Fallow-Field; and the ſame when ir is Corn-Field, afford a conſiderable Supply of Hay; by which Means the Farmer many Years pays his Rent out of the Encreaſe of his Flock and his Herd. The right and the beſt Method of ordering Fallows, is next to be conſider'd. I think all are agreed, that after the Crop is off, it is beſt not to plough it, but to let it lie all the Winter, and to eat with Sheep or other Cattle what Graſs grows thereon till April or May: For moſt commonly the Farmer, as ſoon as he has done fowing his Corn, begins to plough up his Fallows, as having little elſe then to do. But in the doing this , great Care and Caution ſhould be uſed that the Plough do not go too deep, where the good Soil itſelf is but ſhallow; as in many Clays, Stony-Grounds, and Sands: For it ſhould be conſider’d, that Wheat and Barley take but a ſhallow Hold of the Earth; and tho they require a rich and mellow Soil, yet not any great Depth; and therefore to begin a Fallow too deep, is only to bury the beſt Earth, to turn up a worſe to receive the Grain. It is no inconſiderable Circumſtance, that the Farmer be alſo adviſed never, if poſſible, to fallow his Land in Rain or wet Weather; nor indeed, if it could be foreſeen, * when it is likely to rain; for in a wet and moiſt Seaſon, except the Roots of the Weeds (the ſtronger fort eſpecially) be laid quite bare, they will grow and flouriſh ſoon after the Ploughing; and ſo a great Part of the Deſign of Turning the Soil will be loft; and the Land, tho’ it have the Number, will really want the Benefit of Fallows. Beſides, there is a Freſhneſs in the Earth, when it is firſt turned up, that is a great Means of attracting the nitrous Virtue of the Air and Dew to itſelf; which, if rightly underſtood, is the greateſt Help to Vegetation, and a Means of that Fertility ſo earneſtly fought for and expected from the fallowing of the Land. But in wet and ſhowery Wea- ther that Freſhneſs is foon taken off, and the Pores of the Earth are filled up and glutted with ſuch watry Particles, as immediately ſend forth Weeds; and ſo the Land, inſtead of receiving, gives Nouriſhment, and conſequently waſtes its Strength. This Reaſoning ought to be enforced on the Farmer in the ſtrongeſt Terms, becauſe I have long experienced that he is too regardleſs of this Matter: And becauſe he has nothing و * The Method of judging of the Weather, by the Barometer, ſee in the Appendix, elfe Agriculture and Gardening. 43 elſe to do, will be thruſting his Servants and Cattle into this unſeaſonable Work; it being certainly true in this caſe, That it is better to do nothing, than nothing to the Purpoſe. The ſecond Ploughing of Fallows, is by ſome called Stirring; by others, Twy-Fallowing and this is performed commonly in June, or about a Month after the other, as the Wea- ther (which is always to be regarded) will favour. Now the Days are long, and Hay- Harveſt calling for Help, a good and provident Husband contrives to be out early in a Morn- ing with his Team, to perform his Quantum of Twy-Fallowing early, by that Time the Dew is off the Graſs, that ſo he may have Leiſure to feed his Horſes, and to attend both the making and carrying his Hay. About the latter End of July, or Beginning of Auguſt, is the Time of the laſt Stirring or Twy-Fallowing ; which ſhould alſo be fo contrived in the Morning, as not to interfere with or hinder either Hay or Corn-Harveſt: And as to the laying the Land up or down with the Plough, Diſcretion muſt be uſed, and Regard had to the Werneſs or Dryneſs of the Land; always remembring, that Wheat being to be fowed Under-Furrow, the Land at Seed-time muſt be ploughed up, and the Furrows laid ſo clean, that there may remain no Obſtructions to hinder the Winter-Wets from running off. In ſome places where the Land turns up with great Clots, they make Uſe of the Har- row to break them before they fow their Wheat, and after that plough in the Seed, making many and ſmall Ridges; which is much the Practice of Cambridge and Hertford- floire, eſpecially in the gravelly Soils, ſubject to Wet. But in Clay and deep Land, it is thought much better to break the biggeſt of the Clots with a Beetle, that they may get juſt Mould enough to cover the Seed; knowing well that every Froſt gradually diſſolves Clots, and gives continual Nouriſhment and Relief to the Corn during the Winter ; and even the Inequality of the Surface is found by Experience to be a ſpecial Shelter to the Corn from the Extremities of the cold North Winds, attended with Black Froſts; which are known to be the greateſt Enemies to all Winter-Corn. Altho' I have mentioned Fallowing as performed once in three Years ; yet in Land that is but indifferent, ſhallow and poor, Fallowing every other Year is found to be the beſt Im- provement, eſpecially where there is not Plenty of Dung to be had; which Piece of Hus- bandry is as ancient as Virgil, who is made to adviſe us in modern Poetry, thus : In theſe unhappy Soils the Swains forbear, Anil keep a Sabbath of alternate Year; That the Spent Earth may gather Heat again, And, bettered by Gelation, bear the Grain. Lands thus ordered, are generally fown with Rye; and being very ſhallow and light, He is reckoned to be the belt Ploughman, that doth but juſt ſuperficially ftir, or rather Scratch his Land, provided he do it but oft enough, and give it a late Folding of the Sheep In ſome other Places they plough their Fallows but twice, truſting to the Strength and Richneſs of their Soil. But this Method is certainly wrong; for a well-ordered Fallow is attended with this certain Advantage, that it keeps the Land clean from Weeds; and there- fore, if it do not want Fallowing to enrich it, it wants it to mellow and cleanſe it. In all ſuch Fields or Land intended for Rye, the laſt Stirring or Fallowing ſhould be performed earlier than if it was for Wheat, that it may be laid up and prepared for an early fowing the middle or the latter End of Auguft; Rye being a Grain that is obſerved to be better for having two Summers during its Growth: For, That Crop rewards the greedy Peaſant's Painsy Which twice the Sun, and once the Cold ſuſtains. As for Barley, which every one knows is not fown till the Spring, this will require ne leſs then four Stirrings during the Summer. The laſt of which ſhould always be fo or- dered as to lay up the Land conveniently high, and with as big Clots as may be, that it may lie the dryer all the Winter; for the preceding Froſts and Spring-Showers will quickly make it fine enough for fowing, provided the Furrows be kept clear, and the lower Ends of Lands open’d with Trenches to carry off the Water; which the induſtrious Husband- man always takes care of, whether it be for Wheat or Barley ; rightly judging, that if it be ſown, the Seed is all loſt if it be ſuffered to lie under Water; and if it be not ſown, yet that Part of the Land is beggared which is covered with Winter-Wet. And yet is not always 44 A New Syſtem of always ſo well conſidered as it ought, what a great and manifeſt Loſs this is to the Farmer; To be at the certain Pains and Charge to plough his Land four Times, to inanure every Part of it, and then again to ſow it with the fame Diligence, and yet at laſt to loſe the Fruits of all this Labour in ſuch Parts as are ſuffered to lie under Water At the ſame Time, the Goodneſs of the reſt doth but reproach the Slothfulneſs of the Ploughman, who hath beſtowed the very fame Pains and Charge on that which is loſt and good for nothing, when it might have been prevented by a timely Care. Before I conclude this Head, it may not be amiſs to adviſe, that if it ſo happen by Reaſon of a wet Summer, that after the laſt Fallow the Land laid up for Barley remain yet full of Weeds, it may be very proper to give it another Stirring during the Winter, either with the Plough or Harrow, in order to kill the Weeds; which Purpoſe would yet be more effectually accompliſhed, if the provident Ploughman could contrive this Work to be done before a Froſt, or as ſoon as a Froſt firſt and gently fets in. Of the ſeveral Methods of laying up L AND S, in Ridges, in order to the Sowing of them. HE great Myſtery of rightly diſpoſing Land to receive the Seed, and to preſerve it after it is fown, is to lay it ſo, that it may be neither too wet nor too dry. Ac- cordingly the ſeveral Cuſtoms of diſpoſing the Land for Grain, are conformable and chiefly adapted to the Nature of the Soil and the Situation of the Place. In all the Clay and deep Lands of Leiceſterſhire, Northamptonſhire, &c. they low all their Grain upon broad Lands, raiſing the Middle of the Ridges in ſome places near three Foot higher than the Furrows: For indeed, the only Deſign of laying Land in Ridges, is the draining of it, and preſerving the Seed from a fatal Evil, too much Moiſture; and not, as ſome ignorantly imagine, in order to gain more Ground: For Grain as well as Plants and Trees, growing perpendicu- larly, it is plain to a Demonſtration that an uneven Surface doth not increaſe the Quantity; and as to Hills, though they meaſure near twice as much as the plain Ground they ſtand upon, yet the Produce of the One can be no more than the Produce of the Other. But this hath been made very plain by Thoſe who have treated of Surveying of Land. Where either the natural Dryneſs of the Soil, or its convenient Declivity, doth not re- quire the Land to be laid in Ridges, there the Ploughman only contrives to make ſuch Diviſions as may ſerve to guide him both in the Ploughing and Sowing, without regard- ing the Quarters of the Compaſs for the running of the Lands; which fome have without any Reaſon recommended. Only here it may not be improper to obſerve, that where the Lands point directly Eaſt and West, that Side of the Land which faces the South will ever be the leaneſt, and conſequently require the moſt Manure; inaſmuch as tho' the Heat of the Sun always tends to accelerate the Ripening of Grain and the Fruits of the Earth, yet its more immediate Influence and direct Rays are obſerved always to exhale or extract the moſt of the Virtue and Riches of the Superficies. Where the Lands require to be laid in Ridges, and the Furrows to be kept well drained, as for the moſt part is neceſſary) here I cannot but again recommend a ſeaſonable Care to carry away all ſtanding Water from the Ends of the Lands, by making ſuch proper Drains as may convey it to remote and lower Parts; becauſe, as I have already obſerved, in the well draining of Corn-Lands lieth a conſiderable part of good Husbandry, and no ſmall Advantage. Great regard therefore is to be had to that End and Side of the Land where the Plough ſets in : Which as it will always of courſe and neceſſity lie loweſt ; fo alſo that End and Side of it, where the Plough goes out, will always be higheſt. To remedy this Inequality, the Spade is to be made uſe of, to throw it from the higher to the lower Part, and that before it comes to be fown, at the laſt time of fallowing Moreover, if there be found a neceſſity of opening a Trench a-croſs the Head-land by way of Drain; let it be done conveniently wide and deep enough, ſo as effectually to an- ſwer the Purpoſe of a Drain; and obſerve, that what is taken out with the Spade be not laid too near the side of the Drain, as is too common; ſo that Horſes, and other Cattle, poach it in again with their Feet : But let it rather be carried with the Cart, at ſome convenient Leiſure, to ſuch Places as want to be filled up, eſpecially the lower Ends of the Land aforementioned. And if it be ſuſpected, that the Graſs or Sward may do prejudice to the Corn ſowed on it, let it lie in one tall Heap in that hollow Place, and in a Year's time it will prove excellent Mould, fit to be diſperſed, and to receive the Seed the following Seaſon. With Agriculture and Gardening 45 With ſuch Care, and with theſe Precautions relating to Tillage, the Land will be put into ſuch Order, that, with the Bleſſing of God, the vigilant Farmer may expect in due Time to ſee his Labours rewarded with a joyful and plentiful Harveſt. Of the ſeveral Times and Methods of ſowing CORN. A S one Seed differeth in Nature from another, and as there are very different Soils to receive all the Variety of Seeds; there will of neceſſity be required good Judgment and Skill in the Husbandman to adapt Kind, and Time, and Place, to every remarkable Difference. And altho' this Matter hath been well ſtudied, and of late Years is much better underſtood than formerly ; yet ſome general Hints to remind if not inſtruct the In- duſtrious, may perhaps be not unacceptable. I think it is generally agreed, and found by Experience to be right, that Changing the Seed is a great Advantage and Improvement; eſpecially a Change from a worſe to a better Soil. But indeed any way is much better than no Change at all; inaſmuch as all Seed whatſoever, if long ſown in a Place, doth degenerate, and grow worſe both in Quantity and Quality. A Change of Seed from a barren light Land to a rich heavy one, is thought good. But moſt of the Clays in Northamptonſhire require their Seed-Wheat either from the Chalks in Bedfordſhire, or from other neighbouring gravelly Soils : Having thereby two Advan-. tages; of a Change of Seed, and of a greater Quantity in Number for a leſs ; Seed from ſuch Soils being much ſmaller, and conſequently ſpreads further. But in moorith Grounds, ſuch a Change is undeſireable, becauſe there the Seed is apt to be buried: And therefore they chuſe the largeſt Seed they can get. A Change from the remoteſt Part of the North . is now well underſtood and known to be right; and ſo on the contrary, from the South into the North; which by means of Navigation is eaſily performed. The Time of fowing Wheat and Rye, is from the middle of September to the begin- ning of December, if Froſt permit; tho' Rye may be fown a little ſooner on light Land. However, great regard ought to be had to the Weather, and the Nature of the Land you would low. Dry Land may be ſown in almoſt any Weather, either wet or dry. Whereas in moiſt Clays, if either Wheat in Autumn, or Barley in the Spring, be fown in very wet Weather, there is great danger that it will burſt, or be buried with the binding. Quality of the Earth; whereby the Seed is often ſhut up as in a Priſon : Eſpecially if it be ſown Under-Furrow, as is the almoſt univerſal Practice with reſpect to Wheat, and ſometimes Bar- ley; and ſhould be alſo with reſpect to Beans, as ſhall be explained hereafter. Sometimes indeed the Weather may prove too dry for Wheat in a dry Soil, whereby great Part of the Seed will be muſtied and ſpoiled by lying too long in the Ground; and therefore it is bet- ter to ſtay till Rain come, or till there be ſome likelihood of it, the laſt Sowing often proving as good if not better than the firſt. But as for Rye, it is moſt deſireable it ſhould always be laid in the Duſt. All Summer-Grain, Oats, Barley and Peaſe, ſhould be ſown when the Weather is dry, and as ſoon as the Land will work, let it be thought never ſo early; tho’ fome Exceptions of Land apt to run to Weeds ſhould be made. The Barley-Land having had four Fallows in the preceding Summer, and been ploughed up before Winter, let the Land be never ſo ſtrong, and of lo ſtiff a Quality, it ought to be ploughed down before it is fown; and be- cauſe the univerſal Rule requires that Seed (if poſlīble) ſhould be thrown into freſh Mould, the Ploughing and Sowing ſhould both be performed in one Day. It is, I think, generally agreed, tho' not fo univerſally practiſed as it ought, that the ſteeping of Wheat in Brine before it is fown will prevent the Blaff, and Smut; which pro- ceeds either from too much Fatneſs or Rankneſs of the Land foiled with rotten or muſty Vegetables, as Straw, Haulm, Fern, &c. or from the Seed itſelf mixt with Smut, which tho' it doth not grow, yet it is found to ſpoil and poiſon the Seed wherewith it is mixt ; or laſtly, it may proceed from a too frequent ſowing the Land with the fame Grain. The effectual Cure for this Diſeaſe, is the right preparing the Brine, and ſteeping the Seed. Some do this work too ſuperficially ; only throwing Urine upon the Seed, and mixing it therewith juſt before they go out to Sowing; or elſe make a good Mixture of Brine and Water, and only moiſtening the Seed with it on the Ground before they fow, without giving it Time to infuſe or impregnate. By which means the End not being often ob- tained, they throw the whole aſide, and content themſelves to ſow the naked Seed. Whereas, to do this effectually, Wheat ſhould be ſteeped in a Ciſtern and covered with a ſtrong Brine, at leaſt Twelve Hours; ſome allow Twenty four. After that, the Brine N is 46 A New Syſtem of is to be drawn from it, and preſerved for further Uſe. But becauſe the Seed when thus wetted would ſtick together, therefore unſlacked Lime is preſently to be mixt with it; which makes it dry again, and apt enough to ſeparate in Sowing. This Noſtrum is ſaid to be diſcovered by the good Succeſs of Wheat ſown after the Accident of falling into the Sea-Water. But neither is the mixing it with Lime to be accounted only an inſignificant Circum- ſtance with reſpect to Vegetation. For it is to be obſerved, that the manuring of Land with Lime, or otherwiſe enriching it with ſharp or faline Dungs, do of themſelves won- derfully contribute to keep Land wholeſome and free from this and ſuch like Diſeaſes. But beſides this Method of ſteeping Wheat, to prevent the Diſeaſe of Smut; Mr. Hough- ton tells us of ſeveral Experiments he made about ſteeping Wheat and Barley in a certain Liquor, contrived to promote an extraordinary Increaſe. The Vehicle was thus contrived: “ Take a convenient Quantity of Rain-Water, and in every Gallon of it diſſolve two “ Pounds of Stone-Lime; let it ſtand two or three Days, ſtirring of it three times a Day. “ Pour off the Water into another Veſſel; and to every Gallon of this Water put about “ four Ounces of Salt-Petre, and one pound of Pidgeons Dung. Mix them well together, " by ſtirring three or four times a Day; and then ſtrain out the Liquor to keep for Uſe.” He tells us, he ſteeped a Handful of Wheat in a Quart of this Liquor; and after eighteen Hours, he took it out and laid it to dry in the Air for the ſpace of one Day, and then ſteeped it in the Liquor again about twelve Hours; and having laid it to dry as before, he iteeped it again a third time about ſix Hours, and then ſet it in his Garden, which was but common Earth, by ſingle Grains, about ten Inches apart and a Finger's Length in depth. From hence he had an Increaſe beyond expectation; for from ſeveral Grains he had ſixty or ſeventy, and from ſome eighty Stalks, with very large Ears full of large Corn; many of the Ears had fixty Grains in them, and none leſs than Forty. He allo ſteeped Barley in the fame Liquor, and found much the ſame Increaſe. Mr. Houghton's Integrity in relating this ſhould not be diſputed; and there is no Impro- bability but ſo the Fact might be, as the Seed was ſowed in Garden-Mould, and in a fhel- tered Place. And poſſibly had not the Seed been ſteeped in the Liquor, there had been a wonderful Increaſe from the Place and manner of ſowing. But I my ſelf have tried Barley ſteeped in a prepared Liquor much like this, and more proiniſing: But being ſowed in an expoſed Place in a common Field, and on a Land not very rich, I found no extraordinary Increaſe; which made me deſiſt from any further Trials. And indeed (as I have elſewhere obſerved) both Reaſon and Experience pronounce, that all extrrordinary forcing Ingredients, all Chymical Preparations, all Extracts of Salts from Dung, Lime or other Manures , will not have any abiding Effects, ſo as to anſwer the Charge much leſs the boafted and wonderful Feats attributed to them. And if at any time, or under ſome certain Circumſtances, Nature is obſerved, by theſe forcing Methods, to mend her Pace; yet it is much under the like Diſadvantages of a Horſe forced beyond his natural Strength, he tires ſo much the ſooner. Of the ſeveral Sorts of Soil s good and bad, with ſome Direétions interſperſed how to improve them. H AVING hitherto laid down ſome general Directions for Tillage and preparing Land by the Plough for ſowing; before I proceed to treat of the ſeveral sorts of Grain, with the Time and Manner of ſowing them, it will be requiſite that I firſt ſay ſomething of the different Soils ordinarily to be met with in the ſeveral Parts of this King- dom; that ſomething may be hinted at whereby to improve and make the beſt of them. It is generally agreed, that all Sorts of Soils, whereſoever to be met with, muſt partake ſomething more or leſs of either Sand, Gravel, Chalk, Loam, Marſh or Clay : But yet it would be as hard to give a proper Name to the different Sorts of theſe, as to aſſign the peculiar Qualities proper to thole Names; becauſe there are good and bad of almoſt all Sorts; inaſmuch as the natural Richneſs of a Soil depends, in great meaſure, on a due Pro- portion and proper Mixture of ſome of the aforegoing Simples . For which Reaſon it is, that Sand is recommended to be laid on Clay, and Clay upon Sand; becauſe by ſuch Mix- ture a laſting Improvement is gained, and the very Nature of the Land itſelf is altered and changed. However, where any one of theſe Simples prevail in a great Degree tho' it would be hard or next to impoſſible to make an abſolute Cure by Superinductions; yet by a prudent Care Agriculture and Gardening. 47 Care and skilful Management, great Profit may accrue to the Farmer, by regular Obſer- vations of the Times and Seaſons proper for ploughing and lowing each Kind of Land, and adapting the Seed proper to it. Clays and Chalks are undoubtedly the beſt Soils for Wheat and Barley, after Summer- Fallows, and for Beans to ſucceed. And though the Clay is of itſelf never ſo ſtiff and untractable; yet the Summer-Fallows, with proper Manures of Dung, render it ſtrangely mellow, and a fit Recipient for Wheat; which being ſown before Winter, though the Surface be never ſo rough and full of Clots, will be ſo much the better defended from the North Winds. The Art in managing theſe very ftiff Clays and Chalks, becauſe they are very tenacious and hold the Water on their Surface, is to lay them dry, in handſome Ridges, that the Water may fall off every way. The worſt Quality of them is, that in very dry Seaſons they are very coſtive, hardening and chapping with the Sun and Wind, thereby ſubjecting the Crop to the great Inconveniencies of a Drought. Clays are commonly fown, at firſt breaking up, with Oats; and if it is old Sward, it is thought the moſt profitable Way to continue ſowing Oats for Three Years: For on ſuch fort of Soil, I have frequently known ten Quarter of Oats upon an Acre; which will pay ber- ter than a good Crop of Wheat. After a Summer-Fallowing it may again be ſown with Wheat ; and after that with Barley; and again with Beans. But the moſt profitable way to ſave Dung, is to ſow Clover with the laſt Crop of Oats, eating the Clover with Sheep for Two Years; and then Summer-Fallow it twice for Wheat at Michaelmas. Chalks require much the ſame Management, and will bear the ſame Grain; only if much Rain happen to fall on them juſt after ſowing, before the Corn gets up, the Earth is apt to bind ſo hard, that the Corn cannot eaſily get through it; which Evil is much helped with a light Harrow. Sand and Gravel Grounds eaſily admit both of Heat and Moiſture; which bing the greateſt Helps to Vegetation, if they could but be perſuaded to remain in any due Proportion, great Riches might be expected from them. But as they are very apt to loſe the Bleſſings of Heaven, and to ſuffer the Crop to die away with ſcorching Heat, the Ploughman con- trives to lay his Lands as flat as poſſible ; and to let all his Superinductions be of the moſt cooling and binding Nature, ſuch as Cow-dung, rich Clay, Lime, Chalk, and Marle. The Seed proper for ſuch Soils is Rye, Oats, and Peaſe blue and white : For except it be migh- tily altered with the aforeſaid Mixtures, it is too light for Wheat and Barley. At the firſt breaking up of Sands and Gravels, or other very light Land, Oats are com- monly fown after the Sward hath lain near Two Months to rot. As ſoon as the Oats be- gin to appear, the Whole ſhould be rolled with a good heavy Roll, either round or octan- gular, which faſtens the Ground about the Roots. For want of the Knowledge of this Practice, many Places in the North of England content themſelves to loſe the firſt Year's Crop, only turning up the Soil twice or thrice in the Summer ; imagining that the Sward newly turned downwards will keep the Soil ſo hollow, that the Grain fown thereon would periſh: Which indeed might be true, without the Help of a Roll; but with that Help, we always reckoned and found in Northamptonſhire that the firſt and ſecond Crops were the beſt. or two. It is obſerved in Herefordſhire, they make a very great Improvement of ſandy Land much given to Moſs, by burning the Moſs, and mixing the Aſhes with Lime. After this they plough it and low it with Rye; which yields a mighty Increaſe, and (which is a very de- fireable Circumſtance) brings a ſweet Sort of Graſs upon it, when laid down after a Crop In ſome Part of Oxfordſhire and Buckinghamſhire, they have a very untoward churlifh ſort of Soil, which puzzles the Farmer to make it fertile: They call it Malm ; it is neither Clay, nor Chalk, nor Marle ; but hath ſomething of the greazy Nature of them all, but no Part of their good Qualities; inſomuch that it is with great Difficulty that any thing will be made to grow on it. The Roots of Trees plainly avoid it, if poſſible; and it is found to be very hurtful to all Fruit-Trees. It ſeldom indeed lieth near the Surface, but it holds the Wet, and ſtrikes ſuch an unwholſome Coldneſs to Corn, Plants, and Trees, as mightily hinder their Vigour and Maturity. Notwithſtanding, I cannot find that it hath any thing nigh that Malignity in it, which is ſo plainly and conſtantly found in a Stratum of Earth, in the Biſhoprick of Durham, dug out in great Abundance in their Search after Coals . They call it Thill; it is of a bluiſh Colour, turns out like thin Slate, but crumbles to Pieces with the Froſt, as if it would be a fit Recipient for almoſt any Seed or Plant. But ſuch is its Hatred and Averſion to all Vegetables, that it kills and deſtroys them as ſoon as they approach it. It lieth indeed naturally at a conſiderable Depth in the Earth ; but as there are great Numbers of Collieries, ſome Parts of the Country are greatly annoy'd with its vaſt Heaps ; inſomuch, that it hath put ſome curious Gentlemen upon Trials and Experiments 48 A New Syſtem of Experiments how to remove its obſtinate Sterility, and to make it fertile, even to avoid the Trouble and Charge of removing it into waſte Places. But all hath hitherto been in vain; for it not only refuſeth itſelf to be made good, but it poiſons and corrupts all Mix- tures, and makes every thing that comes near it as bad as itſelf: For not a Spire of Graſs, nay, not a Weed will grow on it. It will not ſo much as mend the High-Ways; but yet it hath been made uſeful there, by filling up hollow Places, being good for nothing elſe. In Wiltſhire, even the Plains of Salisbury of late Years have been made to anſwer the Plough to great Advantage. The Turf and Soil is generally very ſhallow, lying within two or three Inches, on a ſcaly ſtony bottom. The Plains being of great Extent, ſome- times they plough one Part, and ſometimes another, for two or three Years, and then lay it down again with Graſs-Seed; whereby, and by the help of the Sheep, it recovers gra- dually its waſted Strength. Sometimes they burn-bate it, and afterwards take from it four or five Crops. But this laſt Method, tho’ it brings preſent Riches, is obſerved to tire the Soil, and put it more out of Heart than can well be recovered again in any reaſonable Compaſs of Years; which is chiefly to be attributed to the ſhallowneſs of the Soil. By theſe Methods they get pretty good Wheat, though the Straw is generally ſender and the Ears ſhort. Mooriſh beathy Land is obſerved to anſwer very well in the Method of Denſhiring or Burn-bating ; becauſe the Soil generally, for five or ſix Inches deep, conſiſts chiefly of the Fibres and Roots of the ſeveral ſorts of Graſſes; and it is known, that all ſorts of Vege- tables reduced to Aſhes, and ſpread upon the Ground, are enriching. It cannot but be obſerved here with Wonder, that there ſhould be ſo many heathy mooriſh Grounds near London, the Miſtreſs and Encourager of Arts, yet unimproved and uncultivated. What have Hounſlow and Black-Heath done, that they ſhould lye neglected as a Spectacle of the Husbandman’s Diſdain ? The North have already ſet a better Example, and in a little Time we ſhall not have ſuch a Reproach left amongſt us. I need not ſay, that all hazelly red mixt Earth, approaching to the Nature of Loam, of which there is fo much to be found throughout the Kingdom, is peculiarly good for all ſorts of Grain, and will endure the Extremes of Heat and Cold, Wet and Dry; and therefore is very much deſired, and eagerly fought for by the Farmer, as what gives him Riches without any extraordinary Labour or Charge. If a Man would be curious to know what Quantity of Sand, (for ſome I take it for granted always is) may lye mixt with his Clay, the Experiment may be eaſily made by diffolving a piece of Clay in Water, ſtill ſeparating and pouring off the thick into another Baſon till all is gone but the Sand; which when dry will be obſerved to run like Hour- Glaſs-Sand, and will ordinarily prove to be in Quantity about a fourth part. DANI Of DUNG, its Nature and Uſe for the Improvement of Land, and the ſeveral sorts of it. UNG is to be eſteemed, in a great Meaſure, according to the Food eaten, and the manner of Chewing and Digeſtion : For it is in a healthful Body that part of the Food which is groſs, and not fine enough or fit enough to enter the Veſſels for the Nou- riſhment of the Body; and alſo what the Blood caſts off by the Gaul, or other Paſſages; alſo it is likely that ſome of the more viſcous Parts of the Spittle holds ic together, and goes quite through with it. If this be the Caſe, it muſt have ſome Salt in it; and when Dung is burnt to Aſhes it will make a Lee, from whence by Evaporation may be made Salt ; and this Salt will im- bibe Nitre, as may be ſeen by divers Preparations of Nitre with Lime, &c. as Alkalies, and Salt or Sal Gem; which two laſt I take to be the fame; and by their imbibing of Nitre it is thought that Land is fertilized. But its chief Uſe is for annual ſhort-lived Plants. Dung will, when dry, burn; witneſs the Cow-Dung, gathered by the Poor for that purpoſe; and from it may be made Chymical Oil, which plainly proves it to have ſome Sulphur left. Now a great deal of Difference from Dung may ariſe, by reaſon of the manner of Chewing. Thoſe Beaſts that chew fineſt, and void it in ſmalleſt Quantities, leave the moft Superficies, whereby moft Nitre may be attracted : And for this Cauſe I preſume it is, that the ingenious Mr. Evelyn ſo much commends the Duft of Horſe-Parths, and pow- dered Dung or Earths. And I believe the generality of Dungs are eſteemed as thus qua- lified, except where the manner of Food makes an Alteration. For I doubt not but the Dung Agriculture and Gardening. 49 Dung of Cows, by reaſon of their Chewing the Cud, is preferable to Horſe-Dung, eſpe- cially where the Horſes eat only Grafs, as do the Cows, and exerciſe no more ; unlefs the Form alters it. But if Horſes eat Hay, or Oats, which is Food contracted and quitted of its watry Nature, it is then preferable. And Dung of Fowl, that live on Grain, is before that : And I do not doubt but Dung of Fowls, ſuch as are Fleſh-eaters, is better than thoſe ; for which Reaſon the Dung of Men, Dogs, and Swine, that live on Fleih, are eſteemed ſtronger than moſt other. And notwithſtanding Swine's Dung cauſes Weeds, as is generally faid, it is probably from the fame Reaſon, that the Corn in America, when the Spaniards firſt went there, grew to a Pike’s Height; that is, it makes the Ground too rich: For if it is fertilized for Weeds, it will be ſo for other Things more uſeful; and if it be too good, it muſt be allayed with Earth, or ſome more barren Compoſt. Mr. Evelyn, in his Notice of Dungs, has the following Obſervations. With the Mi- croſcope he examined Neat’s Dung, which appeared to be Straws held together by a flip- pery Mucilage, and ſprinkled with a Gold-like gliſtering Sand; but on waſhing nothing appeared but Straw. Sheep's Dung, when wathed, he found to be ſhort Graſs. Swine's Dung was like dirty Bees Wax, mingled with Straws and Husks, which ſeemed like Candid Eringo, and ſome like Angelico Roots. Horſe-Dung, like Wiſps of Hay, and little Straws. Pidgeon's Dung was of a ſtiff glutinous Matter, eaſily reduced to Duft of a grey Colour, with ſome husky Atoms after Dilution. Dung of Poultry was ſo full of Gravel and Sand, that little elſe appeared, fave ſome black and white viſcous Matter twiſt- ed; but it ſmelled the worſt of all. Although the Uſe of Dung towards Vegetation is not perhaps thoroughly underſtood; yet that what does moſt apparently ſeem to vegetate Plants is ſome Salt, I ſuppoſe is ge- nerally agreed: All our Compoſts are ſtudiouſly made of Subſtances which moſt ingen- der or attract Salt. Therefore, it is the nitrous Grounds of Jamaica and other Places, which cauſe ſo ſtupendous a Growth of Plants and Trees. After a great deal faid of Salt by Mr. Evelyn, he declares it to be, not our common Artificial Salt, but a more Unctuous Spirit or Airy Nitre, pregnant with a viral Balm, which is the Thing he endeavours to find in theſe Materials of Compoſts : And he be- lieves that were Nitre or Salt-Petre to be obtained in Plenty, we ſhould need but little other Compoſts, to meliorate our Ground; ſince whether that which ſo fertilizes it, by any Mixture we can yet deviſe, effects it from any other Cauſe, is greatly to be doubted. For which Reaſon, in ſeveral Sorts of Liquid Compoſts, he adviſes Nitre to be added, as an extraordinary and neceflary Ingredient to vegetate Plants. From what has been already obſerved, it will hardly be denied but that moſt of the Materials uſed for Improvement of Land, do rather do it by ſending earthy Particles into the Plants, by the help of Nitre ; and the Spirit of the Air and Moiſture they receive from without, perhaps is more uſeful than any inherint Quality within themſelves. The Nitre or Spirit of the Air, which flies about here and there as the Wind directs it, where-ever it finds a kind Matter fit to receive it, there it abides till the Dews and Rains waſh it in; ſo that it makes a Fermentation and ſets the Terreſtrial Matter afloat, in order to penetrate the Pores of Plants for their Growth and Increaſe. Now thoſe Materials that are moſt ready to receive this Nitre, are what we call the beſt Dungs. Horſe-Dung, when it makes a Hot-Bed, does not do it ſo much by its own Natural as Accidental Qualities; for the Difference of the Parts, viz. Dung, Urine, and Straw, make a great Ferment, which warms the Juice in the Plant; which makes it ariſe as in an Alembick; and that being gone, it draws in the other Moiſture about it, and ſo goes on while the Warmth laſts, and makes the Plant grow greatly : And to force this the more, ſometimes is added UnNaked Lime ; which, by pouring Water on, will flake and cauſe a great Heat, and ſo carry on the Growth of the Plants. This indeed ſeems as if Water with Heat was the Cauſe of Fertility, without Nitre. But thoſe Gardeners that could by Fires, Stoves and Tanner's Bark, raiſe what Flowers and Fruits they pleaſed at Chriſtmas, and imitate the Heat of any Country or Seaſon, have confeſſed, that after all their Endeavours (except the Plants were opened at Top to enjoy the Weather) they would not thrive ; which plainly proves, they muſt be kept from Suf- focation, or helped to ſomething from the Air; and that Heat and Moiſture alone would not do. Horſe-Dung, by its violent Ferment, rots; and by ſo doing, evaporates a great deal of the Moiſture of the Urine, &c. that was in its empty Spaces; then the Air with its nitrous Particles gets in, which is waſhed out again by the Dews or Rain, and with them is carried to its Growth or Augmentation. The 50 A New Syſtem of yet The Sun ſomething hurts Dung, but the Rain doth more; for it fills it, ſo that it is not capable to receive ſo much Nitre as otherwiſe ; altho’ ſome Wer and ſome Dry rots and prepares it the better : And this is the Good it does when ploughed into Ground. There are variety of Ways of Dunging of Land, beſides the Dung of Pidgeons, Hens, Swine, &c. Rags, Soot, & c. The Suds made with Soup and Blood are of excellent ule for the Husbandman and Gardener; and are often applied to the Roots of Vines, Fruit- Trees, and ſeveral other Vegetables. Soap-Suds will make Plants thrive very much ; and the Reaſon for it is, that ſome of the fine Salt of the Pot-Aſh, with which the Soap is made, may be imbibed into the Plant; and with the Particles of Lime that may be there, áre great Recipients of the aerial Nitre. It is for the fame Reaſon that the Aſhes and the burning of Stubble or other Vegeta- bles, does fructify Land: And I prefer the Aſhes of Vegetables before Soot; for the Ales we certainly know will emit Salt, and the Earth of them will imbibe a new Mat- ter, as Earth from whence Salt-Petre is extracted will be impregnated with Salt-Petre again in a few Years ; but Soot, though the Water when heated upon it by the Sun may poffibly draw from thence fome Oil, (as we ſee hot Weather does from Coffee ſo prepared) I cannot learn that fixed Salt can be extracted from Soot, till there be a higher Calcina- tion; nor then, but in ſmall Quantity; for the fixed Salt draws Nitre moit: And the Spirit of Soot is drawn from a Retort filled with it, and placed in an open Fire; by which means the Soot is farther calcined, and muſt leave its Salt behind till extracted by a watry Menſtruum, when the Salt will draw the Nitre of the Air. I do not by this mean that Soot has no Virtue; for by its burning it muſt be more po- rous than Wood, and ſo imbibe more; but when the Oil, by the Heat of the Sun or actual Fire, is extracted, it is more porous ſtill, and will attract ſtronger than before : And, as I have already hinted, I believe that theſe Athes, or its Parts, of Salt and Caput Mor- tuum, Lime or Earth made dry by the Sun, do draw into their Pores the Nitre of the Air, which is again waſhed from thence by the Dews and Rain; all which help to con- vey Terreſtrial Matter to the Roots of the Plants, where they with other Moiſture, are ſucked in ; and from thence riſe to the Top, by reaſon of the Sun's making, as it were a Vacuum, after the manner as Water riſes in a Pump, and the fineſt Parts by the preſſure of the Air are driven through the Pipes, till all evaporates to a dead ftanding Plant; and then by new Fermentations it rots, and the thinneſt is driven again till the whole is brought to its firſt Principles; whereby, after the fame manner, it helps to make the other Plants. By Conſideration of what has been obſerved, it is eaſy to apprehend the Reaſon why Soap-Aſhes are ſo much coveted by the Husbandman, and eſteemed one of the beſt bulky Manures that are known : They are greedy for it, and mix it with Chalk, Lime, other Earth, or all, that a great Part of their Land may have ſome. I have mentioned Nitre often, in my Obſervations on Dungs, believing it to be the Foundation of Husbandry, which I would gladly bring to an Art: But Experience is ſtill the beſt Guide. Dungs are uſed very often in Medicine, and commended for the eaſing of moſt ſorts of Pains. Dung of Stone-Horſes is preſſed, and the Juice drank for Cholicks; that of Dogs is taken for Quinſies or ſore Throats; for Dogs eating Fleſh, their Dung abounds with volatile Salt : Man's Dung we have an Antipathy to; but by reaſon of his continual Fleſh- eating, it is the ſtrongelt of all, but not the beſt for Uſe, by reaſon it breeds Worms, and therefore is hurtful to Trees and Plants. In Retorts, Volatile Spirits may be drawn from Dung as well as Urine. If Heat and Moiſture alone, and a freedom for Plants to breathe in, were ſufficient, Dungs and Lime for Ground would not be needful, But Dung till Calcination, or per- fect Rottenneſs, will afford little or no Salt; and Lime no Salt at all. And therefore if they do not imbibe the Nitre or Spirit of the Air, I do not ſee how or which way they can be uſeful, in the Improvement of Land. Having thus far treated on the Nature of Dungs, and their probable Operation and In- fluence on Vegetation; it will be neceſſary to be a little more particular in treating of the different forts, their Uſe, and the ſeveral Methods of applying them for the Improvement of Land. I think itmay be laid down as a juſt Poſition and Maxim, that whatſoever bath active. Parts in it, if it be not juſt of the Nature of the Ground, will raiſe Improvement : Heteroge- neous Things, upon their Meeting, cauſing that Buſtle and Stir, which is thought by moſt Naturaliſts now to have great Influence upon Vegitation. The general Art there- fore Agriculture and Gardening. 51 fore of Improvement, is to adjuſt all Superinductions to the Nature of the Soil. Hot and dry Things are to be apply'd to cold and moiſt Land. And, on the contrary, cold and moiſt Things are to be apply'd to hot and dry Land. To ſay, therefore, that this or that Dung and Compoſt is beſt for all Improvements, is like a Catholicon in Phyſick, good for all Conſtitutions; which among Phyſicians is accounted an Abſurdity. Reaſon and Philoſophy, join’d with Experience, muſt then be a Guide to Practice. There are two general (tho' not the only) Misfortunes which are the Cauſes of great Barrenneſs in Land, in the two Extremes; viz. Too great Moiſture, and too great Dry- neſs. For, as too much Moiſture is an undoubted Cauſe of Sterility, fo too much Dry- neſs is the Occaſion of Poverty in Land; the Conſequence of moſt fandy and gravelly Soils, as the other is of too itrong and ſtiff a Clay : Tho' it may not be amiſs to ob- ſerve by the way, that cold wet Grounds are much more eaſily fertilized by draining, than hot Soils can ordinarily admit of by drowning and watering. Let us then try what proper Remedies may be apply'd to theſe two Extremes, before we proceed to treat of other general Improvements proper for Land. 1. To prevent Sterility occaſioned by too great Moiſture, either by Reaſon of a ſtiff untractable Clay, or by Stagnation of Water, it will be as eaſily imagined as allowed of, that Draining muſt be the original and moſt effectual Cure. For tho' Water and Moi- ſture are abſolutely neceſſary for Vegetation, yet it is manifeſt in Experience, that too much is as bad as too little ; inaſmuch as Boggineſs and Obſtructions of Springs, more or leſs, are generally the Cauſe of that cold Chillineſs that affects fome Lands, breeding Ruſh, Flags, and other uſeleſs Trumpery; and therefore, the Foundation of the Cure, and Im- provement expected, muſt be to remove this internal Cauſe, by laying the Ground dry, and draining the Bog. All I think agree, that Trenches and Outlets are the only Cure, and abſolutely neceſſa- ry for this purpoſe; tho' there have been great Diverſity of Opinions in the Methods of working and forming theſe Trenches. After all that I have ſeen and experienced, relating to the forming Trenches and Outlets; the following Method I have found to anſwer the End belt, and ſeems to be the eaſieſt and moſt natural. If the Bog hath any Declivity, begin at the loweſt Part to open a Trench three Foot wide, and work upwards till you come to the Foundation of the Diſeaſe, the Spring-Head; where alſo you muſt make ſuch Trenches, either round or croſs the Bog, as you Thall find neceſſary to drain it thorough- ly: But be ſure to go deep enough, and repeat the Trenchcs as occaſion ſerves. The more Trenches, the more ſecure you are of a Drain. Let the Trench be cut at leaſt a Spit be- low the Spring, or elſe all your Labour will be in vain. Some content themſelves to leave the Trenches open, and repair them as Neceſſity requires. But in that Caſe, I ad- viſe that the Earth taken out may not remain on the ſides of the Trenches, but be car- ried farther off, ſo as to fill up any hollow Places. However, I cannot but think it ad- viſeable (the Charge and Labour not being great) to throw in a convenient Layer of Green Wood, Elm, Sallow, or Willow-Branches, and upon that to lay the outward Turf, the Sward downwards, and ſo fill it up to a Level with what remains. This, you'll ſay, ſeems natural and eaſy enough. But the great Difficulty of all is to drain a flat Bog or over-wet Ground, lying moſt part of the Winter under Water for want of a Deſcent or Declivity to carry off the Water. I have never yet ſeen any Re- medy preſcribed for this caſe, but what has been more Charge than Profit. But if we cannot gain all we would, we muſt gain all we can: Therefore the wiſeſt way is, to be willing to loſe fome to get ſome. Mark out then a ſquare Piece (in the dryeſt Seaſon) in the middle of this Flat, bigger or leſs according to the Quantity of the Ground, and dig it fix or ſeven or eight Foot deep, diſperſing it all over the Flat, whereby the whole may be raiſed ſo as to keep its Head above Water. For ſo many Inches as you riſe in Height, juſt ſo many Inches do you get towards a Drain. And to ſome perhaps it will be thought no ſmall Acquiſition, that by this means they have gained a Fiſh- Pond. 2. Let us now then proceed to ſay ſomething of the other Extreme, viz. Sterility, oc- caſioned by too much Dryneſs, the Effect of moſt ſandy and gravelly Soils; in regard that they retain not the Rain-Water ſo well as Clay, or Land of a mixt and loamy Na- ture. One, and indeed the moit proper, Remedy for this Defect, where it can be had, is artificial Watering; which tempers the Ground, and ſets the Salts in Motion for the ſpeedy Improvement and Growth of moſt uſeful Plants, Grain and Graſs. For as Wa- ter (being always more or leſs mixt with Terreſtrial Matter) is properly a Soil, and hath an 52 A New Syſtem of an exceeding Agreeableneſs to the Bodies of moſt Vegetables; as appears by Experiments of their Growth in Water only: So there is likewiſe a very conſiderable Advantagę gain- ed to dry, ſandy and gravelly Earth, by the fat and unctuous Waſh that is carried along in Land-Floods, and Currents of Water, that having paſſed through Cities, Roads, and ſoiled Places, do ſtrangely impregnate where-ever they are diſperſed : Inſomuch as the Salts, and other mixt Soil carried away by the Flood, naturally and gradually ſubſiding, are left behind upon the Land; which mixing themſelves with the Sand, Gravel, and other heterogenious Bodies unlike themſelves, do, by the Help of the Sun, caule that Motion and Circulation of the minute Parts of Terreſtrial Matter, which by Naturaliſts is now generally thought to be the Life of Vegetation, and the true Caule of the In- creaſe of Plants. Where therefore the Situation is ſo happy as to admit this great Advantage of drawing the Water over the Land, and turning it off at Pleaſure, the Uſe of it ſhould by no means be neglected at the proper Seaſon. And there is no great Difficulty in the doing it; when once a Diſcovery is made where the Water may be conveyed, ſo as to anſwer the gene- ral Purpoſe. Cut out the Maſter-Trench, or Water-Courſe, to ſuch a Bigneſs as may contain all the Land-Flood; when the Water is brought thither, carry it in foot-broad Trenches all along the Level; and if there be diſcovered in theſe leller Trenches any Miſtake or Failing, it may eaſily be mended, by going higher to or lower from the Level, whilſt for a time the firit Trench be ſtopped up again. This done, the Water- Courſe muſt be cut out large enough to contain the whole Water intended for the Im- provement of the Land. And this Largeneſs ought to conſiſt in Breadth, and not in Depth; for a ſhallow Trench about a Foot deep is beſt for this work. Only obſerve, when the Trench is brought near to an End, it is to be brought narrower and nar- The Time for the Operation of this Improvement, muſt be when the Grafs is not much grown; that is, in Winter, or early in the Spring: Only you muſt obſerve, to let the Water dry in before you repeat the drowning, and not to let Cattle poach it ; for too much conſtant Wet rots and poiſons the Roots of the Graſs, eſpecially in ſuch Places where it ſtagnates. By this very Improvement, we have Inſtances of Land raiſed in Va- lue from Eighteen-Pence to Thirty Shillings an Acre. But yet at the ſame time it ſhould be alto noted, that there are fome Springs, whoſe Waters are rather injurious to Land, and hinder Vegetation ; fuch, for Inſtance, as flow from Coal-Mines, or any Chalybiate or fulphurious Mineral, having harſh and brackiſh Qualities hurtful to Vegetables. However, I cannot but think that even theſe Waters would make great Improvements, if diſcreetly and ſparingly uſed, and at ſuch proper Times too, when other Quantities of Water might be contrived to mix with them. But this Improvement by Floating is a Felicity not every where, and indeed but in a few Places to be obtained. Therefore it will be neceſſary to point out what Helps may be had for hot and dry Land, where the other is wanting. Let it then be remember- ed, that the moſt . cooling, moiſt, and proper Manures for hot and dry Ground, are Cow-Dung, Marle, Clay, Chalk, but eſpecially wiud taken from the bottom of Ponds; the Excellency of which is not ſufficiently underſtood, and therefore not uſed ſo much as it ought: For whether the Improvement of warm Land kept in Tillage is intended, there can be nothing better to lay on the Fallows than Mud out of the bottom of old Ponds ſpread abroad at Midſummer; or if it is to improve warm Paſtures and Meadows, nothing will better or ſooner anſwer the End, if uſed in the Autumn or Spring after 'tis mellowed by the Froft. For it not only fertilizes ſuch ſort of Land, but prevents, in a great meaſure, the diſmal Effects of a ſucceeding Drought. The Nature and Excellence of the other ſeveral Dungs, Manures, and Improvements, I ſhall ſpeak of diſtinctly by themſelves, that they may be uſed with Knowledge and Diſcretion. rower. 1 a Of Agriculture and Gardening. 53 Of the ſeveral Sorts of DUNGS ſtrictly and properly ſo called. H Ꮋ ORSE-DUNG, when taken freſh from the Stable, is of no otlier Uſe, but to give a breathing ſweating Heat to all tender Plants ſown in a convenient Depth of Earth laid upon its Surface. But its Uſe and Advantage in the way of Hot-Beds, I ſhall ſpeak of in a Place by itſelf . Therefore when I ſpeak of Horſe-Dung here, it is meant ſuch as is laid in Heaps to rot for Manure and Improvement: And this is by all agreed to be one of the beſt Dungs for general Uſe, but eſpecially for ſuch Lands as are not over- hot of themſelves; and in that Caſe it ſhould be uſed diſcreetly, and mixt with other cool- ing Dungs, ſuch as Cows and Hogs Dung, or elſe Chalk and Mud. The more it is rot- ted, the better it is for Uſe, and the eaſier carried abroad. I cannot therefore approve of a common ſlovenly Way of uſing it in many Places, where they ſuffer it to be made as a Bed in the Farm-Yard for Cattle to lye on. Whereas the oftener it is ſtirred, and the hollower it lieth, the better for rotting. For which purpoſe, about Chriſtmas it ſhould be built up in ſquare or round Heaps, and the Walls of it made perpendicular, to keep Hogs and other Cattle off from treading it; and ſo the Reſidue, as it continues to be made either from the Stable, or the Cows or Hogs, is to be thrown upon that Heap which will continue to give it a daily Fermentation. And this Heap of Dung, ſhould, if poſſible, be made in ſome Pit or hollow Place in the Yard, that the Rain-Water paſſing through it, as well as the Urine from the Horſes and Cows, (which by ſome are thought to be the richeſt Manure) may be preſerved and kept from running off. By this means the whole Dunghill will be ſo rotted by the following May or June, the Time for carry- ing it abroad, that it will cut with the Spade like Mud, and carry with it an abundant Fertility. Many content themſelves to ſpread it in the Summer as they carry it out: But others, who will be at ſome Pains for better Improvements, lay it on ſeveral little Heaps on the Fallow Land, and ſpread it afterwards before the laſt Ploughing. Twenty Load of this Dung is abundantly enough for an Acre; and it is fingularly good for Wheat and Bar- ley. If more is laid on, it makes the Land run to Weeds, and the Corn to Straw ; there- fore this middle Proportion is beſt, becauſe it is ſuppoſed to be renewed once in Three Years; except the Land be well folded with Sheep alternately, which indeed is the moſt adviſeable Method. There needs little to be ſaid of the Uſe of Cow-Dung, having already adviſed the mixing it as above, and deſcribed its Nature. Hogs-Dung heretofore was not much valued; but now it is known to be a ſtrong and moſt excellent Manure for almoit all Sorts of Land, eſpecially the hot and dry. By throwing the Refuſe of Garden-ſtuff, into the Hogs-Cott, ſeveral Loads of the beſt Dung may every Year be made ; which, beſide the Advantage of feeding the Hogs, brings no ſmall Profit to the Farmer. But in ſome Parts, on poor light ſhallow Land they fow a ſmall white Pea, which they never gather, but turn in as many Hogs to eat them as they think will be fat; and there they let them lye Night and Day, whereby their Land will be ſo enriched with Dung, that it will bring a good Sward upon it, and graze well many Years after. The Dung of Sheep is undoubtedly a rich and valuable Manure, and highly prized by thoſe who know how to uſe it; eſpecially in all cold and ſtiff Lands. But it is to be ob- ſerved, that it is much better for Tillage than Pafture; accordingly the Husbandman thinks he cannot do well without it. But becauſe it cannot be ſo conveniently gathered to- gether in Quantities as other Dung, it is commonly conveyed by folding the Sheep them- felves thereupon: By which means both the Urine and the Dung is ſaved; which ought, as ſoon as poſſible, to be turned in with the Plough, left it be expoſed and weakened too much by the Heat of the Sun. In many Places they fold their Sheep on Rye-Lands after the Rye is come up, rightly judging that the freſher the Dung is, the more it fertilizes ; and though it ſhould ſeem that the Rye is much damaged by the treading and Layer of the Sheep, yet it is found quite otherwiſe. In the open Fields the Manure ariſing from the Sheep is valued as much as the Wool; and I cannot ſee why it Thould not be uſed the ſame way amongſt Incloſures, folding the Sheep at leaſt all the Summer on the Fal- lows, and driving them again to their Paſtures in the Day-time; where the want of that Manure may be much eaſier and with greater Advantage ſupplied by Cart-Dung proper and ſuitable to the Soil. A ſtronger Sort of Dung ſtill, and much fuller of Nitre, is that which is taken from the Dove-houſe; the Dung of Pidgeons being of ſo ſtrong and hot a Nature, that if it be only ſowed upon a Crop of Corn, and Rain ſucceed to put the Salts in motion, a wonderful In- creaſe may be expected even on the moſt barren Land; and it hath the ſame Effect on P Meadow 54 A New Syſtem of Meadow-Ground for Hay. Twenty or thirty Buſhels will low an Acre, which is a very convenient Improvement, where Land lieth at a diſtance, and where other Manure cannot conveniently be carried ; only it is to be obſerved, that it anſwers but for one Year, the greateſt part of its Virtue being loſt the ſecond. The Dungs of other Poultry are all proportionably good and nitrous ; though none of them ſo ſtrong as Pidgeon-Dung. I had a Curioſity once to try the Strength of Dungs by the help of the Microſcope, which anſwered my Expectations very well . Thus: I diſſolved a ſmall Quantity of Salt-Petre in a ſpoonful of Water ; what the Point of a Needle would take up from thence, I laid on the Glaſs, and found by one of the leaſt Magnifiers a multitude of tranſparent Columns of Chryſtal of different Magnitudes, lying fome parallel and ſome tranſverſe, affording in the whole a pretty and beautiful Sight. Then I diffolved the ſame Quantity of Pidgeon's Dung in the like Quantity of Water, expecting to find ſomething of the ſame tranſparent Chryitals ; which accordingly were manifeſt to the Eye, though ſmaller and fewer in Number, becauſe mixt with other groſs Matter. I repeated the Obſervation with the Dung of Poultry, and found here and there ſome ſmall confuſed Chryſtalline Matter; the Quantity whereof was yet plainly leſs when I came to examine the Strength of Horſe and Cow-Dung. I went no further. But thus, I think, may plainly be diſcovered the proportionable Strength and Virtue of all Sorts of Dungs. 1 Concerning other MATERIALS to be uſed as Heips for Vegetation, and proper for Improve- ments. HERE is no manner of Queſtion to be made, but that all Sorts of Soils and Earths, , of what Nature ſoever, may be made more fertile and fitter for Vegetation than na- turally they are, by mixing therewith ſuch proper Materials as are found by Experience to help and aſſiſt the Powers of Nature ; inaſmuch as if they are rightly cholen, they agitate and ſet in Motion ſuch minute Parts of Terreſtrial Matter as give Life to every Plant, and thereby giving it a Power to continue and increaſe its own Kind and Species. The whole Art of Agriculture depends upon this: Inſomuch as when the Nature of the Soil, and the Quality and Quantity of all adventitious Materials to be fuperinduced is thoroughy under- ſtood, 'the whole Myſtery of Vegetation and Improvement is made plain, eaſy and familiar. For which Purpoſe, I cannot but recommend, what I think is univerſally agreed on to be moſt agreeable to Reaſon as well as Experience, viz. the Aſhes * of any manner of burnt Vegetables; for by ſuch Burning is waſted the more phlegmatick and uſeleſs Moiſture, and at the ſame time are fixed the more folid and ſubſtantial Parts of Vegetable Nature. This Effect the Fire is obſerved to have on the Turf or Surface of the Earth full of Roots and Fibres. For the oily Matter, that is left by the Fire in a moderate proportion applied to any Earth, highly enriches it; as appears by the vulgar Experiment of Denſhiring or Burn- bating of Land, which by that means yield ſo fair Crops of all Sorts of Grain. In which Operation the Ruſtick obſerves, that over-burning the Turf is rather injurious than help- ful: Which is exactly agreeable to an Obſervation I have made in Wiltſhire upon Salisbury Plain. For where they have happened to lay up the Turfs in too great Heaps, the ex- cefſive Fire and Heat required to reduce them to Aihes, hath been nicely obſerved to over- burn the Earth; inſomuch that the Salts or Spirits, ſo neceſſary to Vegetation, and ſo much fought for by that Practice, plainly evaporate and fly away; which yet a more mo- derate Heat, by laying the Materials on leffer Heaps, would prevent, and the Husband- man's Expectations would be better anſwered. For indecd, the Reaſon is plain, as was hinted before; In the burning of any Vegetable, a gentle, eaſy and ſmothering Fire doth not waſte the volatile nitrous Spirit ſo much as a quick one; but cauſeth much more of it to fix and remain behind. Fixt Salts, that are thus obtained, are the grand and principal Treaſure ſo much fought for and celebrated for Improvements of Land, to render it more fruitful; although there are many other Salts near in Affinity to theſe, that do alſo greatly meliorate and fertilize the Earth. As, for inſtance, Rags of all Sorts, as well Linnen as Woollen; as alſo Shreads of Leather, old Shoes, Hats and Stockings. All theſe refuſe Things, generally thrown away as worth nothing, have a marvellous Virtue in them for fertilizing Land for Corn; eſpecially if they be cut into ſmall Pieces, and ſtrewed upon the Fallows. One Load of theſe refuſe Things is valued by the Farmers in Hartfordſhire, as worth more than Ten Load * ne pudet Effetos cinerem immundum jactare per Agros. VIRG. of Agriculture and Gardening. 55 of the beſt Dung; and accordingly they fetch them at a great Expence from London, where they can get them in Quantities. I have often wondered to ſee them lye neglected in ſuch populous Places as Newcaſtle and Sunderland, even to the great Annoyance of the High- Ways ; from whence yet the Farmers fetch Dung from all Quarters, at a pretty great Ex- pence. It is to be hoped they will ſoon grow wiler, when once they come to underſtand fuch Wiſdom will make them rich. Beſides theſe, there are a great many other refuſe Things, which contain in them a rich fertile Salt. Afhes of all sorts are very good; but the beſt are thoſe from the Sea-Coal, eſpecially for cold Land, and the Meadow or Paſture- Ground; for it is obſerved to have a ſtrange Property of making the Soil run much to Clover-Graſs or Trefoil, which of all others is the ſweeteſt and the richeſt Feed for Cattle. Throughout the whole Biſhoprick of Durham (one of the fineſt, I think, and richeſt Counties in Great-Britain) there are vaft Quantities of theſe Aſhes made, on the Account of the great Plenty of Coal-Mines found therein; of which I ſhall ſpeak more in its proper Place. But whereas every, even the meaneſt Family, is ſupplied and refreſhed with plenty of Fuel at a trifling Expence, the Aſhes of Sea-Coal are made in ſuch great abundance, that it is ſurpriſing to obſerve what Riches, what valt Improvements have of late Years been made all over the Country, ſince they came to underſtand and experience the fertili- zing Nature of theſe Aſhes. But indeed, the late Improvements are ſtill much greater near all populous Places along the Sea-Coafts, where great Quantities of Sea-Sand are made uſe of by the cleanly Houſewives : For That mixing with the Aſhes and other Kitchen and Stable Dung, not only increaſeth the Quantity, but alſo improves the Quality, heightening and fermenting the fertilizing Nature of Both; agreeable to that Maxim already laid down, That heterogeneous Soils or Dungs, and Soils of the moſt contrary Nature, are moſt proper and moſt neceſſary for Vegetation. But indeed Sea-Sand is of itſelf à noble Manure for all Clay cold Land, having a double Influence there, by adding to the Salts of the Earth ; and as it ſeparates the Parts of the Clay, helps to put thoſe Salts in Motion. Wherefore it is very adviſeable to fetch the Sea-Sand from ſuch Places, where it has been lately overflowed with the Tides, while it is yet moiſt and well impregnated with the Salt Water; and not from ſuch Places, where it has lain ſome time dry, and is become ſlippery. The not obſerving this, hath been the Oc- caſion of great Diſappointment to the Farmer's Expectation. For barren Sand, though it may be good to ſeparate the Parts of a Clay-Soil, that of itſelf is rich enough, and ſo dif- poſe it for Vegetation; yet it will not fertilize hungry Land, except it be well impregna- ted with Salts, or with ſomething analogous to it, viz. Nitre, Sulphur, or ſome fat unctu- ous Waſh of Earth. This is that which makes what is commonly called Drift-Sand ſo very valuable; that is to ſay, all ſuch Soil and Sand as is wont to be driven on Heaps in Brooks, or Rivers, by Land-Floods in the Winter or Spring; which being forced from the Surface of the Up- Lands, either Tillage or Paſture, impregnated by Manure or Dung of Cattle, hath an un- common Fertility in it; and therefore ſhould be highly prized by the Husbandman, and carried in proper Seaſon to ſuch Up-Lands as moſt want it. Sir Hugh Plat recommends the Uſe of Soap-Afhes after the Boilers have done with them, both for Corn and Graſs. The common Allowance is eight Load to an Acre; and if it is laid ſomething thick where Furze, Broon, and Fern grow, it is thought it will entirely deſtroy them, eſpecially if applied after grubbing at Midſummer. Soot is, I think, generally agreed on to be a good Manure for all cold Lands, and it is equally good both for Paſture and Tillage. Forty Buſhels laid upon an Acre will do Won- ders, eſpecially if it be Soot from Sea-Coal, which is much the ſtrongeſt and fulleſt of Nitre. Malt-Duſt is another great Improver of Land. And upon a Crop of Barley, which is obſerved to be weak and faint in May, if it be lowed by the Hand, as they do the Seed, it will give a ſtrange Life and Increaſe to it, eſpecially if Rain follow. It ſeems to be near as ſtrong, and to have the ſame Effects, and conſequently ſhould be uſed much in the fame manner as Pidgeons-Dung: Forty Buſhels of it may be allowed to an Acre; but you muſt expect the Advantage only in one Crop. Tanners-Bark, Saw-Duit, Fiſh, Fleſh; Bones, Hair, Horns; Hoofs, and Skins of Beaſts, are all generally known to add very much to the Improvement of Land, laid on in due Time and Proportion. And there is one Thing more which I cannot but mention, as containing a great deal of Salt, and therefore an improver of Land; and that is, Sea-Weeds of all forts, but eſpecially what is generally known by the Name of Wear; of which by Burning they make Kilp, the chief Ingredient now of late made uſe of for making Glaſs . This Weed is oft-times of a large Subitance, growing chicfly on ſuch Rocks as are cove- red 56 A New Syſtem of red at High-Water, and from thence is waſhed by the Waves on the Shores in great Quantities. From whence it might eaſily be gathered in Heaps, and carried away to the neighbouring Fallows, to the great and almoſt incredible Improvement of a ſingle ſucceed- ing Crop of Wheat or Barley. All theſe Materials before-mention'd as proper for Improvements, are ſtill further improv'd by diſcreetly mixing them together, and by giving them a ſeaſonable Fermentation; and if Convenience and Leiſure permit, the beſt way is, near the Houſe and in the Farm-Yard, to make a Pit in Length and Breadth according to the Quantity of Soil, paving it with Stone or Chalk, that it may detain the Moiſture of the Dung in order its better Rotting and Fermentation. And becauſe over-much or haſty Rains are apt to carry away the Salt of the Dung with it, which is the chief cauſe of its Fertility, it will be proper to lay it as thick on Heaps as may be, rounded at the Top like an Egg, covering it alſo with Turf to prevent the Sun and Wind from exhaling and drying up its Virtue. For the well pre- paring of Dung, and the Increaſe of its Quantity, is an Art that ought to be well ſtudied by the Husbandman, as a Thing of the laſt Importance towards the enriching both him- ſelf and his Farm: This being a certain Truth, that the Encreaſe of the Crop will make an Encreaſe of the Dung; and ſo, on the contrary, a Decay and Failure in the Dung, makes a Decay and Failure in the Crop: And therefore (always including the Bleſſing of God) the Whole of the Profit, and the Value of the Farm, depends upon a due Care of thoſe two Points. It will now eaſily be thought that I have hitherto forgot ſome material Articles relating to Improvement, and fuch too as have been found by repeated Experience to be great Helps both to the Grazier and the Farmer. But I have choſen to reſerve them for Chapters by themſelves, becauſe their Nature and Ule is ſomething more difficult and intricate ; and yet deſerve to be thoroughly underſtood. Of LIME. IT T is not many Years ſince Lime was brought into ſo great Repute, and become of ſuch general Uſe in the Way of Husbandry and Improvement of Corn Land. But it is 110w ſo well underſtood, and ſo much coveted, that the induſtrious Farmer thinks almoſt no Pains or Coft too much to procure it. But neither is the Knowledge and Uſe of This become ſo univerſal as it ought; and therefore I ſhall briefly de cribe its Nature, and re- commend its Uſe, where it can be had at any tolerable eaſy rate, as being ſo noble an Im- prover of Tillage. Lime is commonly_made of Chalk, or of any Sort of Stone, that is neither fandy, nor porous and cold, as Free-Stone, &c. All Sorts of grey Stone, ſuch as, if you break it, will yield a white Powder; all Sorts of Marble, Alabaſter, Slate, Oyſter, and other Sea-fiſh Shells; as likewiſe Flints will make an extraordinary Lime, though they be hard to burn: For the harder the Chalk and the Stones are, the better is the Lime. All ſorts may be burnt with Wood, Coals, Furze or Fern. And ſuch is the Felicity of the County Palatine of Durham, that through the very Middle of the County runs a large Vein of the beſt Lime-ſtone in England, generally pretty eaſy to win, and at the ſame time the beſt Coal in almoſt every part to burn it with. Chalk is commonly burnt in twenty-four Hours; but the right Lime-ſtone oft takes up fixty. This Laft, as it is beſt for all other Uſes, ſo it is obſerved to be beſt for Land; chiefly for light ſandy Soils, or loamy mixt Gravels. It is carried upon the Fallows in Summer, and laid in ſmall Heaps till Rain comes to diſſolve it; and then it is ſpread abroad. Some mix Mud or freih Earth with it, aud ſometimes Cow-Dung; all theſe tending to fix and ſtay the Salts contained therein. Thoſe that are moſt acquainted with the Uſe of it, generally allow a hundred and fifty Buſhels to an Acre; but its Nature being to work downwards, as Chalk, it will not laſt above four or five Crops; and therefore if there be any Declivity in the Land, it is adviſeable to lay the Subſtance of it chiefly on the upper Part; for it will much of it ſoon waſh down to the lower. Of late Years, many of the Moors and waſte Grounds in ſome Parts of the Biſhoprick of Durham and in Northumberland, that were thought cold, barren and good for Nothing, are now turned into Arable Land; and ſo far improved by Lime and Incloſures, that what was not worth above One Shilling an Acre, is now become worth Twenty. And after ha- ving ſaid this, I think I need not add any thing farther to recommend the Uſe of Lime, although it ſhould be ferched eight or ten Miles off. Of Agriculture and Gardening 57 Of CHAL K. W HEN I ſpeak of Chalk here, I mention it not as a Land itſelf to be improved, but as a ſuperinduced Soil and Manure for other Land of a contrary Nature. There are ſeveral ſorts of Chalk for ſeveral Uſes : Some are ſo hard and ſo little apt to dif- folve, that they are by no means proper for Land, till burnt into Lime; the excellent Virtues and Properties whereof you have already heard. However, there are other, and thoſe the more general ſorts, that are more unctuous and ſoluble; which being laid crude on Lands, either Paſture or Tillage, when once diffolved by Froſts and Rains, cauſe great Fertility; eſpecially on ſuch Lands as are apt to loſe the Riches of Dungs laid on them, and to forget in a little time that they have had any kind and indulgent Benefactor. Here Chalk is of excellent Uſe to drive away ſuch Ingratitude, having a retentive Quality to encloſe and ſtay the Salts. According to which Obſervation it hath been alſo found, that if Land, which is chalked, is not at the ſame time kept in Heart by a mixture of Dung, it will receive but little Benefit by repeated Chalking: So that tho’ for a time it may make the Tenant rich, yet it may ſo happen that it will make the Lanlord poor. For which Reaſon, the moſt approved Practice for a lafting Succeſs, is to mix a convenient Quantity of rich Earth, or Dungs of Animals, or Vegetables, laying all together up in Heaps to ferment and incorporate. One Load of Chalk to two Loads of Dung, or other rich Earth, is a much better and more laſting Manure than Dung alone; eſpecially for all cold, four, gravelly Land, where it will cauſe an abundant Fertility. On Tillage it will produce incredible Crops of Corn for ſeveral Years together, if about twenty Loads of the aforeſaid Compoſition be laid on an Acre; and when the Time of Tillage is expired, twenty or thirty Load of Chalk alone will do Wonders upon an Acre of Meadow or Pa- ſture; having with it that ſingular good Quality of ſweetening the Graſs, thereby cauſing all ſorts of Cattle to thrive and grow fat ſpeedily, as well as Cows to give ſweet and thick Milk. Mr. Mortimer tells us of a good ſaving way of digging Chalk in Kent, which it may not be amiſs to inform the Reader of, viz. where they dig it on the ſides of Hills, they un- dermine the Bottom of the Chalk ſo far as they would have it fall; and upon the Top, ſo far as they have undermined the Bottom, they dig a ſmall Trench, which they fill with Water; which in about a Night's Time will ſoak to the Bottom, and cauſe a Flake from Top to Bottom to fall the Breadth of the Place undermined; which faves a great deal of Labour and Danger: But as Chalk in moſt Places lieth a great Depth under the Earth, there they commonly dig for it in the ſame manner as the Miners carry on the Shafts of their Mines, and draw it up with Buckets. N. B. What hath been ſaid above concerning the Nature of Chalk, and its Uſe for Improvement of Land, may be applied alſo to moſt ſorts of rich Clays, ſuch eſpecially as are apt to fall when well foaked with Rain. And if they are uſed with Diſcretion, and in the abovelaid Proportion laid on Land of a quite contrary Nature, they will produce much the ſame delireable Improvements; which yet will be better underſtood, when I lave ſpoke ſomething more particularly of the Nature of Clay and clayey Land. CLA Of CLAY, and CL AYE Y L AND. L AY is one of the ſorts of Earths that is uſeful for a great many Purpoſes relating both to Husbandry and Trade. And of Clay there are vaſt Varieties, as they are mixed with various Proportions of Sand or other Matter : A Liſt of ſome of which is to be found in the Philoſophical Tranſactions; and is as follows. Fullers Earth. Yellowiſh, at Brickhill in Northamptonſhire; and under the Yorkſhire Woolds : Brown, about Hallifax: White, in Derbyſhire Lead-Mines : Boli, in Cleveland, at Linton upon Wharf : Pale yellow, in the Marle-pit at Ripley: Cow-ſhot Clay, or the Soap-Scale lying in Coal-Mines : A dark blue Clay, or Marle, at Tolthorp, Harſh and Duſly when dry. Creta, ſo called, or the Milk White Clay of the Iſle of Wight : The Potters pale yellow Clay of Wakefield Moor : The blue Clay of Bullingbrooke Pottery in Lincolnſhire : A blue Clay in Bugthorp Beck, and at Yelvertoft in Northamptonſhire ; in which the Aſtroites are found : Yellow Clay, in the Seains of the Red-Sand Rock at Bilbro: Fine Red Clay, in Red-Sand Rock, at Bilbro and Rippon : A ſoft Chalky blue Clay, and a ſoft Chalky red Clay, at Buttercrain, Stoney when dry : A Red Stone Clay, in the o 58 A New Syſtem of ing A the Banks of Whitcar Beck, near Leppington; and at Houfam : A Blue Stone Clay, at the ſame Places : Clunch, a White Stone Clay in Cambridgeſhire, mixt with round Sand or Peb- ble: The yellow Loam of Skipwith Moor, Yorkſhire : A Red Sandy Clay in the Right- hand Bank of the Road beyond Collingham, near the Lime-Kilns: A Red Sandy Clay in the Red-Sand Rock near Rippon, with flat or thin Sand, glittering with Mica : Crouch White Clay in Derbyſhire, of which the Glaſs Pots are made at Nottingham : Grey, or Blueiſh Tabacco-Pipe Clay at Hallifax : A Red Clay in the Red-Sand Rock at Rother- bam. This List of CLAYS amounts to two and twenty forts ; and doubtleſs there are many others in this Kingdom. The Clay moſt defireable for the Husbandman's Ule, has in it about a fourth part of fine Sand, with a little Quantity of Salt; being an Alkali; endued with ſome Particles of Iron, which may be drawn forth by the Load-ſtone. Se- veral Chymiſts allow the Moiſture of all Earths to be compoſed of the Spirit of the Air about the Place it is found; and ſo, as it ſucks in the Rain, Snow, or Dew, it ſucks in all that can be carried with them; and from thence, by Chymical Art, may ſuch Mat- ter be extracted : Although it is probable, that the ſtiffer the Clay is, the leſs it receives from the Air ; becauſe in a great meaſure it reſiſts the Penetration of Water, which with the Cloſeneſs of it, that hinders in ſome meaſure the growing of Plants through, may be the Reaſon of its tending ſo much to Barrenneſs. But the more it is mixt with Sand, or other Matter that keeps it aſunder, (except in too great a Quantity) the more Nitre it receives, and is the more fruitful. Exceeding thick Clay is worſt for the Husbandman; but that mixed with Sand, black Mould, or other Earth, in ſuch a degree of Stiffneſs as to bear Wheat, Barley, Beans, or other hard Corn, I take to be good Land, for it will diſſolve and receive the Rains and Nitre; ſuch is Hazle-Mould, which is chiefly a Compoſition of Clay and black Mould; and this is of ſuch a Temper as to be tolerably good for moſt forts of Cern: But as it tends more to Clay, it is fitter for the hardeſt Corn, as is the black Mould or Sand for the lighter; and if it be in Extremes, it muſt be mended by Superinductions. The Culture of that Land which tends moft towards Clay, and is called Clay-Ground, tould be agreeable to the Practice of Staffordſhire, Northamptonſhire, and Leiceſterſhire; where they keep it (if it lies in a Common Field) always in Tillage, fowing it two Years, and let- ting it lie fallow the third. They lay it in Ridges, or otherwiſe, according to the Temper of their Land; and make their Fallows towards the latter End of March, or Beginning of April, a little before the ſecond Ploughing, which is commonly about the Middle of June. It is manured generally with Cow or Horſe-Dung, unleſs when folded with Sheep; then it is immediately ſpread, and caſt under Furrow with the Plough, left the Rain and Sun ſhould weaken it. About the latter End of Auguft it is ploughed again to kill the Weeds, and turn up the Manure, that ſo they may return it again to their Seed at the laft Ploughing, when they fow, which is uſually the Week before or after Michaelmas. The Land thus prepared is ſown with Wheat, &c. as directed under Ploughing and Sown ing : Bat if Clay or light Land be incloſed, they are capable of Improvement by Marle, elpecially Salt-Marle, which with Rain runs like Lime, and never binds the ſtiffeſt Clay, but loofeneth, ſo that after eight or nine Crops it yields good Graſs : Whereas Clay-Marle ſo binds the Surface, that though there will be ſeven or eight Crops of Corn, yet the Ground is ill diſpoſed for Graſs, unleſs well manured with Muck and Lime mixed; which ſome lay on a Fallow, others when they plough for Corn; either Way it will produce two or three Crops more, and fo mend the binding Quality of the Marle, that the Land will yield as good Graſs as if otherwiſe improved. If Clay be mixed with Gravel or Sand (which is not often very rich) it hath much the fame Tillage as Clay and light Mould; but it is uſually fown with what is called Muncorn, or Miſcellane, in the Place of Wheat. By what hath been ſaid, it may eaſily be perceived that Clay laid on ſandy Ground makes a great Improvement : And barren Clays may be much more improved by Sea- Sand, when managed as follows: The Land muſt be well ploughed and hacked, and have ſixty or eighty Buſhels of Sea-Sand on every Acre, well ſpread and mixed among it; and after that at leaſt forty or fifty Buſhels of Lime as well mixed; and then good ſtore of Ox, Cow, or Horſe-Dung, rotted Straw, Mud of Lakes, &c. which is to be done between the Beginning of May and the End of September. In Oftober this Land ſhould be ploughed again deeper than before, and alſo hacked and harrowed to have it fine; which done, it muſt be plentifully fown with the beſt Wheat for the firſt two Years; and the next (by a Folding of Sheep) with Barley; the next three years with Oats ; and the ſeventh it may be lown with Garden-Peaſe or Beans ; after which, if laid down Agriculture and Gardening. 59 down, it will yield good Grafs. In Places where Sea-Sand cannot be gotten, Liming is good Husbandry, with the fowing of two Buſhels of dry Bay-Salt; as alſo Brining and Liming the Seed. Mr. Evelyn gives ſeveral Accounts of Clays, all tenacious of Water on the Surface, where it ſtagnates and chills the Plant; and in dry Seaſons it hardens with the Sun and Wind; ſo that moſt Clays of themſelves are pernicious and untractable. The Blue, White, and Red Clay, if ſtrong, are to be ſure all unkind; the ſtony and looſer ſometimes tolerable; but the light Brick Earth will do very well with molt Fruit-Trees. But un- mixed Clay is rightly enough called a curſt Step-Dame to almoſt all Vegetation ; having few or no Paſſages for the receiving of Nouriſhing Showers, or Expanſion of the Roots, and at the ſame time cloſing and fixing the earthy Particles proper for Vegetation. The white and blue Clay (commonly the beſt Paſture) are worſt for Wood; but the Oak will proſper in it, and for Toughneſs is to be preferred; for Chaucer's great Oak grew in a gravelly Clay, moiſtened with ſmall and frequent Springs. It is by all allowed, that the Fir , Pine, Pitch-Tree will thrive mainly in a clayey Soil: But Foreſt-Trees ought to be ſer near the Surface in the moiſt Clays. For mending of ſtubborn Clays, Laxatives are preſcribed, ſuch as Sand, Gravel, Saw- Duft, Marle and Chalk ; but, above all, Sea-Sand and Burning. Many commend Rotten Wood, and Soot, nd Rubbiſh of Brick and Lime-ſtones to be laid at Bottom, with Compoſts of Dung on the Top: By digging of deep Trenches in Graſs-Ground, it will be a great Improvement of a clayey Soil; for this Land ought to lie dry for Grafs. And beſides what relates to Culture, Clay is very uſeful in ſuch light Grounds where Ponds are wanting, and the Water finks all away. Here, if Clay be well rammed, and upon that a good Pitching of Stones be laid, Water may be preſerved to good Purpoſe. As to Tobacco-Pipe Clay, a good fort of it is gotten at Northampton, at a Flace near Pool in Dorſetſhire, and in the Iſle of Wight; where it is dug in ſquare Pieces of the big- neſs of about half a Hundred Weight each ; from thence it is brought to London, and fold at about Twenty Shillings the Tun. This Clay, while green or freſh, feels fat and flippery, like Soap, and glittens ; it will fetch out Greaſe like Fullers Earth; and being dried before worked, and afterwards watered, it will work like Paſte, from which are taken Pieces big enough to make Pipes, &c. Clay is the uſual Wrapper (mixed with Horſe-Dung and Water) for Trees grafted. It makes Walls for Houſes, for the poorer ſort of People, being well tempered and mixed with Straw. When Coals have been dear, Lumps of Clay, mixed with the ſmalleſt Coal, have been uſed for Fewel; and by help of Fire it makes a great many good Manufactures, If Clay be laid on dry to any Wound or Ulcer, it will ſuck up ſome of the Moiſture, and with it fome foul Matter will ſtick, and be taken off; and ſo the drier and cooler the Wound or Ulcer is, the ſooner it will heal. MARLE, its Improvement of Lands. M ARLE is not improperly called the Ointment of the Earth : For it is a ſlippery ſort of Earth, like Caftile-Soap to the outward Touch, and will crumble or diſa folve. We are told of five ſorts of Marle ; the Cowſhut Marle, Stone or Shale Marle, Peat or Delving Marle, Clay Marle, and Steel Marle; the great Advantages of all which are very obvious and rational. Mr. Evelyn, in his Philoſophical Diſcourſe of Earth, ſays, Marle is commonly met with and taken out of Pits at ſeveral Depths, and is of divers Colours, Red, White, Grey, Blue; all unctuous, of a flippery Nature: The beſt is moſt pure and unmixed, for it ſooner re- lents after a Shower, and when dried ſlackens, and crumbles into Duſt, without grow- ing hard again. Marle is of excellent Uſe to fix light Sand and dry Grounds : Some are for the White and Grey, and others the Blue and Red, according as it is more or leſs apt to reſolve af- ter wetting; but it is to be obſerved, that neither of them diſcover their Virtue till after the firſt Year. It does incomparably well on Paſtures; and ſome, if right mixed, on Ara- ble. But it has been diſputed, whether Marle has any fertilizing Qualities of itſelf, be- cauſe it doth not ſend forth the firſt Year: But without doubt its lying a Year above Ground, and being calcined by the Sun, makes it a fit Recipient for the Nitre of the Air, which is judged to be one grcat Cauſe of Fertility, We 60 A New Syſtem of We are told, that at Dunhead St. Andrews, their White Marle for ſeven or eight Years bringeth great Profit, and ſeven Years more it will do the ſame with Sheepfold and Fod- dering, &c. but after twenty Years it hath been weakly reckoned ill for the Soil; al- though repeated Practice contradicts it. It is the Practice of ſome to burn Marle as Lime; and ſo uſed, it is thought, it much improves the Land: For three good Crops may be had from a Marling, viz. Wheat, Peaſe, and Wheat again. It is ulual to lay Three Hundred Loads on an Acre raw ; bue Sixty Loads when burnt will do : 'And it is obſervable, burnt Marle makes mighty ſweet Feed for Cattle. Lay Marle out in the beginning of Winter, and it cloſes like Clay, if the Wet take it ; but Dung, and Soil, or Lime, cures it again. I take this to be a farther Argument for Nitre, and that what we lay on Land is chiefly to receive it ; for you ſee when it is firſt filled with Wet, there is no room for Nitre ; but when it is warmed by Dung, &c. that cauſes a Ferment, and it grows drier ; then it is good again. The Signs of blue Marle is, when in Ditches, Highways, &c. in fair Weather the Ground is candied like a white Froſt, which is the Nitre in the Marle, and what proper- ly ſpeaking makes it fo fruitful ; and its only Quality is reckoned to be the chief Cauſe of its contracting ſo much of the Salt or Nitre of the Air : For which Reaſon moſt think, the longer it is expoſed to the Air the better ; which juſtifies the P. - tice of thoſe who lay it on Graſs-Ground three or four Years before they admit the Plough, and then alſo take care not to plough above an Inch into the natural Soil, left it be buried or work too much downwards, as it is very apt to do; though not ſo much as Lime. There are ſeveral Ways of diſcovering and diſtinguiſhing Marles, and their Goodneſs : But their being ſuch great Varieties, to give any one general certain Rule, is hardly por- ſible. Its oily unctuous flippery Nature, diſcoverable by the Touch, is a very good Indi- cation of a right fort, eſpecially if it be pure and unmixt, and will diſſolve in Water. However, thole which are not unmixt, and are of a hard Nature when firſt dug, are not to be rejected; becauſe Froſt, Rain and Sun-fhine will diſſolve them, and diſcover their good and fertilizing Qualities. There are few Counties in England deftitute of it : But happy are they who have Land near it, wanting to be improved. Amongſt the reſt of the Riches of the Biſhoprick of Durham, this allo is found in many Places in great abun- dance, eſpecially at or near the Lime-ſtone Quarries : And although the Husbandmen do not generally come into this Improvement, for want of a right Knowledge ; yet it is hardly credible to report what Wonders it will do when rightly adjuſted and proportion- ed. For herein indeed lieth the great Myſtery and the chief Advantage, to ſuit the Land and the Marle together. Neither can there herein be given any other more certain and ge- neral Rule than this, That Contrarieties being the Principles on which the Improvements in Vegetation are founded; Marle being of a cooling, binding and ſaddening Nature, all light, open and warm Land is a fit Recipient for it; and ſo, on the contrary, moſt forts of Clay being in their own Nature cold and binding, will be rather prejudiced by it: Though even in this Conſideration the Nature both of the Clays and the Marles ought to be well underſtood before their Mixture be rejected. Therefore, upon the whole, inſtead of giving more general Rules, which would admit of great Exceptions, I would adviſe Trials and Experiments in ſmall Quantities. Try a Load or two upon each particular ſort of Soil you have, and in different Proportions ; and according to the Succeſs from your Judg- ment and your Practice : And by this means you will ſoon diſcover better and furer Rules, by which to know the Riches and Profit of Marle, than can be afforded by any Reaſon- ing or Philoſophical Differtation. I have already obſerved, that light, fandy and gravelly Soils are fitteſt for the heavy Nature of Marle ; but yet, I believe, the greateſt Difficulty relating to Clays would be removed, if the Land lay perfectly dry. However, all mixed Soils, be they never ſo poor and not apt to be floated, will receive unqueſtionable Benefit. It may be laid on, either before or after Winter; and as to the Proportion or Quantity, it is better to err in laying too little than too much. The common Practice is from two Hundred to four Hundred Load to an Acre : But as its Nature is ſomething like that of Lime, to work downwards ; if the Field lie on a ſlope, the beſt way is to lay the greateſt Part on the greateſt Eleva- tion. From hence, however, it will be eaſily gathered, that the moſt deſireable Situation for Marle, is a Flat, or ſomething near it. When ſuch Land is marled with Diſcretion, or with a Judgment formed from Experience, you may behold it as vaſtly improved for at leaſt Thirty Years. Only it is to be noted, that if you keep it in Tillage and Paſture interchangeably, (which is indeed moſt adviſeable) you muſt give it a ſprinkling of Dung for every Crop of Wheat ; and this will keep the Land in a perfect State of Health, and help to looſen the binding Quality of the Marle. BLOOD Agriculture and Gardening. 61 B BLOOD, its Uſe in Improvement of Land, &c. LOOD is uſeful to many Purpoſes. At the Wyches in Cheſhire, the Salt is purified with Blood; I preſume, for the ſame Reaſon, we purify other Matters with Whites of Eggs. But what is to our preſent Purpoſe, is, that Blood is an excellent Dung, having in itſelf all the Principles of Fertility, becauſe ’tis alkalous, as we ſee by Spirit of Blood; and imbibes the Nitre, as indeed all Animal Subſtances will. Mr. Evelyn, in his Philoſophical Diſcourſe of Earth, ſays, Blood is an excellent Mixture almoſt with any Soil, even where Fruits are planted, eſpecially Mural; and of great Advantage to the Grape, poured about the Roots diluted. He tells us, that after the Battle of Badnum in Devon- ſhire, the Blood of the Slain did ſo fertilize the Fields, where Corn had been ſown a little before, that the Year following produced ſo extraordinary a Crop, as moſt of the Wheat- Stalks bare from two to fourteen Ears. The Owner, by Reaſon of its treading, thought to have re-lown the Land, but was diſſuaded from it, and it happened as above. Mr. Evelyn alſo ſays, that Lime tempered with Blood extraordinarily improves its fertilizing Quality, and this is caus’d, I preſume by its ſpiritous Nature. It is generally thought that the old Walls, ſo remarkable for their impenetrable Hard- neſs, have had their Mortar fix'd up with Both; the Gluineſs whereof has ſo well held it together, as it hath grown into a Stone. Some, when they have ſalted Beef, and bar- reld it up, will rub the Joinings at each End with Blood; and when it is dry, it will ſerve as Roſin to keep the Veſſel tight and free from Air. Blood makes very good Medicines; and from it may be drawn Spirits, Oil, &c. like thoſe of Hartſhorn: And it is not doubted but it will make good Oil of Aſper, to catch Fiſh with. Since then the Blood of all ſorts of Animals in its Nature, and for outward Applications, is ſo uſeful to Mankind; what pity is it (ſay many learned and good Divines) that any Portion of it ſhould be waſted in hightening an unnatural Savour to Meats and Sauces, whilſt they ſee a Prohibition appearing with, and carrying ſuch a Face of Authority, as * Scripture, Councils, Canons, Fathers, Imperial Conſtitutions, and univerſal Practice, un- leſs in theſe Weſtern Parts of the World. Modeſty, and a becoming Deference to the Opinion and Practice of good and great Men, more learned and wiſer than my ſelf, readily reſtrain me from interpoſing or calling in queſtion the Judgment of Thoſe, who juſtify their Practice, and the Indulgence, from thoſe general Words of our Saviour, (Matth. xv. 11.) I ſhall therefore only call in the modeft obſervations of my learned and often cited Author, Mr. Evelyn, who expreſſes himſelf † “ In wonder how it happened, that ſo ſtrict, ſo ſolemn, and famous a Sanction, " not upon a ceremonial Account, but (as ſome affirm) a moral, and perpetual from Noah, " to whom the Conceſſion of eating Fleſh was granted, and that of Blood forbidden, “ Tould not to this Day be once revoked ; and whilſt there alſo ſeem to lie fairer Proofs " than for moſt other Controverſies agitated among Chriſtians, ſhould be ſo generally " forgotten, and give Place to ſo many other impertinent Diſputes and Cavils about ſu- “perſtitious Fopperies, which frequently end in Blood and cutting of Throats. As to the Reaſon of this Prohibition, its favouring of Cruelty excepted; and that by « Galen, and other experienced Phyſicians, the eating of Blood is condemned as unwhole- " fome, cauſing Indigeſtions and Obſtructions ;) if a poſitive Command of Almighty God were not enough, it ſeems ſufficiently intimated, becauſe Blood was the Vehicle of the “ Life and Animal Soul of the Creature ; for what other myſterious Cauſe, as happily “ its being always dedicated to expiatory Sacrifices, &c. it is not for Us to enquire. It “ is ſaid, that Juſtin Martyr being asked, why the Chriſtians of his Time were permitted " the Eating of Fleſh and not the Blood, readily anſwered; That God might diſtinguiſh " them from Beaſts, which eat them both together. It is likewiſe urged, that by the Apo- “ ſtolical Synod, (when the reſt of the Jewiſh Ceremonies and Types were aboliſhed) this “ Prohibition was mentioned as a Thing s neceſſary, and ranked with Idolatry, which was not to be local or temporary, but univerſally enjoyned to converted Strangers and “ Proſelytes, as well as Jews : Nor could the Scandal of neglecting to obſerve it concern " them alone, after ſo many Ages as it was and ſtill is in continual Uſe, and thoſe who “ tranſgreſſed ſo ſeverely puniſhed, as by an Imperial Law to be ſcourged to Blood and Deut. xii, 16, 23. Deut. * Gen, ix, 4. Lev. iii. 17. Lev. vii. 26, 27. Lev. xix. 26. Ezek. xxxiii. 25. Afts xy. 20, 29. XV. 23. 1 Sam. xiv. 32, 33. † Acetarin, Page 157. § Acts xv. 20, 29. R Lev. xvii. 1o. Acts xxi, 25. 66 Bone. 62 A New Syſtem of F « Bone. Indeed, ſo terrible was the Interdiction, that Idolatry excepted (which was alfo 66 moral and perpetual) nothing in Scripture ſeems to be more expreſs. But this by the way. URINE, for Improvement of Land, &c. OR Improvement of Land, Mr. John Woolridge, in his Syftema Agriculturæ, tells lis, that the Dutch carefully preſerve their Urine to enrich their Ground. Columella ſays, old Urine is excellent for the Roots of Trees; that a Woman near Canterbury ſaved her Cows Urine to ſprinkle on her Meadow, which at firſt made the Graſs look yellow, but afterwards it grew wonderfully; and that Man's Urine is of great Uſe for the ſame pur- poſe. And without doubt, notwithſtanding what ſome Writers ſay to the contrary, it is of very great Service. The Obſervation of its poiſonous Nature, and its mortifying Trees and Plants where it falls, is what has brought it into diſrepute with ſome. But that is only the indiſcreet uſe of it, by the Application of too great a Quantity, that makes it noxious ; for even Dung itſelf will have the fame Effect for a time, where it is laid too thick. Therefore to make it anſwer the Ends of Vegetation, it ſhould always be diſ- creetly mixed with Earth or Dung, before it is applied : For as it is alkalous, like Lime and Dung, it imbibes the aerial Nitre; and the ftaler it is, it is more impregnated, and of greater Uſe, as it is with rotten Dung. And this may be conceived, if we conſider how Salts will encreaſe with the Air : for Salt and Tartar, if not kept very dry, will melt ; and the ingenious Dr. Gould has proved, that Oil of Vitriol, if left open to the free Air, will encreaſe in Quantity. Dr. Plot, in his Natural Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, and Mr. Evelyn, in his Philoſophical Dif- courſe of Earth, in divers Places, commend Urine ; and, I think, for Improvement of Land (if rightly managed) it hardly has its Equal. The Salt of Urine is of the fame Na- ture with Pot-Ath. They uſe a great deal of Urine in the making of Allom; the beſt is that which comes from poor labouring People, who drink little ftrong Drink: And it is obſerved, that thoſe yield moſt Salt, who waſh their Bodies with Drink leaft. Urine ſeems much to agree with Tartarous Lees: Not only becauſe Urine is a Lee made of Vegetables in the Bodies of Animals; nor becauſe in the Receptacles of Urines, Tartarous Stones are bred, like as in Veſſels of Wine; nor becauſe Urine diſchargeth and abateth Colours, as Lees of Tartar, or the diſſolved Salts of Tartar, do; but becauſe Tar- tar and Sulphur Lees do colour the Superficies of Silver, as Urines. And the Difference I make between Urine and Tartarous Lees, is only this, that the Salts of both ſeem by their Effects in Dying in a manner the ſame; yet Urine is made and conſiſts of Salt and Sulphur both. The ſtale Urine, or old Mud of Piſſing-Places, will colour a well ſcoured Piece of Sil- ver into a golden Colour : And Urine fermented and diſtilled at the Flame of a Lamp, (by which are produced a Volatile urinous Salt and a Water,) has ſtrange Effects: The Fluid is ſuch, that if the Hands and Face are rubbed with it, and then the Party goes into a dark Place, he will look as if he was on Fire; and the Solid, though you can take it in your Hand, yet if you hold it long, it will burn you; wherefore it is kept in Water: But rub a Piece of this on Paper, it will ſet it on Fire; and if you write with it on Paper, nothing is ſeen; but carry it into a dark Room, and then you may plainly read it, and the Letters look as if they were Flame, but the Paper will not be burnt. This was very ſur- priſing till it was commonly known. Where ſo great Improvements are expected and found from the Folding of Sheep on Ridges of Land for Wheat and Barley; thoſe who have made nice Obſervations, attribute more of the Riches to the Salts of the Urine of the Sheep, than of their Dung; and ac- cordingly contrive, if poſſible, that their Sheep ſhall have acceſs to Water; for though they will live and thrive too without Water, yet it is rightly judged that the Improvement of the Land by Urine is much greater with it. From Urine are drawn divers Medicines, and moſt ſeem to be of the Nature of Spirit of Hartſhorn. It is of itſelf a good Medicine, both outward and inward; for it is often uſed with Succeſs for the Itch, and other cutaneous Diſtempers : It is reported, it will dif- cuſs Tumours, and cure Gangreens and fore Eyes, by reaſon of its volacile Salt; and for the ſame reaſon it helps Tertians, Dropſies, Jaundice, Stone, Gripings, and moſt Diſeaſes of Pain. Urine is uſed among the Dyers; and in blue Vats it is made uſe of inſtead of Lime. DIGGING, Agriculture and Gardening 63 DIGGING, its Improvement in Husbandry. SOCIALE And why OME are of Opinion, that Digging of Land is preferable to the Plough; for by that means it is all deep enough, and you may have a great deal of freſh Mould, and can without Clods have it as fine and ſmooth as you will ; neither is the Expence of it ſo great as fome Perſons may think, it being done about London (as I am told) for Two- pence the Rod, or four Nobles the Acre; but I do not ſuppoſe it to be new Ground. If it be thus ; what is the extraordinary Charge of Digging, &c. may well-nigh be ſaved in the Seed ; and it may be managed ſo as better to be preſerved from Birds or Ver- min, and then you have the Goodneſs of the Soil into the Bargain. I have ſeen a great deal of Digging for Beans and Roots in Common-Fields, on both ſides of Ebbiſham in Sur- rey, and other Places in Berkſhire; but yet I find the Gardeners near London love the Plough, and when their Land is well ploughed, they employ Men to hoe little croſs Fur- rows to lay Beans, or trill Peaſe in, and ſo with the Hoe again cover them. may not it be thus with Wheat? The Hoc at all times will clear the Weeds, and ſupply the Grain with good Earth. If Land be ſhallow, I preſume it may be worth while to lay one Part of the Land upon the other, and there ſet; which, in ſmall Quantities, is eaſily tried. Mr. Worlidge gives an Account, how that deep Ploughing may be as good as Digging; and quotes Mr. Plat, by that Management, to have a great increaſe of Corn. And Mr. Houghton adviſes the Country Fariners, to ſend their Sons they deſign to breed in their own Way, to live a Year or two with the Husbandmen about London, that are partly Gar- deners and partly Ploughmen, or at leaſt to take ſome Seryants that have been thus bred. By this means they will be more acquainted with the Advantages both of Digging and Soiling their Lands. The true Reaſon, I take it, why digging for Improvement of Land is not more practi- fed about London, where no Diligence and Induſtry is wanting, is, becauſe there is no want of Dung; which, by frequent Repetitions, effectually cures Sterility, and makes the moſt barren Soil to produce Wonders : Infomuch that you ſhall feldom ſee any Land (eſpecially near the Navigation) within five Miles of London, to lye fallow. They only Plough, and Dung, and Sow, and every Year change their Crop; from Wheat_to Barley, from Barley to Peaſe and Beans, and ſo Wheat again ; ftill keeping the Dung-Cart going, becauſe they have enough. But when once you are removed from the near and imme- diate Influence of ſuch Treaſures, I cannot but think (if the Soil be any whit deep and good, a Spade and half, for inſtance, or two Spade deep) it is an excellent piece of good Husbandry to get near as deep again as the Plough with the Spade, and ſo dig or trench the whole Field over ; thereby throwing down that which is worn out to the Bottom, and raiſing up a new and freth Soil, which may laſt four or five Crops together, with- out any other Advantage but continual ſtirring. This is no barren Theory or Notion ; but the Uſe and Advantage thereof is ſupported by Practice and Experience; and it has been found, that the Charge; as above, is fufficiently repaid and even doubled by the ſaving of Manure, and Ploughing, and a third part of the Seed. But where the Soil is ſhallow, and nothing but either a barren Clay, Gravel, Sand or Rocky Subſtance below where the Plough goes; there indeed it is very ill Husbandry to go deeper, either with the Plough or Spade, to fetch up a hungry Soil worſe than the Surface. Reaſon and Foreſight therefore muſt always govern. But where the Soil is good eighteen or twenty Inches deep, there it is the Husbandman's Intereſt, and it ſhould be his Care, once in Twenty Years to dig his Tillage for all ſort of Grain; and I need not ſay how much ſtronger the Reaſon is, if he intends to low Carrots or Parſnips for his own Uſe, or the fatting of his Hogs. Concerning 64 A New Syſtem of Concerning the ſeveral Sorts of CORN or GRAIN generally ſown in England, viz. Wheat, Barley, Rye, Beans and Peaſe, Gr. with the proper Methods for their Cultivation and Increaſe. Of W H É A T. Begin with Wheat, as the King of Grains, and the Pride of the Farmers Harveſt, there being not any Grain in Europe more univerſally uſeful and neceffary than Wheat which is never more ſenſibly felt and underſtood, than when there proves a general Failure in the Crop. There are obſerved in England to be feven or eight ſorts of Wheat. (1.) The Egg- ſhell Wheat, reckoned beſt for light Lands, and to be mixed with Rye for Maflen ; it being early ripe. (2.) The Double-eared Wheat, much fown in Eſſex, and proſpers in a heavy Clay or a loamy Soil. (3.) The Red, or Kentiß Wheat, much ſown in Hertfordſhire, and is ſometimes found with Awns or Beards. (4.) The Great-bearded Wheat, which thrives well on a heavy Clay. (5.) The Pollard Wheat. (6.) The Grey Wheat. (7.) The Flaxen, or Lammas Wheat . There are alſo many other Names given to ſome other ſorts ; as the Ograve, the Chiltern, the Turkey, the Saracins : But it is uncertain, whether there be any other real Difference between many of the forts, but what the different Na- ture of the Soil and Climate affords. But however, this is certain, that all of them are good and uſeful, affording to Mankind great Relief and Support, well anſwering the gene- ral Character of being the Staff of Life. Wheat grows in almoſt all Countries of the World, and loves a Soil that is rather dry than too moiſt; and yet rather ſtiff than too light ; where it flouriſhes greatly if well and ſeaſonably cultivated. Neither a very rich, nor yet a very poor Soil, is beſt for Wheat in general; for the laſt yields but poor Corn, and the firſt will run all to Straw; as hath been ſufficiently experienced in the Weſt-Indies, where ſome Straws have grown to the Heighth of a Spear or Pike: Wherefore the Husbandmen, both ancient and modern, are wont to eat down their too rank Corn in the Spring with Cattle, when young before it ears. A mixture of Clay and black Mould, consmonly called Hazel-Mould or Brick-Earth, is the beſt and moſt agreeable . But yet the red Lammas or Bearded Wheat, will do fingu- larly well on the moſt ſtrong ſtiff Clay, or coldeſt Land; only the colder it is, it is ſo much the longer a ripening; which in cold wet Summers, and a far Northern or elevated Situation, is a Circumſtance that ought to be conſidered. All the forts of Wheat are commonly fowed after a Summer's Fallow, when the Land has been ploughed and turned up to the Sun and Weather four times ; though for Peaſe, Beans, and Oats, it is ſeldom ploughed more than once: The Reaſon whereof is, becauſe the Ground was fo well pre- pared the Year before for Wheat, and the Nitre is not yet ſpent. But without doubt, if the Wheat-Stubble be ploughed in to rot or burnt, and after ſome time ploughed, the Husbandman would not loſe his Labour; for the Aſhes of the Straw will fuck in the Nitre, and ſo will the Straw when rotted. And this I take to be the chief Uſe of all Dungs; which as they are more or leſs receptive, ſo they are better or worſe for Land. W beat is commonly fown in Autumn, and better in a wet Seaſon than a very dry one ; and it may be either earlier or later, as the Nature of the Land and the Situation of the Place require. It is ſown in various forts of Lands, and in different Methods; ſometimes in Incloſures, and more often in Open and Champion Fields: Only it hath by ſome been obſerved, that what is ſown in Incloſures or Lands ſheltered, is more ſubject to Mildew ; which is attributed to the want of a free and open Air. But I am apt to think, there is not much Weight to be laid upon the Obſervation. The Agriculture and Gardening. 65 The Method of preparing Wheat for Sowing, I have already laid down. I am here only to take notice, that two Buſhels is the common Quantum for an Acre; though where the Land is very rich, leſs will do; and if it is very poor, ſomething more muſt be added. There is alſo ſome Conſideration to be had to the Nature of the Seed; which if it is ſmall will run further, but the larger Sorts fill the Hand with leſs in Number, and conſequently will not ſpread ſo far; which is the reaſon, that if the Land is not too ſtrong and heavy, the ſmalleit Seed is choſen. The Seeds-man here is to be put in mind, that he take great Care to ſow the Seed, not in Heaps and Patches, but in an even regular Manner; letting the Seed flip through his Fingers, and his right Hand to keep exact Pace with his left Foot. Sometimes the Wheat is ſown immediately after Ploughing, and ſo harrowed in. But this Method hath been found not ſo well to ſecure the Corn in hard Winters, or to de- fend it from exceſſive Droughts in Summer, having not a ſufficient Depth of Earth. And therefore the Rule now moſt generally prevails, to low it before Ploughing, or as it is called Under- Furrow: Not ſuffering the Harrow to come upon the Land, but leaving it rough and full of Clots not over-big, to ſecure the Wheat the better from excellive cold Winds and Froſt; ſtill remembering to keep open the Trenches to let out all ſtagnating Water, and to ſhovel up the Lands-Ends clean, where the Clots or Earth have been drawn over them by the Plough. Sometimes Wheat has been ſown in the Spring with great Succeſs, where the Soil is warm, and when the Summers have proved favourable. And tho' it is commonly ſaid and thought, that Wheat ſown at that Time runs all to Straw; yet that is in a great mealure a Miſtake, and only happens in very wet Summers, when the Ears do not fill, nor the Corn well ripen. I remember a Friend of mine in Berkſhire told me, That after the great Froſt in 1708 had killed all or moſt of his Wheat ſown in Autumn, he ploughed it up, and ſowed it again in March; which ſucceeded ſo well, and produced ſo great an Increaſe, that the Crop of Wheat, which fold the following Winter for Ten Shillings and Twelve Shillings a Buſhel, would have purchaſed the Fee-Simple of the Land. Setting of Wheat, either with Sticks or other Inſtruments contrived for more Expedi- tion, hath always a ſaving Advantage attending it; for little more than a Gallon will ſerve for a whole Acre. And in a dear Year, when Wheat is Ten Shillings a Buſhel, it may be eaſily computed that the Farmer ſaves Seventeen Shillings and Six-pence in his Seed- Wheat for every Acre, which will doubly pay for the ſetting it, even in the ordinary Way, by Boys and Girls at Three-pence a Day. In Mr. Everard's Computation, each Grain ſhould be ſown at ten Inches diſtance; becauſe, if the Land is in Heart, it will ſpread and tiller into many Stalks. Mr. Houghton tells us of one Grain of Wheat that had eighty Ears, which contained above 4000 Grains ; and computes that an Acre of Ground, enriched with the niceit Hus- bandry, may produce 26 Quarters of Wheat. But he doth not ſuppoſe that all Grounds will produce alike, neither had he Faith enough to expect to ſee ſo great and good Hus- bandry in any great Quantity. But he ſeemed ſatisfied that any Land may be greatly im- proved; and that if ſuch Things can be done in a little, the like, with the ſame Land and the ſame Management, may by Parity of Reaſon be done at large. It hath been reckoned very good Husbandry in ſome places, to take a dry Seaſon in March to run over the Wheat-Land with a light Harrow and one Horſe, a little to break the Clots, and to nouriſh the Roors of the Corn with freſh Mould, and to cover what the Winds and Winter-Froſt may have left ſomething bare; by which means the Corn is ob- ſerved to gather and ſpread the better, and will alſo be left in a Condition the better to admit the Scythe at the Seaſon of mowing the Stubble; which is the Practice of moſt Countries; that being reckoned better for Covering than Straw, both for their Ricks of Corn and their Houſes. The Time of weeding Wheat is May, or the Beginning of June, before it is eared; and though it happen to be never ſo full of Thiſtles, &c. yet you ſhould carefully, weed them out with a Hook at any Charge; for without that Charge and Pains little can be ex- pected, and with it you will be doubly repayed. There is as much Reaſon to be careful in not beginning to weed too ſoon, as in ſtaying too long: For an early Weeding oft- times requires a ſecond; and a late one, without great Care, doth much harm, by means of treading and bruiſing the Stalks, Towards Auguſt, the Wheat ripening and changing Colour, it ſhould be carefully fecu- red from Crows and Sparrows, the great Enemies and Devourers of it, eſpecially near Hedges . Before it is quite or perfectly ripe and hard, ſo as to ſhake out of the Ear, it thould be reaped; that Method being obſerved to make it of a finer Skin, and conſequent- ly S 31 A New Syſtem of 119 A 66 ly more marketable: And it will quickly harden in the Sheaf and Stouk; which ſhould generally be ſuffered to ſtand abroad Ten Days or a Fortnight. In which time, if mode- rate Rain ſhould come, it will only plump it, and two or three Days of dry Weather will mend it again. In many Places I have ſeen it practiſed with very good Reaſon and Ad- vantage, viz. to make one or two Sheaves larger and longer than ordinary, which are dex- terouſly applied to the Top of the Stouk, opening them in the middle, and letting the Ears hang downwards; by which means a great deal of Rain (if it ſhould happen) will be ſhot off, and the whole be kept dry. After this, it is either carried into the Barn, and there laid with the Ears inward, or (which is much the better, the more improved, and modern Practice) it is laid on Stacks or large round Cocks out of Doors, to be defended with Thatch on the Top: This laſt Method, though variouſly practiſed in different countries, yet is now by all univerſally agreed to be the beſt, both for keeping the Corn dry, and preſerving it from Vermin. The want of which Knowledge put our Forefathers upon erecting thoſe vaſt and coſtly Barns, now fupported and repaired at great Charge, and are in many Places left as ſtately and empty Spectacles of the Indolence or Ignorance of former Ages. However, the Cuſtom of Houſing the Corn in ſome places ſtill remains. For in Nor- folk, and the Counties adjacent, they take this following Method. After the Barn is well aired, and the Floor covered with clean Wheat-Straw or Bavins, in the middle of every Bay is placed an empty Hogſhead; and the But-ends of the Sheaves of Corn, whether Wheat or Barley, are laid round it; and if Oats, unſheafed Barley or Peaſe, they are trod cloſe to it; until the Corn reaches the Brim; and then the Hogthead is pulled up higher ; and ſo on till the Barn is full, that juſt the Hogſhead may be got out, which leaves a Well behind it to the very Bottom, called a Well-Mow : Into which the Moiſture and Sweat of the Corn gathers ſo much, that whilſt it is heating, no one can endure his Head over the and if a Mouſe fall into it, it will ſuffocate it. This Method (they fay) preſerves the Corn tolerably well, eſpecially if they obſerve, after the Moiſture is gone, to make the Barn as cloſe as poſſible. Where there are Barns already built and well repaired, this Practice may not be unad- viſeable. But without queſtion, where Choice niay prevail, (one or two Bays at moſt be- ing ſufficient for Thraſhing ) ſetting the Corn abroad in a well-fenced Place, is much bet- ter than houſing it. Eſpecially if i he ſtill more improved Practice were admitted, viz. to make a ſtrong framed Hovel ſet upon either Stone Poſts with Caps, or wooden Poſts, lined about in the middle ſeven or eight Inches deep : For this not only effectually prevents Mice from coming at the Grain, but ſecures alſo the Bottom from being affected with the Damps of the Earth. Wheat, the drier it is, the more it weighs: And a Buſhel of dry Wheat (if it be good and ſound) ſhould weigh from 60 to 64 Pounds. If it be any way damaged, mixt or corrupted, it will not weigh above 54 or 56 Pounds. So that the Goodneſs or Badneſs of Wheat may in great meaſure be diſcovered by its Weight, and conſequently its Value alſo. For tho' the Lightneſs of a Buſhel of Wheat may be owing to its being mixt with Oars, or other Seed lighter than itſelf, and yet be good and dry; yet that Mixture ſo much diminiſhes the Quantity of good Wheat, and conſequently its Value. Hole; Of BARLEY. B ARLEY is a moſt neceſſary and uſeful Grain, tho' too often made to miniſter to the worſt Purpoſe of Intemperance. For ſuch is the Profuſeneſs, ſuch the Ingratitude of the corrupt Part of Mankind, that what God gives as a Bleſſing to be uſed with Modera- tion, they too often prodigally waſte in Exceſs, to the Abuſe of Reaſon, and to the Vio- lation of the Laws of God and Man. There is not a great deal of Difference obſerved in this Grain. The moſt remarkable Sorts are four. 1. The Long-eared ; moſt generally eſteemed for all Uſes, and all ſorts of Land. 2. The Sprat or Fullum Barley; which, for rank Land is beſt, becauſe it doth not run to Straw, as the common fort, and is thought to yield ſomething better, tho' the Malt- iters do not like it ſo well. There is a Hot-ſpur or Rath-ripe Barley, uſually harveſted a Fortnight or Three Weeks before the other, and delights beſt in ſome Sorts of hot and light Land. This ſort of Barley hath been ſometimes ſown and returned to the Barn in two Months Time, very often in nine or ten Weeks. It is much fown in Oxfordſhire ; but it is no Native of that Country, but fetch'd from Patney and other Parts of Wiltſhire; where the Soil is of lo peculiar a Quality, that whatever other Barley is ſown there, yet (as Agriculture and Gardening. 67 (as the Countrymen obſerve) it moſt commonly Turns into This . In the Weſtern Parts of Cornwall they low this Sort of Barley near the Sea, which they carry to the Mill in eight or nine Weeks after it is ſown. However, what comes to Oxfordſhire, comes all from Patney ; but it is not ſo agreeable to the Oxfordſhire Soil, coming immediately from thence, as when it hath been fown elſewhere twice or thrice : After which, it endures not above three or four Years, but degenerates again into common Barley. Its Conveniency is very conſiderable in wet and backward Springs, ſucceeded by cold Summers, when many other countries loſe their Seaſons, and ſome of the more Northern Ones perhaps their Crops, the common Barley never coming to be perfectly ripe. Where- as this may be fown at the latter End of May, and will come to be ripe in the worſt of Summers; ſo that it is generally approved of by all ſorts of Husbandmen. Only this Caution is always to go along with the Practice of fowing it; that the Hus- bandman be not too haſty in ſowing it in the Spring : Becauſe as it ripens a Fortnight fooner than the other Sorts fown at the ſame Time, it will tempt the Sparrows and other Birds to lie wholly upon it, to the Hazard of being utterly devoured. I once obſerved two or three Ridges of this Barley ſown in a common Field, by Way of Trial, in March, with the other Sorts; and tho' the Crop proved excellent, the Whole was entirely deſtroy'd the Birds being very eager (after great Hunger) of catching at the firſt ripe Corn. 4. There is a fourth Sort, much different from the aforegoing : In the Northern Parts it is called Big, or Scotch Barley, having a ſquare Ear and four Rows of Corn, as the other Sorts have but two. The Practice of fowing Big hath for many Years almoſt univerſally obtain’d in the Biſhoprick of Durham, Northumberland, and the more Northern Parts, for want of better knowledge. For, to ſay nothing of the general Diſlike and Diſtaſte which Strangers take to it made into Drink, on the Account of its purging raking Quality, even the ſame that Rye hath made into Bread; I cannot find that Big anſwers better to the Buſhel than à Crop of Barley. If it have more Grains in Number, yet that Advantage is more than counter-balanced by the Leanneſs of the Corn, and the Thickneſs of irs Skin; ſo that the Malt made of it cannot be expected to give the ſame Strength to Drink, as the fame Quantity of Barley made into Malt will. There are two Advantages attending this Grain, which tenipt Farmers to fow, and others to buy and uſe it; which are theſe: That it is apt to ripen well and early; and hath alſo the ſame Quality when brew'd into Drink, that it is fooneſt ready for Uſe: But if what hath been above ſaid be but well conſider'd, it will quickly grow into Diluſe. And indeed, its Reputation of late is very much funk; eſpecially ſince upon Experience and good Ma- nagement it is found, that the common Barley ripens very well molt Summers, and yields as great an Increaſe. And yet, if there were any danger from wet and cold Summers, the Rath-ripe Barley better anſwers that Objection, and is more acceptable to the Maltſter. Barley is generally, and for the moſt part, ſown after a Summer's Fallowing, expecting the fame Dreſſing of Land that Wheat doth: But being a tenderer Grain, and inore im- patient of ſevere Cold and Froft, the Seed-time for Barley is in the Spring, earlier or later according to the Nature of the Seed and Soil, and the Temper of the Seaſon, allowing four Buſhels to the Acre. Late fowing is accounted beſt for a light Soil, which is apt to run to Weeds. But the general Rule for ſowing Barley is to do it whenever the Land is dry and fit for fowing, be it never ſo early, when January is once over; for it is not a little Froſt that will hurt it. I haye known Barley Town the Beginning of February, and after it appeared above-ground, there came on three or four Days hard Froſts, ſuch as would bear a Cart to go over it without making Impreſſion, and yet was unhurt, and the Crop proved exceeding good. There are many different Ways of diſpoſing the Land for Barley: Some lay the Land up in ſmall Ridges all the Winter, that it may lie the drier, and the better receive the In- fluence of the Weather. Then in March they ſplit the Ridges, and if they are full of Clots, harrow them; and after that, either ſow it under Furrow, or above; for both Ways have been practiſed with Succeſs. But which Way foever it be done, ploughing and lowing ſhould be done both in one Day, for the Reaſon already aſſigned ; that all Seed delights to be thrown into freſh Mould. Some make this laſt ploughing of the Land for Seed to be athwart, or croſs the ſmall Ridges, which is thought to mix the Soil much better ; and then they harrow in the Seed, leaving the Whole flat; which is the Method for dry Soils and late Sowing If Barley be ſown after Wheat, (which is called an Etch Crop, and is practiſed in many Places with great Succeſs ; ) as ſoon as the Time of ſowing Wheat is over, plough up your Wheat-Stubble in as dry a Time as poſſible, and lay three Ridges to one, if you have Dung to lay on it ; if not, plough it in ſmall Ridges as before directed, becauſe the Land will 68 A New Syſtem of ga will lie the drier, and the Froſt will mellow it the better. Or if there happen an early Harveſt and dry Weather, and that your Time will allow of it, it will be ſtill a greater Improvement, if you plough the Land before you low the Wheat, juſt as Harveſt is in. This will make it half as good as a Summer-Fallow. But all Years will not favour the doing it this Way Great Care muſt be taken to weed Barley; no Grain ſuffering ſo much as that by Thiſtles, Docks, Esc. The Time of doing it is in June; and if then it appears to be a thin Crop, either thro' too much Wet, want of Seed, or any other Accident, it is very adviſeable to ftrew Pidgeons Dung or Malt-Duſt over it, by which Means it will ſtrangely increaſe and gather; but this Work is moſt properly done in rainy Weather. The Husbandmen commonly account their Barley ripe, as they do their Wheat, when it hangs its Head, and the Straw hath loſt its Verdure. If it remain full of Weeds till it is mow'd, (as the South Country Faſhion is) it muſt lie on the Swarth till the Weeds are well wither'd and dry’d; otherwiſe it will be apt to be muſty, and loſe its Uſe for Malt. But indeed the lazy and ſlovenly Cuſtom of the South in mowing down their Barley with a Scythe, is by no means to be imitated or encourag’d, having many Inconveniencies at- tending it; as it ſubjects the Corn to great Waſte in gathering it together, as well as great Trouble in loading and unloading it, eſpecially in windy Weather. Herein therefore the neat and frugal Method of the Farmers in the North, is highly to be commended, never ſuffering the Scythe to be uſed amongſt any ſorts of White Corn; but conſtantly reap all, as they do their Wheat, ſetting it up in Shocks till it is dry and fit to carry; which is then done, as every one may know, with great Eaſe and Expedition. The Women and Children are bred up to this work, and ſix of them will reap an Acre of Barley or Oats in a Day; and the Charge of this is more than over-balanc'd by what is ſaved, and the Expedition in carrying it. Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, tells us of a Naked Barley or Wheat-Barley, which, tho' its Ear is ſhaped like other Grain, of this Kind, is yet like Wheat, without any Husk. At Rowley it is called French Barley, being like what is ſold under that Name: It is a Plant between Wheat and Barley in Goodneſs as well as Form; accordingly it is ſown to be uſed for Bread inſtead of Wheat in a Time of Scarcity: However, it alſo runs to Malt as well as other Barley, and makes a good ſort of Drink; and likewiſé increaſes in ſome Soils It need not be ſaid how very uſeful a Plant Barley is become here in England both to King and Subject; for of it is made Malt, which pays one of the moſt conſiderable Du- ties to the Crown, beſides the Exciſe on Beer, Ale, &c. all which together make a vaſt Branch of the Royal Revenue. As to the phyſical Uſes of both Wheat and Barley, it may be obſerved, that from Wheat itſelf Medicines are made againſt Tetters: For being laid on an Anvil, and upon it a hot Plate of Braſs or Iron, a Liquor will run from it, which you are to lay hot on the Tetter. It alſo makes ſmooth any Roughneſs of the Skin, is good againſt Ulcers of the Boſom; and the Bran preſſed from the Water, apply'd hot, and often repeated, eaſes the Pains of the Pleuriſy. And as to Barley, the Meal of it made into a Pultis with Camomile Flowers and red Roſe Leaves, applied warm to any pained Limb, gives Relief. Barley is a great Cooler, and Water made of it is often drank; prepared any way it never heats the Body, and it is good in many plıyſical Caſes. twenty Fold. Of Rye. RO YE is a Grain generally known, and delights in a dry warm Land, though it be not over-rich ; though indeed it will grow in moſt Sorts of Land, provided it be looſe and well tempered, for it doth not require either the Richneſs or Labour that Wheat doth; though it ought to be ſown in Autumn after a Summer's Fallow, about the latter End of Auguſt, or the Beginning of September; ſtill watching for a dry Time, for Rain foon drowns it. It is of very quick Growth; ſoon up after it is ſown, ſooner in the Ear, and ſooner ripe than any other Grain ; which Property often tempts the Farrner, in ſuch hard Winters as prove fatal to Wheat, to ſow it in the Spring, which many times turns to very good Account. Two Buſhels of Seed are commonly allowed to an Acre. If the natural Soil be a bar- ren Sand or Gravel, (which yet with good Husbandry and every other Year's Fallowing will do) it is beſt to ſow it alone; but if it have any degree of Mixture with heavier Land, Agriculture and Gardening 69 Land, it is beſt to mix Wheat and Rye together; only the Wheat ought to be fown un- der Furrow, and the Rye above, and ſo harrowed in. It flowers long; and five Weeks after the Flowers are gone it will be ripe. The Ears, when it flowers, will be upright; but a proper Shower carries away the Redneſs; and ſo being pregnant with Seed, it then hangs down its Head. When the Straw is turned yellow, and the Corn becomes hard, it is full ripe. And though it is not apt to ſhed, yet if it is weedy, it ought to lye on the Gravel after it is cut, lome time before it is bound up into Sheaves; otherwiſe it will be apt to give in the Barn, which will cauſe it not to thraſh well and to be muſty. Howerer, as it is a Grain that will grow in the Ear the fooneſt of any, it muſt be care- fully watched and defended (as above in the Chapter of Wheat) from too much Wet; and you ought to take the firſt Opportunity (after it is dry) to carry it home, and put it out of danger. There is a Practice much to be commended and encouraged; for in ſome Places they ſplit the Ridges of the Wheat-Stubble, and fow it with Rye, in order to gain Food for Sheep, in a Time when they moſt want it, viz. in March and April, allowing a Buſhel to an Acre; which they harrow in, and feed when proper till May, whereby the Land will be well folded and dunged, ſo as to be fit for a Summer's Fallow. But theſe Me- thods cannot be practiſed in common Fields. Rye is eſteemed by many the beſt Bread-Corn next Wheat; only the Bread made of it is black and heavy; and the Sweetneſs that attends it pleaſes fome, and diſpleaſes others : But its beſt Quality is, that mixt with Wheat in the hot and dry Weather, it keeps the Bread moiſt. But thoſe who are not uſed to it, complain they are frequently griped and purged by it. In plentiful Years, inſtead of Peaſe and Beans, it is given to Hogs with great Profit; for after it is ground, and made into a ſtiff Paite, the Hog will eagerly feed upon it, and will be fat in a ſhort Time, not cloying him with too much at once, and never letting him want Water. Only it is always to be remembered, that one or two Buſhels of Beans or Peaſe ſhould be given him at laſt to harden his Fat. It is thought an excellent way, to keep this Corn good and ſweet, to let it lye on a dry Floor with the Chaff after it is thraſhed; for that Moiſture, which would otherwiſe go into the Corn, is imbibed into the drier Chaff; which, in a proper Seaſon, foon becomes dry again, or the Grain may be ſeparated from it as occaſion ferves, and ſo becomes always fit for the Mill. The Price of this Grain uſually keeps equal pace at Market with that of Barley; and Wheat is moſt commonly double its Value. In many of the Inland Countries, it is car- ried mixt with Wheat, as it grows, to the Market ; and according to the proportion of Wheat, it is of more or leſs Value. And this is commonly called Maſlen. be Of O ATS. ژ 0 AT S, of which there are divers Sorts, (as the White, the Black, the Poland) grow in all Countries, as well hot as cold, and are of as general Uſe and Eſteem. They are ſown with us in England in February and March; commonly upon an Etch Crop. Some think, that the Black Oat being much more hardy than the White, will well fur- vive the Winter, if not over ſevere, and by that means yield a vaſt Increaſe. But I cannot find, that the Husbandman is often willing to run the Hazard. Black Oats delight moſt in Moraſs and Fenny Ground; as alſo rather on cold moiſt Land than on dry; and may be fown ſooner in the Spring than the White, becauſe they are hardier and will bear Wet better However, the White Oat, being better for moſt Uſes, and more ſuitable to the genera- lity of Soils, is moſt ſown and fought for; eſpecially the large White Poland Oat; lo cal- led, for that it was firſt brought from Poland, and is ſtill continued to be brought from thence occaſionally : Foraſmuch as it is very apt to degenerate and grow lank, after four or five times ſowing. The Corn is very large, and plump almoſt as Barley, and is there- fore much coveted to make Oatmeal, ſo very uſeful to the many Purpoſes of Life. This Dat yields great Increaſe on good Land new broken up; and I have known Ten Quarters Product from four Buſhels fown on an Acre. There is ſome difficulty with them in a wet Harveſt, being very apt to shed after' much Rain, when they are full ripe. But yet it is a precious Grain, and very much ſought after of late Years. Beſides this, T The 70 A New Syſtem of re- The ſmaller Sort of White Oat is very profitable, and will grow very plentifully on ſuch Lands, where, by reaſon of the Cold, no other Grain will thrive. In ſhort, there is no Ground too rich nor too poor, too hot nor too cold, for them: And beſide, they ſpeed better than other Grain in Harveſt, the Straw and Husk being of fo dry a Nature, that though they are houſed wet, provided they be free from Weeds, they will not hear in the Mow, nor become mouldy, as other Grain uſually doth. All ſorts of Oats, though (as hath been ſaid they will grow almoſt any where, yer give the beſt Increaſe from new broken up Ground for three or four Years, according to the Strength of the Land. For want of this Knowledge, I obſerve many Places in the Biſhoprick of Durham, where they plough up the green Sward which they intend for Oars, and ſo continue a whole Summer's Fallowing ; loſing the Advantage of the Land for the firſt Year, under a falſe Notion that little or nothing will grow on the firſt Turf. But this I apprehend to be chiefly owing to the want of knowing the Uſe of a Roll. Without the Benefit of which indeed, the Hollowneſs of the Soil in a dry Summer will ſubject the Crop, to the hazard of coming to nothing: But with the Advantage of a Roll eight Foot long, and twenty Inches diameter, drawn by one Horſe, ſoon after the Oats peep above Ground, it is commonly found the firſt and ſecond Crop are the beſt. Accordingly I hope to ſee my Countrymen grow rich, by deſtroying the whole Train of Furzes or Whirs, the Diſgrace of every Farm, and improving the Land by the afore- faid good Husbandry. But for the entire deſtruction of ſuch Weeds and Trumpery, I fer them to a proper Place. The Quantity of Seed to the Acre, is to be proportioned to the Strength and Good- neſs of the Soil. Four Buſhels is ſufficient where the Land is very rich and mellow, that the Seed can be all buried; otherwiſe if the Land is poorith, ſix or ſeven Buſhels will be expected. And as ſoon as February ſets in, I think the Husbandman ſhould get to work, provided the Land be in order, and the Seaſon favour. I need not ſay, if the Land is new broke up, the Ploughing ſhould be over before February, that it may receive the Benefit of Froſt, in order to gain Mould to cover the Seed. But be ſure let him not forget the Roll when the Corn begins to look green. It cannot be repeated too often, that a Change of Seed is very neceſſary, though the Farmer is too often forgetful of what he knows to be right. However, this is a Grain that is alſo taken great Care of in the North, as it ought, being beund up in Sheaves, as Wheat in Harveſt. In Staffordſhire, and ſo on to the moſt Northern Parts, is a ſort of red or naked Oats, that are much made uſe of for Oatmeal, becauſe the Kernel thraſhes out of the Hall, without carrying it to the Mill or drying of it: But it is by no means ſo good as the White Oat duly ordered. In Wales, moſt of the Bread the ordinary People eat is made of Oats. And when Corn has been dear, in ſeveral Places about London, the Poor have made their Bread with three parts Oatmeal and one part Barley. And indeed, at ſuch a Time Oats are the chief Suſte- nance of the Poor throughout the Kingdom. The Scots uſe Oats in a great degree in their Wars; for with a Bag of Oatmeal and a Kettle, they'll ſuſtain themſelves a great while. And indeed, it is a fit Corn for that Country; inaſmuch as Oats may be fown and mowed while the Sun is hot, whilſt harder Corn requires longer Time, and a kinder Climate. Oats are the beſt and wholeſomeſt Grain for Horſes, eſpecially if kept ſome time; for before they have had a Sweat in the Mow, or be otherwiſe thoroughly dry, they are too laxative. A ſmall pleaſant. Ale is wont to be made of Oats made into Malt; of which, it is ſaid, King William was a great Admirer. Water-Gruel is alſo made of Oats; and Flummery, with beaten Oatmeal ſteep'd in Water, and boiled to a Jelly; and in Northum- berland, they are ſtrangely fond of what they call Crowdy, which is Oatmeal mixt with the Broth and Scum of the Pot, like Halty-Pudding. But, de Guftibus non eft diſputandum. of Agriculture and Gardening. 71 Of B E A NS; P E A S Ė, &c. T Horle-Bean that is commonly propagated by the Plough. ' They will not thrive in ; ' light dry Ground, but delight chiefly in a ſtiff ſtrong moiſt Clay. But the beſt Method for their Propagation and Increaſe, hath not been well and thoroughly underſtood till of late Years. Becauſe as they love moſt to grow in Clay, it has been generally thought, that if they be laid deep into the Ground, they would be buried, and never riſe again; whereas Experience ſhews, that a Bean cannot well be buried too deep, provided the Soil be kept looſe at the Top. I remember, it was the Practice of my Pariſhioners at Yelvertoft in Northamptonſhire, for ſeveral Years that I lived amongſt them, to plough their Land in the Spring three or four Weeks ſometimes, before they lowed their Beans, and after that fowed them and harrow- ed them in. The Effect of which was, that not one Year in five they had a tolerable Crop, and ſometimes not their Seed again : Either from a Waſte of the Seed by the Fowls, that pick'd up all which happened nor to lie deep; or if the Seed did grow, it lay lo ſhal- low, that at Midſummer, when they were in Bloſſom, for want of Depth of Earıh they wi- thered away. So laying hold of the Scripture Expreſſion, I ventured to argue with them on a better Authority than I otherwiſe durſt, and attempted to perſuade them ( for my own Sake as well as theirs) to try a new Method, to fow the Beans under Furrow, plough- ing them in with as thin a Calf as poſſible. Truly it was difficult to perſuade them to believe the Parſon knew that Matter better than themſelves. However, I led the Way my ſelf, and perſuaded ſome few others to try in ſmall Quan- tities to ſow and plough very early, even the latter End of January and the Beginning of February. And the Succeſs we had that Year, ſoon perſuaded more to follow the next; till at laſt, before I left them, I think there was hardly one Land of Beans harrowed in; and the whole Field one Year was fowed under Furrow before the End of February. I have been the more particular in relating this, becauſe I think there is a Streſs to be laid upon the Juſtneſs of the Practice. And yet I ſhould have ſaid, that the Soil there is as rank and ſtiff a Clay as can poſſibly be met with. For after the Method became fami- liar and well underſtood, the Difficulty of letting out the Priſoners, the Seed, thro' the ſtiff Clay, was foon overcome, by harrowing the Surface after a Shower, as the Beans began to peep. It may now eaſily be perceived that this Practice not only ſecures all or moſt of the Seeds from the Fowls, but gives Depth of Earth, when they moſt want it, at Midſummer. In ſhort, neither Beans nor Peaſe ſhould be any other way fown but under Furrow, let the Land be what it will; for if ſtrong and ſtiff Land will be made tractable, the Argu- ment will hold much better in a mixt Soil; and as for Peaſe, they are generally fown in lighter Ground, and there can be no danger of being buried. It ought however to be re- marked, that there is a good deal of Care and Art to be uſed by the Ploughman ; that he take heed not to go too deep, and to lay his Calf or Turf not edgeways, but flat; that the Beans may be covered cloſe with Mould; for otherwiſe, if the Beans lie in a hollow Place they will grow and ſpend themſelves with vain Endeavours to get thro', but cannot penetrate for want of ſome Hold and Entrance to direct their Motion. There is no Grain that requires more Skill in the Management of its Propagation, nor turns to greater Profit to the Husbandman, than the Bean. Some think it rather enriches than weakens the Land, altho' it throws out great Productions; however, it doth leſs Harm than the white Corn, and tends to mellow and lighten the Land, and lays it up dry in Ridges fit for the next Summer-Fallow. The common Quantity of Seed for an Acre is Three Buſhels, and the uſual Product is Twenty: However, if the Berkſhire Way were but followed and practiſed, much leſs Seed would do, and a better Increaſe might be expected; for there they think it worth their while to Set the Beans in Rows, croſs the Ridges with Sticks and Lines about half a Yard alunder, by which means they can go between the Rows with a Hough in June to deſtroy the Weeds; and at the ſame time to hill up the Beans with freſh Mould, which ſeaſonably defends them from the Drought, which is their dangerous Enemy. The Charge of this is thought to be doubly repaid in the Seed which is ſaved, (one Buſhel in this way fowing an Acre) and in the Goodneſs of the Crop. Sometiines they ſatisfy them- ſelves to make Furrows with a Hough in ſtrait Lines and at equal Diſtances, which is ſomething more expeditious (like the way of fowing Garden-Beans) and anſwers very well. 72 gni A New Syſtem of well. I tried this Method my ſelf at Yelvertoft, and ſucceeded pretty well : But that being ſuch very ſtrong Land, that the very Treading at the time of Setting the Beans fo harden'd the Land, that when the dry Weather came on, there ſoon appeared great Chalms and Cracks, which let in the Drought and did ſome Harm; but in any ſort of mixt Soil, I ne- ver faw any inconvenience that Way, and the Crop very feldom failed. There is no Grain yields a greater Increaſe than this, if it is rightly cultivated : But for this purpoſe, as a Change of Seed is in all Caſes proper and adviſeable, ſo here it is extremely neceſſary; having by long Experience obſerved, that a Change from a lighter Soil to a ſtronger, and from a ſtrong to a lighter, always has an extraordinary Effect, and the con- trary Neglect is manifeftly rewarded with Loſs. But to ſhew the prolifick Nature and Virtue of the Earth rightly cultivated and impro- ved, and what Increaſe may be expected from her Bounty, the following Account and Re- lation from a Friend of mine in Berkſhire may be depended upon for Truth. From one ſingle Horſe-Bean, producing only one ſingle Stalk, Ninety Six Pods or Kids, containing in all Two Hundred Thirty Two Beans. The next Years Product from thence, carefully ſet and ſeparated from all others, was Three Gallons of Beans: Which Three Gallons the next Year afforded no leſs than Seven Buſhels and a half. From thence, the following Year there was an Increaſe of Seventeen Quarters and Two Buſhels of clean Beans, be- fides what is called Offal and Walte; all within the Compaſs of Four Years from one fingleBean. Some think it proper to fow Peaſe amongſt the Beans, becauſe the latter uphold the former : And the Method might be proper enough, were it not that poor People are greedy in ſtealing and gathering the Green Peaſe, whereby more hurt is done by their Feet than their Hands; ſo that I have always found it moſt adviſeable to fow clean Beans where the Land is any thing ſtrong, and to reſerve the Peaſe for the lighter Soils by themſelves. There are different ways of gathering and harveſting Beans when ripe. Some get Bottles of the Peaſe-Straw, from whence they make Bands and tie them up in Bundles, ſetting them endways one againſt another to dry. Others content themſelves to mow them down, letting them lie to wither a Week or Ten Days, and then put them into little Cocks till they are ready for the Cart. Peaſe are of ſeveral forts, Green, White and Grey. But all of them require a lighter Soil than Beans: Only the common Grey Field-Pea will do rather beſt in a Itiffiſh Soil. The common White Pea loves a mellow Soil , and will yield great Increaſe, if ſuffered to" grow to be ripe. But however it is, the Poor and common People are very apt to think their Right takes place before the Owner, and they take Poſſeſſion accordingly; which diſcou- rages many Farmers from beſtowing Charge and Labour on them. But the Blue-Pea of all others yields the greateſt Increaſe, and is uſeful for moſt Pur- poſes both green and ripe. It is ſomething tender and impatient of a Froſt, therefore it is not adviſeable to ſow them till the Middle of April. All the ſeveral Sorts, if ſowed with- out Beans by themſelves, are commonly reaped ſometimes with two Hooks, and ſometimes with one tied to the End of a Stick, letting them lie in ſmall Heaps as they are reap'd, till they find they hawm and the Cod dry. Only they ſhould be turned and raiſed from the Ground as much and as oft as poſſible, that lying hollow the Wind may dry them, eſpe- cially after Rain. The common Allowance of Seed is two Buſhels to an Acre. If the Land wants to be enriched, there is no better, cheaper and more certaiņ Method of doing it, than by ploughing in any of the ſeveral ſorts of Peaſe at Midſummer, juſt as they are in full Bloſſom. Their Juice and Vigour at that Time afford an uncommon Fer- tility to the Land, and admirably diſpoſe it for Wheat afterwards; which ſhould naturally lead the Farmer to ſow Peaſe upon his Fallows in Spring. But I ſhall have occafion to repeat this Advice preſentiy. Vetches or Fetches, by ſome called alſo Chick-Peaſe, are a very uſeful Grain for Horſes, Hogs, or Poultry, and will grow upon almoſt any Soil that is not over ſtrong and heavy. There are ſeveral ſorts of them, Red, Black and White; but the moſt remarkable Difference is found in two of the Sorts called the Winter and the Summer-Vetch: The one abiding the Extremity of the Winter, and the other not to be fown till the Spring. Both forts are reckon’d to be great Improvers of Land, eſpecially if used the two following Ways. (1.) Either by eating them on the Ground with Horſes at Midſummer; confining the Horſes by ſhort Ropes to ſmall Quantities at a time, that they may not be ſurfeited with too much of this hot and ſtrong Food at once, and that the Land may be manured by the Dung. Or ( 2.) by ploughing them in, ( as before directed for Peaſe) at the Time of their Blooming about Midſummer, as the Seaſon will permit. The Succefs which I have known from this Practice is almoſt incredible; and I have from Obſervation found no Difficulty Agriculture and Gardening 73 Difficulty to believe, that Land thus managed once in Three or Four Years will eaſily re- gain its own Strength with little other Manure or Help, except proper and ſeaſonable Tillage. Lentils and Tares are alſo ſown in many places, where the Soil is but weak; becauſe in better, they would run too much to Straw and rot on the Ground. A Bufhel will fow an Acre, and the Increaſe is great ; the Straw, if got well and dry, is as good as Hay for Cows and Horſes. But eaten together as they grew, they give great Proof to Cattle, eſpecially thoſe that are young. Theſe ſmall Seeds are mightily admired by Pidgeons, be- cauſe they are a hot Foot : And indeed they fhould never be wanted where there is a Dove-Houſe. They need but one ploughing, and want little other Manure, but ploughing in of the laſt Stubble ; becauſe, like the aforemention’d Pulſes, they enrich the Land them- felves. Some, who dare not truſt Peaſe with the common Peoples Honeſty, low thefe ſmall Pulſes with their Beans, harrowing them in at the Top, after the other are fown under Furrows which may be a very good Way, becauſe they are eaſily parted with a Riddle. Of COR N-GRANARIES. T is no ſmall Advantage to the Publick, to the Husbandman, and to the Poor, to fup- I , of dear. Grain when it is cheap and good. For in a Time of Dearth and Scarcity, the Farmer hath little to fell to advance his Stock, or to pay his Rent; and the Buyers are often furniſhed with bad Corn from Foreign Parts, or from ſuch as were ignorant of the Ways of preſerving it. Therefore the Farmer had need be provident, and look about him to guard againſt Want ; and in ſome of the Years of moſt Plenty, to make ſome uſe of the following Ways of making of Corn-Granaries for ſtoring it up ; led to it by theſe two for- cible Reaſons : That in dry Years, when it is always beſt for keeping, he is ſure to buy cheap; and in wet ones, when keeping it is dangerous; he may be almoſt certain to fell I have already taken Notice of ſome of the beſt Methods for preſerving Corn abroad in Stacks or Hovels fet upon Stone or Wooden Poſts with Caps over them, to prevent Mice getting into them: And by this means I have my ſelf preſerved conſiderable Quan- tities of Wheat unthreſhed for three or four Years together; and have ſo far experienced the Advantage of it, that at the End of that Term I ſold ſome for Eight Shillings, ſome for Nine, and ſome for Ten Shillings the Buſhel; and yet I fold Wheat of the fame Year's Growth, when I firſt laid it up, for Two Shillings the Buſhely and equally good. But becauſe there is an unavoidable Inconvenience that attends this Method of keeping Grain in the Straws that the Farmer will want his Straw and Chaff for his Cattle to make Dung with: Therefore ſeveral Ways have been invented to preſerve Corn after it is threſhed, and likewiſe after it is cleaned and well dreſs’d. To keep it in the Chaff be- fore it is winnowed is leaſt difficult, and therefore often practiſed by thoſe who have not better Conveniencies, contenting themſelves to lay it in Chambers and Lofts, and ſo dreſs it as they want it. Others, to remove the Temptation of uſing it before dear Years come, threſh out the greateſt Part of their Stock in March, leaving only one Hovel wherein to ſtore the whole threſhed Corn with the Chaff; laying it a Foot thick in five or fix Layers, and betwixt each Layer diſpoſe two Rows of Sheaves, and after this ſecure the Whole by good and ſufficient Thatch. In this way it will keep many Years found and good, if it be guarded from Accidents. But becauſe it may be thought there is ſome Danger, as well as Trouble, in this Me- thod; moſt of the Farmers in Berkſhire, and ſome of the neighbouring Counties, who have every Year near One Hundred Quarters of Wheat, and double the Quantity of Oats, think it worth their while, once for all, to build a Corn-Granary for that and only that Purpoſe, with Diviſions in it for ſeveral Grains. Some are made with Chambers one over another, that the Corn may be let gradually through a little Hole from one Cham- ber to another till it comes to the Bottom, and then is carried up again as Neceflity re- quires. Others make a ſingle long Room made with Stone or Brick well laid in Lime, and plaiſtered within with a thick Coat of Lime, Hair, and beaten Glaſs, or the Duſt from the Smith's Anvil: Theſe, well incorporated and harden’d, hinders the Mice and Rats from penctrating. And once in two or three weeks they throw the Corn from one End of the Room to the other, keeping Windows open fometimes to the North and East; U but 74 A New Syſtem of but by no means ſuffering the South Air to come in. But ſtill as theſe are ſubject to great Damps and Sweatings, and becauſe it is almoſt impoſſible to be ſecure in this Way from the Danger and Damage of Rats and Mice. The lateſt, belt, and now moſt approved Practice, in thoſe Countries where they have the greateſt Quantities, and from whence there are greateſt Demands by means of naviga- ble Rivers, is to build their Granaries on Stone-Poſts about two Foot high from the Ground, with Caps, (as before directed for making Hovels for Corn) multiplying the Poſts according to the Length and Bigneſs of the Building deſired. Some are built with Brick and Timber together; others only with Timber and Boards; as judging ſuch will be leaſt ſubject to Dampneſs and Moiſture, and, which is ſtill a greater Advantage, will admit the Air and Wind through the Crevices of the Wood and Boards, better than if it was en- tirely cloſed with Brick-Work. Such ſort of Buildings as theſe ſet upon Stone-Poſts, are found to be extremely bene- ficial and uſeful, and may eaſily be made to contain two or three Hundred Quarters of Grain, with Room enough alſo to keep the Corn ſeaſonably removed and ſtirred : And they are effcctually ſecured from Mice, provided Care be taken not to lay any thing under, nor ſer any thing againſt the Building, that may give them a Paſſage: And accordingly the Stairs, by which Servants go up and down, are made moveable, and ſhould be moved as Occaſion ſerves. All Places fet apart for the keeping of Grain ſhould be as free from Moiſture and Dampneſs as poſſible, and as far from Stables of Horſes, Oxen, or Swine as may be; in- alnıuch as all Itrong Smells attract Moiſture, and give a muſty Tafte to Grain. Some pre- ſcribe the having the Walls and Floors to be waſhed with Vinegar, or a Decoction of bit- ter Herbs and Drugs; as, Leaves of Wormwood, Southernwood, wild Cucumbers, the Pulp or Seeds of Coloquintida, Beaſt-Galls , &c. And doubtleſs, no Worms, Vermin, or Weevels can bite or touch the Corn where theſe are uſed. But they who will not be at this Pains, may lay ſome Wormwood well dried underneath, above and upon their Corn- Heaps; or elſe let them anoint their Walls and Floors with Oil-Olive or Sheeps Urine. To powder the Floor under the Corn with green Oak-Aſhes, is the preſent killing of all Mites. And to keep Grain from heating or chaffing, beſides the afore-mention’d Remo- vings, let there be laid under every Ten Buſhels of Corn, One Buſhel of Millet; or if it be mingled therewith, it is is eaſily ſeparated with a Sieve. But if it happen, that by the Moiſture of the Weather, or Neglect of turning, any Grain prove mufty, ſpread it thin on a Cloth, and let it lie out all Night in the Dew; and after it is dry'd well next day in the Sun, it will return to its Sweetneſs. But becauſe there are ſeveral other Things, beſides the aforegoing forts of Corn and Grain, made uſe of and ſown in the Way of Husbandry, and propagated in the Fields by the Plough; to make this work as compleat and as generally uſeful as may be, I ſhall not forget to take Notice of them in this place, and to explain their Nature, and the Method of Cultivation. Of HEMP and FL AX. H EMP muſt be ſown in fat and well-dunged Grounds, and watered with ſome little Brook; or elſe in fat and moiſt Places, where much Labour and Ploughing hath been beſtowed; for the fatter the Ground is, the thicker will the Bark or Pilling be. Ic muſt be fown in March or April, and gather'd when the Seed is ripe, and afterwards dried in the Sun, Wind or Smoak; and then laid in ſome Water to be watered, that ſo the Pilling may more eaſily depart from the Stalks, afterwards to be uſed in making of Ropes and Cloth. Mr. Worlidge, in his Syſtema Agriculturæ, ſays, Hemp delights in the beſt Land, warm and ſandy, or a little gravelly, ſo it be rich and of a deep Soi!: Cold Clay, wer and mooriſh, is not good ;. the beſt Seed is the brighteſt, that which will retain its Colour and Subſtance in rubbing; three Buſhels will low an Acre, but the richer the Land, the thicker ir muſt be fown. From the Beginning to the End of April is the Time of low- ing; according as the Spring falls out, earlier or later. It muſt be carefully preſerved from Birds, which will otherwiſe deſtroy many of the Seeds; for which Purpoſe ſome ſcatter a thin Covering of light Straw. The Seaſon for gathering of Hemp is firſt about Lammas, when a good Part of it will be ripe; that is, the lighter Summer Hemp that bears no Seed, and is called the Timble Hemp, and the Stalk grows white; and when it is ripe, it is most eaſily diſcernible; which Agriculture and Gardening. 75 It is a great which is about that Seaſon to be pulled forth and dried and laid up for Uſe. You muſt be cautious of breaking what you leave, left you ſpoil it: You are to let the other grow till the Seed be ripe, which will be about Michaelmas, or before ; and this is uſually called the Karle Hemp. When you have gathered and bound it in Buridles, of a Yard com- paſs , you muſt ſtack it up, or houſe it, till you threſh out the Seed. An Acre of Hemp may be worth unwrought from 5l. to 81. if wrought, !ol. 12 l. or more. Succour to the Poor ; the Hemp-Harveſt coming after other Harveſts, and in the Win- ter-Seaſon, it affords Employment to ſuch as are not capable of better. Another Author gives ftill a more particular Account of Hemp, and ſays, the fitteſt Soil for it is a rich mingled Earth of Clay and Sand, or Clay and Gravel wel! tempered; and the beſt ſerves beſt for the Purpoſe, for the ſimple Clay or Sand are nothing ſo good: The beſt is is called Red Hazel Ground, being well ordered and manured ; and of this, a principal Place to low Hemp on, is in old Stack-Yards, or Places wherein Winter-Sheep and Cattle are wont to lie. Some will preſerve the Ends of Corn-Land which butt upon Graſs, to ſow Hemp or Flax on. Now for the Tillage or ordering of the Ground, it muſt be at leaſt thrice broke up, except it be ſome very mellow and light Mould, as Stack-Yards, and uſual Hemp-Yards be ; and there twice is ſufficient, viz. about the latter End of February, and in April, when you may fow it reaſonably thick with ſound and perfect Seed : You muſt lay it ſhal- low in the Earth, and cover it cloſe and light, and with ſo fine a Mould as you can pof- ſibly break with your Harrows or clotting Beetles ; and till it appears above-ground, you muit carefully defend its eſpecially an Hour or two before the Sun riſes and ſets, from Birds and Vermin. You need not weed it; for it is ſwift of Growth; rough and venomous to any thing that grows under it. When ripe, it muſt be pulled up by the Roots; and the Time is, when the Leaves fall downward, or turn yellow on the Tops; and this for the moſt part will be in July, if it be for Cloth: But for Seed, you muſt let the principal Buns ſtand till the latter End of August, and ſometimes to Mid-September ; and then the Seed being turned down and hard, you may gather it; for if it ſtand longer, it will ſhed ſud- denly. As ſoon as you have pulled it, lay it flat and thin upon the Ground for a Night and Day at the moſt; and then, as Houſewives call it, tie it up in Baites, and ſet them upright till you can conveniently carry them to the Water ; which ſhould be done as ſpeedily as may be. When waſhed and dried, it is to be broke, and beat on Blocks, E36. Flax is to be managed much like Hemp, except as follows: For it being more tender than Hemp, you muſt weed and trim it, till it gets above all the Weeds, and then it will ſhift for itſelf. Flax needs to lie in the Water leſs than Hemp. Whereas Hemp may be carried to the Water within a Night or two after Pulling; Flax muſt be reared up, dried and withered a Week or more to ripen the Seed: This done, you muſt take Ripple-Combs, and ripple the Flax over; which is the beating or breaking from the Stalk the round Bells or Bobs that contain the Seed; which you muſt preſerve in fome dry Veſſel or Place till Spring, and then beat or threſh it for Uſe; and when your Flax is rippled, you muſt ſend it to the Water. Flax, which ripens a little after the Hemp, you ſhall pull as ſoon as the Seeds turn brown, and bend the Head to the Earthward; for it will afterwards ripen of itſelf. The Seed of Hemp is a proper Food for Birds; and it will make Poultry lay Eggs often in the Winter : Some with the Coals of the thickeſt Roots of Hemp-ſeed make Gunpowder. Before I leave this Head, it ſhould be taken Notice of, that Flax grows and thrives ex- ceedingly in new broken up Ground that is rich and mellow; and there it is commonly ſown for a full Crop. There is only one Inconvenience which ſometimes attends it in ſuch Grounds, viz. that the Grub, a black and fulfom Infect, ſuch as eats Cabbages and Cauli- flowers, will in ſome Years ſeize it, and if not deſtroy'd in Time, will greatly damage the Crop. The beſt way to remove this Evil, is to gather them up in May before Sun-riſe ; for then they all appear above-ground working their Miſchief. “But as ſoon as the Sun is up, they retire an Inch or two within the Surface. N. B. In Derby and Nottinghamſhire, where a great deal of Linnen is made, they have found out an expeditious Way of ſaving the laborious Work of Beating Hemp. They make the Axle-Tree of the great Wheel of their Corn-Mills longer than ordinary, and place Pins in them to raiſe large Hammers, like thoſe uſed for Paper and Fulling-Mills ; and with the Help of theſe, they remove that laborious Work from Mens Hands, and beat moſt of their Hemp, Of 76 A New Syſtem of Of TUR NE PS. HERE is nothing, which of late Years has turned to greater Profit to the Farmer, T than fowing of Turneps in his Fields; which not only give quicker Feed and Proof to Cattle than Graſs, but alſo enrich the Land, and diſpoſe it for good Crops of Corn after- wards, provided the Work be carried on with Knowledge and Diſcretion. And that I may give ſome ſeaſonable Directions herein, and becauſe the Practice has met with great Diſcouragements from the Ignorance of ſome, and the Raſhneſs of others; I ſhall be par- ticular in laying down proper Rules, and directing the moſt likely means, that thereby the End of Riches and Improvement may be moſt effe&tually anſwered. The Turnep hath been formerly thought to be a Root only fit for the Garden and Kitchen Uſe; but the induſtrious Farmer finds it now to be one of his chief Treaſures, as (if rightly managed) it brings him in the greateſt Profit. There are reckoned to be only three forts of them, all of them equally good, if ſuited to a proper Soil; the Round, which is the moſt common, the Yellow, and the Long, which requires ſomething a deeper Soil than the other. It delights in a warm, mellow and light Ground, rather gravelly and fandy than otherwiſe : However, there is hardly any Soil which it refuſeth, except it be a ſtrong untractable Clay; for the pooreſt Soil, with a little Pains and Coft, may eaſily be made to be a fit Recipient for it. From the Beginning of June to the Middle of Auguft, is a proper Seaſon for fowing them for Winter Ule. If they are fowed ſooner, they run to Seed; and if much later, they will not have Time to apple well (as they call it) before Winter. The Land where they are to be fown, ſhould be fallowed once or twice, and made as fine and free from Clots with the Harrow as may be. After which, in June, July or Auguſt, as the Seaſon ferves, the Seed may be fown and harrowed in with a Buſh or Thorns on the Back of the Harrow; and, if need be, rolled alſo to break the Clots, and lay the Land level for houghing; which is a Work that muſt by no means be neglected, though it is too often thought unneceſſary; for the Turneps will never bottom well without houghing, and yet the Bottoms are much more profitable to Cattle than the Tops. For which Purpoſe therefore, when the Plants have two or three Leaves apiece, a dex- terous Artiſt provides a Hough about five or fix Inches wide, to determine in great mea- fure the Diſtance of the Plants; and ſo by fixing his Eye upon one only at a Time, he proceeds regularly, and clears his Way.. One Man at Twelve-pence a day Wages, will finiſh an Acre in four days; but there is ſometimes a Neceſſity to run over them again a ſecond Time with the Hough; which Labour and Charge will be more than doubly repaid in the Goodneſs of the Crop. If too much Wet, or the Richneſs of the Ground, cauſe them to run too much to Leaves, which is a Fault, the feeding of them, or run- ning over them with a light Roller, will much help their rooting. But foraſmuch as Turneps are directed to be fown about Midſummer, which frequently proves ſo dry that the Seed will not come up for want of Moiſture ; therefore the Seas ſon is carefully to be watched, and the Seed ſhould be fowed after a Shower, or if pof- ſible before it. And if, notwithſtanding this Care, the following Seaſon prove ſo dry that the Seed will not come up, there is yet room for a ſecond and a third Attempt, and no Place for Diſcouragement : For the Seed is cheap, and runs a great way, and the Trouble of harrowing it in a ſecond or a third Time not very great. The greateſt Misfortune which attends the Turnep in Summer is, they are ſubject to be eaten with a little black Fly at their firſt coming up, chiefly where the Land is over-poor and worn out : To prevent which, ſome propole the fowing Soot upon them. However, (as was before ob- ferved,) the Seed is cheap, and the Labour of re-lowing ſmall; and, which is a valuable Circumſtance, the Farmer has Time enough to look about him.) w Some fow them upon the Stubble as ſoon as the Corn is off, and only harrow them in ; which will prove a good Relief in the Spring to Ewes and Lambs, especially if ſown on ſuch Land as is intended to be fallowed; for then they may remain till the Beginning of May, the ſcarceft Time for Food; and yet if a hard Winter Tould deſtroy moſt of them, the Loſs of Seed or Labour will not be much. But for the Management of ſuch as have been ſowed and taken care of in the proper Seafon, as there have been great Miſtakes, ſo it will be the more neceſſary to give ſome Directions. In Suffolk, and many other Places, they are wont to give the Turneps to Cattle in the Houſe, as judging they feed faſter, and do no harm with their Feer. And in this Method, fome cut the Turneps in Pieces to make the Food readier for large Cattle: But becauſe this has ſometimes proved fatal, in tempting them to ſwallow it without chew- ing, Agriculture and Gardening. 77 ing, and ſo choke them; therefore others give them whole, and think their Cattle thrive and grow fat without the Trouble and Danger of cutting. If large Cattle are to be fed with Turneps, the laſt Method is undoubtedly the beſt and ſafelt. But There is a much more profitable Way to the Farmer than either of theſe, which is little taken Notice of, and yet I think ſhould be univerſally practis’d, viz. to eat the Turneps in the Winter with Flocks of Sheep; either Weathers to make them fat, or Ewes the better to feed their Lambs; not ſuffering them however to ramble over the whole Field of Turneps at once; but confining them by way of Folds and Hurdles to ſmall Parcels at a time, till they are throughly eaten ; and then removing the Fold to another Place ; and ſo on till the Whole is conſumed both Top and Bottom. This Method is much to be preferred to any of other Ways, for theſe following Rea- ſons. (1.) Becauſe the Danger of choaking Cows and Oxen, as well as the Trouble of gathering the Turneps for them, is hereby avoided. (2.) Becauſe taking the Crop from the Land is a great Wrong to it; and the End of Improvement by this Method, with reſpect to the Land, is lott. But (3.) which is moſt conſiderable, this. Niethod of eating them with Sheep, gives ſuch a ſtrange and uncommon Fertility to even the pooreſt Land, that two or three good Crops of Barley, Wheat and Rye may be depended upon after- wards, with little other Manure but good and ſeaſonable Tillage. It muſt be owned to be a Piece of great Neglect in the Farmers of the North, that they are not eaſily to be brought into this Piece of good Husbandıy; and have little elſe to ſay to excuſe themſelves from the Practice, but that the common People would rob them of the beſt Half. Whereas, if we could ſuppoſe neither Law nor Juſtice would re- ftrain them; yet, if it was once become the common Practice of the Country, the Loſs ſuſtained by Thievery would fall amongſt a great many, and conſequently be the leſs diſ- cernible and hardly worth lamenting: If it were but well conſidered, what a great Number of Sheep an Acre of Turneps will ſuſtain, even Twenty during the Winter-Seaſon, and make them likewiſe fat by Lady-Day, both the Grazier and Farmer would join iſſue with this Reaſoning ſupported by Expe- rience ; eſpecially ſeeing the Land need not be very rich, and that they may be fown as a ſecond Crop fometimes after early Peaſe; and that the ſame fupplies the great want of Fodder during the Winter, not only for fattening Beaſts and Sheep, but allo for Milk. Every one knows that the Turnep is an uſeful and much approved Root for the Kit- chen; and yet it is remarkable, that the Cows, Oxen and Sheep eat them greedily enough, Hogs will not touch them. I was lately inform’d by a Friend, that he hath frequently received great Relief and Be- nefit in ſevere Fits of the Gout and Rheumatiſm from only a Poltice of boiled Turneps maſh'd, and laid on the Part moſt affected as hot as can well be endured; and this he re- peated twice a day to his great Eaſe. I cannot here forbear mentioning a Conjecture (grounded on a ſurpriſing Obſervation mentioned in the Tranfa&tions of the R. S.) to ſhew the Reaſon why Turneps improve Land. They will often increaſe Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, nay more, perhaps many more times the Weight of the Seed every Minute from the Time they are ſown to the Time they are drawn, at leaſt till they arrive at their full Bigneſs. This Nouriſhment is in great meaſure probably fetch'd from the Earth below the reach of the Plough, and ſo the Vegetable Matter which would otherwiſe have always lain idle, is drawn up near the Surface . Beſides alſo, ſince we not only perſpire, but alſo attract through our Pores; and ſince we are ſure the Sedum Arboreſcens can gain great Nouriſhment from the Air ; ic ſeems probable that Turneps alſo may collect from the Air vaft Nouriſhment, and ſo by being luffered to rot, give the Soil Vegetable Matter which it never received from thence. The Fact on which this is built is certain, and the Reaſon is at leaſt plauſible and worth conſidering. Turneps therefore may not only open and mellow, but truly enrich with new Ma- terials the Earth: And this (if true) may ſhew why ſome Plants ſo terribly impoveriſh the Earth, whilſt others do it no harm ; ſome throwing off by Perſpiration vaft Quantities of Vegetable Matter into the Air, others receiving and retaining much from it. per una serie and photos posted and gradangan mereka med og produkt. 2001 po vise for and now the Gods gultat of dogo. I ports Tot It da ti 90 CODA S POD gyomen 78 A New Syſtem of T Of CARROTS. HE Carrot, here, is to be treated of, not as a Garden but a Field-Plant ; for in many Places, where the Soil is proper, they low an Acre or two of them together, eſpe- cially near London, where there is a large Conſumption, and for the Advantage and Profit of the Seed. Their Roots running conſiderably downwards, the Plough will hardly give ſufficient Tillage, except where the Ground has been digged to bring up a new and freſh Soil, which in many places is practiſed with Profit and Succeſs : Here indeed it is of ſin- gular Advantage to ſow Carrots, which require much the ſame Care in houghing as Tur- neps, and delight chiefly in a rich warm light Soil, rather inclining to Sand. There are two ſorts of them, the Yellow, and the Red; and the latter is much to be preferred for the Kitchen. Both forts anſwer the Farmer's Expectation and Profit, chiefly in feeding his Hogs, and ſometimes his Geeſe. The Place where they grow ſhould be well fenced, and the Seed fown the latter End of February. unhas tropa kutengene Of Rape and Cole-See d. TI HE ſowing Theſe, is another excellent Piece of Husbandry, in proper Soil; for marſhy and fenny Lands, eſpecially ſuch as hath been newly recovered from the Sea, admit theſe with great Improvement : But indeed, almoſt any Land that is warm, rich, and not over wet, is proper for Rape and Cole-ſeed. The beſt of which is uſually brought from Holland; and four Pounds of it, which coſts not above four Pence, will low an Acre. The Time of fowing it is about Midſummer ; but the Land muſt be twice fallowed, and laid even and fine with the Harrow before it is fown. The chief End of lowing it, and for Uſe, is Oil; of which it affords a great Quantity, and for which there is a great Demand. But there is beſides another End in ſowing it; for it is a great Support to Cattle in the Winter-Months, when other Food is wanting. In the more ordinary ſorts of Land, this is indeed the chief Uſe of it; becauſe only in the richeſt Lands, where it grows ſtrongeſt, it is reſerved for Seed. Sometimes, if the Winter prove mild and open, it produces a good Crop the next Year allo; and even after cutting, the Stubs thereof will ſprout and afford great Relief to Sheep; which are cautiouſly to be truſted with it at firſt, for fear of burſting them. What is reſerved for Seed, is generally reap'd as Wheat, after it begins to look brown, letting it lie near a Fortnight to dry, without ſtirring it, left it thed its Seed. To avoid which Danger, it is either wont to be threſhed in the Field on large Sheets, or therein they carry it to the Barn and threſh it immediately. It is obſerved that Barley and Wheat do very ſuitably follow theſe Crops, as finding the Land well diſpoſed for them. In Lincolnſhire, Mr. Mortimer obſerves, where Fuel is ſcarce, after the Oil is preſſed out, they burn the Cakes to heat their Ovens : But if the other Uſe he mentions be to be de- pended upon, it is much better; for in Holland, he faith, they feed their Cows with them in hard and ſcarce Winters; and in ſome Parts of Northamptonſhire, (near the Fens I ſup- poſe) they give it their Calves from three or four days old, inſtead of Milk; with which they thrive, till they come to eat Graſs and Hay. ore w Of WOAD. 28 de ating EOR bois THIS being a very rich Commodity, it is worth the Husbandman’s Notice and Care 1 in cultivating it; becauſe it is often found, that he doubles, nay quadruples the Rent of his Land thereby. The chief Misfortune is, that it will not thrive every where; for it requires a very rich and warm Land, and ſuch as hath not been uſed in Tillage for ſome Years; and here alſo no more than two Crops muſt be expected; only it admirably dif- poſes the Land, and makes it clean for Barley afterwards, It is obſerved of late Years, that there are many Sets or Companies of People, Men, Women and Children, who undertake the whole of this Buſineſs; hiring Land, building Huts or Houſes, ploughing the Land, ſowing the Seed, gathering the Woad, and doing every thing elſe to fit it for the Dyer's Uſe. And ſo, when their End is anſwered, they remove from Place to Place, as they can find Land for their Purpoſe. The t Agriculture and Gardening. 79 The Land muſt be finely ploughed and harrowed for this Seed, leaving no Stones, Clots or Turfs thereon; and it muſt be continually weeded till the Leaves cover the Ground. Early fowing, it is thought, greatly prevents the Fly and the Grub, to which it is ſubject as well as the Turnep; accordingly, if the Weather fuffer, it ſhould be fown in February The firſt Crop is ripe, when the Leaf is come to its full Growth, and retains its lively Greenneſs; and then no Time ſhould be loſt in cutting it , left it grow pale and fade, which would be a great Prejudice to it. It ordinarily yields four, and ſometimes five Crops in a plentiful Year, beſides the Winter-Growth, which is very helpful to Sheep. The two firit Crops are the beſt, and therefore ſhould not be mixed with the other, but carried immediately to the Mill ſeparate ; and the ordering of it there, is beſt learnt from experienced Workmen. It ſells from fix to thirty Pounds a Ton, which is the ordinary Produce of an Acre. Before the Ground is ploughed the ſecond Year, they reſerve a Place by itſelf, where are ſome of the beſt Plants; and theſe are preſerved for Seed for future Uſe. It is uſed by Dyers to lay the Foundation of many Colours, eſpecially thoſe that are dark. Of Weld. TH HIS is a rich Commodity, uſeful alſo to the Dyers for all forts of bright Yellows, and Lemon Coloursand is the more valuable, conſidering the eaſy Charge of rai- fing it, and that it will grow upon ſome of the worſt Land. Weld is one of the capſu- late Herbs, whoſe Flowers conſiſt of four Leaves; and is further diſtinguished by the Flower in reſpect of its Colour, being a yellow large Plant, whoſe Leaves are of a bluiſh Green, long and ſmooth. It is remarkable, that in many Places, particularly in the Biſhoprick of Durham, it grows wild; and yet is there much neglected, by reaſon neither the Plant nor its Value is ordi- narily known. However, it is ſown with Care in many places of England to great Advantage; for, as I have obſerved, it will grow on any ordinary Land, provided it be dry and warm. It may be fown after Barley or Oats when they are harrowed, this requiring only a Bruſh to be drawn over it. A Gallon of Seed will low an Acre, it being very ſmall; for which Reaſon it is good to mix it with Duſt or Sand, by which Means it may it may be the better diſperſed with the Hand. It grows not much the firſt Summer ; but by preſerving it from Beaſts and Annoyances after the Corn is gathered, you may the next Summer expect a Crop. The Seed ſhould be carefully gathered before it is too ripe, left it ſhed. It is pulled, as they do Flax, by the Roots, and bound in little Handfuls, ſet to dry and then houſed. After this, they beat out the Seed, which is of a good Value; and ſell, not the Leaves, but the Stalk and Root to the Dyers, for the Ules aforeſaid. The Seed is ſometimes worth Ten Shillings a Buſhel; and the whole Value of an Acre’s Crop, Seven or Eight Pounds. W OF SAFFRON. You can T! THAT which grows in England is eſteemed the beſt in the World, and ſhould there- fore be more propagated than it is. Saffron is of the Crocus-kind, of which there are great Varieties both of Vernal and Autumnal Flowering. But the true Saffron appears in September, with Flowers like a blue Crocus ; and in the Middle of it come up two or three Chives growing upright, as the reſt of the Flower explains itſelf and ſpreads abroad. It delights in a warm mellow Soil well cultivated, and is planted and increaſed by the Roots; fet according to ſome in March, and by others at Midſummer, when its Leaves die into the Ground. This Root is much propagated in Cambridgeſhire, and about Saffron- Walden, from whence it takes its Name; and there they ſet them in Ranges, which they make with a large Hough about two or three Inches deep, and at five Inches diſtance one from another. After one Range is finiſhed, they begin another; covering the firſt with the Earth of the ſecond Range; and ſo on till the Whole is finiſhed, ſetting each Root three Inches aſunder. The 80 Qui A New Syſtem of A o encourage Sticks at about a Foot diſtance; and becauſe they are impatient of the Sun or Wind, The Time of Gachering is, when it firſt begins to flower in September, when the yel- low Chives appear in the Middle of the Flower, which are gently to be gathered by the Finger and Thumb early in a Morning before it retires into the Flower again. For this purpoſe as many Hands are to be employed as the Quantity of the Land requires, and as long as the Seaſon continues, which is about a Month. It muſt be dried with a gentle Heat aud conſtant Attendance; whereby it muſt be expected that at leaſt two Thirds will dry away and loſe its Weight; by which it is generally ſold, and at a dear Rate too ſometimes, even from Twenty Shillings to Five Pounds a Pound Weight; an Acre uſu- ally producing Ten or Twelve Pounds. Out of this profit is indeed to be deducted the neceſſary Charge of Planting, Houghing and Gathering, which is uſually computed at Four Pounds an Acre: However, as they continue in the Ground increaſing and multi- plying at the Root, and need not be removed or planted only once in three Years, the Charge of Planting muſt not be accounted annual. Mr. Mortimer tell us, that in ſome parts of Oxfordſhire there is a ſort of Baſtard-Saf- fron called Safflow, which the Dyers uſe for Scarlet, which they plant in Rows about a Foot diſtance for the Convenience of houghing. It grows upon a round Stalk three or four Foot high, and at the Top bears a great open ſtalky Head, out of which pro- ceed many gold-coloured Threads of a moſt ſhining Colour, which they gather every day as they ripen, and dry them. We have Saffron brought from Spain ; but it is a fort much worſe than our own Growth, and of much leſs Value. Of LIQUORICE. T HIS being a Plant that brings in great Profit to the induſtrious Planter, I thought it proper to give it a Place here, and to ſay ſomething to direct and to its Cultivation. It grows naturally wild, and in Soils not over-rich. I find it my ſelf ex- tending its Roots even amongſt the Lime-ſtone Rocks, but very ſmall and ſlender : How- ever, it deſerves better Encouragement, for its Productions are always anſwerable to the Goodneſs of the Soil. It loves a deep, warm and rich Earth inclining to Sand; accord- ingly it hath been much planted near Northampton and Pontefract in Yorkſhire, where the Land will bear trenching at leaſt three Spit deep, and ſhould be laid as light as poſſi- ble. If Dung is uſed to mend the Soil , it ſhould be dug in before Winter, and at plant- ing in the Spring dug over again. Old rotten Dung is beſt. The beſt Sets are thoſe taken from the Top of the old Roots; but the Runners alſo, which ſpread from the Maſter-Roots, may be made uſe of with great Succeſs . Even the Branches when flip'd and planted will grow in a wer Year, and will ſerve to fill up all thin Places. bus February and March are the Months for planting Liquorice. The Plants are ſet with they ſhould be as little out of the Ground as poſſible ; and conſequently, if they are re- moved to any diſtance, great Care ſhould be taken that the Roots be kept moiſt. The firſt Year after Planting need not be loft, for Onions and Lettuce may be fow'd inter- mixt. After it has ſtood three Years it may be dug up for Ule; and the ſooner it is diſpoſed of the better for the Planter, becauſe while it is green it preſerves its Weight. We are told, that One Hundred Pound hath been made of an Acre of Liquorice; but, I ſuppoſe, now the Plenty diminiſheth its Value. However, this is certain, that the better the Land is the more is the Profit, every one covering the largeſt.ru * This is a conſiderable Article in the Apothecary's Shop, and is uſed medicinally various Ways. 11 nivo zavino soyd Bandai bus batele las asasination thumba wake ei engilate the cibo at donw en handia dos namna ot guild oh oh di bas you want dangerous 1905. aidTosno Smo zanton svits bus per on end to o it code and moren med as being to Yonis sencil Of son gout bodi i stand til noel beground beat orang dite Agriculture and Gardening 81 Of MADDER. MA ADDER is an Herb that is ſtellate; fo ſtiled from the Manner of the Growth of the Leaves, which encompaſs the Stalk at Intervals, like the Rays of a Star, di- ffinguiſhable by bearing leſſer Flowers, ramping, of broader Leaves, having a red Root uſed for dying Scarlets. The Sum of what Mr. Worlidge ſays of Madder, in his Syſtema Agriculturæ, is, that it is a rich Commodity much uſed by Dyers and Apothecaries, and a Plant that delights in our Climate. It is to be planted in a very rich, deep, warm and well manured Land, dug at leaſt two or three Spade deep: About March or April, as ſoon as it ſprings out of the Ground, it is to be there planted. The Sets are to be gathered two or three Inches long, with Roots to them, and immediately planted, or put into Mould, if carried far; and then fer about a Foot apart, and kept watered till they ſpring, and continually weeded till they have gotten the Maſtery of the Weeds. At three Years end you may take it up; re- ſerve the Plants for the Uſe of your ſelf or Neighbours, and ſell the Roots to the Apo- thecaries, or dry them for the Uſe of the Dyers. Dr. Sprat, in his Hiſtory of the Royal Society, gives an Apparatus to the Hiſtory of the common Practices of Dying, by Sir William Pettit. He ſays, Bran-Liquor contributes ſomething to the holding of the Colour ; for we know Starch, which is nothing but the Flower of Bran, will make a clinging Paſte, the which will conglutinate ſome Things, tho' not every Thing, viz. neither Wood nor Metals. Now Bran-Liquors are uſed to mealy dying Stuffs, luch as Madder is, being the Powder or Fecula of a Root; fo as the Flower of Bran being joined with the Madder, and made clammy and glutinous by Boil- ing, he doubts not but both ſticking upon the Villi of the Stuff dyed, the Madder ſticks the better, by reaſon of the ſtarchy Paltineſs of the Bran-Flower joined with it. Madder is a Root cultivated much in Flanders; it is uſed to dye on Cloath a Colour the neareſt to our Beau-Dye, or New Scarlet ; and the Colours called Baſtard Scarlet are dyed with it. Sometimes the Madder hath yielded Eight or Nine Pounds the Hundred Weight; the beſt more, and the worſt ſomething leſs ; for there is great Difference in its Value: It is Pity it is not more cultivated, inaſmuch as there is a great and conſtant Demand for it, both from the Apothecaries and Dyers. Some of the latter have been known to uſe a Hundred Pounds worth in a Week. Of T e ASIL S. j M R. Mortimer tells us, that in ſeveral Parts of Elex they fow Teafils upon Lands al- ready ploughed for Corn in Autumn, double-furrowing it in December and after that, in February or March, they fow the Seed, a Peck upon an Acre. But in Berkſhire, and about Reading, a Friend of mine is wont to cultivate ſeveral Acres of Teaſils: But he manages them after a better and more rational Method, and finds a very good Account and Increaſe in it. The Plants ought to have two Summers to bring them to Perfe- ction, like Cabbages. Only they ſhould be ſowed in the Spring, and ſuffered to ſtand in the Seed-Bed all the Summer cleanly weeded; and then either in Autumn, or in Spring following, tranſplanted into the ploughed Field, ready prepared for them; where they are to be ſet regularly in Lines at about a Foot aſunder. By which Management, they arrive to great Maturity and Bulk. This is a Commodity that is carried from England into Fo- reign Parts, being no where elſe (as far as I can learn) cultivated. They are uſed in the dreſſing Bays and fine Cloths; and only this kind of Thiſtle is fit for the Purpoſe, and is fo neceſſary for that End, that the Dutch eagerly cover them, and purchaſe them almoſt at any Rate. There have formerly been valt Advantages made of them; an Acre com- monly producing One Hundred and Sixty Bundles, at One Shilling a Bundle, and ſome- times double. But I ſuppoſe the Markets of late have been more glutted or over-ſtock’d. They cut them in Auguſt, tying them up in Bundles or Staves to dry before they houſe them. A mixt loamy Soil is ſuppoſed to be beſt for them. Y Of 82 A New Syſtem of ving TI Of HOPS, HE Hop is an Herb of Stamineous Flowers, whoſe Seeds are round, diſtinguiſhable by Sex of Male and Female; becauſe from the fame Seed fome Plants are produ- ced which bear Flowers and no Seeds, and others which bear Seeds and no Flowers. It is of the bigger ſort of Herb, having a divided Leaf, and being a climbing Plant, twiſting about ſuch Things as are next to it, from the Left toward the Right Hand, con- trary to the manner of ſome other twining Plants; of a rough roundiſh Leaf, divided into many Segments, with a Head of ſcaly Tufts growing in a Cluſter or Bunch. It is com- monly uſed to preſerve Drink from lowering, and will preſerve it ſometimes Fifteen or Twenty Years. This Plant delights in the richeſt Land, a deep Mould and light; if mixt with Sand it is the better ; and a black Garden Mould is excellent. To lie near the Water, when it may be laid dry, and have a low mellow deep Ground, inclining Southward, and defen- ded by Hills or Trees from Weſt, North and Eaſt, that it may lie warm, is beft; but almoſt any Ground may do, except itony and ſtiff Clay. The Aſh on a dry, and the Pop- lar or Aſpen on a moilt Ground, make the beſt Shelters to the Hop-Garden, If the Land be cool, ſtiff, four or barren, burn it at the latter End of the Summer, and then ſow Turneps, Hemp or Beans, to mellow and lighten the Ground, and deſtroy the Weeds. Whatever it be, Till it in the Beginning of Winter with Plough or Spade, making it even; and marking out the Places where the Hills are to ſtand; which is beſt done by a ſtreightend Line over-thwart the Ground, with Knots at the Diſtance you in- tend the Hills. Some plant Checquer-wiſe; which is beſt, if you would plough between the Hills : Others plant in the Quicunx Form, which is moſt beautiful and better for the Hops, eſpe- cially in a ſmall Ground where you muſt uſe a Breaft-Plough or Spade. In either pitch a Stick, where each Hill is to be; and if the Ground be cold or ſtiff, lay on it the beſt Mould, or Dung and Earth mixt; and at every Stick dig a Hole about a Foot ſquare, and fill it with the Mould or Compoſt, and there ſet your Plants, which will ſoon repay your Charge and Trouble. Hops in a dry Ground are planted about Six Foot diſtant; but in deep, moiſt, rich Mould, that will bear large Hops, Eight or Nine Foot is the proper Diſtance, and ſo plant according to the Goodneſs of the Soil. If the Hills are over-diftant, increaſe the Roots in each Hill, and ſo you will apply more Poles; and if the Hills are leſs diftant, contra. A great many plant at the latter End of March, or in April, and this is the common Practice; but undoubtedly it is beſt in October, when the Hops will ſettle againſt the Spring. Get the largeſt Sets from a Garden well kept, and where the Hills have been raiſed very high the preceding Year, which will increaſe the Plants in Number and Bulk. Let the Plants be Eight or Ten Inches long, and in each Three or Four Joints or Buds : Dig the Holes Eight, Ten or Twelve Inches deep, and about a Foot over, before you take the Sets out of the Ground; elſe you muſt lay them in cold and moiſt Earth, and take them out as you have Occaſion. Some ſet Two or Three Plants upright in the Middle of the Hole, and hold them hard together with one Hand, while they fill the Hole with the other with fine Mould made ready before-hand, obſerving to ſet the Tops even with the Surface of the Ground, and then faſten well the Earth about the Roots. Others plant one Set at each Corner of the Hole, which is well approv’d; and 'tis good to raiſe the Earth Two or Three Inches above the Set, unleſs you plant fo late that the green Sprigs are ſhot forth, when a total Covering will deſtroy them. If Hops are worn out of Heart, then about the Beginning of Winter dig about them, and take away the old barren Earth, and apply good fat Mould or Compoſt to their Roots ; be ſure this be done before February, in open Weather; and ſuch Winter-Dreſſing will renovate the Hop, and deſtroy the Weeds; but for hearty ſtrong Hops, late Dreſſing is moſt proper, viz. in March or the Beginning of April, which will keep them from too early ſpringing, that brings many Injuries. In Dreſſing of your Hops, pull down the Hills, and undermine round, till you come near the principal Roots, and then take the upper or younger Roots in your Hand, ſhaking off the Earth; which Earth being removed with your Tool, you ſhall diſcern where the new Roots grow out of the old Sets, which Sets you muſt be careful not to ſpoil. You need not mind the other Roots, for they may be cut away, except ſuch as you mean to ſet. Agriculture and Gardening. 83 when ſet. Uncover only the Tops of the old Sets in the firſt Year of Cutting; and at what Time ſoever you cut down your Hills, cut not the Roots before March. At the firit Dreſſing, you are to cut away all ſuch Roots or Sprigs as grew the Year before, out of your Sets, within one Inch of the fame. Our ancient Writers ſay, they muſt be cut cloſe like Ofiers; but Experience teaches, 'tis good for a weak Hop to leave fome principal new Shoots at the Dreſſing, and that clean Cutting hath very much da- maged a Hop-Garden. Cut not the Roots that grow downward, but ſuch as grow fide- ways which may incumber the Ground. The old Roots are Red, the laſt Year's White When you have dreſs’d the Roots, then apply your rich Mould or Compoſt prepar’d for that purpoſe; and make the Hill not too high at firſt, left you hinder the young Shoots : When you dreſs you may cut the Hops, tho' they are ſprung out of the Hills. Be ſure to keep Poultry from the Hop-Garden ; and if there be any wild Hops, take up the whole Hill and new plant it. Provide Poles enough according to the Distance of the Hills, and according to the Strength of the Hop, the Length and Bigneſs. If the Hills be far diſtant, fet Four or Five Poles to each Hill; otherwiſe Two or Three. In hot, dry and hungry Ground, the Poles may ſtand thicker than otherwiſe. If the Hops be ſtrong, and the Ground rich, you are to get large Poles ; if otherwiſe, the contrary: For the Hop will run out of Heart, if over-poled; and be ſure not to over-pole the firſt Year, altho' they ſhould re- quire as many Poles (or rather Rods) the firit as any other Year. Alder Poles are eſteem- ed the beſt, by reaſon of their Streightneſs, taper Form, and rough Rind, which ſuffers not the Hop eaſily to flip down: The Aſh is moſt laſting, eſpecially if they grow on barren Lands; ſome will laſt Ten or Twelve Years. N. B. Forked Poles bear the greateſt Burdens. Lay the Poles between the Hills before you begin to fet them in the Ground. Pole you ſee the Hops above Ground, and continue till they are a Yard high; but ſet the largeſt Pole to the ſtrongeſt Branches: And ſo deep likewiſe, that it may ſooner break than ariſe out of the Ground by Winds. Let the Poles lean outward one from the other, and ſtand equi-diftant at the Top, to prevent growing too near each other in any Part ; which will make Shade, and cauſe more Hawm than Hops. N. B. Leaning Poles bear moſt Hops. Be ſure to preſerve a Parcel of the worſt Poles, in caſe a Pole ſhould break, or be over-burden'd. Ram the Earth on the Out-ſide of the Pole, to ſecure it from Winds. If the Hop be under or over-poled, you may unwind it, and place another in its ſtead, having ſome one to hold the Hop, whilſt you pitch in the Pole; or you may place another near, and bring the Hop to it. When the Hops are Two or Three Foot out of the Ground, wind them on the neareſt Poles, or ſuch as have feweſt Hops ; or at leaſt place them to the Pole, that they may wind themfelves with the Courſe of the Sun, binding them gently thereto with ſome wither'd Rufh or woollen Yarn ; Two or Three Strings are enough to a Pole: 'Tis beſt doing this when the Warmth of the Day hath toughened the Shoots; in the Morning ’tis more dangerous. During the Months of April and May the Hops muſt be daily direct- ed, left they break themſelves by going amiſs : And a forked Wand, a Stool, or a Ladder with a Stay on the Back, are of uſe to direct the Hops to the Poles. About Midſummer the Hop begins to leave running at Length, and to branch; therefore ſuch as reach not the Top of the Poles, it would be well to nip off the Top, that it may branch the bet- ter, which is preferable to their growing in Length: But Care ſhould be rather taken not to over-pole them; for they never bear well, except their Extremities be ſuffered to hang down Five or Six Foot. And this, by the way, is another Demonſtration that Vegetables are leaſt prolific in a perpendicular Poſture, and moſt prolific in an horizontal or inverted one. To make up the Hills, after Rain in May, pare the Surface with a Spade or Hough, or run it over with a Plough; and with theſe Parings raiſe your Hills in Height, burying and ſuppreſſing all fuperfluous Shoots of Hops and Weeds. Thus will you hinder the Droughts in Summer to injure them, and the Hops will ſend forth their Roots to the Surface of the Earth, and thereby they imbibe what Moiſture ſhall happen. This Work may be continued throughout the Summer, but more eſpecially after Rain. Be ſure to keep your Ground in good Heart; and in a dry Spring, water your Hops before you raiſe your Hills. In hot and dry Grounds a dry Spring checks the Hop in its firſt ſpringing. Uſe what Water you can get ; but what is gotten in a Pond made with Clay, at the lower End of your Ground is belt. In the midſt of each Hill thruſt ſome pointed Stick or Iron down the Middle, and pour in your Water by degrees till the Hill is 84 A New Syſtem of is well ſoaked; then cover the Hill with the Parings of your Garden. In a dry Summer give each Hill a Pail-full of Water two or three times: After every Watering make up the Hills with the Parings, Weeds, the cooleſt and moiſtelt Materials you can get; for the more the Root is ſhaded, the better it thrives; even many fare well that have natural Shelter and are never dreſt. Towards the End of July Hops blow, and a Week or Fortnight after they bell, and in forward Years are ripe the latter End of Auguft. When the Hop or its Seed turn a little browniſh, or when they are eaſily pulled to pieces, and ſmell fragrantly, conclude they are ripe, and gather them with many Hands before they shatter, for a Wind may do great Damage. The way of Gathering is to take down four Hills in the midſt of the Garden ; cut the Roots, level the Earth, throw Water on it, tread and ſweep it, and ſo fhall it be a fair Floor to lay the Hops on for Picking. On the Outſide of this Floor the Pickers fit and pick the Hops into Baskets, the Hops being ſtript from the Poles, and brought to the Floor. Clear your Floor twice or thrice in a Day, and ſweep it clean. This is beſt for itrait Poles, and ſome pick them ſitting diſperſedly: But the beſt way is to faften a Hair Cloth or Blanket on a Frame made of ſhort Poles, and ſet on four Stakes; on which lay the Poles with the Hops on them, and pick them into the Blanket; when 'tis full, remove them, and ſo on, removing the Frame as occaſion ſerves. This Way ſaves ſtripping the Hops from the Poles ; neither are any ſcattered by ſtripping, and they are all in Sight, and fooner pick’d. Before you draw your Poles, with a ſharp Hook on a Pole divide the Hops where they grow on two Poles, and cut them Two or Three Foot above the Hills, elſe the Hop will bleed much of its Strength away. This done, draw your Poles ; and if they are over-faſt in, draw them with an Iron Pair of Toothed Tongs, or a Wooden Leaver forked, on which are fixed two Toothed Irons; either of thele laid over a Block Leaver-like, will eaſily raiſe them. Draw no more at a Time than what will ſerve for an Hour or two, in caſe of very hot Weather, or likelihood of Rain. In a large Hop-Garden, 'tis worth while to raiſe in the midſt thereof a Shed, under which you may pick your Hops; which will defend both the Hops and the Pickers from the Sun and Storms. Here alſo may be laid Hops unpick'd over Night, to be picked in the Morning before the Dew be off the other; and the Poles may lie here dry in Win- ter. Gather no Hops wet; but if the Dew or Wet be on them, ſhake the Poles and they will dry the ſooner. Let not your Hops be over-ripe, leſt they ſhed their Seed (in which their chief Strength conſiſts) and loſe their green Colour, to the Prejudice of their Value; tho' ſome Perſons let them ſtand as long as they can, becauſe they walte leſs in the Drying. Four Pounds of green Hops thorough ripe will make One Pound of dry, and Five Pounds in their Prime will make One; ſo they think they get more in the Weight than they loſe in the Colour. In Picking, keep them clean from Leaves and Stalks, which will ſpoil their Sale. As faſt as you pick, dry them, otherwiſe they will change Colour ; but if you muſt keep them, ſpread them on ſome Floor, not too thick, and by that means the Damage they will receive in a Day or two will not be great. N. B. Ill dried Hops are naught, and will ſpoil all they come nigh. Some make uſe of the broken Poles to dry their Hops ; but Charcoal or Cinders are the only Fuel which will not prejudice the Colour, as ſmoaky Wood will: Keep your Fire ar a conſtant Heat; and the Hops this way muſt not be ſtirred till thorough dry, which is when the Top is as dry as the Bottom; but if any be not ſo dry as the reſt, (which may be known by their rattling, if you try with a Stick in ſeveral Places) then abate them there, and diſpoſe in the Places where Hops were firſt dry. When they are all dry through, then take out the Fire, and ſhove out the Hops at the Window, with a Coal- Rake made with a Board at the End of a Pole, into the Room prepared to receive them; then go in at the Door below, and ſweep together the Seeds and Hops that fell through, and lay them with the other. This done, lay another Bed of green Hops, and in like manner proceed. In ſeveral Places they dry their Hops on the ordinary Malt-Kilns (on a Hair-Cloth) about fix Inches thick ; and when they are almoſt dry, with a Scoop made for that Pur- poſe, they turn them upſide down, and let them lie till every Hop be thoroughly dried; and then with a Hair Cloth remove them to the Heap. Both theſe Ways are ſubject to Inconveniencies. In the firſt, the Hops lying ſo thick and never turn'd, thoſe under muſt of Neceſſity be oyer dry, before the upper can be dry enough, and prejudice them both in Agriculture and Gardening. 85 in Strength and Weight; beſides the Waſte of Firing, which muſt be long continued to thorough dry ſo many together. In the ſecond Way, the Turning of the Hops breaks them very much; by forcing the Scoop againſt the rough Hair Cloth; it frets and ſpoils many Hops, and ſhatters their Seeds; elſe this Way is rather to be preferr’d. But thele ſeveral Inconveniencies may be prevented, by making the lower part of the Kiln, as before deſcribed, and the Bed after the following manner: Firit, make a Bed of flat Ledges about an Inch thick and two or three Inches broad, fawn and laid a-croſs on the other Chequer-wiſe, the flat Way, the Diſtances about three or four Inches; the Ledges fo entered the one into the other, that the Floor may be even and ſmooth; and this Bed is to reſt on two or three Joiſts fet Edge-wiſe to ſupport it from ſinking. Cover this with double Tin Plates ſolder'd together at the Joints, and ſo order it that the Joints of the Tin may lie over the Middle of a Ledge: When the Board is wholly cover'd, fit Boards about the Edges of the Kiln to keep up the Hops; only let one side be to remove, that the Hops may be ſhov'd off. On this Tin Floor the Hops may be turned without Ha- zard or Loſs, as before on the Hair, and with leſs Expence of Fuel: Allo any Fuel will ſerve, for the Smoak cannot paſs through the Hops; but be ſure to have Conveyances for it at the Corners and Sides of your Kiln. The Fuel you will ſave, will in a little Time recompence your Charge. To turn Hops, is troubleſome; but a wooden Cover lined with Tin, to pull up and down, and to hand ſometimes about a Foot over, will, like a reverberatory Furnace, dry the upper Parts. And this is eſteemed the beſt way to dry Hops; which is the most hazardous Piece of Work that belongs to them. This done, you muit lay them in ſome Room for three weeks or a Month, that they may cool, give, and grow tough ; for if baggd from the Kiln, they will crumble to Powder ; but if they lie cloſe cover'd with Blankets, you may pack or bagg them with greater Security. The manner of Bagging of Hops is thus : Make a Hole in an upper Floor, big enough that a Man may with Eaſe go up and down, and turn and wind in it; then tack on a Hoop about the Mouth of the Bag faſt with Pack-thread, that it may bear the Weight of the Hops when full, and of the Man that creads them; then let the Bag down through the Hole, and the Hoop will reſt above, and keep the Bag from ſliding wholly through; into which Bag caſt a few Hops, and before you go in to tread, tie at each lower Corner of the Bag an Handful of Hops with a Piece of Packthread to make a Taffel, by which you may conveniently lift or remove the Bag when it is full; then go into the Bag and tread the Hops on every Side, another caſting them in as faſt as you require it, till it be full. When it is well trodden and filled, let down the Bag, by unripping the Hoop; and cloſe the Mouth of the Bag, filling the two upper Corners as you did the two lower. The Bags well dry’d and pack’d, may be preſerv'd in a dry Place divers Years, if the Mice ſpoil them not. This done, return to the Hop-Garden, and preſerve the Hop-Poles for another Year : Strip the Hawm clean from them, and ſet three Poles triangular, ſpreading at Bottom, and tied almoſt at Top. Againſt theſe you may ſet all the Hop-Poles; bind them about with a little Hawm twiſted. Thus the outward Poles are only ſubject to the Injuries of the Weather, except the Tops. There are Variety of Ways to preſerve the Poles; but the beſt is, when they are thorough dry, to lay them up in a dry Houſe. In the Winter you muſt provide Manure for the Hop-Garden againſt the Spring. If your Dung be rotten, then mix it well with two or three Parts of untried Earth, and let it lie till the Spring: This will ſerve to make up the Hills with. If the Dung be new, then when mixed let it lie another Year; for new Dung is injurious to Hops. Horſe- Dung and Cow-Dung are very good; but none can compare with Pidgeons-Dung, if a little only be well mixt in a Hill, that it may not be too ſtrong in any one Place: Sheeps-Dung alſo is very good. In Spring, or Summer, if you ſteep the Dung of Sheep, Pidgeons or Hens in Water, till quite diſſolved; and when you water your Hops, if you put a Difhful of this diſſolved Dung among the Water you water your Hops with, in the hollow Places made to contain the Water on the Top of every Hill, the Virtue will be carried to the Roots of the Hop, and it may prove the moſt expeditious, advantageous and leaſt expenſive Way of enriching the Hop-Hills, of any other. Thus you may convey to the Roots of any Vegetable the inherent or attracted Virtue in Lime, Alhes, or any other fertilizing Subject. Hops were firſt brought from Flanders into England, Anno 1524, in the 15th Year of King Henry VIII before which, Alehoof, Wormwood, &c. was generally uſed for the Preſervation of Drink. Very great Improvements have been made by Hop-Gardens in Z the 86 A New Syſtem of ihe Weſt of England, but eſpecially in Kent. At Farnham in Hampſhire, Maid-ſtone, &c. the Planters thereabout dig and dung the Hop-Garden about Chriſtmas, and ſome time after they raiſe many Hillocks in Rows, about a Yard diſtant from each other: The Plants are ſet about March, and then are fix'd into each Hillock three Poles about eight Foot long; but at three Years Growth they ſet Poles of twelve or fixteen Foot long, according to the Strength of the Ground and the Hops. They are carefully dug, and dreſs’d, and ga- ther'd about the Beginning of September ; after which, being thoroughly dried over a Kiln, they are bagg’d and ſent to London. The Expence of Digging and Dreſſing is about 31. an Acre, (but all Expences a great deal more, perhaps thrice as much,) which may probably yield half a Load of Hops one Year with another; which, according to the Price in many Years, may be valued at 100l. With taking the Pains that is neceſſary, (and which is every thingit has been com- pured that one or two Acres of Hop-Ground will yield more Profit than fifty Acres of Arable Land; but yet great Allowances muſt be made for the Diſappointments of bad Years, and the Damage ſuſtained ſometimes even in the gathering and curing them. How- ever, (as Mr. Switzer rightly obſerves) the Culture of Hops is in the main one of the moſt profitable Employments the Husbandman or Gardener can engage in. And the large Eſtates acquir'd of late by Merchandize in Hops, is a ſufficient Encouragement for others to ſtudy to improve and cultivate this uſeful Plant. Beſides, it is a Manufacture that em- ploys abundance of Hands, and the Poor find Work and Wages almoſt all the Year, from the neceſſary Attendance of Planting, Soiling, Digging, Houghing, Poling, Tying and Picking. So that it is as well a publick Good, as of private Advantage. The noble Plantations of Hops at Farnham, where for Regularity and Exactneſs they ap- pear like Woods and Groves cut into Viſtaes, is a beautiful Sight; and it is not uncommon for thoſe who are aſſiduous and skilful, to make of their Hop-Grounds ſome Years at leaſt 30 1. per Acre, even in large Quantities. But, as I ſaid, Deductions muſt be made for bad Years; which commonly happen in the Proportion of one bad one for three good ones. Anniſeed will ripen well in England, if ſown at Mechaelmas, in well prepared Ground, and may turn to good Account to the Farmer: As alſo Caraway and Coriander. The firſt will laſt three or four Years, if the Ground be kept clean ; but it is not fit to cut till the ſecond Year. There is a conſtant Demand for them all; which the Farnier ought to re- member. Of MALT. M ALT may be made of all ſorts of Grain. In the North, Big is much uſed; but generally it is made of Barley, which ought to be of the beſt fort. This Barley is put into the Ciſtern, and covered with Water, rather from the Brook than the Spring; and there it lics till the Husk will riſe or ſhell a little from it, which it will do after three or four Nights; then the Water is drawn off, and you are to let it lie eight, ten or twelve Hours to drain. It is beſt to let it have rather too little than too much Water. When well drain’d, it is thrown, from ſix or eight Inches thick to a Heap, on the Couch Floor, according to the Weather; and it is ſtirred with the broad caſting Shovel once, twice or thrice, or oftener in a Day. After Couching ſome Days, it will ſweat a little, and begin to ſhew the Sprit or Spirc at the Root-end; and in four or five Days more, it will become long; but, except the Weather grow very cold, it muſt be laid thinner, and ſtirred over three or four Times in a Day ; but this differs greatly according to the Wcather, and it muſt be minded accordingly; and the Sprit muſt ſeldom run far- ther than half an Inch. Beſides the Sprit, there is an Acroſpire that grows ſlowly under the Skin unſeen, and the Corn malts no farther than it runs through the Husk; for it carries the Heart of the Corn with it; wherefore it is obſerved that a Maltfter muſt take great Pains, and have his Wits about him, or he may be foon undone. The Malt being made, and having lain its uſual Time in the Floor, (which is about Three Weeks in the Winter, and leſs Time in the Summer) it is laid on the Kiln to dry, ſomething thicker than it generally lay on the withering Floor; where, when it has lain about five Hours, with a conſtant regular Fire under it, the firſt Turn is given it; about four Hours after that the ſecond Turning, and three Hours after that the third; and if the Kiln dry well, in three Hours more, with a moderate Fire, it will be dried enough. The Goodneſs of the Kiln, and the Greenneſs of the Malt, makes it ſometimes more and ſometimes leſs Hours in Drying. At Derby they have a Brick Kiln, which will dry more in Agriculture and Gardening 87 in four Hours than was uſually done in twelve Hours. There is great Art in Turning the Malt on the Kiln; and the common Way is to lay all the Malt on an Heap in the Middle; and the Hair-Cloth being laid even, this Heap is caft round, and the place where it lay left quite bare, leaſt any Corn ſticking ſhould be Fire-fanged. Then the bare Place is fiild from the Sides; and ſo being raked very even, it is left. The Malt, when dried, is removed from the Kiln (being thrown on a Heap in the Side next the Granary for that Purpoſe) and laid above a Foot thick, and trod round three or four Times, beginning at the Outſide, and winding to the Middle of the Heap, and fo back. This is call?d a Courſe; and in two or three ſuch Courſes, if well dried, the Malt will be trod enough; that is, all the Come will be rubb’d off; and if the Malé be to be kept long, it is thrown on a Heap in the Duſt; but if it be to be fold in two or three Months, the Duft is immediately ſeparated, by running it through a Fan or Skreen, that it may take the Air better in the Heap, and become more mellow, at the fame time it is cleanled. N. B. This Method of Treading is not always uſed. There are Brick and Stone Kilns for the Drying of Malt: And all the Floors for the Working of Malt are made of Plaiſter, which are much better than thoſe of Mud, Lime or Boards; but Boards, I take it, make the beſt Flooring of the Granary for the dried Malt. Some think ’tis beſt to grind Malt Four or Five Days before 'tis brewed, (but that is much controverted;) and ſome Perſons would have it double that Time, and the Water Five or Six Days in the Veſſel before uſed. There is hardly a County where there is not ſome good Beer and Ale made; but Derby, Nottingham, Dorſet, Burton, &c. are moſt eſteemid. Indeed all the Northern Counties much exceed thoſe of the South. Malt, if it be burnt, is not only of a brown reddiſh Colour, and ſmells of Fire ; but alſo yields very little Quantity of Liquor, and that with a high Colour and ill Taſte; which generally, if not always, go together. There are ſeveral Methods and divers Materials uſed for the Drying of Malt. In Hamp- ſhire, 'tis generally dried with Wood or clear Billets; which at beſt gives the Malt an ill Tafte, and therefore is generally eſteemed the worſt Way. Another and the moſt com- mon Way is, to dry it with Wheat or Rye Straw; which, if carefully choſen and uſed, doth very well and gives general Satisfaction. But the drying with Cowks has of late Years obtained the moſt univerſal Approbation, as having the leaſt Smoke, and conſe- quently leaving no ill Smell or Taſte, except it be over-heated or burnt. Only fome, who are not uted to it, complain it makes the Drink beady, and leaves a Clammineſs in the Mouth. There have been fome Contrivances of late of drying Malt with red hot Iron Furnaces; but if the Weather and Seaſon of the Year would countenance the Practice, the drying it in the Sun ſeems beſt and moſt rational, that being the pureſt and cleaneſt Fire. And it hath accordingly been practiſed in ſmall Quantities by a Clergyman in Nor- thamptonſhire with great Succeſs; from whom we have been made to hope and expect a learned Treatiſe on the Subject. As to the Complexion of Malt, White is undoubtedly the belt, becauſe moſt natural; for in all Preparations and Operations all Endeavours ſhould be uſed to maintain the natural Complexion of the Thing; for the Tinctures ariſe and proceed from the fine Spirits and eſſential Virtues: Wherefore in the Order of making Malt, if the Colour be altered its Virtues alſo are changed, and the Drink is made of another Na- ture and Operation, and often proves injurious to the Bodies of Mankind; from whence ertainly conclude, that the whiter the Drink is, the better and more healthful, as having milder and gentler Operations. I think it is univerſally agreed, that the leſs Smoke there is in the drying of Malt, the better; becauſe every degree of Smoke gives a Taſte by no means agreeable to the Palate, except of ſuch Ruſticks, who ſwallow it down almoſt without Taſting, and judge of the Goodneſs of Drink by the Deepneſs of the Colour, and its intoxicating Effects. Where- fore for the Sake of ſuch, common Brewers are wont to heighten both by Scorching the Malt, and Lanting the Drink in working, i. e. throwing in now and then a Chamber- Pot while it is working, But, (except with ſuch polluted Palates as theſe) the Art both of Malting and Brewing is at preſent brought to great Perfection in England, chiefly in the Northern Parts ; and Engliſh Beer and Ale are earneitly ſought for and greatly admired in all Parts of the World. It is plain Northern Barley, if it is as good, cannot be better nor exceed that of the South; and therefore the Excellence of our Malt and Drink muſt be owing to the Method of ma- king and drying the Malt without Smoke, by means of Cinders or Cowks made of Sea or Pir-Coals. For there are Brewers and Waters of all kinds both in the North and South. we may or 88 A New Syſtem of London, and all the Parts about it for Thirty or Forty Miles round have been a long time infamous for the worſt Drink, and famous for the beit Bread: And all on the North Side the Trent juſt vice versa. But of late Years, Wiſdom and Experience have taught both the North and South to mend their Errors, and to learn of one another; ſo that we begin to taſte good Drink in the South, and as good Bread in the North. But to return to the Buſineſs of Malting. Some of late bave covered their Kilns over with Wire inſtead of Hair-Cloth, which is a Way much to be preferred: For this doth not only dry it ſooner, but doth it much cleaner and ſweeter. By means of this Grate, the unſavoury Properties and Particles of the Fire paſs away more freely, and the refreſhing Sweetneſs of the Air is not ſo much hindered from circulating, and conſequently leſs Humidity is contracted: Whereas the Cloths are thick; and retain the Sulphureous Vapours which are ſo injurious to the Malt. This is manifeſt in all ſuch cloſe Places, where Stoves are; the Air having no free Circu- lation, becomes very noxious and unwholſome. It hath been generally thought (as I have already obſerved) that to make the beſt, the ſtrongeſt and the moſt . Drink, the Malt ſhould be ground Two or Three, nay ſome ſay Se- ven or Eight Days before it is brewed, to mellow it, and make the hot Liquor penetrate all the Parts of it. But as that ſeems to be a Reaſon of no weight; ſo others think, that the Injury which the Malt ſuffers by ſtanding ground, is too great to ſuffer a bad Cuſtom to continue. The outward Coat of the Malt is its natural Covering, to retain the fine ſpiritous Parts and inward Powers not perciptible to the Sight; therefore if by an undue Order or violent Method they are let looſe, theſe ſpirituous Qualities, according to the Degrees of the Injury done, will evaporate inviſibly; and then the Body, be it what it will, becomes fick, and by degrees will languiſh and die. The Caſe is the very fame with Beer or Ale warmed at the Fire to make it brisk and ſparkling ; which yet, after it is ſet by two or three Hours, will loſe its Spirits and lively Qualities, without having loſt any of its Meaſure. The like is to be underſtood of all other Things that have paſſed thro' any Digeſtion and Fermentation, as Malt hath, whoſe Body is throughly opened. Therefore if it be ground long before it is uſed, it is thought, by this way of Reaſoning, the ſpiritous Parts and beſt Virtues will evaporate. But ſtill a nice Obſervation and long Experience muſt de- termine this Diſpute; one ſide whereof ſeems, as above, to be ſupported by good Reaſon and Philoſophy It ſeems to be agreed by all, that grinding Malt too fine is a great Fault, and yet to be ſupported chiefly by the Reaſoning above, that the Spirits of the Malt evaporate ; nei- ther will the Drink be ſo clear. The modern Contrivance of, not cutting but only, ſqueez- ing and bruiſing the Malt between two Cylinders (if the Skins of every Corn were lure to be broken) ſeems right and rational. But the Brewing of Malt, without either grinding or bruiſing, can be rationally practiſed but once, except a greater regard be had to a Dain- ty for the Hogs, than to the Strength and Goodneſs of the Drink. E Of CATTLE, ſuch eſpecially as are moſt uſeful and profitable to the Farmer. Very one knows the Uſefulneſs of Horſes and Oxen for the Husbandman and Grazier's Purpoſes; and the Choice of them being generally ſo much better underſtood by Practice and Experience, than by any Directions that Theory-men can poſſibly give, I Mall think my ſelf entirely excuſed laying any thing further on this Head, than juſt what I ſhall think neceſſary to introduce ſome Particularities and ſhort Notices that have happen'd to fall in my Way. As to Horſes in the Uſe of Husbandry, and to make Profit and Gain of them, I cannot but recommend the Practice of many Places in Northamptonſhire, where they buy them in Colts at Spring from Leiceſter or Nottingham (the great breeding Countries) at two and three Years old, teaching them to hang in the Geers, and ufing them for the more gentle Works, and leſs ſevere Service for a Year or two, and then ſell them out again at the Fairs at Northampton for the Uſe of Gentlemens Coaches for Twenty Pound and Thirty Pound, and ſometimes Forty Pound, according to their Goodneſs. And this is their yearly Practice, with reſpect to both Geldings and Stone-Horſes: By which the Husbandman, if he be wary and careful in his Choice, makes a very conſiderable Gain. But there is Diſcretion and Judgment to be uſed in every thing. They uſe them, as I ſaid, gently ; and tho' perhaps in Harveft and Seed-time and Fallowing, they are always doing ſomething ; yet Agriculture and Gardening. 89 yet the diſcreet Husbandman ſa contrives it, that theſe young ones ſhall rather play than work, having always two or three Drudges and Slaves (perhaps Blind or Old) on which the Burden and Chief of the Work muft lie. The greateſt Misfortune that attends theſe heavy Horſes bred up for the Coach is, that they ſometimes, too often, fall blind of one or both Eyes, either in the Farmer's or the Gentleman's Hands, at three or four, or five Years old; ſeldom later. The Reaſon of which, ſome attribute to the high and hot feeding on Beans, Peafe, &c. But thoſe who are more experienced ſeem to think the Misfortune is to be aſcribed to blind Mares and blind Stallions, fo frequently kept for the Purpoſe of Breeding ; that Weakneſs and Defect being very eaſily to be ſuppoſed transferrable to their Off-ſpring. Which hath frequently made the Farmers wiſh (and with reaſon too) that an A&t of Parliament was made again it keeping blind Mares and Stallions for Breed. Oxen are no leſs uſeful to the Farmer for his Draught; and there are ſome peculiar Ad- vantages attending them, more than Horſes. They are eaſier kept. And if they prove either lame, or old, or blind, by Working, there is little or no Loſs in them: For they will then feed as well, and afford as good Meat as a young one. Their Harneſs and Shoes are cheaper, as well as their Feed, becauſe they eat no Oats : Neither are they fubject to ſo many Diſeaſes as Horſes are; tho’ heating them, and putting them beyond their ordi- nary Pace, ſometimes puts them into Surfeits and other Diſtempers. The uſual Time of putting Oxen to work is at three Years old. The firſt year they ſhould be gently uſed, eſpecially in hot Weather : And then their Meat ſhould be good Hay, which makes them endure Labour better than Graſs, that makes them faint and foggy. Uſed with Diſcretion, they will continue to work till they are Ten Years old. And then it may be adviſeable either to ſell them, or fat them with the After-Marth till Chriſtmas. The beſt way to rear up young Oxen for the Yoke, is to couple them with old ones that are gentle and well-trained : And if they are unruly (as ſometimes they will be) they ſhould be kept hungry, and uſed to eat Hay out of your Hand. Gentle Uſage with theſe flow and dull Creatures is beft; for that is obſerved to bring them to the Yoke better than even repeated Severities. The Uſe and Profit of a Cow to a Farmer is ſo conſiderable, that no Pains or Charge can well be too great for the procuring a good Breed. For which purpoſe a well-Ihaped Bull ſhould be choſen. Thoſe that are curious ſay, he ſhould have a broad and curled Forehead, long Horns, feſhy Neck, and his Belly long and large. But of late Years, and eſpecially in the North, the Dutch-Breed is much ſought after and coveted, which have Mort Horns and long Necks; and they are purchaſed at very dear Rates. Some for Fancy (which alſo much governs the Price of Horſes) will give Twenty Pounds for a Cow of this Breed; ſeeing, as they imagine, ſuch Beauties and Excellencies in them, that they cannot be bought too dear. But this is not, at leaſt ought not, to be the Rule and Me- thod of the Farmer, who is to value and purchaſe Things for their real Worth and Uſe. And, I confeſs, I could never yet ſee that theſe kinds turn to more Profit, than our Eng- life Kinds when they are well choſen. Beſide, there is one thing further, which (as I have been told by a very skilful Farmer) very much depreciates this Kind, and leſſens its Value; and that is, that the Tanner will not give near lo much in Proportion for their Hides becauſe they are much thinner and lighter. So that upon the whole, I can ſee no rea- ſon why a Farmer ſhould purchaſe imaginary Beauty at a dear Rate; or to ſet it in the Language of the Proverb, why he ſhould go further to fare worſe. The Cow is uſually leſs than the Bull of the ſame Kind; but there are of all Sizes, and ſo fit for all Paſtures; and amongſt them a great many ſmall ones, which are hardly worth their Keeping : But the Encouragement is, the many pernicious Commons we havc, which for the Fluſh of Milk in a few Summer Months, makes the Poor buy Cows to ſtarve them in Winter, and to ſpend ſo much Time in running after them, as would earn twice the Worth of their Milk by an ordinary Labour ; whereas, if the Commons were inclo- fed, fome would feed them well all the Summer, and others would yield Hay for them in the Winter; whereby there would be always a tolerable Plenty of Milk, from which would ſpring many more conſiderable Dairies. Cows are ſometimes uſed to the Yoke; and I have been told, that in ſome Parts of France they are ploughed with, and in Barbadoes Coaches are drawn with them. Some Cows are kept only for Nurſes, as in Lancaſhire, and in ſome Parts of Elex, and where- ever fatting of Calves is a Trade. It is a Practice for Graziers near London, to go into the Country, and give four, five or ſix Pounds for a Cow with Calf within two or three Months of Calving, and to fell off the Calves at one or two Days old, for Seven or Ten A a Shillings 90 A New Syſtem of 3 Shillings each, to ſuch Perſons as make a Trade of fatting them; then they keep the Cows lo long as they will give Plenty of Milk; but when that ceaſes, they fatt and fell them off. Moſt Countries, if they will, and have good ſtore of Feed for them, may have plenty of Cattle ; for moſt Cows, if kept ſo long, have a Calf a Year, from three to twelve Years old, ſometimes more; ſo that here is a Poſſibility of encreaſing Eight or Nine for One: And ſuppoſing only three or four Females, how many they will amount to in a few Years, muſt be left to Arithmeticians. Some Cows have often two or three Calves at a time; for at Stapleford, near Epping, in Fillex, a Yeoman had a Cow which brought at one Time three Calves, which were told to the Butchers for Nine Pounds. And Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, tells us, that a Perſon living at Dunſial in that County, had a Cow that brought three times together two Calves at a Time, and the third Time three Calves ; ſo that ſhe had Nine Calves in three Years time: And that ano- ther Dairyman of Wombourn had a Heifer that at two Years old brought him three Calves, then two, then two more, and at laſt three again, having Ten Calves in the ſame Time. He alſo tells us of a Cow-Calf at Canna!, that had a Calf three weeks and ſome odd Days before ſhe was twelve Months old; and of another at Wolverhampton, a Fortnight before a Twelvemonth old. The chief Uſe that Cows are kept for, is their Milk. The Calf, whilft aliye, is of no manner of Uſe; but when killed, is profitable. The Manner of Fatting them, is generally pretty well underſtood. I am inform’d that there come from Rumford in Eſex to London, weekly, ſeveral Carts or Waggons, bringing one with another, about twenty Calves each : Theſe Calves are brought from great Diſtances round Rumford, and a great many of them from Suffolk ; I think I have heard from Nor- folk. Beſides theſe, are brought from Malden, and other places in Eſſex, near the Water, a great many each Week. From Places between Rumford and London, Calves are brought to Town on Horſeback, and here fell for Two, Three, Four, or Five. Shillings each, more than thoſe brought in Carts from Rumford; and the Reaſon is, becauſe they do not waſte as the others do. Calves are often fold alive for between Three and Four Pounds a-piece. In London, when Calves are kill'd, the Butchers blow them; and fome, when Aay'd, Jay them whole in Water, or wet Clothes, for ſeveral Hours, or whole Nights: The Blowing makes them look fair and large; the Watering white. Without Aldgate there are faid to be fifteen Butchers, every one of which kills, one with another, Two Hundred Head of ſmall Cattle weekly, viz. Calves, Sheep, and Hogs, which amounts to upwards of One Hundred and Fifty Thouſand in the Year : And there are ſix Butchers that kill each fix Beeves a Week, which is Thirty Six, and Eighten Hundred Seventy Two the Year. And it has been computed, that in the City of Lon- don, upwards of One Hundred Thouſand Beeves, as many Calves, and Six Hundred Thou- fand Muttons, are killed and conſumed in a Year. In Lancaſhire, the Manner of Breeding of Cattle, is by turning two Calves to run or fuck upon one old Cow, from about the Beginning of April until the End of Auguſt; and it is a good way for Calves to fuck ſo long; but where there is one brought up fo, there are five brought up by Hand. Suppoſe a Calf to drop in January, February, or March, or later in the Year; when the Calf is a Week or Ten Days old, they wean ir from its Dam, and teach it to drink by putting the Finger into the Calf's Mouth, and with the other Hand thruſting his Head down into the Pail , and then the Calf claſps his Tongue about the Finger as if he would ſuck, and ſo fetches up the Milk; and after a few times thus doing, the Calf will drink on his own accord with great Greedineſs : Which at firſt is good new warm Milk from the Cow, until the Calf be about a Month old; and then they mix a little Pottage (made of Blue Milk, Skim Milk, and Oatmeal) with ſome of the New Milk, and give it the Calf Blood-warm; and as the Calf grows older and larger, they give it more of the Pottage, and leſs New Milk. Now this Way of Pottage is uſed moſt by thoſe that have but a few Cows, as two, three, or four at a Houſe; or by thoſe which have more, as ten, twenty, thirty, &c. who keep a Dairy; but their Calves drop in Winter, before they make Cheeſe, and ſo have no Whey to give them: Otherwiſe, if the Calf be fix Weeks or two Months old when they begin to make Cheeſe, they give the Calf Morning and Evening a little Pail- full, containing about five or fix Quarts, of good ſweet Whey, inſtead of the Portage and Milk. And this Way of Drinking, (whatſoever the Mixture be, for ſome make it one Way and ſome another, and vary it at different Ages of the Calf) is continued until the Calf Agriculture and Gardening. 91 Calf be fourteen or fixteen Weeks old, as they ſee the Strength and Good-liking of the Calf; and then the Calf is weaned and treated with Graſs in the Day, and good Hay, or Hay and Straw in the Night, as the Runner is treated. The Reaſons why they teach the Calves to drink ſo ſoon, are various : Firſt, If they fuffer the Calf to fuck too long on its own Dam, ſhe will not give her Milk ſo weil after they are ſeparated for many Days, ſhe will mourn ſo much for the Loſs of her little One. Secondly, The Goodwife faves Milk by this Way of Drinking. Thirdly, The Per- fons that would rear Calves, have no old Cows to turn Calves upon; and as ſome poor People have but two or three Cows, yet thoſe can rear two, three, or four Calves if they pleale, (for they commonly buy a fine Calf of a Neighbour of a Week or Ten Days old, and rear it, and prevent the Butcher of having it for Slaughter,) and ſo proportion- ably to the Cows, they may rear what Number of Calves they pleaſe : Some Perſons will rear above Twenty Calves on one Farm in a Year. Fourthly, By teaching the Calf to drink, they have not only the Cow ready for the Dairy, but ſhe is alſo fit for Bull in a convenient Time, (which is a chief and principal Thing in a Dairy,) and ſo they have the Service of the Cow again the next Year, which they cannot have of that Cow on which two Calves ſuck till Michaelmas: And theſe Calves at a Year, or two Years old, are treated like other finer Breed. As to the Uſe of the External Parts of Kine, the Horn is uſeful to many Purpoſes; as, to make Lanthorns, Hafts for Knives, Combs, &c. They make Walls, the hollow Spaces between them being fill'd up with Mud and Dirt; laid under-ground, they keep it hollow, where Draining is neceſſary, and a third Uſe of Horns is for improving of Land, if broke in ſmall Pieces, or burnt and ſtrewed upon it ; for then it very much imbibes the Nitre of the Air, and ſo fertilizes the Ground. Horn-Shavings are ſold for Eight Shillings and Six-pence the Quarter Sack; and five Sacks, if ſtrewed on cold ſtiff Ground, or ſcattered in Furrows before the Plough at Mi- chaelmas, will very much improve two Acres of Land, but do little or no good to hot Ground. A Perſon inform’d me, that when he was a Boy, and he is ſince upwards of Sixty Years old) he knew a wet cold Place of fix or ſeven Acres of Land, that had ſix- teen Sacks of theſe Shavings ſtrewed upon it, and it brought Corn plentifully for four Years together; and then being laid, it brought forth very good Graſs, and continues ſo ftill: The Saw-Duft of Horn mixt with Mould, is an excellent Compoſt for the raiſing of Flowers. Hair of Kine will produce Oil, Spirit, and all Things that Horn will for Uſes phyſi- cal; and by reaſon of its Thinneſs , it fertiles Land ſooner than Horn, unleſs finely raſpt. It is alſo good to keep Mortar together for Walls; and by Spinning and Weaving, it makes Cords and Cloths. The Hoof is of the Nature of Hair and Horn, both for phyſical Uſes, and Improve- ment of Land; but the Hoofs are chop'd into ſmall Pieces, and fow'd on dry Ground, which makes it very fruitful for three Years; and ſo again, if repeated. This Cuſtom, with Horn, Hair, Hoofs, and Rags, reaches ſeveral Places, and much to their Advan- rage. The Hoofs are ſold from Twelve to Eighteen Pence the Buſhel, and are often fet on Sticks in Gardens to catch Earwigs, where they are of great Uſe to the Floriſt. Having ſaid thus much about Cows, and given ſome Directions to the Farmer for chu- ſing and managing thein ; he will, I hope, now excuſe me, if I ſay ſomething of the Nature of Milk, tho' it be in a more phyſical and philoſophical Manner. OF MILK. MI ILK is a refined Liquor, free from divers groſs Parts, and ſent forth from the Blood in the Breaſts or Udder ; where, by Means of its oily, waterith, and faline Parts, and a great Working or Straining through many Paſſages, it is reduced to a White- neſs; and ſometimes by an over-great Plenty, or Weakneſs of the Teats, runs forth, and at other times is emptied by ſucking or preſſing the Parts; which cauſing a kind of Va- cuum, it is ſupplied again by the Preſſure of the Air. This Milk (in Beaſts) is compoſed of Butter, Curd, and Whey; and they have not only an Alkalizate, but an Acid Salt, as it is ſeen at firſt by Milk turning with an Acid, and by its own Acid it is exalted. It is the Food that Nature provides for the Support of the Young; and indeed it is well adapted to that Purpoſe ; for by its Warmth when fuck'd, 92 A New Syſtem of ſuck’d, it comforts ; by its Oilineſs, it enables the Parts to be extended; and it greatly adds to Nouriſhment: By its Caſeous Parts, it adds to the Solidity; and by its Serous Parts, it ſerves as a River to carry the reſt. It cools and furniſhes Matter for all watery Evacua- tions. If it be thus with Young, why ſhould it not agree with Elder Ages? It is a Maxim, Quo res acquiruntur retinentur ; Things are maintained by the Ways they are attained. But í muſt confeſs, when Men are grown up, it may be very convenient to have more folid Food; and the reaſon of it I take to be, becauſe Milk must be taken in great Quantity, and by reaſon of its Thioneſs it ſpends quickly, and the Man wants a Supply ſooner; and if he labours hard, he may ſpend his finer Parts, and the other may coagulate the Milk the ſooner : Therefore Fleń, Butter or Cheeſe, which are made of Milk, and are their chief Parts contracted into a greater Cloſeneſs, and much more portable, and that will keep longer when dreſs’d, may be more proper for him: And the reaſon why one Meal a Day ferves many Men, is becauſe it is Milk, Juice of Plants, or other moiſt Meats contracted, and expanded again with Water or other Liquors; and commonly ſuch Men uſe not La- bour or other Exerciſe to ſpend themſelves, ſo much as great and painful Workers, who are obliged to eat often in a Day; for according to the Expence muſt be the Supply, or elſe we waſte our Fleſh, and reduce our felves to Leanneſs. But a great many complain of Milk, and ſay it is phlegmatick and ſtopping, and con- ſequently not ſo wholſome for Men to eat : Tho' this I take to proceed from much Wine and Drink, falt Meats and ſour Sauces, which many Perſons are fond of, and which de- bauch the Stomach, and cauſe ſo much Acidity there, as will turn the Milk over-haſtily, and make it into thick and hard Curds; į even ſo thick, it is vomitted up as it were in long Ropes. The like may be faid of ſome emaciated People. But this is not the Fault of the Milk, but of deprav'd Stomachs; and if they would leave their ill Habits, and ac- cuſtom themſelves to this by little and little at a Time, it will by degrees deſtroy the Acid, bring all to a good Temper firſt, and then nouriſh and fatten. By being Phlegmatick, I ſuppoſe is commonly meant, that it is viſcous, ſticking toge- ther like Phlegm or Spittle ; and when Milk is drunk raw from the Cow eſpecially, there will be often lome ſuch like ſpit up; but theſe do not conſider that it goes not thus into the Blood; it is curdled and ſeparated, the thick from the thin, before it comes there, and ſo it cannot ſtop the Veſſels any more than ſolid Food can. In ſhort, Milk, uſed with Diſcretion, is Meat, Drink and Medicine : It is ſo agreeable to Animal Temperaments, that in all likelihood the great Ute of it was one Cauſe of the Longævity of the Patriarchs; and we generally find, that where it is moſt in Uſe, there are feweit Diſeaſes and Phyſicians. It is dreſs’d various Ways. It is thickend with Flower, Oatmeal, French Barley, Rice, Eggs, &c. and of late with Sago, which is ſaid to be the Peth of the Palm-Tree brought from the Eaſt-Indies, and uſed as a great Reſtorative. As for Phyſick, it is uſed in as many Caſes : Inwardly, it often cures Conſumptions, and ſeveral other waiting Difteinpers ; eſpecially the Milk of the Aſs, which is found by Experience not to curdle in the Sco- mach; nay, will not turn to Curd, tho' you pour Vinegar on it while it is warm. Out- wardly, Milk is very gcod for fore Eyes; in Cataplaſms it will ripen and break hard Swel- lings in the Throat, or ſeveral other Parts, if made with Flower, Oatmeal, &c. From the ingenious Mr. Evelyn, I have heard it commended for a great Ealer of the Gout, if enough be warm’d, and the Legs ſec up to the Knees in it, and continued there till warm. Milk and Water is a common Waſh for the Face, and a common Drinking in the Sum- mer Seaſon. It is greatly uſed with Coffee, Tea and Chocolate, and by the Vintners in their Wines; and is one of the most univerſal Suítenances Mankind knows. Some have a great eſteem for Water diſtillid from Milk, either of itſelf, or with feve- ral other Ingredients; and this is commonly or conſtantly done in Alembicks, or a com- mon Still : But, beſides what riſes from the Ingredients, I can ſee no Advantage more than if it were diſtillid from fair Water; for Milk is an Animal Matter, and nothing will ariſe from thence but the watry Parts of the Flegm or Serum: Neither will the Oil from the Buttery Part of the Milk, nor the Earth or Salt from the Cheefy Parts ariſe in ſuch Heats; of which I am well ſatisfied from the Nature of it as to its Animal Subitance. Of Agriculture and Gardening 93 Of BUTTER of T Over, near Cambridge, they keep a middling ſort of Cows, ſell many off at Mi- have Butter enough to ſerve the Colleges ; and by Hay-feeding, they have almoſt as much Butter in Winter as in Summer ; and as Sweet and as Yellow (for New Milch Cows make Yellow Butter) as uſually others have in April; and the Butter of this Town is commonly ſold for at leaſt a Half-penny the Pound more than other Towns fell for, and the Curious always enquire for Over-Butter. In April, when the Cows go firſt to Graſs, about Twelve Quarts a Day, Wincheſter Meaſure, is good Milking for a New Milch Cow; and this; if well skim'd, yields about a fixth Part or Four Pints of Cream, which will make almoſt Two Pounds of Butter. They Churn twice or thrice in a Week, pouring the Cream from the ſettled Milk into a clean Earthen Pot every Morning; which keeps it from ſowering, and makes it the beſt Butter, tho' not ſo much : And this Cream they put in the Churn about Sun-riſing, after they have milked the Cows. In a great Dairy they ſometimes put into a Churn, about the Bigneſs of a Barrel, Two and Twenty Gallons of Cream, which fills two Thirds : This, with the Labour of a luſty Man and Maid, comes to Butter in about an Hours time, more or leſs; in hot Wea- ther 'tis ſooneft, in cold Weather ’tis longeſt; but if the Cold be mended much by Fire, it changes the Butter in Tafte, Colour and Stiffneſs; but to be in a Room a Yard and a half diſtant from the Fire does well; and in very cold Weather they put boiling Water in the Churn till it thoroughly heats it, and that being taken out they put in the Cream. Theſe Twenty Two Gallons, or One Hundred and Seventy Six Pounds of Cream, yield uſually about Seventy Pounds of Butter; which is about Seven Parts in Eighteen. Some Perſons Churn by the help of a Sweep, which is a Thing like a Pump; others uſe Barrel-Churns, and reckon them beft. One that keeps Sixty Cows in Denny, a Town not far from Over; has a Barrel-Churn that holds a Hogſhead, and is called a Hogſhead- Churn. When the Butter is come, it is taken out and waſhid, if for preſent Uſe, othewiſe not; and with a little fleeting Diſh, it is drawn backwards and forwards in a Bowl, a little at a time, to let out the Butter-Mitk, and then it is falted: A Quart of Salt, which is about the Fifteenth Part, will ſerve Thirty Pounds of Butter, but ſome put more or leſs; and when ſalted, it is drawn over again with a fleeting Diſh once or twice; then weighed in- to Pounds, and rolled into long Rolls; when in hot Weather, it is put into a Basket and hung all Night in a Well, within a Yard or a Yard and a half of the Water, to make it ftiff; and in theſe long Rolls it is carried to Market, and cut out and fold chiefly for the Uſe of the Colleges. The Over Butter will not keep ſo long as the Suffolk Butter; but a famous Dairy-Wo- man that lived there, uſed to make her Butter in Balls of Thirty or Forty Pounds Weight, and falt it a little more than for Freſh Butter, and this ſhe laid in the viiddle of a Bin of Flower, and it would keep all the Winter: Others falt it as uſual, and put it into Pots, and cover it about two Inches high with good Brine ; but this will not keep ſo well as the other. The Butter-Milk is drank by ſome Perſons, but the Dogs or Hogs have the Bulk of it; and if it ſtands long, it will turn ſour, and in a Week's Time from five or fix Quarts will ariſe a thick Skin or Top, as thick as one's Finger ; and under it will be a very clear bluiſh Whey, and at Bottom a thick Curd, but not like Cheeſe-Curd. It is knotty and ſlippery. Of this Butter-Milk ſome poor People make Cheeſe, but it is very rough, and muſt be eaten while green or freſh: The Whey that comes from it is very thin, lour and green, and the Hogs Care but little for it. In May, June and July, (when the Dairy-Men chiefly make Cheeſe) they milk the Cows half, which they ule for Butter: The other half or Stroakings they uſe for Cheeſe ; and theſe Stroakings will yield moſt Butter and moſt Cheeſe, and leatt Butter-Milk or Whey. In an indifferent Year, a good Cow will yield at this Time Sixteen or Eighteen Quarts in a Day; and if the Weather be dripping, ſhe will yield more, and Butter is made longer. In Auguſt, and ſo to April, they mult make Butter both to ſerve their Cuſtomers, and be- Cauſe in cold Weather Cheeſe will not be fo good; otherwiſe Cheeſe turns to the beſt Account. Bb Sweets 94 A New Syſtem of me Sweet and new Cream will make very pleaſant Butter for preſent ſpending, but if the Cream ſtands till it is four, the Butter will be good and keep longer, provided it be not over-heated in the Churn; but if once it turns bitter, it is good to ſpend it preſently, for it will ſoon decay. At the Fall of the Leaf, and in cold Weather, Cream will turn from Sweet to Bitter, and the reaſon is generally ſaid to be becauſe the Cattle eat the Leaves of Trees; but this has been contradicted, becauſe it will be ſo in low Grounds where there are no Trees, as well as in Uplands, where there are Trees : And what is the real reaſon of it, is hard to know till we have a good Theory of Talte, which is difficult to be got, and greatly wanting. The beſt way to prevent this Bitterneſs, is to ſet the Milk a leſs Time, and Churn it oftner ; but this will produce but a ſmall Quantity; and it is beſt to ſell and ſpend it new, and not to pack it in Firkins; for it will not lell in London, but the Traders are forced to Tip it off to other countries, where, by its Badneſs, it diſparages our own Products. It is ſaid, if Salt Butter be well waſhed, and then beaten up with New Milk, it will talie like Freſh Butter. There is commonly Four Shillings in the Hundred difference be- tween Suffolk and Northern Butter, and ſometimes more; but it is not ſo much the fault of the Country as the Management : For if the Dairy People would be at the Pains to work it well, and get out the Butter-Milk, the Butter would be firm, and both well co- loured and taſted, as it is in moſt Parts of the Biſhoprick of Durham. The Iriſh rot their Butter, and in hot Countries they clarify it; the Taſte of either of which pleaſes not thoſe that do not imitate them. The chief Uſe of Butter is for Food; and it is an excellent one, but of more Uſe in hot Countries and Weather than in cold: And in Medicine, Butter is good for all Things that Oil or Greaſe is. The Dutch Men fiy, it is good for every Thing bat ſtopping of Ovens. In Devonſhire they make a ſcalded Butter, much admired at London of late, whither it is fent weekly, tho' at fo great a Distance: For therein conſiſts its great Excellence, that it will keep Three or Four Weeks, and eat altogether as well as Freſh Butter. The Me- thod of making it, is, Firſt, after the New Milk is ſtrained into clean Earthen Pans, they let it ſtand for a Night, or Twelve Hours in the Day, removing it then very gently, and ſetting thoſe Earthen Pans into another Veſſel made of Earth or Lead half full of Wa- ter, which Veílel is fixed and ſet over Stoves with a gentle Fire ; by which means there ariles a thick clouted Cream, which is taken off with a Scumming Diſh of Tin full of Holes, thro' which the blue Milk paſſes and is ſeparated from the Cream, which Separan tion, when it is gradually and fully made, and the whole Cream put into the Pot, the Whole muſt be thifted every Twelve Hours till you have your ſufficient Quantity ordered as above ; and then it muſt undergo the common way of Churning and Salling till it is made into compleat Butter. In ſome places they churn their Milk whilſt it is new and warm, conveying it in Pipes from the Cow into the Churn, where it is kept in conſtant Motion by an Horſe, till the Butter comes. Then they drain the Butter-Milk off into another Veffel, to which they put Runnet; and of this they make excellent Cheeſe for a Family. But tho' the Butter is good for preſent Ule, yet it will not keep long. N. B. The Proportion of Milk for one New Milch Cow at Over, as aforeſaid, was thought to be about Twelve Quarts a Day, and a large Quantity too; but in Northamp- tonſhire, the late Vicar of Stanford upon Avon told me himſelf, that he had a Cow (and no large one neither) going in his Church-yard, that yielded him, (not for One or Two Weeks only, but) for Two or Three Months, no leſs than Twelve Pounds of Butter etcry Week, and made tolerable Cheeſe for the Family with the Milk afterwards. Of Agriculture and Gardening. 95 The Of CHEESE. THE Benefit and Advantage which Men and other Creatures receive by Milk, natu- lay being univerſal, it was in Time cultivated and improved, and by Man's Invention rendered into Cheeſe. To tell all its Advantages, requires much Knowledge of others, and Expe- rience of one's own: But the principal Aim being to make the oily Part of Milk the Butter, or the hard Part the Cheeſe, keep; it is found that the harder it is turned, the firmer is the Curd, to a certain Degree. Therefore an Acid (four Thing) muſt be put into it; as, the Flowers of Thifides, or Artichokes, or rather Chardons; but the Maw of a ſucking Creature, Calf, or Kid, is moſt uſual; which cauſes the Milk to turn to a digeſtible Conſiſtence. Some uſe this Maw after it is dry, by ſnipping off a ſmall Piece at a Time, and putting it in a little fair Water or Sack, for Twelve Hours before. Some pickle the Maw and dry it in the Smoke, and put the Cheeſe together while the Milk continues warm, or heat a Part and mingle it to warm the reſt. Remember, the Maw itſelf muſt not go into the Milk. But as it is the Practice of the Spaniards, ſo it ought to be of ihe Engliſh too, to uſe the dried Flowers of Chardons; which, as it is the cleanlieft, ſo it is by much the beſt for turning the Milk into Curd. Then, when the Milk is curdled, the meer dividing makes the Whey feparate, and the Curd link down; which muſt be put into a Veſſel, and thruit very cloſe, and fálted, and this to prevent Corruption, which requires Running, as all Change of Texture does; and the Salt diſſolving, makes the Moiſture fo thin, as to run away; and when dry, it keeps all firm. Then the Cheeſe is gently preſs’d; and either ſliced and ſcalded, which makes it curdle yet harder ; or only crumbled, to open it and let out the Moiſture : And then it is made up again, and preſſed yet harder to make it cloſe and even. Some ripen it in Dung, or green Herbs that will heat, or in Smoke that makes it ſoft, and fit for preſent Eating: Others keep it dry for many Years; and for Duration and Nouriſhment, no other Food equals ir. There are other Things which may be uſed for the turning of Milk into Curd, beſides what are above-mentioned, viz. the Seed of Carduus Benedictus, Ginger, the Juice of the Fig-Tree, the inner Skin of a Hen's Stomach, the Spawn of a Pike, &c. But the dried Flowers of Chardons are beſt, ſteep'd over-Night in Water and Salt. From Whey, if fet on Fire, will ariſe Wild-Curds, by putting new Milk and four But- ter-Milk to it. When it is ready to boil, and when it riſes, the Curds muſt be taken off with a fleeting Diſh or Skimmer, (but a Diſh is beft, becauſe the other is Braſs,) and then with putting in more Milk and Butter-Milk, more Curds will ariſe. Two Quarts of Milk and fo much Butter-Milk, will ſerve for ſix Gallons of Whey. The Whey that is left when the Curds are taken off, is but a little better than the worſt from But- ter-Milk: But the good Butter-Milk and the beſt Whey will fatten Hogs well, though ſome think Butter-Milk doth Hogs no good. An Account of Cheſhire Cheeſe, as made at Nantwich, is as follows: The Ground to feed the Cows on, is very good, where it uſually bears Plenty of Cowflips. The Cows are of a large Size, broad-headed, and horned, and in their Prime at fix Years old From the Milk of ſixty ſuch Cows, which yield about fix Quarts each Meal, is the beſt Cheeſe made, after the following manner : The Milk is ſtrained into a Cheeſe-Tub, as warm as they can from the Cow; to which is put about ſix Spoonfuls of ſtrong Rennet, and it is itirr'd well with a fleeting Diſh, and afterwards cover'd cloſe with a Wooden Cover, made fit for it; and about the Be- ginning of June it ſtands three Quarters of an Hour ; but if very hot Weather, leſs Time, and then it will be come ; after which it muſt be broke with a Diſh pretty ſmall, and then it muſt be ſtirrd, gently moving until it is all come to a Curd; then it muſt be preſs’d down with the Hands and Diſh gently, left the Whey ſhould riſe over white; and when all the Whey is drain’d, and the Curd pretty hard, then it muſt be broke into a Pat very ſmall, and heaped up to the higheſt Pitch ; and then preſs’d down with the Hands gently at firſt, afterwards harder, till as much Whey be got out as can be that way, and yet the Curd be at leaſt two Inches above the Vat; otherwiſe the Cheeſe will not take Preſs, but be four, and full of Holes or Eyes. This done, it muſt be put into one End of a good Flaxen Cloth, and covered with the other End; and then the Cloth muſt be tuck'd in with a wooden Cheeſe-Knife, that it may lie (mooth, and yet keep the Curd quite in : Then this is preſs’d with a Weight of Four 96 A New Syſtem of Four Hundred or thereabouts; and let to ſtand thus from Morning about Nine till the Af- ternoon about Two a Clock, and then taken out, turn’d into a dry Cloth, and preſs’d again till about Six at Night; and then it is taken out, and fàlted well all over, and put into the Vat again to lie in it all Night: Then it is taken out, and falted again, and ſo it lies in a Tub or on a Dreſſer four Days, being turned every Day. This done, it is waſh- ed in cold Water, wiped with a dry Cloth, and carried into a Cheeſe-Loft to dry, where it niuſt be turned and wiped every Day till fold. If the Salt be not well waſhed off, it will give, and make the Cheeſe always moiſt: And the Reaſon of Mouldineſs, Cracks, and Rottennels within, is the not well curing, viz. preſſing and looking after. The way to make Runnet, is to take the Curd out of the Calf's Bag, to waſh and pick it well from Hairs and Stones, and to ſeaſon it well with Silt; alſo to wipe the Bag, and fält it well within and without, and putting in the Curd. All muſt lie in Salt for three or four Days, and then be hung up. Here follows an Account of Chedder Cheeſe : Chedder being warmly ſeated on the South- fide of Mendip Hills in Somerſetſhire, is expoled only to the South and South-weſt Winds; and has the Moors adjoining to it on the South, being a warm and fertile Soil for Pa- fturage, whereby Chedder is rendered famous for Cheele; and it has been long a Cuſtom there, as well as in ſome adjacent Pariſhes, for feveral Neighbours to join their Milk toge- ther, as occaſion requires, to make the ſaid Cheeſe; which is of a larger Size than ordi- nary, and contends in Goodneſs (if kept a due Time, viz. from Two Years to Five Years, according to its Magnitude) with any Cheeſe of England. The Sizes of the Cheeſes are generally from Thirty Pounds Weight to One Hundred Pounds. And perhaps this Pra- &tice, when rightly conſidered, may deſerve Imitation in many other Parts of England. To make Angelot-Cheeſe, take the Stroakings of two or three Cows, and ſet it with Ren- net, when it is newly milk’d; and then when it is come, take it up with a Skimming Diſh without breaking the Curd; and then fill by degrees a narrow high Cheeſe-Mote or Var, continually filling as the Curd ſinks, till the Mote is full. If you would have the Angelot thick, the Mote or Vat ſhould be Six, Eight, or Ten Inches deep, divided from Top to Bottom into two equal Semicircles full of Holes, which are exactly fitted into another flat Cheeſe-Vat below alſo full of Holes, all according to the Size you deſire to liave it. You muſt keep it continually filling for three or four Hours; then let it ſtand till Night, ſtrewing a little Salt upon the End that is uppermoſt, and turn it by opening the Semicircles; and then falt the other End, and ſo let it remain nine or ten Days with- out removing, left it thould crack and break : After this, keep it in a temperate Place, that it may dry by degrees. The proper Seaſon to make this excellent fort of Angelot- Cheeſe, is in the Beginning of May, or rather in Auguft. If you would have it fatter, add a fourth Part of Cream. If Cheeſe be not well falted, it will be maggotry; and an equal Salting is of vantage in the making of Cheeſe ; for as too little cauſes Corruption of the Cheeſe, ſo too much alters its Goodnels : And to lay Cheeſes all in Brine, a longer or a ſhorter Time, ac- cording to their Magnitude, or the Temper of the Weather, has been by ſome approved the fureſt Way; but it is apr to make it ſtrong. If Milk be ſet over-hot, or ſcalded in the Curd, the Cheeſe will be bitter; and the longer it is kept, the worſe it will be: If it be fet over-cold, it will cut white, and eat harh and dry when new, but it will improve by lying, and is beſt eſteemed of for keeping Cheeſe. One great Fault in Cheeſe, is its heaving; and this is moſt common where there is the richett Paiture, and after Rain. The beſt way to help it, is by pafturing Sheep with Cows, that the beſt of the Graſs may be quickly eaten : Another Way to help it, is to falt the Cheeles in Brine, and lay them on a cold Pavement. From the aforeſaid Obſervations, it ſeems very reaſonable that it does thus chiefly in hot Weather, by reaſon of an over-great Fermentation, not only from the Heat, but alſo from the Brisk nels and Thinneſs of the milky Particles gain’d from the Luxuriancy of the Grals ; and without doubt, it is as convenient for Dairies to have cool Rooms in Summer, as warm ones in Winter. We ſee by Multitudes of Examples, that Beer and other Liquors, or any thing that is ſubject to Fermentation, never prove ſo kindly in extreme as in tem- perate Seafons. If any could find an Art to hinder the Buttery Part running into the Whey, it would be very acceptable to the Dairy-Maid. There is yet another fort of Cheeſe, well known by good Houſewives by the Name of Water-Checlė ; which is made after the following manner : Take ſix Gallons of new Morning's Milk, and one Gallon of Cream, mixt together with fix Spoonfuls of Rennet, (made after the foregoing manner with drz'd Skins) and a li :tle Juice of Marigolds. Stir thcſe altogether, well covered down in a Cheeſe-Tub. Let great Ad- it Agriculture and Gardening. 97 it remain very hard in coming : Then take a wet Cloth wrung from boiling Water, to be ſpread upon the Curd all over without breaking it. Lay your Hands upon it, preſling it very gently ; which you muſt continue to do till you have gathered with a Diſh all the Whey from it; which, if it prove right, will be like Rock-Water. This done, put two Gal- lons of boiling water on the Top of the Tub among the Curd, there to remain half an Hour. After which, take away again the fame Water as clean as poſſible, which may be done by Cloths, and wringing them out. Then take a long Knife, and cut the Curd into ſo many Angles of the Circle, as that you may turn them without breaking, laying them in the ſame Places again with their Bottoms upwards. Then again pour one Gal- lon more of ſcalding Water upon the Curd, letting it remain half an Hour; take the Water from it as before, cutting all the Curd into little thin slices, laying the ſaid Slices in a Cheeſe-Vat with a Cloth in Beds one by another, cruſhing every Row with the Hands till the Whole is laid in. Then preſs the Cheeſe thus made, and let it remain ſix Hours. After which, take it out and turn it, rubbing Salt on both Sides, and round the Edges. Put it again into the Cheeſe-Vat, and let it ſtand preſſed all Night; and then it may be taken out and turned daily, as other Cheeſes, twice a Day upon Shelves. It may not be amiſs to mention likewiſe the Method of making the wrinkle-coated lat- ter-made Chceſes, ſo univerſally admired by all the Lovers of Cheeſe, which yet ſo very few are acquainted withal . Two Gallons of new Milk will make two Cheeſes of a pro- per Size; and the Time of making them is in Auguft and the Beginning of September, thus : To thoſe two Gallons of new Milk put a proper Quantity of Rennet, or rather the Water in which Chardons have been ſteep'd, as before; and after it is come, break the Curd and gather out the Whey with a Diſh. Then laying a Cloth on a thin Cheeſe- Vat, put in the Curd with the Skimming Diſh into each Cheeſe-Vat, not preſſing it with the Hands; but only when the Cloth is laid over it with a Board, lay about fix or ſeven Pound Weight upon it for about four Hours: Then take it out, falt it and turn it, and put it in again for about ſix Hours more. After which take it out and lay it upon a Shelf , turning it twice a Day till it is ready to eat, which will be in about a Month. But becauſe there is a ſort of Cheeſe of late Years become famous and much admired, as being really good in its kind, called Stilton Cheeſe, it may not be amiſs to ſpread the Receipt how to make it a little farther than Mr. Bradley's Monthly Papers ; where he tells us, it was communicated to him by a Friend that may be depended on. I hope the Re- ceipt is more accurate and juſt than the Deſcription of the Place given us by Mr. Bradley : For Stilton is not in Lincolnſhire, but a great Way off in Huntingtonſhire ; neither doth it ſtand on high Ground, but on a Flat and Level near the Fens. However, here follows the Receipt to make the Cheeſe. Take ten Gallons of Morning Milk, and five Gallons of ſweet Cream, and beat them to- gether : Then put in as much boiling Water as will make it warmer than Milk from the Cow. When this is done, put in Rennet made ſtrong with large Mace, and when it is come (or the Milk is ſet in Curd) break it as ſmall as you would do for Cheeſe-Cakes, and after that falt it, and put it into the Vat, and preſs it for two Hours. Then boil the Whey, and when you have taken off the Curds, put the Cheeſe into the Whey, and let it ſtand half an Hour. Then put it in the Preſs, and when you take it out, bind it up for the firſt Fortnight in Linnen Rollers, and turn it upon Boards for the firſt Month twice a Day. Good Cheeſe is fat and heavy, the Meat of it cloſe and compact, of Colour ſomewhat yellowiſh, ſweet to Taſte, pleaſant to Smell, and nothing Mouldy; neither yer full of Mites or Worms, and which is made of pure Cows Milk. Cheeſe, as I have already obſerved, is a Food moſt nouriſhing; and the older (ſo as it be not decay’d) the better. We ſee that with Bread and Drink it ſupports the Laborious ſix Days in the Week; and is of great Uſe for Armies. It is a Food that not only will keep, but may be carried good to moſt Parts of the World. In its Curd, or New, it is ſaid to eaſe the Pains of the Gout; and it is ſometimes uſed in Poultis's to divers Pur- poſes. And it may very well be added, that the oldeſt and ſtrongeſt Cheſhire Cheeſe is excellent againſt Cholick Pains in the Stomach. се of 98 guin A New Syſtem of gA SHE do galiodh mente unos mi bred ny disco be To Of SHE E P. throw booda no que dont son soidus យប់ HEEP, wherewith this Kingdom abounds, producing the moſt excellent Mutton and the beſt Wool, there cannot be too great Care taken for their Preſervation. And theſe are liable to bad Diſeaſes, particularly the Rot; which is a fort of Dropſy, and di- flinguiſh'd into two forts, the one calld an Aſcites, and the other an Anaſarca. An Aſcites is, when the Belly of any living Creature is very much lwelld with Wa- ter, gotten out of the Veſſels, Guts, Veins, Arteries, &c. An Analarca is, when the whole Body is ſwelled with Water, gotten out every where; and when it is only in the Legs, or ſome other places within the Fleſh, it is a degree of this Anafarca ; or, as Doctor Willis defines it, it is a white ſoft Tumour of the whole outward Body, or of ſome of its Parts, yielding to the Touch, and leaving a Dent upon Compreſſion. This Water, in both Diſeaſes, is of the fame Quality, viz. it is of the fame Nature of the Urine, and Serum of the Blood; and, I preſume, the Water gets out of the Veſſels by fome ſuch Way as the following: The Veſſels , as alſo the Skin and Bladder, are made as if it were of Threads faſtened together, by which means there are abundance of Pores , which, in an healthful State, are tolerably filled up with the Serum of the Blood; altho’ not ſo cloſe, but that ſome of the thinneſt Parts, according to the Degree of Heat, do tranſpire either inſenſibly or by Sweat, which with Warmth will thicken, leaving only the Threads of the Skins behind. When this thicken’d Matter is diffolv'd, either by a ſharp Juice, and ſo the thick ſeparated from the thin, as it is in Milk with the help of Rennet ; or an over-great Quantity of watery Matter is taken in, which waſhes away this gluiſh Subſtance, as we fee it does in making Glue, Size or Gellies; or when Ani- mals are almoſt ſtarved, and ſo waſte this Matter, which I take to be the thing that nou- riſhes us ; which is often the caſe of Sheep in time of Rot, with the addition of eating more cold watery Food than at other times, which Moiſture waſhes away that glutin- ous Part that was left; it is no wonder it is no wonder if the Water foaks through the Pores of the Veſſels, and ſo having no Paffage to run no Paſſage to run away, catiſes that Swelling we call a Dropſy, and makes all the Fleſh thus affe&ted to be wateriſh and flabby. Beſides the Deſcription of the two ſorts of Dropfies above-mention’d that Sheep are ſubject to, there are ſome ſtrange Symptoms of ſuch Diſeaſes; that is, ſuch Sheep have often found in them a ſort of broad Worms, like unto the Fiſh we call Plaiſe. But how theſe ſhould get thither will be hard to determine. Some think they are bred there by Æquivocal Generation (without any Parent) which others will not allow, but think their very ſmall Eggs might be carried there by the Chyle and Blood, and there hatched or enliven'd when fit Matter comes to make corrupted Nutriment fit for them; as it is with Seeds lying ſtill in dry Ground till Rain or Muck comes; or Fly-blows, till the Meat is putrified, and made fir Nouriſhment for ſuch-like Creatures. Another Symptom is ſpot- ted) Livers; which it is poſſible may alſo be the Effect of Worms, or at leaſt an Obſtruction and Ferment made from the aforementioned ill Juice. To prevent all this, I would propoſe that the great Quantity of Water be prevented, by driving them, in wer Seaſons, to the drieſt Places they can, or to Salt Marthes; that, as I am told, purges away the over-great Moiffure as it comes, and ſo leaves them in a to- lerable Tightneſs; or, to give them Hay, Beans ground, or ſome other dry Matter, that may hinder the Wetneſs of the Grafs from doing Miſchief. I have heard of one in the North of England, that daily gave each Sheep a Bit of an Oat-Cake with good Succeſs.; and it is not only neceſſary to take good Care of their Inſides, but alſo as much as may be to keep them dry without; a Way to do which is much uſed in the Northern Parts of England, and is as follows: Between Michaelmas and Chriſtmas, in Yorkſhire, Durbam, Northumberland, &c. the Far- mers and Graziers ferch in all their Sheep they can find, from their Hills and Mountains, which are extremely wet, Winter and Summer; and having brought them into the Inclo- fures, they greaſe them after this manner : He that hath a Flock of Sheep of five or fix Hundred, buys at the Time of Year thirty or forty Gallons of Tar, which he puts by five or lix Gallons at a time into a Kettle or Pan over the Fire, firſt putting in about twenty Pounds of Butter; and ſo lets them melt, and by ſtirring be incorporated toge- ther, adding ſome Salt to it. With this Mixture, taken from the Fire and well bca- ten together, he greates his Sheep; opening the Wooll by Plats, greaſing and chafing it into the Pelt or Skin of the Sheep, till he has greaſed him thus all over. A good Man- greaſer will greaſe twelve Sheep a Day: And if they are not thus greas'd, they will not live three Years, but will die of the Rot, and being Pelt-beaten; ſo that the Wooll will drop from their Backs of itſelf. I Agriculture and Gardening. 99 1 preſume, the reaſon of this Northern Uſage is, by Imbalming, to preſerve the Sheep from the Wet as well as the Cold : And I am told, that in Rumney-Marſh in Kent, in the Time of extream hard Froſts the Sheep have been ſo benum'd with Cold that they could hardly ſtand, but did kneel to eat their Food, which numb'd them farther; but by ruh- bing their Legs with Tar, (which is a good Balm to refreſh the weak Parts, and help on the Circulation of the Blood when it is almoſt coagulated) they have been recovered of their Numbneſs. eru gheobion From what has been ſaid, we may be eaſily directed to the Method of curing the Rot in Sheep, viz. That the Blood may be reduced to its Tone, and the Water gotten out of the Veſſels may be evaporated; the likelieſt Way to do which, is as follows : If not ton far gone, by having the Parts ſo ſtretched, that the Quality of contracting is gone, as it is with an old Rope, that has been much ſtretched and uſed, and can never ſhrink up again, and be ſo tight as a new one will; and by having the Quantity of Water ſo great, that the good Blood and Humours from it is over-much cooled, and, as I may fay, drowned in it ; in which Caſe, altho' by a great deal of Care and Coit, more poſſibly than the Sheep may be worth, it is probable Life may be preſerved, yet it ſeems to me unreaſonable to ex- pečt a Cure. But before it is arrived to this Pitch, and being taken in the Beginning, Vou miting or Purging is very often ſucceſsful. For the firſt, in Cambridgeſhire they take three Buſhels of Chamber-Lee, and mix it with one Bulhel of Bay-Salt, and give the Sheep, fafting from the Fold, each a Horn full , or a little above a Quarter of a Pint; upon this they are obſerved, all of them, to bring up from their Stomachs vaft Quantities of yellow viſcous Matter. And this Experiment need be uſed but once as nigh the Time of taking the Rot as may be. OS PRO As to Purging, there may be ſeveral Things uſed; but I am told that the Salt-Marſhes will do it effectually, and ſo cure them, for which reaſon they are ſo much celebrated ; but where theſe Marſhes are not, I like the Cambridge Medicine: And it ſeems to me reaſonable, that it ſhould be better than Purging, becauſe the Convulſion that Vomiting makes, may not only empty that which would over-moiſten, but by its force, fometimes preſs out ſome of the abundant Water. After Evacuation the Parts muſt be ſtrengthened, which is done by dry Meat, and warming hilly Food; and without doubt, would be much help’d, if Alkalies, which de- ſtroy ſharp Humours and ſtrengthen the Blood, were given. For Men, are given Spirits of Hartſhorn, Soot, Urine, Powders of Pearl, Coral, &c. too chargeable for Sheep; but burnt Shells of Oyſters, or any other Fiſh, Egg-Shells, burnt Bones, and ſeveral ſuch like, given them as much as will lie on a half Crown, made up with any Thing Thing in Balls, or given in any Liquor for three or four Mornings before the Sheep go from the Fold, will be of no great Charge, and very much ftrengthen the Parts : And the Bay-Salt being diſſolved in Urine, as above-mentioned, is fit for this reaſon, the Salt in Urine being an Alkali. Mr. Ward, a Gentleman who lived near Dartford in Kent, when he perceived the Rot or Dropſy in his Sheep, uſed to make a ſtrong Decoction of Tithymale, and give the Quantity of half a Pint of it to each, which purged them very well; and in its Operation uſed to feed them with fine Hay: And he very ſeldom failed of Curing. The like Diſeaſe has been found in Cows, and other Cattle ; near Oxford the Liver of a Cow was ſo much ſwelled with Water, that it weighed Seventy Six Pounds, and the Fleſh was tolerably fat, but flabby : And I preſume the Methods for Sheep, in greater Quantities, are good for theſe. Dr. Halley informs us, that at St. Helena Sheep are very fertile, and commonly bring forth each two or three Lambs yearly; but they are there very ſhort-lived, dying of this Rot; which he takes to be the Effect of the over-great Moiſture on their Hills ; which are half a Mile high, and ſo moiſt, as Paper in the Night cannot be kept dry enough to write on. And there is no doubt but Greaſing, Vomiting, and what is above- ſaid, may be uſeful to preſerve the Sheep of that INand, as well as in our Northern Coun- Store ties. Sheep are on all accounts eſteemed juſtly to be the moſt profitable Cattle to the Far- mer, not only for their Encreaſe, their Fleſ and their Wooll, but alſo on the account of the Manure they afford of Dung and Urine : Which, by good Husbands, are preſerved in Places where Manure is moſt wanted, by penning them up and folding them a Nights. And in fome Parts of Glouceſterſhire, they houſe their Sheep every Night, and litter them with clean Straw; which not only Makes excellent Soil for their Land, but alſo makes the Wooll much finer. In Middleſex, and round about London, they buy a ſort of Sheep from IОО Shri A New Syſtem Of A from the Weſtern Parts; which are wont to bring Lambs ſoon after Michaelmas; which, by being houſed and their Dams well fed, prove exceeding fat and white, ſo as to become a Dainty to the great Mens Tables long before Chriſtmas ; and care is taken to have a Succeſſion of them all the Winter : So that now there is hardly a Month in the Year, but you have fat Lamb in Perfection, and that at no exceſſive Price neither. Where there is a Demand for Lamb, it were eaſy to have it in other Parts of England. And this Dainty begins to preſent itſelf during the Winter even in the North; where indeed nothing is wanting in all the elegant Ways of Living, And this naturally encourages the Farmers to ourvie one another in Diligence and Care, to furniſh the Markets with ſuch Curioſities as may draw out and circulate the Riches of thoſe who would live ſumptuouſly every Day. to qualsiasi barbod odbabond oleman yd og Died 19 pont noise bo bora Baron un mod carsdaleko blo as dim segol PW 10 Choisi de baliw sho Was sages of sd bra Berwarna bolest var i en bus ab loo Of GOAT S. modern Hibus boda hogada oder vidtonoma bo dalo vd only odwa THE Goat hath formerly been in much greater Eſteem, than it is at preſent in T theſe Weſtern Parts of the World. The Fleſh is very ſtrong and rank; and there- fore not fo wholſome, at leaſt to be eaten in any Quantity: However, for the lake of their Kids, or young ones, which are by all allowed to be delicious Meat, they are well worthy the Care and Encouragement of ſuch Husbandmen as have Land and Convenien- cies proper for them. They love and chuſe Buſhes, Briers, and Thorns, rather than richer Paſture. Rocks therefore, and the Sides of Hills, cover’d with theſe, and where it would be dangerous for other Cattle to approach, are beſt and moſt profitably ſtock’d with Goats. The Bucks have under their Jaws two Wattles, or Tufts, like a Beard : And the Hairs all over their Bodies are long, and therefore are ſometimes ſhorn to make Mantles for Soldiers. Their great Heat and Luft ſhould ſometimes be abated and corrected, by being kept low; otherwiſe they grow old in ſix Years. They are very prolifick ; ſome- times a She brings forth two, and ſometimes three Kids at once: But if the Dam hath not Milk enough, they muſt be otherwiſe ſupported, for they will be made fat with a little Care; and their Profit is derived from ſuch Food as is worth little or nothing to other Creatures. As for the Kids, they are to be ordered in every reſpect as Lambs. hoon o odlicne faire partoutud Of SwINE.net Ltho' Hogs are the moſt hurtful, ſpoiling and ravenous Beaſts, and are in themſelves great Evils; yet they are almoſt neceſſary Ones to the Husbandman; who other- ways could make very little Profit of the Refuſe of his Houſe and Garden, and the Offal of his Barn. For which Reaſon, tho’ they are greedy and voracious, and given much to root up the Ground and break Fences, yet the more Care muſt be taken to keep them rung or well yoked. There is a great deal of Art in chuſing a good ſort and right Breed. The Skilful ſay, a good Hog ſhould have a long and large Body, thick Thighs, and ſhort Legs; he ſhould be lave-eared, deep-ſided, and deep-bellied. Long-legged Swine deceive the Eye as well as the Butcher; the Colour is not very material, only ſome think the pyed the worſt, as moſt liable to the Meazles. The little black fort with great Bellies have of late Years been introduced amongſt us, and are by ſome much admired for the Sweet- neſs of their Fleſh, their quick and ready Feeding, and for the Delicacy of the roaſting Pigs. But yet, tho' Gentlemen, for their own Uſe and Curioſity, may think fit to in- dulge this Kind, yet their want of Subſtance makes them not the Farmer's Choice, nor for his Profit. The largeſt Kind of Swine, as well as the beſt-ſhaped Breed, is to be found in Nor- thamptonſhire and Leiceſterſhire, where they have them in great Numbers ; eſpecially in the deep and clayey Parts of thoſe Countries, where there are great Crops of Beans and Peaſe, which feed them exceſlively fat ; inſomuch, that ſometimes there will be found to be forty Pounds of Fat upon the Leaf. But the Art of feeding a Hog well, is to give him only a little at a Time, and often. In woody Countries, they turn them looſe in Autumn to ſearch for Haws, Sloes, Pears, Crabs, and Nuts, but eſpecially Acorns; and after a Fort- night or three Weeks, when they are glutted with theſe, they ſtie them up, and feed them with Peaſe or Beans ; and ſome, with Flower of Rye or Barley made into a ſtiff Paſte, letting them never want Water. Thoſe Farmers who live near great Towns, ſupport their Swine much by Grains of Malt from the Brewers. However, theſe only make them grow, but do not feed them. Hogs A Agriculture and Gardening. IOI Hogs are great Lovers of Lettuce, even after it is run to Seed; as alſo indeed they are of almoſt all Greens out of a Garden, except Turnips; but neither the Roots nor Tops of theſe will they eat. Carrots alſo are greedily eaten by them; and the Roots of themſelves will make them fat. Sweet Whey; Milk, and warm Kitchen Waſs, every one knows will make Porkets fit for the Butcher in a little Time. The Washings of Hogſheads it is thought doth them more harm than good; but they will greedily drink it, and become thereby exceſſively drunk. In the Management of Hogs, theſe Cautions ought to be carefully regarded: When the Hedges or Pyramids of Eugh are clipt, be ſure to diſpoſe of the Clippings, ſo that neither Hogs, nor any other Cattle, may come at them; forġ upon eating them, they ſurely kill them. Let not your Hogs eat Man's Dung, nor Pidgeon's or Poultry's Dung, which generally bring the Meazles. And if you ſuffer them much to eat Carrion, Fleſh, or Garbage; it will but teach them to devour the Poultry, or at leaſt to be ravenous af- ter young Chickens, Turkies and Ducks. In Northampton and Leiceſterſhire, where Bean-Stacks are plentiful, they contrive to ſet them near ſome Water, and ſo hedge them round in the open Field: To which Stacks of Beans or Peaſe, they turn in a proportionable Quantity of Swine, cutting the Stacks down at the Top as faſt as they eat the Bottom. And thus they live without any Atten- dance, by the Help of Water, till their Proviſions are conſumed, and they become fit for the Butcher, or to be ſent to London in Herds. Of the RABIT or CONE Y. THE "HE Rabit or Coney is of two or three Sorts; and all of them, with Management, Care and Skill, become exceedingly profitable to the Farmer ; who, if he would grow rich, is always to look about him, and in every Article and Circumſtance of his Farm, is to conſider how and where the Land may be ſtock’d and improved to the beſt Advantage. Where then it ſo happens that there are any large Waſtes, Heath Ground, or Barren Plains, (eſpecially if the Mounds and Fences are not made with live Hedges, there nothing turris to the Farmer's greater Profit, than to ſtock fuch Ground with Wild Rabits; which of all other Creatures uſeful in Life, are the greateſt Increaſers and Breeders. Some Places are more ſingularly remarkable for the Goodneſs and rich Taſte of Wild Rabits than others; nor is it eaſy to aſſign the Reaſon of it. To be ſure their Goodneſs does not always attend the Richneſs of the Soil, but rather the contrary. A dry ſandy or gravelly Soil agrees generally belt with them; but wet and boggy Ground is hurtful: For I cannot find that they are ever deſirous of Drink or Water ; at leaſt, Obſervation always ſhews, that they do very well without it. The Rabits bred in the Park at Auk- land, one of the Seats of the Biſhop of Durham, have been long famous and remarkably good; and yet they live amongſt the Deer and other Cattle. In other countries you find ſome of the beſt on the moſt barren Ground, where a Sheep can hardly bite. Becauſe their skins at one Time of the Year in Winter are of more Value than their Bodies, I cannot forbear taking Notice of a Wild Rabit, whoſe Skin gives Six Times the Price of the ordinary dun-coloured Rabit, and whoſe Fleſh is deemed flill better too; and that is the Silver-skinn'd Rabit; much to be preferred therefore, and ought to be choſen by all thoſe who have it in their Power. This Sort is but of late Years intro- duced amongſt us; but now their Value and Profit makes them ſpread : For the Furrier every where makes great Demands for them; and I cannot find but they are as hardy and good Breeders as the other. Tame Rabits of the ſeveral Colours, are not leſs profitable in their Way and Proportion than the other; but becauſe they are ſuppoſed to be under Confinement, and conſequently require a particular Care and Management, I ſhall add the following Directions. But firſt it is to be obſerved, that this little Creature begins to breed at leſs than a Year old, bears at leaſt Seven Times in a Year, (the Time of her Geſtation being only a Month) and brings commonly Five or Six at a Time, going to buck again ſoon after ſhe has kindled; tho' it is a Miſtake to fancy ſhe cannot ſuckle her Young till ſhe goes to buck. Their Tameneſs is eaſily effected, by Reaſon of their natural Love of Solitude and Re- tirement, continually ſeeking to hide themſelves in Dens and Caves of the Earth: But yet it is a Maxim confirmed by Experience, that the more they are confined and denied Én- largement, the ſtronger their Fleſh eats and leſs palatable. The beſt way therefore, is to allow them a good large Place well walled in, and another Place well covered, to which they may reſort for Retirement and Shelter, from Rain, Dogs, and Cats, which are their Dd greateſt 102 20. A New Syſtem of g greateſt Enemies; except it be the Buck himſelf, who, when they are much confined, will kill the Young Ones. To prevent which, the Female her ſelf, as ſoon as ſhe has kindled, will hide her Young, and cloſe up the Holes, ſo that the Buck may not find them; in which Tenderneſs and Care ſhe ſhould be aſſiſted as much as may be, by proper Materials viz. Wool, Hair, and Rags. The conſtant Food, which ought to be given to tame Rabits, both to preſerve them in Health, and to remove all Rankneſs of Taſte, is chiefly dry Meat, and not (as hath been lo generally miſtaken) always Leaves, Graſs, and Weeds; which ſhould rather be given them as Phyſick, than conſtant Food. Oats therefore are unqueſtionably good for them. But be- cauſe it may be thought the Charge of ſuch Food will out-run their Profit; Hay of the ſhorteſt Kind and Sort is a very proper Food, and they will very greedily eat it, and thrive upon it; eſpecially if it is ſuch as is made of Clover or Trefoil : One Load of which will ſerve Two Hundred Couple the Year round; which Stock will afford you Two Hundred Couple for the Family, and as many for the Market. It is very convenient to have little Cribs to put the Hay in, the Height of a Rabit’s Reach, which will be a Means to pre- vent Walte. Not but that you ought, two or three Times in a Week, to give them an Armful of Thiſtles, Mallows, or other Refuſe of a Garden; which will tend to cool their Bodies, as well as help to nouriſh them in this moderate Proportion. However, there are two Cautions to be obſerved, when Weeds and Greens are given to tame Rabits : Firſt, That the Dew be off the Leaves, before they are gathered and diſtributed. The not obſerving this Caution has been obſerved to cauſe the Rot in them, which is a Diftemper they are ſubject to, and of which they frequently die. Secondly, That in cutting down Graſs and Weeds for them, you carefully obſerve there is no Hemlock amongſt them; for tho' they will eat it with Greedineſs, it is preſent Poiſon. Every one knows the Method of taking wild Rabits by Ferrets and Nets; and therefore I ſhall add no more on this Article. Of ſuch Fowls as are moſt profitable to the Farmer. Cock; HE conſtant Care and Art of the Fariner is to ſtore himſelf with all ſuch uſeful living Creatures, as may turn to bis Advantage in the Market, and yet conſume little elfe but what would otherwiſe be loſt among the Chaff and Offal of his Barn and Stable. Of which kind are the known Fowls, Hens, Turkies, Ducks, Geeſe, and Pidgeons. Theſe bring conſiderable Profit; ſome by their Eggs, others by their Feathers, and all of them by their Brood and Bodies. Hen.] The Hen is a very profitable Fowl: For with Care and Attendance one or other will lay Eggs and fit every Month in the Year. The Winter Broods indeed are very troubleſome : but the Price of the Chickens in the Spring will balance that. If they are kept altogether on Oats, it is obſerved they will lay well , tho' it makes them poor; bur if they are made fat, they commonly give over laying. For the Goodneſs and Whiteneſs of the Fleſh the white- featherd Sort are beſt, eſpecially thoſe that have ſhort and white Legs: But thoſe that have yellow long Legs and yellow Beaks, are good for nothing. The oldeſt Hens are the beſt Sitters, and the youngeſt the beſt Layers. Care ſhould be uſed in the choice of the for thoſe of the Game Kind are to be avoided, as no way for the Farmers Purpoſe. A Hen fits Twenty Days, whereas Geeſe, Ducks and Turkies ſit Thirty. Near the Time of Hatching, let the Hen have Meat and Drink near her, that he may not ftraggle from her Eggs and chill them. Superſtition often governs where it thould not; but the good Wife will keep to her old Mumpfimus of an odd Egg, when ſhe ſets her Hen. Turkies.] It is not two Centuries ſince Turkies were firſt brought into England; and now they are become naturalized with us, they are obſerved to breed and thrive with little more Care than other Poultry. They are ſomething tender when they are very young; but if Hatching-Time be deferred till May, that Difficulty is ſoon over. And when they are full grown, they will endure a cold Winter even better than a Duck or Hen: For they will pearch upon a Gate or Wall in the coldeſt froſty Night, with the Rinie upon their Backs. It is obſerved they will eat and devour a great deal, if you give them enough; but they will alſo do well with a little ; and if left to their Liberty when grown up, they will get their own Living, by feeding on Herbs and Seeds and Graſs. They are apt to ramble and ftraggle about more than other Fowl, and are ſometimes offenſive and troubleſome in Gar- dens : But there is a very good and eaſy way to prevent that Inconvenience, by taking the Opportunity ز Agriculture and Gardening. 103 Opportunity when you find them there, by a little Spaniel or ſharp Cur, to teaze and weary them about, as long as they can ſtand or run; and at laſt they will take their Flight: By repeating of which, you may depend upon it they will come no more there. Peacocks are alſo to be thus uſed and cured. It is a good way to give the Young Ones (as ſoon as hatched) every one a Pepper-Corn to cure the Coldneſs of their Stomachs, and for the ſame reaſon afterwards to mix Worm- wood chop'd ſmall with their Food; which ſhould be Curds for three weeks or a Month, and their Drink be new Milk; for if four, it kills them. The old faſhioned way of feed- ing Turkies, is by cramming them with Barley Paſte ; but under that Method they fome- times miſcarry with being choked, either by Careleſsneſs or Unskilfulneſs in not judging of a due Proportion. They will be very fat in the more natural Way, by feeding them that are intended to be fat by themſelves. Their Eggs are eſteemed delicate as well as whollome, being great Reſtorers of Nature. Duck.] The tame Duck is as neceſſary and profitable a Fowl as any other, and kept with leſs Charge ; for if they have but the Advantage of Water and Ponds, they will fetch from thence the greateſt Part of their Suſtenance. She lays Plenty of Eggs once a Year at lealt; and in Sitting, where her own choice is, (which is beſt) ſhe will cover Twelve or Fourteen Eggs, and bring them all to Perfection in a Month. The Young Ones will take the Water as ſoon as they are hatched; but if it rain, or the Weather is cold, they ſhould be houſed; for too much Wet quickly kills them, even after they are Two or Three Weeks old. Gooſe.] The Gooſe likewiſe is a Fowl of great Profit for the Spit, as well as for her Fea- thers, which are accounted the very beſt for Beds. They are reared and managed much in the ſame manner as Ducks, being a ſort of amphibious Creature, living both on Land and Water. Both Young and Old will live altogether on Graſs; and their Dung is thought to be very wholeſome for the Ground where they go, to keep Diftenpers from other Cattle. But Lanes, Highways, Commons and Waftes, are the propereſt Places for Geeſe to range in. A Goſlin or green Gooſe in May is reckoned a Dainty, if made very fat: To do which you muſt ſhut them up at a Month old, giving them only ground Malt and Water or Beer; and they will be fit for the Spit in a Fortnight. Some think, that the upright Feathers on their Rumps being cut away will haften their fattening; becauſe, from thence with their Bills they ſuck out Moiſture and Fatneſs. The Stubble Gooſe is alſo fat- ted in the ſame manner, and will be fat in the faine time after it is put up. In ſome Places they find a Profit in ſhearing their Geeſe for their Feathers; others pull them twice a Year. This is the Practice of the Fen-Country, where they have vaft Droves of them going on their extended Commons; and the Profit of theſe Feathers is very conſiderable, when they are ſent in Quantities to the Markets in London. Pidgeon.] There are great Varieties and Sorts of Pidgeons or Doves; and all of them ſo extremely profitable both for their Bodies and their Dung, that no conſiderable Farm ſhould be without a Dove-houſe; becauſe they are kept with little Coſt or Trouble, except the feeding them in hard Froſts or Snow, when nothing elſe is to be had abroad ; and again, about Midſummer in Benting-Time, as it is called, when they are forced by Neceſſity to live upon Bents and the Seeds of Graſs. At which laſt Time eſpecially Relief comes feaſonably to them; not only for their own Sakes, but for the Sake of their young ones, which commonly are ſtarved and periſh for want of it. Mr. Mortimer tells us, he got a Pair of Ring-Doves Eggs, and hatched them under a tame Pidgeon; they liv'd with the Pidgeons, and bred fo inuch better, that in a little time he had a great Increaſe of them, inſomuch that he might have ſtock'd a Dove-houſe with them; which he thought might be worth while to do, by reaſon of the Largeneſs of their Bodies and their Hardineſs; for they will live upon Ivy-berries, Turnips, and many other Things which a Pidgeon will However that be, the wild blue Pidgeon is a good Breeder, and will endure great Hardſhips : And if his Body be too ſmall, you may mend the Breed by mixing among them ſome of the large tame Kind; and this I take to be the beſt and the wiſelt Courle. But there is one Miſtake which hath oft-times proved fatal to a Dove-houſe, and the occaſion is not generally underſtood, and that is, when there are too many Cocks, eſpecially of the came Kind: For they will fight and beat all others from the Place; and ſo quickly make a thin Dove-houſe, if a Remedy be not found to leſſen their Numbers. There are ſeveral Methods uſed to tempt Pidgeons to ſtay, and to encourage others to come to a Dove-houſe. One very rational one is, now and then to lay Lumps of Salt, uſually called Salt-Cats, mixt with aromatic Seeds, in ſome By-place within their Houſe, to which they may at all Seaſons have recourſe. The Pidgeon is a hot Bird, and loves every thing that has Nitre and Salt in it; and therefore thoſe Salt-Gats are found migh- tily not eat. 104 A New Syſtem of 5 tily to delight them, and the Lumps will be quickly devoured: Thus it is found that Lime Walls, which throw out Salt-Petre, will draw the Pidgeons to them, working out the Lime, &c. from between the Joints; the very Obſervation of which, I ſuppoſe, was the Mother of the Invention of Salt-Cats. Another good Way, not only to encourage Pidgeons, but to ſupport them, is to lay a conſiderable Heap of Clay near a Dove-houſe; and with it, on all Occaſions, to mix what Brine can be ſpared from the Houſe, tempering and ſtirring it well together. Hither the Pidgeons will quickly reſort in great Numbers, and eat not only the Salts, but alſo the very Clay that is mixt with it. Pidgeons are very apt to be ſcabby on the Breaſts and Backs; which Diſtemper cornmonly kills the young ones, and makes the old ones ſo weak and faint, that in a Time of Hardſhip a Dove-houſe will well nigh be deſtroyed with it. A very likely Cure to prevent which, is the aboveſaid Salt-Cats, eſpecially if an Ounce of Aſſafætida be added, and mixt with the Lump. The Pidgeon alſo loves Neatneſs and Cleanlineſs; and therefore the oftener the Houſe and Holes are cleanſed, the better, and the more they will be encouraged to ſtay and breed; eſpecially if Care be taken that no Enemies approach to hurt them, their young ones, or their Eggs. Of which fort are Fulmores and Weezles; which are apt to creep in at in- viſible Places in the Foundation or elſewhere · But when they are once diſcovered, great Diligence muſt be uſed to catch them by Traps ; otherwiſe they will ſoon make deſpe- rate Havock amongſt the Pidgeons, eſpecially their young ones. Starlings alſo are bold In- truders, and will ſuck their Eggs; for which there is no Cure but the Gun: The Cure alſo for Hawks, that aſſault the old ones without Doors. The cheapeſt way poſſible for building a Dove-houſe, is to make the Walls with Earth or Clay mixt with Straw, in the ſame manner as they make their Mound-Walls in Northampton and Leiceſterſhire ; which are not only durable and cheap, but ſingularly warm. I made a Dove-houſe my ſelf after this manner; which anſwered my Expectations well, and coſt me I think about five Pounds; being (if I remember) about four Yards ſquare in the clear within- ſide. I made the Walls four Foot thick and twelve Foot high; and before I ſet on the Roof, and whilſt the Walls were a little greeniſh, with a coarſe Chiſel I ordered a proper Number of Holes to be cut out ſquare; which was done with a deal of Eaſe, the Walls being, as I ſaid, not quite dry. The Holes were made (as they ſhould be) a little dip- ping backward, and about fourteen Inches deep: So that when the Walls were covered with a Roof and become perfectly dry, they were a warmer Habitation for the Pidgeons than any other fort of Building made with Brick and Stone, cho' fram’d with Wood: And accordingly the Pidgeons proſper'd to a Wonder whilft I was in Northamptonſhire. Tares and Vetches are the Food which Pidgeops moſt of all covet and love; but Peaſe, Beans and Barley are good, and will make them breed well, even every Month in the Year, if they have enough. There are ſome exceeding large Sorts of tame Pidgeons near London; the young ones whercof come ſo early and are made ſo far, that there is a con- ſtant Demand for them at great Mens Tables; and they will not (you may imagine) want for Price: For all populous Places encourage the Product and Sale of every Thing good in its kind. By what has been ſaid, it may appear how profitable a Dove-houſe is in its Produce and Increaſe ; and the Value of the Dung I have elſewhere ſufficiently explained. Neither will I go about to remove the filly Superſtition of thoſe, who are, with Art, made to be- lieve that a new Dove-houſe and Death are inſeparable. Peacock and Swan.] Peacocks and Swans being generally kept more for Ornament and Fancy, than any great Uſe or Profit to a Farmer, it is out of my Purpoſe to be particu- lar about them. The firſt are ſaid (how true I know not) to clear the Ground of Adders, Toads and other venomous Creatures: The other will very much clear Ponds and Rivers of Weeds, which they gredily devour ; and not Fiſh, as it is generally by Miſtake thought they do. The Fleſh of either is not worth much; tho’ young Cygnets, farted as green Geele, are by many thought a great Dainty. of Agriculture and Gardening. 105 Of BEES. HERE are two ſorts of Inſects greatly profitable, and highly deſerving the Care; T the Love, and the aſſiduous Attendance of every painful Farmer; ſtudious and inqui- fitive after every thing that may make Returns of Profit, and fetch in an honeſt and com- mendable Gain; and theſe are the Bee and the Silk-worm; both of them deriving their Support and Riches from Vegetables, The firſt of theſe, the Bre, falls under our preſent Conſideration; which is an Inſect, by All allowed to be 'an Example of Induſtry to a Proverb: Never idle, but when Work is dangerous or impoſſible; that is, in the extremeſt Colds, and in the wetteſ Seaſons. They are early out in the Morning to gather Honey; when like Swarms they may be heard and ſeen clinging on the Bloſſoms and Leaves of Trees; and in the Evening late they rea turn from their hard and aſſiduous Labours. At fefe multa referunt fe nocte minores Crura Thymo plena VIRG. In Engliſh thus : But thoſe that youthful be and in their Prime, Late in the Night laden return with Thyme. On every Buſh and Tree about they Spread, And are with Caſſia and rich Saffron fed. On purple Daffodils and Lindens tall, All reſt at once, at once they labour All. Early they march, and ſtay till Evening drives Them from ſweet Fields and Food to sheltring Hives. Idleneſs is a Thing ſo hateful in this Commonwealth, that they will tolerate it in none ſave their Sovereign; for All are buſied, either abroad in gathering Food, or at home in building Combs, or feeding their Young, or ſome other Employment: But the Drone and uſeleſs Bee is ſure to die for it ; or, as the Poet above elegantly deſcribes their laborious Care, Venturæque Hjemis memores æftate Laborem Experiuntur Mindful of Winter, labour in the Spring, And to the publick Store they Profit bring: For ſome provide, and by a Compact made Labour abroad; others at home are ſtay'd To lay Narciſſus Tears, and yielding Gum, As the firſt Ground-work of the Heney-Comb. The Oeconomy and exact Government, which the Induſtrious and wiſe Bees obſerve amongſt themſelves, has exerciſed the Study and Pens of the ingenious and learned Ob- fervers for many Years paſt; and many conſiderable Volumes have been publiſhed on that Subject, in order to diſcover the Myſtery of their Art in compoſing Combs, and lodging their ſweet and liquid Treaſure, as well as to underſtand the Wiſdom of their Laws, by which the Peace and Welfare of their Government is ſecured *. For which Purpoſe, of lare Years, Hives in octogone Frames have been contrived, with Glaſs on the Backlide, thro' which may be ſeen the Motion and Working of the Bees ; and they are alſo ſo ordered, that the Bees may have room to work upwards in Stories, to prevent the In- convenience and Danger of their Swarming. This was firſt thought on and invented by a Kinſman of my own, Mr. Mew of Glouceſterſhire: And it ſeemed to bid fair for a full Diſcovery of that myſterious Commonwealth, as well as to make great Improvements by ſaving the Lives of the Bees. But alas, there are ſtill great Diſputes; and we know not yet the Nature of their Laws, nor the End and Reaſon of their Motions. We know not It is ſaid, the Philofopher Ariftomachus ſpent Sixty Years in contemplating the Polity and Gôvernment of their Commonwealth, whoſe Baſis is chiefly grounded on a mutual Live of one another. Еe certainly , чија verns. W bat 106 Do A New Syſtem of SA certainly whether their Government be Ariſtocracy or Monarchy; whether they are governed by Many or by One; or, if it be a Monarchy, whether it be a Male or Female that go- Theſe Things are only Conjecture, and the Learned on both sides think they can ſupport their opinions by probable and ſpecious Reaſons. Beſides, I could never yet ſee the great Advantage boaſted of from theſe Caſes or Glaſs- Hives, either as to a Diſcovery of their Government, or the Increaſe of their Riches. The in a hurry, always in Summer moving from Place to Place; but you can make little of what they are doing, much leſs how they do it, or by what Authority. And then, as to the Advantage in Point of Profit and Increaſe, I could never find but that in a favourable Year, the ordinary Way of ſingle Hives, and Swarming, as great an Increaſe both of Stock and Honey have been made, as in theſe late invented Caſes; and in a bad Year, neither of them are found to do any great Feats. Beſides again, there is one Diſadvantage which always attends theſe Cafes or Glaſs-Hives, where the Bees work lipwards, viz. that you are always forced to leave the lateſt and the beſt Virgin-Honey behind, and to be content with Honey of one, two, or three Years old; which every one knows is the worſt and coarſeft fort for all Purpoſes. For the Method is, before you take the Honey, to drive the Bees into the upper Caſes, to ſave their Lives; and to thruſt in a thin Piece of Board made for that Purpoſe through the Combs at the ſeveral Diviſions of the Caſes; ever beginning at the Bottom-Story, where the moſt and the worit Honey is. Whereas, in the ordinary Way of Hives, when you find that a Swarm or a Cají is too weak to go through the Winter, it may be taken up and made uſe of, as one of the greateſt Delicacies at an elegant Entertainment. Having ſaid thus much of the Nature and Qualities of theſe new contrived Caſes for Bees, will not be expected that I ſhould enlarge in their Deſcription and Make: But if Curioſity excite any one to attempt a Trial to pleaſe his Fancy, he may almoſt in every Country meet with Specimens, which will be a better Direction than what can be ex preſſed in Words. It is certain there are no Creatures that live at more Unity among themſelves than Bees. They feem to have all Things in common, and one is always ready to revenge the Inju- ries of another. Where there is any Degree of Curioſity in the Owner, nothing about an Houſe doth ordinarily give more Pleaſure and Profir than theſe ; which take up little Room, provide their own Food, and require no great Attendance, except in Swarming-time. Theſe Conſiderations have put many ingenious and inquiſitive Perſons, not only upon new Contrivances to ſave their Lives, as above; but alſo upon intenſe Studies and Obſervations on their Nature and Government, in order to ſupply them with ſuch Conveniencies and Comforts as may aſſiſt their Labours, and encourage their Induſtry. Mr. Bradley, who tells us he has been exact in his Obſervations on Bees, faith, there are plainly three Sorts diſtinguiſhable. The firſt, he faith, is properly called Bees; ſuch as gather Wax, work it, make the Honey-Combs and Cells, gather the Honey and fill them, fup- ply their Young with Food, keep the Hive clean, and defend it againſt their Enemies ; all theſe have a Sting. The ſecond ſort are called Drones, commonly much larger and of a darker Colour, fome- thing longer and thicker than the Bee. Of theſe there are but few in ſome Hives, and more in others. Theſe Drones have the ſame Original with the Bees; for they proceed from the King or Queen-Bee : And as in the Hives it is obſervable there are ſome Cells, one third or one half longer than the common Cells, the King makes choice of theſe large Cells to lay thoſe Eggs in from which theſe Drones proceed, afſigning them Habitations proportionable to the Bigneſs they are to attain to in their full Growth. They have no Sting, and are ſeldom ſeen out of their Hives; and if they go out, it is about Three in the Afternoon, and in fair Weather; and when they return, they do not come laden with Wax as the other; for they only keep hovering about and humming in the Air, not far from their Habitation. They continue Part of the Summer diſperſed in the Hives; and afterwards, as their Numbers increaſe, they draw together in Troops in ſeveral Parts of the Hive, where they lie cantoned, as it were, without making any Motion, from the End of July to the Middle of Auguſt : At which Time the common Bees attack them; and tho' they make what Reſiſtance they can, they are at laſt all driven out of the Hive, this Fight happens between the Bees and Drones, all the Bees are in Motion, as well without as within the Hives; and notwithſtanding the tender Regard the Bees ſhew for theſe very Drones when they are young, it is amazing to ſee, that by the latter End of the Summer it ſhould be turned to ſo univerſal a Hatred, that they do not ſpare even the Agriculture and Gardening. 107 Gate; the young Drones that are imperfect in their Cells; but while one Party of the Bees is buſy in driving the gteat Drones out of the Hive, another Party is employed in opening the Cells, where the imperfect Drones are, pulling them out, killing, and quite removing them from the Hive. But there is yet a Third Sort, longer than the Drones, tho' not proportionably ſo thick, but of a more lively red Colour. There is for the moſt part but one of theſe in a Hive, and never above Three. This Bee hath a Sting, with a grave and compoſed Gate, and for that Reaſon hath been called the King or Queen Bee, and is the Mother of the reſt. This Bee is fo fruitful, that ſhe is thought to breed Eight or. Ten Thouſand Young Ones in a Year. She is for the moſt part concealed in the upper Part of the Hive; and is rarely, if ever, to be ſeen, but when ſhe depoſits her Young in ſuch Combs as are expoſed to the Sight. She is ſcarce to be ſeen but upon thoſe fingular Occaſions, and oftentimes not then neither; becauſe a great Number of Bees, hanging one to another, form a ſort of Veil or Curtain from the Top of the Hive to the Bottom, and ſo often intercept the Sight of her; not removing till ſhe has done laying. When this Queen Bee (for we muſt call her ſo now ſhe has been laying Eggs) appears in publick, about a Dozen Bees of a Size larger than ordinary always attend her, and as her Retinué, follow her wherever ſhe goes. She moves with a very compoſed and grave and when ſhe is about to lay, looks for an empty Cell, that has neither Honey, Wax, nor Embrio in it; and having put her Head into this Cell for a Moment, ſhe im- mediately turns about, and thruſts in the hinder Part of her Body ſo far till it touches the Bottom of the Cell, the Bees of her Retinue ſtill ſtanding round about her, with their Heads turned towards her, and ſeem to careſs her with their Trunks and Legs, and as it were, feaſt her. After a little while ſhe comes out of the Cell, where a ſmall Tender Egg may be perceived to be left. And thus ſhe paſſes from one Cell to another for Nine or Ten Times one after another immediately, her Retinue ſtill waiting on her; and having done, retires again into the inner Part of the Hive, and is no more to be féen for ſome Time. After Four Days theſe Eggs turn to Maggots, and the Bees afterward carry Honey for their Nouriſhment, and by the Eighth Day bring ſo much as to take up the whole Breadth, and part of the Length of the Cell; then they ſtop up all the Cells that contain theſe Worms, and take no more Care of them. In this Condition they remain Twelve Days, but ſuffer divers Changes, till at the Twentieth Day they become perfect Inſects ; and having made a round Hole with their Jaws in the Covers of the Cells, get out, come out of the Hive, go immediately abroad in Gardens and Fields, gathering Wax and Ho- ney. When this young Bee is gone out of the Cell, there preſently come two Bees to it; one of them takes away the Cover, chips it and uſes the Wax elſewhere; the other is employed in putting it in the fame hexagonal Form it was in before the Egg was laid there ; and ſometimes, the fame Day a new Egg is laid in the fame Cell. As to the Situation of an Apiary, the firſt and chief Care ſhould be to ſet it ſheltered from Winds on all Sides if it be poſſible; and that End is better anſwered by Hedges than by Buildings, which do bur form Eddies and circular Currents: For the want of Shelter is more prejudicial to Bees, than the want of Sun. Not that they ſhould want the Sun to enliven, cheriſh and comfort them, even before they are able to ftir abroad ; but yet the over-bearing Power of the Sun's Heat at Midſummer ſometimes doth great Injury, by melt- ing the Wax and letting out the Honey. To prevent which, I ſhould therefore chuſe to let the Apiary face the South Eaſt, that it may have the Sun's Morning and earlieſt In- fluence, and not be hurt by the ſcorching Afternoon Heat, which it ſhould loſe by Two or Three a Clock. In the common way of managing Bees in Straw Hives; if you intend to multiply your Stocks, you muſt make the Hives ſmall; but if you aim to encreaſe your Quantity of Ho- ney, your Hives ſhould be the larger. And every Hive ſhould be ſet upon a ſingle Stool, kept clean from Weeds, which do but harbour Slugs or Snails, which are great Enemies to Bees. They fwarm earlier or later, according to the Seaſon : But about the Middle of May, if the Weather hath been temperate and kindly, you may look out for a Swarm. The uſual Signs foretelling it are theſe: When the Hives are full , they will begin to caſt out their Drones : They will hover about the Mouth, Evenings and Mornings : You will find Moiſtneſs and Sweating upon the Stool: They will run luftily up and down, and lie out Evenings and Nights that are ſultry, and go in again when the air is clear . In a hot Gleam, and after a shower or gloomy Cloud hath ſent them home together, then they chiefly delight to riſe ; and when they gather together at the Door , without hang- ing together in Swarming.time and not before, then you may almoſt certainly conclude they , ווו 108 Lg A New Syſtem of they will riſe if the Weather hold. But to lie out continually under the Stool or behind the Hive, eſpecially toward the Middle of June, is rather a Sign or Cauſe of their not Swarming: For when once they have taken to lie without, and have Plenty of Food within, they are ſo ſet upon the Delight of their Riches, that they have no Leiſure to ſwarm, tho' the Weather favour them to come abroad with Safety. In order therefore to make Bees ſwarm, keep the Hive as cool as may be, by watering and thadowing both it and the Place where it ſtands; and then enlarging the Door to give them Air, move the Cluſter gently with your Bruſh, and drive them in. If they will ſtill lie forth, and not ſwarm; then the next calm and warm Day about Noon, whilſt the Sun ſhines, let the better part be put in with your Bruſh, and the reſt gently ſwepo away from the Stool, not ſuffering them to cluſter again. And ſo thoſe riſing in the calm Heat of the Sun, by their Noiſe, as tho' they were Swarming, will ſometimes call the other forth, and ſo ſwarm together. Divers other Ways have been tried to make them Swarm; as by placing a Platter or large Pewter-Diſh under the Cluſter of Bees as they are hanging out in the Heat of the Sun, or by ſmooth paring of the Ground under them, ſtrewing the ſame with hot Sand. If none of theſe Methods will do to provoke them to ſwarm, but that they lie out ſtill, then rear the Hive enough to let them in, and clay up all the Skirts but the Door; and if this Experiment fail, it may be concluded there is no Remedy. The Signs of After-Swarms are ſomething more certain; for when the Prime Swarm is gone, about Eight Days after, when another Brood is ready and hath again over fille the Hive, the next Leader or Captain begins to tune his Voice, at the Sound of which the Queen gives her Conſent in a Bals-Note, and ſo they all quickly come forth. There is an idle Superſtition of ringing a Kettle or a Bell while they are Swarming, as if that would haften them to ſettle and compoſe themſelves; whereas, on the contrary, all Noiſe is a Diſturbance to them. The Origin of the Cuſtom ſeems to have been only to give Notice to the Neighbourhoed that there is a Swarm up; and if they ſhould go aſtray, to ſignify to whom they belong: But to prevent that Danger, ſome do more rationally throw Duft or Sand amongit them to make them come down. When a Swarm has choſen a lighting Place, which is commonly on the Branches of ſome low Trees, they preſently knit together on a Cluſter; and when they have ſettled, and the Cluſter has been at the biggeſt for ſome time, then you are to hive them with as much Dexterity and Caution as poſſible, ſhaking them all at once, if it may be, into a Hive well rub'd before with Honey and ſweet Herbs, and ſtuck with ſmall white Wands. When a Swarm parts, and the two Diviſions light in Sight of one another, diſturb the leſſer Knot, and they will Ay to their Fellows; but if they chuſe lighting Places not in Sight, then hive them diſtinctly, and afterwards bring them together, and they will readily unite. So alſo, if your Swarm happens to come late in June or July, and leſs in Quantity than à Peck, put two or three Swarms together, if within two or three Days of one another; and by uniting them thus, they will labour hard, get a ſufficient Quantity of Honey and defend themſelves againſt their Enemies. This, as well as the former Work, muſt be done in an Evening. 20 The Age of a Bee is only Twelve or Thirteen Months. And therefore, toward the End of Summer their Number begins to leſſen, and the laſt Year's Brood by degrees waſte and die away, their Wings firſt failing them; ſo that only the Young of the preceding Spring ſurvive to continue the Kind till the next Year. A little before or a little after Michaelmas is the beſt Time for removing Stocks from Place to Place, tho' any Time in the Winter before the Beginning of March may do ; bur Swarms are beſt carried and con- vey'd the Day after Swarming, as ſoon as the Bees are quiet. The beſt Time of taking the Honey, is about the Middle or latter End of Auguſt ; for after that they eat more than they get. The common Way of killing the Bees, and ſaving the Honey, is to dig a Hole, hard by, a little bigger than the Bottom of the Hive, into which ſtick one or two Matches of Brimſtone, Five or Six Inches long, ſo that the Top of them may be even with the Surface Top of the Hole. The Matches being fired, gently and dexterouſly lift off the Hive, and ſet it over the Hole, and immediately cloſe up the Hive at the Bottom, that none of the Smoak may get out, and in a few Minutes the Bees will be all dead. The Honey that runs out, without much ſqueezing or breaking the Combs is beſt, and fhould be preſerved by itſelf for the beſt Purpoſes. The older the Hives are, the worſe is both the Honey and the Wax: Therefore the beſt Honey of all others for eating at the Table, is that which is taken from late Swarms or Cafts, which prove too light to ſtand Agriculture and Gardening. 109 Bees pre- ſtand the Winter. And this is properly the Virgin-Honey, uncorrupted and undefiled either by Time or Mixture. Becauſe in the Attendance and Management of Bees, it is not uncommon to find the Smart of their Stings, and to feel the Effect of their Anger, which is no leſs than Poiſon to the Part affected, it may not be improper to direct a ſuitable Remedy. The firſt thing to be done is to pull out the Sting as faſt as you can; and if near a Fire take a live Coal, hold it as long to the Place as you can poſſibly endure it, which will draw out a great part of the Poiſon; and applying a little Honey to the Wound, will perfect the Cure. Some think, and ſpeak it with Aſſurance, that a Copper Half-penny applied to the wounded Part will immediately afſwage the Pain. and prevent the Swelling; and others affure us, that let the Sting of a Bee or Waſp be never fo violent, if we ſupply ſome of the Milky Juice of the Fig-tree, the Pain immediately ceaſes and the Swellings abates, tho' it be never fo violent. See Bradley, Pag. 93 for the Months of Auguſt and September. There are divers Things injurious and hurtful to Bees ; ſome of which I have occaſionally mentioned before: But the chief Enemies to them are much Smoak; continued Noiſe; bad Weather ; offenſive Smells ; noiſome Creatures ; Mice and Birds; Hornets and Waſps; and even Bees themſelves, which will be ever and anon robbing one another, the ſtrongeſt always aſſaulting the weakeſt : And this Battel is ſometimes prevented by ſtopping up the Hive cloſe for a few Hours; or by killing ſome of the Robbers as they come. ſently diſcern a Cloud that is like to end in a Shower; and therefore in ſuch a Caſe they are obſerved to return Home in great Haſte and Numbers. In many other Caſes likewiſe they diſcover great Sagacity, and even communicate their Deſigns by the Motion of their Bodies. When they would remove their Station, one makes a Motion with her Wings, which cauſes a ſmall Sound; others follow her Example and retire: And thus they prepare themſelves for their daily Labour in the Morning, as well as when they prepare to ſet up a Commonwealth of their own by Swarming. Some think, that by the Motion of their Wings they give Notice to others to disburthen them of their Wax when they come Home laden; and that when one Bee is at work on the Combs, and wants Honey of another that has brought it Home, ſhe thruſts out her Trunk, and takes it from be- tween the Jaws of the other, and receives it without ſpilling. However probable theſe Conjectures are, I doubt they are far from Certainties. Both Parts of the Bees Riches, the Wax and the Honey, are not only profitable, but uſeful both in Surgery and Phyſick. Beſides the fingular Uſe and great Demand of Wax for Lights and Candles, preferred before all others, it is in Surgery the Ground of all Salves for Wounds, and Cerecloths for weak Parts; beſides, it ripens Ulcers, and mollifies contract- ed Sinews. Its Oil is thought of the moſt ſovereign Virtue to cure Wounds, be they ne- ver ſo large or deep; for by the help of Stitching, it makes a Cure in Ten or Twelve Days at moſt; and by only anointing ſmall Wounds, it heals them in Three or Four. A Dram of this Oil in white Wine provokes Urine, helps Pains in the Loins, and removes other ſort of Stitches that are contracted by Colds. The Honey alſo is not leſs uſeful and profitable: For beſides that it makes a moſt plea- ſant Liquor for the preſent Drinking in the Summer called Mead, and alſo a more laſting and ſtronger-bodied Wine (which is a great Imitation of Sack or Canary) called Metheg- lin : Beſides theſe, I ſay, and many other uſeful and excellent Purpoſes, for which Honey is accounted good and applied accordingly; it is accounted phyſically ſovereign for opening Obſtructions, clearing the Breaſt and Lungs of thoſe Humours that fall from the Head: It provokes Urine and keeps the Body open, nouriſhing it, and breeding good Blood, and thereby prolongs Life. It is remarkable, that it keeps all Things uncorrupted that are put into it; and for that reaſon Medicines that are intended to be kept long are uſually prepared with it. It is a great Ingredient in all the forts of Treacles, and is eſteemed good againit Pleuriſies, Ptificks, and other Diſeaſes of the Lungs. However, to ſome Conſtitu- tions it ſhould be obſerved that Honey cauſes a very violent and immoderate Flux; there- fore when that is once diſcovered, it ſhould be either cautiouſly uſed or wholly neglected : But yet that Violence is very much corrected when it is clarified. of IIO A New Syſtem of Of SIL K-WORMS. HE Silk-worm is another Infect that derives its Nouriſhment altogether from Vege- tables; and conſidering the curious and inviſible Method of working Webs of Silk out of its own Bowels, and the ſeveral odd Metamorphoſes it undergoes, may be thought one of the moſt extraordinary Creatures in Nature. But beſides its Curioſity, it is a moſt profitable Creature, when it meets with that kind Indulgence, which its Diligence and In- duſtry calls for. It is but of late Years that the Silk-worm hath been introduced amongſt us here in England; and as yet they are not encouraged, as they ought, in any great Quantities, or in many places. The chief Obſtacle ſeems to be the Want of Food, a fufficient Number of Mulberry-Trees, whoſe Leaves alone are undoubtedly (whatever ſome may ſay to the contrary) the proper Food, from which any Product or Profit can be de- pended on. But befids this, there is another Diſcouragement which hath in great meaſure prevented the Removal of the former Obſtacle ; and that is, the Obſervation that the Diligence and Attendance required outgoes the Profit: But that this is owing to the Want of an eſta- bliſhed Manufacture, the Practice of Foreign Countries, as the like Defect in parallel Cafes, demonſtratively proves. The vaft Riches of the Southern Countries, gained from the La- bours of this little Infect, plainly ſhew that where no Accommodations or Materials are wanted to employ a Multitude of Hands in a regular Society and Combination of Under- takers, the Silken Manufacture muſt anſwer ; and we may grow rich thereby in England, as well as they in France and Spain. For we every Day ſee, thoſe that deal in little Quanti- ties in any Way of Life, or in almoſt any Commodities whatſoever, becauſe they have not conſtant and regular Employment for the Hands they are forced to uſe, and it may be at the ſame time wanting Abilities in the Methods of Commerce, grow poor and ſtarve; whilft at the fame time others in an eſtabliſhed Society, dealing in great Quantities, and better conſigning Hands to proper Places and Times, get vaft Eſtates by the very fame Commodidity and Buſineſs which made the others poor. As to the Objection which ſome make with reſpect to the Coldneſs of our Climate, I think there is not much in that; eſpecially if the Southern and beſt ſheltered Parts of our Iſland be choſen for the purpoſe. For we ſee with Pleaſure, that in many agreeable Soils and Situations, the Mulberry thrives to a Wonder : And we ſee alſo, that from their Leaves the Silk-worm is nouriſhed to Perfection. The Eggs are hatched the Beginning of May; the Worm eats, and encreaſes with her Food: At full Stature ſhe ſpins her Web; the Male and Female engender; the laſt lays her Eggs and they both die, as in other Countries, within the compaſs of the Summer's Warmth and Heat. And if in leſſer Quantities we can propagate and encreaſe Eggs, Worms and Silk; what ſhould hinder us from doing more, and making the fame Advantage to our felves and the Nation, which Foreigners acquire to theirs ? I will not call it Sloth and Indolence, becauſe I believe no Nation upon Earth have, of late Years eſpecially, made greater Improvements in all forts of Arts and Sciences, in Trade and Manufactories, than the Engliſh have done ; but there is an Account to be given of this Matter lefs diſhonourable, viz. the Pleaſure and Profit of Gardening and Plantations ſeem to be but of late come into Taſte. Three or four- fcore Years ago, there was but here and there a Man to be found that had a Genius for planting any thing but Oaks, Aſhes and Elms in the Foreſt; and a Pear, Apple and Plumb in the Orchard. If a Mulberry happened to be found in his Grandfather's Garden, it was almoſt fingular, and gazed at as a Rarity. And tho' in King James the Firſt's Time (of more anon) there was a ſufficient Hint given by that Prince, and a goodly Scene opened, preſaging many future Advantages ; yet Ars longa Vita brevis took place, and little was done agreeable to that Prince's Exhortations for planting Mulberries ; looking ſtill at home, and on the preſent Generation, without much regarding what might conduce to the Be- nefit and Riches of Pofterity. However ſomething was done, and thoſe few ancient Trees we have are much owing to that Prince's publick Spirit; but yet a conſiderable Manufacture cannot be begun and car- ried on, but by ſuch numerous Plantations, as may effectually anſwer all Demands; and that muſt be a Work of Time. Not but that I hear of late ſeveral large Plantations are be- gun with a view of a conſiderable Manufactory; and by this time muſt be arrived to that Maturity, that we may quickly expect to hear that foreign Silks muſt give Place to the Engliſh ones manufactured by a People of a ſuperior Genius. With Agriculture and Gardening. III With a View and Expectation of ſomething very conſiderable in this Kind; I ſhall lay down fome Directions for the Management of the Silk-worm ; not in the leaſt doubting but that ſtill ſome better Maxims, lupported by the long Experience of thoſe abroad, may be obtained hereafter, for the readier carrying on and perfecting this important Work. It is, in the firſt Place, then to be obſerved (as I have already taken Notice under that Head) that there are two ſorts of Mulberries, the one Black, the other White; both of them ſerviceable to the Silk-worm : But foraſmuch as the White fort (tho'it hath but an inſipid Fruit) is a quick Grower, and hath a ſmoother Leaf; it is therefore generally pre- ferred and planted for the Uſe of the Silk-worm before the other, which hath a rougher Leaf. But, as I ſaid, either of them will do well; the great Difficulty is to get enough of either. About the Beginning of May, when the Mulberry begins at firtt to explain its Leaves, the Eggs of the Silk-worm ſhould be laid in a Window in the warm Son, or betwixt Flannels in ſome warm Place; for Heat and Warmth ſoon hatch Eggs. Sooner indeed this might be done; but it were to no Purpoſe to do it fooner, becauſe their Food would not be ready for them. When they are hatch'd, it is uſual to lay over them clean Paper full of Holes, and upon that Paper they lay the Mulberry-Leaves, to which the little Infeets will ſoon find a Paſſage, and faften themſelves ; and after that there needs little more Care during the Time of their feeding, but ſhifting their Leaves as Neceffity requires, keeping them clean both from dead Leaves and their own Dung. The ſlighteſt kind of Covering will ſerve the Turn, to defend the Silk-worm from the Injuries of the Weather. In Italy and Spain they are kept and fed in the ſame earthen floored Rooms, wherein the poor People live and ſpin, and do their other Houſhold AF- fairs, feeding them on Shelves or Tables without more Curioſity. In Sicily boarded Houſes are commonly ſet up in the Fields round the Mulberry-Groves, with Shelves two Foot above one another to the Roof, and a Table in the midſt of the Room; on both which they ſpread Leaves for the feeding the Worms. A Man and a Boy will attend all the Worms that come of fix Ounces of Eggs, and thoſe, one Year with another, will ſpin ſixty Pounds of Silk worth 20 1. a Pound; in all 1 200 1. In Turkey the Worms are fed in long Barns made of Reeds or Canes, both Walls and Roofs; where they are fed, and afterwards fpin their Bottoms upon the very Reeds, without more Trouble. Nay, it hath been known that even upon the very Mulberry- Trees themſelves, where the Inſects have been directed, the whole Charge of Attendance has been ſaved, and the Silk hath been brought to Perfection; which is undoubtedly the eaſieſt and moſt natural way, but not the ſafeſt. For every Storm and Hurricane (to which the Southern Countries are moſt ſubject) and all Thunder and Lightning are fatal to the Silk-worm, and ſometimes even within Doors. In which reſpect England is more happy, and on that account mere preferrable than even the Southern Parts, as not ſo fub- ject to ſuch Diſappointments and Loſſes. It is obſerved that the Worms are commonly fick three or four times during their feed- ing. Generally a Fortnight after they are hatched, and every Week after, two or three Their beſt Phyfick is to give them but little while they are fick. The whole Time of their feeding is about Nine Weeks : And as they get Strength and grow bigger, it need hardly be ſaid that you muſt give them more and oftner, which will encreaſe the Attendance. The Leaves, before they are given to the Worms, ſhould be clear of Dew or Rain; and therefore if they are gathered early, they fhould be ſpread upon the Table to dry. Extremes both of Heat and Cold, or Drought and Moiſture, are hurtful to this Inſect. And therefore they ſhould not be laid either near the Roof of an Houſe, nor on cold damp Floors. When they have fed as long as they are able, they begin to look clear and prepare themſelves for Work; at which time they ſhould have Air diſcreetly given them. Some lay clean Heath, or the Branches of Lavender and Roſemary, in the way of Arches, for the Worms to faſten and ſpin their Webs in: But the moſt adviſeable way (for the ſake of clean winding off the Silk) is to make hollow Cones of Paper, and into every one of thoſe put a Worm, where it will quickly make a Web, and in three Days cover itſelf all over with Silk, ſo as to be ſeen no more till it be ſuffered to work its Way out for the Buſineſs of Propagation. In about a Fortnight they commonly finiſh their Bottoms. Thoſe that firſt finiſh are uſually reſerved for Breeders of both forts. The Males are diſtinguiſhed from the Females by the Lankneſs of their Caſes, the Ends whereof are longer pointed. When they are found times. II 2 A New Syſtem of found looſe in their Caſes, both Male and Female will eat their way out in four or five Days time, when they ſhould be put together for Procreation on a large Piece of white Cap-Paper. One of theſe Females will lay from two to five Hundred Eggs; fo that a few Inſects kept for that purpoſe is ſufficient. The reſt (not ſuffering them to ſtay to eat their way out, becauſe that is ſome Prejudice to the Bottom) ſhould be put into an Oven of gentle Heat, juſt ſufficient to kill the Worms. The Metamorphoſis of this Inſect is very ſurpriſing; for it comes out of its Cell in the Form of a Butterfly, with four Wings, lix Feet, two black Eyes, and a Pair of Horns. The Males fluttering with their Wings will ſoon couple with the Females ; in which Po- ſture they are to be left nine or ten Hours, from Morning till Evening, when the Females are to be gently pulled away, and the Males thrown away, as of no further Uſe. The Female then lays her Eggs, which are at firſt white, afterwards green, then red, and at length they retain the grey Colour. The Virginia Worms are much larger than others, and they will wind Bottoms as big as a Lemon, faſtening themſelves naturally on the Boughs of the Mulberry-Trees, till they fall to the Ground and periſh in Autumn; and ſuch Eggs as eſcape the Birds are the na- tural Reſerve for the next Year's Labours, as ſoon as the Heat of the Sun hatches them. Mulberries, both there and in England, will put out a ſecond Crop of Leaves after the firſt are eaten and devoured. The Method of winding the Silk off the Bags, is firſt to find their End, which is not difficult, and then put about a Dozen of them into a Baſon of Water, wherein is mixed a little Gum Tragacanth, commonly called Gum Dragon; and thus they will be readily and eaſily wound; for the ſmall Hairs of Silk ſeldom break; or if they do, they are with little Difficulty found again. Sometimes the Bottoms prove gummy; and then they ſhould be thrown into a Lye of Wood-Afhes, or Soap-Boilers Liquor made ſcalding hot for a little while, and after that put into ſcalding fair Water. But foraſmuch as I have above mentioned the Encouragement given by King James the Firſt, for carrying on the Silk-Manufactory, by planting and increaſing Mulberry-Trees ; it may not be unacceptable to the Curious to inſert that Prince's Letter to the Lords Lieu- tenants of the ſeveral Shires of England to that very Purpoſe ; becauſe it contains, not only a true Zeal for the Good and Welfare of his Country, but ſubſtantial Reaſons for the ſetting about ſo good a Work. JA MES, REX. Right Truſty and Beloved, We greet you well. CS I T is a principal Part of that Chriſtian Care which appertaineth to Sovereignty, to endeavour, by all Means poſſible, as well to beget as to encreaſe among their Peo- « ple the Knowledge and Practice of all Arts and Trades; whereby they may be both « weaned from Idleneſs, and the Enormities thereof, which are infinite, and exerciſed in 6 ſuch Induſtries and Labours as are accompanied with evident Hopes, not only of pre- « ſerving People from the Shame and Grief of Penury, but alſo raiſing and increaſing " them in Wealth and Abundance, the Scope which every free-born Spirit aimeth at; not 6 in Regard of Himſelf only, and the Eaſe which a plentiful Eſtate bringeth to every “ one in his Particular ; but alſo in Regard of the Honour to their Native Country, 66 whoſe Commendations is no way more ſet forth, than in the Peoples Activeneſs and In- (duſtry. The Conſideration whereof having of late exerciſed our Mind, who always cs eſteem our Peoples Good our neccſſary Contemplations; we have received, as well by " the Diſcourſe of our own Reaſon, as by Information gathered from others, that the « making of Silk might as well be effected here as it is in the Kingdom of France, where " the fame hath of late Year's been put in Practice; for neither is the Climate of this Ille co ſo far diſtinct or different in Condition from that Country, eſpecially from the hither « Parts thereof, but that it is to be hoped that thoſe Things, which by Induſtry proſper " there, may by like Induſtry uſed here have like Succeſs; and many private Perſons, " who for their Pleaſure have bred of thoſe Worms, have found no Experience to the contrary, but that they may be nouriſhed and maintained here, if Proviſion were made “ for planting Mulberry-Trees, whoſe Leaves are the Food of the Worms. And there- 6 fore, we have thought good hereby to let you underſtand, that altho' in ſuffering this " Invention to take place, we do fhew our ſelves ſomewhat an Adverſary to our Profit, 66 which is the Matter of our Cuſtoms ; for Silk brought from beyond the Seas, will 66 receive Agriculture and Gardening. II3 CC can o receive fome Diminution : Nevertheleſs, when there is a Queſtion of ſo great and pub- 66 lick Utility to come to our Kingdom and Subjects in general, and whereby (beſides 66 Multitudes of People of both Sexes and all Ages) ſuch as in regard of Impotency are 6 unfit for other Labour, may be ſet on work, comforted and relieved; we are content that our private Benefit ſhall give way to the Publick. And therefore, being perſuaded o that no well affected Subject ſhall refuſe to put his helping Hand to ſuch a Work, as have no other private End in us, but the Deſire of the Welfare of our People ; 6 we have thought good, in this Form only, to require you, as a Perſon of greateſt Au- 6 thority in that County, and from whom the generality may receive Notice of our 66 Pleaſure, with more Conveniency than otherwiſe, to take Occaſion, either at the Quar- 56 ter-Seſſions, or at fome other publick Place of Meeting, to perſuade and require ſuch as are of Ability (without deſcending to trouble the Poor for whom we ſeek to pro- is vide) to buy and diſtribute in that County the Number of Ten Thouſand Mulberry- 6 Plants, which ſhall be delivered to them at our City of, &c. at the Rate of three Far- 65 things a Plant, or at fix Shillings the Hundred, containing five-ſcore Plants. And be- 66 cauſe the buying of the ſaid Plants at this Rate, may at the firſt ſeem chargeable to our 6 faid Subjects, (whom we would be loth to burden) we have taken Order, that in “ March or April next, there ſhall be delivered at the ſaid Place a good Quantity of 66 Mulberry-Seeds, there to be ſold to ſuch as will buy them, by Means whereof the ſaid “ Plants will be deliver'd at a ſmaller Rate than they can be afforded being carried from “ hence. Having reſolved alſo, in the mean time, that there ſhall be publiſhed in Print 6 a plain Inſtruction and Direction, both for the increaſing the ſaid Mulberry-Trees, the Ś breeding of the Silk-Worms, and all other Things needful to be underſtood for the “ perfecting a Work every way ſo commendable and profitable, as well to the Planter as o to thoſe that ſhall uſe the Trade. Having now made known unto you the Motives as “ they ſtand with the Publick Good, wherein every Man is intereſted, becauſe we know “ how much the Example of our own Deputy-Lieutenant and Juſtices will further this “ Cauſe, if you and other your Neighbours will be content to take ſome good Quantities “ hereof to diſtribute upon your own Lands, we are content to acknowledge thus much “ more in this Direction of ours, that all Things of this Nature, tending to Plantations, c Increaſe of Science, and Works of Induſtry, are Things ſo naturally pleaſing to our " own Diſpoſition, as we ſhall take it for an Argument of extraordinary Affection to- “ wards our Perſon ; beſides the Judgment we ſhall make of the good Diſpoſitions in all “ thoſe that ſhall expreſs in any kind their ready Minds to further the fame; and ſhall « eſteem that in furthering the fame, they ſeek to further our Honour and Contentment, “ (having ſeen in a few Years paſt that our Brother the French King hath, ſince his coming “ to the Crown, both began and brought to Perfection the making of Silks in his Coun- try, where he hath won to himſelf Honour, and to his Subjects a marvellous Increaſe “ of Wealth) would account it no little Happineſs to us, if the ſame Work which we began among our People, with no leſs Zeal to their Good than any Prince have to “ theirs, might in our Time produce the Fruits, which there it hath done. Wherefore we nothing doubt but ours will be found as tractable and apt to further their own « Good, now the Way is ſhew'd them by us their Sovereign, as thoſe of France have “ been to conform themſelves to the Direction of their King. Given under our Signet at our Palace of Weſtminſter, Nov. 16. in the Sixth Year of England, France and Ireland, and of Scotland the Two and Fortieth. By this may be ſeen the Sentiments of that Prince one Hundred Years ago, and what wiſe " Diſpoſitions were made for the future Glory and Riches of the Engliſh Nation. Something was done agreeable to thele Royal Exhortations; but for want of Order, and an eſtabliſhed Company of Undertakers, little came of it; and the ſucceeding Troubles in the the next Reign ſoon ſtifled all the beſt formed Schemes for the Publick Good. As we have now a Prince reigning over us, who, by all his Actions and wiſe Admini- ſtration, hath demonſtrated that he wants neither Will nor Power to do us Good, and to promote the Intereſt and Happineſs of his People; ſo we may have Reaſon to hope that ſome time or other, this among the reſt will be thought a probable and reaſonable Scheme, whereby to acquire Honour to himſelf, and an Increaſe of Riches to his Subjects. Gg Of 114 A New Syſtem of a ? Of Fish-Ponds. VISH-PONDS being of ſuch ſingular Uſe and Service to every Gentleman's Eſtate F and Family, it will be expected ſomething ſhould be ſaid of them, that may direct either the making or preſerving or ſtocking them. It is then to be taken Notice of, that the low moory Grounds where Sedge and Ruſhes are wont to grow, are on all Accounts the beſt for Ponds ; for if you conſider that the Soil there, and what grows upon it, is not worth much; that when it is made a Fish-Pond, it receives all the Waſh and white Water of the Uplandsı which is fingularly good for Nouriſhment and Increaſe of Fiſh; and alſo that there, if any where, will be Water found and preſerved, even in the drieſt Suinmers. ſeparate Conſideration, and requires ſeparate Advice. But if we expect Fiſh to be large and fat, this is the Situation deftreable for a Fiſh-Pond of every Dimenſion; but great Care ſhould be had that it be deep enough and large enough for the Stock of Fiſh it con- tains. Depth is abſolutely neceſſary to preſerve the Fiſh, both from the Summer Heats and Winter's Cold; the laſt eſpecially, which oftentimes proves fatal to the Fiſh for want thereof. The general Depth ſhould be fix Foot; and in come Places, chiefly towards the Head, ſomething more; but the deeper the better. The Head of the Pond, where the Sluice is to be ſet, will naturally fall to be on the loweſt Ground, and ſhould be made ſo, that, if poſſible, the Water upon Occaſion may be drawn off pretty ſwiftly. The Difficulty of theſe Ponds made in the loweſt Grounds, is, that as they receive proper Nouriſhment from Excrements, &c. fo in time the Set- tlings of the ſame will bring on a Neceſſity of ſcouring and cleaning them, which ſhould be done once in Ten or Twelve Years. But this Neceſſity brings Riches along with it ; for the Mud taken out will more than repay the Charge when it is ſpread on the Up- lands. This Neceſſity alſo brings on another, of having more Ponds than one, wherein to beſtow the Fiſh while that Work is doing. The right Contrivance therefore is to begin the String of Ponds where there is a ſmall feeding Rill or Spring for a Command of Water for all below it, where there are no Springs; and then there will be proper Places for each ſort of Fiſh, and for both Ways of managing them. The ſharp Water, where the Springs are, will never feed Fiſh; and the thick Water, where no Springs are, will never breed them well; which ſhould be well and conſtantly regarded to prevent Diſappointments. If you happen to be at any conſiderable Diſtance from breeding Ponds, there are ſome Difficulties in procuring a young Fry, and to bring them alive for the Stocking of Ponds. Facks and Pearch are very difficult to carry ſafe above two or three Miles; but Carp and Tench will live better and much longer out of their own Element, and being lap'd up carefully in clean Straw (which by the way, is either better than Hay or Grals) have been known to be carried alive fifteen or twenty Miles; but neither is that to be de- pended upon, except in a moiſt Air. Some therefore have thought, that the beſt Way to ſtock Ponds at a Diſtance, is with the Spawn of the ſeveral sorts of Fiſhes, which may be carried with more Safety twenty or thirty Miles: But as I have had no Experi- ence of the Succeſs of this, I can only recommend it to be tried by the Curious. After the Pond is fufficiently ſtock’d with proper Fiſh, ſome put Bavins or green Fag- gots in two or three Places, ſtaked down as a Shelter for the Fiſh on all Occaſions, and wherein they will lay their Spawn with more Safety. It is better to under than to over ſtock; for Fiſhes of all Creatures are the greatest Increaſers; both the Sea and the Rivers would ſoon be overſtocked, did not Providence fo order it, that the greater ſhould de- vour the lefs. Three ſpawning Carps put into a Pond of three Acres, and nine or ten Milters with them in February, were known to produce in November following, no leſs than nine thouſand young Fry. And a Bream is thought to increaſe in Number much But yet great Care is to be taken to manage this Affair with Prudence too, viz. to let the great Invaders, the Fiſhes of Prey, ſuch as Pike and Pearch, be in a Pond by them- ſelves; for they will ſoon devour every Fiſh that is valuable, and even their own Kind too, if any thing ſmaller than themſelves : However, Roaches (worth little of themſelves) that are great Breeders, are induſtriouſly put in with no other View but for their Prey. In Cambridge, where the beſt Pikes are, and where they have plenty of Eels , theſe are their conſtant Food; by which, being cut in ſhort Pieces, they feed them daily, and make them both large and fat. more. The Agriculture and Gardening 115 The Pearch is a moſt excellent Fiſh; a Fiſh of Prey too: But not ſo much encouraged as he deſerves ; for with good Keeping and Time, he will arrive to two Foot in Length, and be little inferior to a Trout in Goodneſs. His chief Food is Minims and Gudgeons or Worms, or indeed any other of the ſmaller Fry of Fiſh. But it ſhould be taken No- tice of here, that there are two Kinds of Pearches, which in no Sort differ from one another but in their Bigneſs; the one of them (as hath been ſaid) will be very large ; but the other, tho' it live twenty Years, will never be above five or fix Inches long. The Truth of this I have had Experience of my ſelf; and I believe it is that which hath diſcouraged many from ſtocking a Pond with Pearch, happening to meet with the ſmaller Sort, which indeed is the moſt common one : I need not therefore ſay how this Dif- appointment may be remedied with Care. Garp and Tench, eſpecially when they come to be twenty or twenty four Inches long, are univerſally admired as the beſt of freſh Water Fiſh, and eat much better out of Ponds, where they are fed, than Rivers. It is not above two Hundred Years ſince the former of theſe was naturalized in England, being a Foreigner and brought firſt out of Ger- many. When they are ſmall they are a very mean Fiſh, and full of little troubleſome Bones; but when they grow bigger, they are fleſhy, ſweet and high taſted, growing fat with a little Care and Affiſtance of refuſé Food from the Kitchen or courſe Paſte; and if it be frequently given, they will in time grow ſo tame and familiar, as even to take the Paſte or Bread out of the Hand; which, as it muſt be a Diverſion and pleaſant Amuſement, ſo that Pleaſure will ſoon be rewarded with one of the beſt Diſhes at an Entertainment. But the Method of fatting Carp, mentioned by the ingenious Mr. Derham, ſhould not be omitted here: In Holland, (and it hath been practiſed in ſeveral Places in England too) they hang the Garp intended to be fed, in a Cabbage-Net in the Cellar, wherein they put clean Straw or Graſs; through the Holes of which they feed the Carp daily with white Bread and Milk ſweetened with Sugar, which in leſs than a Fortnight's Time will make them exceedingly fat : But it ſhould be obſerved, that when the Carp ſometimes begin to be fick for want of their own Element, the Cabbage-Net muſt be dipt in Rain or River Water for a Quarter of an Hour, and that will preſently revive them. Neither the Carp nor Tench are Fiſhes of Prey; and therefore they thrive beſt in thick Water and ſtanding Pools, where little or no Springs are; where they have Depth of Winter, ſome Mud for Shelter, and ſome Shallows, where they can come at Graſs and Weeds. The Breeders ought to be kept by themſelves, in Ponds that have gravelly or fandy Bottoms; and, if poſible, that are fed with Springs : But one ſmall Pond of this Kind is ſufficient; for (as I have ſaid) they are great Increaſers. The young ones out of theſe breeding Ponds may be taken with great Facility and Plea- ſure, by the Angle and Hook baited with a ſmall red Worm; but the larger Sort out of the feeding Ponds are more ſhy and not ſo eaſily taken, except they by Uſe be brought to the Hand. A Caſting Net will ſometimes ſurprize one or two of thein at the firſt Throw; but afterward (if there is any Shelter of Mud) you will find it Labour in vain; for upon every ſuch Diſturbance of the Water, they immediarly ſtrike their Heads into the Mud, and ſo the Nets draw over their Tails without laying hold of them. The Angle baited with a Dew-worm will, at ſome certain Times before and after Rain, tempt here and there one to take the Hook; but the beſt and ſureſt Way to take the larger Sort of Carp and Tench is by Bow-Nets and Tramels funk here and there to the Bottom by Stones. The Trout (one of the beſt of freſh Water Fishes) is very impatient of Confinement, being by the Shape of its Body long and ſlender ; and the Strength and Elaſticity of its Tail, made for Swiftneſs and Velocity to follow and overtake its Prey: However, there have been Ways found to make Confinement tolerable, and to make it even thrive in a Priſon: As when a Contrivance is made to carry the Stream of a River in a Cemicircle thro' one Grate and out at another, admitting the ſmaller Fry of Fiſh into the Priſon for their Prey, and ſuffering none of the Trout to eſcape. By this means I have ſeen Trout at Salisbury, in the Garden of my Friend Mr. R. Thorp, above two Foot long, every one of which he could at any Time command as an Entertainment for his Friend. Otherwiſe it is to no purpoſe to put Trout into ſtanding Waters; for there they will neither breed nor thrive, but generally languiſh and pine away; or if they do live, they have nothing of the delicious Taſte of a River Trout. Bream, Roach, Chubs and Barbel are hardly worth preſerving in Ponds. The firſt in- deed in deep Waters will grow to a very great Size; but then they are generally five or fix Years before they are a Foot long; and till they are very large they are hardly to be caten, being full of Bones and inſipid; and even when they are full grown, to the Age of 116 A New Syſtem of of fifteen or twenty Years, they are never reckoned a Delicacy. Eels indeed will grow to a monſtrous Size in Ponds and muddy Waters; but then they have a yellow Counte- nance and muddy Flavour, not comparable to thoſe taken out of Rivers, which have Silver Bellies and a pleaſant Taſte. The Pike is found by Experience to anſwer every way beſt in Ponds, where he can have Plenty of Prey or other Food; and it is not uncommon to take ſuch an Ell long. It is obſerved that he doth not care to ſeize upon any thing unleſs it ſtirs, whereby he takes it to be alive. After every thing that is ſuch, he is utterly voracious, and devours almoſt every living Thing that comes in his Way, whether it be Fiſh or Frogs; nay, even young Gollins and Ducks they will make no Difficulty to ſeize and devour'; which the Farmer's Wife is to take Notice of as a Caution. I remember, once angling with a pretty ſtrong Line for a Pearch with a live Minim, ir happen'd that as ſoon as the Pearch liad gorged the Minim, a middling Jack came and ſeized both; which I ſoon perceived, and therefore let him alone with his Prey, till I thought I had him fafe: However, as I was pulling out my gladſome Prize, there came a Pike, fome- thing bigger than that I had at my Line, and had like to have deprived me at once of a ſingular Treaſure I had put my Heart upon. I mention this, to few that the Pike will not only ſeize on thoſe of his own Kind, but even on ſuch as is not much his Inferior, ſwimming about with his Prey in his Throat till he can gradually digeſt it. The Pike grows exceedingly above all other Fiſh, if he have his fill of Prey without much labouring for it. From five or fix Inches he will arrive to twelve or fourteen the firſt Year, and the next to twenty three or twenty four Inches long, and proportionably thick. When his Head is ſmall, his Belly round and plump and has withal a yellow Caft, theſe are plain Indications that he is fat and in good plight. The Difference of the Nature of Soils makes a great Difference in the Growth and Thriving of Fiſhes : For as the Fer- țility of ſome Soils nouriſhes double the Number of Cattle which others will do ; fo of Ponds it is found by Experience, that if the natural Soil is a fat Clay, Marle or loamy Earth, they will nouriſh and maintain double the Number of Fiſh that lean Heat-Ground or hungry Sand or Gravel will do; which laſt therefore may be much helped with the Drains from the Slaughters of Butchers, or even from Blood, Guts and Garbage them- felves; on which Pearch and Eels will deliciouſly prey, if eſpecially they are cut in ſmall Pieces. Indeed moſt Sorts of Fiſh, except Pike, will live in a manner in any Pond, and without any Feeding or Induſtry, as aforeſaid; but then, as they are forced to live upon the Mud, Earth and Weeds, that grow in ſuch Ponds, ſo it muſt not be wonder'd at that they taſte accordingly. I am aware, that it is the common Practice to plant Trees, Elms, Aſhes, &c. on the very Edges of the Banks of Fiſh-Ponds, with a view of Shelter and Shade; but I am very well fatisfied this is a Miſtake, and doth a great deal of Harm, eſpecially if the Trees are many, and ſet ſo near and projecting as to drop all or moſt of their Leaves into the Pond. I have known a Pond of clear wholſome Water ſo poyſoned with Leaves, that not a Fiſh of any Sort would live in it; but after it was cleaned and the Trees removed, it proved an excellent breeding Pond. Shelter indeed is right, and of uſe, at ſome Di- Itance to defend the Ponds from violent Winds and the Severity of black Froſts; but the Branches of large Trees projecting, ſo as to drop the Wet and Leaves into the Pond, ſhould not be ſuffered, except here and there a Willow for a little Shade in extreme Heats, whoſe Leaves do the leaſt Harm. And now I mention the Froſt, I muft caution likewiſe againſt a common miſtaken Practice very hurtful and fatal to Fiſhes; and that is, the breaking the Ice in hard Wea- ther under a Notion of giving them Air in thoſe Extremities. Whereas, if it could be ſuppoſed (which is very much doubted) that Fiſh in ſuch Caſes die for want of Air, the Practice of breaking the Ice doth but deceive them, and draw them into greater Danger; For whilſt they are at the Mouth of ſuch Holes, (invited thither perhaps by Light and more Room) they are frequently ſurprized with the Severity of the Cold, and there are found frozen to the lower Surface of the Ice; whilſt thoſe at the ſame Time which re- tire to the Deeps, and almoſt cover themſelves in the Mud, eſcape and out-live the great- eſt and longeſt Froſts. Several Obſervations have been made of the Lives of Fiſhes; by which it appears that all or moſt of them are very long-lived, from the leaſt to the greateſt; and that the Carp particularly has lived near an Hundred Years. Moſt of them are oviparous; but the biggeſt of them, the Whale, is viviparous, bringing forth young ones (commonly two only) which The ſuckles; and ſome think that the Eel is viviparous too. They ſeem to enjoy the Power of Agriculture and Gardening. 117 of Senſation as perfectly as Animals that live in the Air. And as to their Sight, there can be no Diſpute; for they ſeem to exceed in the Quickneſs of that Senſe many other Animals; and by their chuſing ſome Baits and refuſing others, neither Smelling nor Taſting ſeem to be wanting. The Senſe that comes moſt in Queſtion, and has been diſputed, is that of Heuring; but if the Experiment Mr. Bradley mentions to have been made at Rot- terdam by himſelf and a Friend of his, was rightly and truly carried on without Motion, it may fatisfy us that neither is that Senſe wanting " The Gentleman having filled his Pocket with Spinage-Seed, with which he was wont to feed his Carp, they both came to the Side of the Mote, which was of con- o ſiderable Extent, ſtanding mute for ſome Time, the better to convince him that the « Fiſh would not come till he had called them. At length, being deſirous to ſee the “ Event, he called in his uſual Way, and inimediatly the Fiſh gathered together from all « Parts of the Mote in ſuch Numbers, that there was hardly Room for them to lie by “ one another, and then he flung ſome Spinage-Seed amongſt them, which they devour- 5 ed very greedily: Nay, he tells us what is more conſiderable ſtill , that at Sir Willi- am Bowyer's near Uxbridge, there is a Pond of Pikes or Jacks, which are a much more “ wild and untameable Fiſh than the Carp, and theſe they uſually call together to feed. Since it is ſo very neceſſary that all Fiſh-Ponds Should fometimes be freed from their Filth and Mud, for the better Preſervation and Increaſe of the Fiſh, it may not be amiſs to advertiſe, that for Conveniency the beſt Way is to make the Ponds long and narrow, and not ſquare, that the Workmen may at one or two Throws at moſt, be able to caſt the Mud out on the Banks; for the Price of which Sort of Work, every Pole Square of Mud, a Foot deep, is worth 6 d. a Pole to Aling out, where it may be done at one Throw ; but where two is required, it is worth 12 d. a Pole. NA OF MINES, MINERAL S, and QUARRIES. TATUR E's Riches and the Improvements to be made and raiſed from the Earth, are by no means to be confined to the Surface thereof. The Earth’s Bowels, as well as the Superfícies, are hidden Treaſures, made to be explained and laid open for Man's Uſe; for the Exerciſe and Labour of Some, and for the Riches and Accommodation of Others. It hath been a long Time a Diſpute among the Learned, whether Minerals, Stones, and Metals, grow and vegetate; whether they admit of any gradual Increaſe, as Vegetables or Animals; becauſe no Obſervations made within the Compaſs of Man's Life and Me- mory, will give the leaſt Light for any Diſcovery. That ſome of the hardeſt Stones and Marbles at this Day found in the Bowels of the Earth, were once ſoft like Mud, and ca- pable of receiving heterogeneous Bodies into their Compoſition, is, I think, plain to a Demonſtration, from the frequent Mixture of various Shells, Fiſh-bones, Bits of Plants and Animals, found even in the hardeſt Parts of their Subſtances : But, whether, when they are thus once conſolidated, they afterwards admit of Growth or Increaſe, is not ſo eaſy to de- termine. The Veins of Metals forming themſelves between the Rocks and different Strata of Earths, like Branches of Trees, ſtrongly tempt one to imagine, that they do really grow like Plants, and receive Augment from Exſudations, and the minute and looſe Parts of Mineral Matter, gradually cohering to their outward Subſtances. It is true, the Proceſs of Nature in this Sort of Vegetation is fo flow, that five Hundred or ſix Hundred Years, or perhaps as many Thouſands, will give no manifeſt Proof or certain Indication of the Augment and Increaſe of Minerals ; but if they grow and vegetate, (as there is all the Reaſon in the World to think they do) there is no Ne- ceſſity that the Time of their Growth ſhould be limited by ſuch Periods as we are wont to aſſign to other Vegetables. We may go back, if we pleaſe, for Time as far as the Moſaic Creation, aye and as many Thouſand Years beyond it, as the Neceſſities of Nature may be thought to require: For it is agreed by all, but thoſe whoſe Education hath too much ſtraitened their way of thinking, that the Beginning of Time, of Days and Years, reſpect only the Inhabitants of this World; and that when Mofes tells us God made this World, he did not (then at leaſt) make it out of Nothing; but, to anſwer the wife Ends of his Providence, made it a terraqueous Globe, a fit Habitation for ſuch a Creature as Man, for a determinate Number of Years unknown to us. But who ſhall go about to limit the Almighty Power, Wiſdom and Foreknowledge of God, with Reſpect to what hath gone before, or what ſhall follow after. He has wiſe Ends to ſerve by all the Revolutions and Changes of Planets, Comers, and fix'd Stars; and knows how to adapt them, ſo as to ſerve the Purpoſes and anſwer the Neceſſities of his Creatures, нь Neither 118 A New Syſtem of ing A Neither doth this Way of Thinking in the leaſt weaken the Authority of Moſes, in his Hiſtory of the Creation; which was manifeſtly and wiſely formed ad Captum Vulgi: He certainly ſpoke and wrote (as he ought) not like a Philofopber, but as a Lawgiver ; and prudently compiled and worded his Hiſtory agreeable to the Capacities and Underſtanding of the Jews, for whoſe fake he chiefly wrote it; not always * perhaps as Things were in themſelves, itrictly and properly ſpeaking, but rather as they appeared to be; ſtill with this conſtant View, to magnify the Power and Wiſdom of God. So that, to return to what we were ſaying, if Iron, Lead, Copper, Silver, or even Rocks of Stone of all Kinds, &c. grow no more in a Thouſand Years, than an Oak doth in one ſingle Year, this may ftill be called growing, and tho’ their Subſtances are bulky, and their Veins fár extended, yet ſince we are not bounded by Years nor Time in our Imaginations, we have ſtill room left in our Minds to proportion the one to the other; becauſe, whatever Alterations the outward Surface of the Earth may have fuffer- ed and undergone, we have no Reaſon to think its inward Parts have been much changed. Leaving then this Diſpute about the Growth of Minerals, let us next ſee what it is that Nature generally affords us in the Bowels of the Earth in this our INand; which I believe muſt be allowed to be richer in this Article alſo, than any other Part of the Globe of the like Extent. We have fome Gold; more Silver, and Copper; and Plenty of Iron, Tin, Lead, Coal, Allum; beſides vaſt Varieties of Marble and Stone, which afford Materials for Building, and all the uſeful and ornamental Purpoſes of Life. But, as I have obſerved that this Hand is fingularly rich in Mines, ſo I muit alfo' with Pleaſure take Notice, that the Biſhoprick of Durham, though a finall County, contains greater Variety and Plenty of theſe Riches in its Bowels, than any one Part of the Kingdom beſides : For through- out the Middle of this County, from the Sea-ſide to the Weitern Parts, run ſeveral Ridges of Mountains of great Extent, ſtored with Plenty of the beſt Lime-ſtone in Europe ; which is eagerly fought for and fetched by thoſe diſtant Country-men, who are unfortunately deſtitute thereof, for the Purpoſes of Building and manuring their Land. In the Wefiern Parts, where theſe Riches fail , there Nature hath ſupplied them with Plenty of Lead in divers Places, eſpecially about Stanhope and Aukland, &c. out of which is extracted a conſiderable Quantity of Silver. All which employs a great many Hands, and makes the Country both populous and rich. And then again, where theſe Treaſures are wanting in almoſt all the flat Country, and eſpecially near two navigable Rivers, the Tine and the Were, there are found thoſe inexhauſtible Mines of Coal, for which there is a Demand from almoſt all Parts of Europe. But becauſe I ſhall have Occaſion to fay more of this preſently, I will only add further, that beſides all this, there are almoſt every where found Quarries of excellent Stone, as fine as Portland or Ketton, which make the moſt beautiful Floors and Chimney Pieces. And now I am ſpeaking of the Beauty and Excellence of the ſeveral Quarries of Stone, dug in the Biſhoprick of Durham, I cannot but obſerve that theſe alſo are frequently found upon or near the navigable River Were, which runs to Sunderland; by the Help of which, we are erecting and carrying on at the Mouth of the Harbour, a magnificent and beautiful Pier, by virtue of a ſmall Duty laid upon Coals; which at once demonſtrates the Uſe of it for Navigation, as well as the Riches of the Country. It is to be four Hun- dred Yards long, in a ſmall Curve, and eight Yards wide; its Sides neatly jointed and ſmoothed; and the Surface a little enclining, is paved with the ſame fine-grained Stone, with which we make Floors and Chimney-pieces ; and on that Side moſt expoſed to the Tide, is erected throughout a handſome Breaſt-Parapet-Wall , which adds much to its Uſefulneſs and Beauty. The whole is carried on by Commiſſioners; who have committed the Care and chief Contrivance of the Work to Mr. Lellum, an able and expert Engineer. It is not yet quite half finiſhed; and before it is compleated, there will be expended little leſs than 20,000l. And although this is a Burthen which will ſcarcely be felt, it will raiſe ſuch a goodly Pile of Stone, as muſt be the Admiration of All, though poſſibly mixt with a little Envy in Some. But, that I may proceed a little methodically in this Chapter of Mines, I ſhall ſpeak diſtinctly of the ſeveral Kinds ; not ſo much to thew the Methods of winning them, (which would lead me too far beyond my Purpoſe) as to thew the Variety of hidden Treaſures, which lie couched in Nature's Bowels. And Thus (among many other Inſtances which might be given) we know by all Experiments and Diſcoveries; that the Moon, like our Earth, is a dark Body, borrowing and reflečting all that Light we ſee, from the Sun. get Mofes faith, God made two great Lights, the greater to rule the Day, and the leſſer the Night; only becauſe the Moon appeared to be a Light. And Agriculture and Gardening. I19 And becauſe Gold and Silver are with us ſeldom found in any Quantities, but as they are ſometimes mixt with other Metals; I ſhall firſt ſpeak of Copper. of COPPER HICH is a natural Metal growing in the Earth without any kind of Mixture, or other Help by the Art of Men; and it is of the middle Value, of a reddiſh Colour, and the firit Material of Money. England hath divers Copper Mines. At Kenſwick near Scotland, great Quantities of Cop- per have been dug: Some Mines of Copper Oar have been found in Yorkſhire ; there are ſome Mines in Staffordſhire that produce excellent Copper Oar; and in the Weſt of Enge land and in Wales, there are good Oars. In the Staffordſhire Mines, the Veins of Copper lie from Eight to Fifty Yards deep; but all dip'd on the North-Eaſt: The Proprietors break the Rocks with Gunpowder, and get three forts of Oar, viz. Black the beſt, a Yel- low the worſt, and a Mixture of both; which in Times paſt were ſmelted at Ellafton, where they had Mills, &c. In Derbyſhire there are alſo Mines, near the Peak, out of which they dig Oar ; and when they have waſhed the Lead Oar in a great Vat, they caſt the Refuſe upon Heaps ; which of late Years has been dug up again, and certain heavy Lumps, which were not Lead Oar, picked out. Theſe are put into Casks and ſent to Hull, and thence to London; and out of theſe, when refined, very good Copper is taken. At Trevaſcus in Cornwall, I am informed, there has been dug more than One Thouſand Tuns of Oar; there is one ſpot of thirty two Foot broad and eight Foot deep, and how lorig none can tell, of this Oar. We have lately found out the Art of Calcining the Oar with Reverberatory Furnaces and Pit Coal. At the greateſt Copper Works in Hungary, the Body of the Copper being ſtrongly united to its Oar, (the Separation where- of is very difficult) the Oar is burned and melted fourteen times : And they get Silver, by adding Lead to the Copper when melted ; and when Cold they give a ſtrong Fire again, as it lies on croſs Bars, until both melt and fall through ; and when the Copper has paſs’d its laſt Melting, they cut it in Pieces fit for Uſe. There are many Samples of Copper Oars in Greſham College, as Yellow, Black, Mally, Native, Capillary, &c. brought thither from many Parts of the World, as well as Enge land. Every one knows Braſs is made from Copper mixt with Lapis Calaminaris, &c. which is found in greateſt Quantities in Germany ; and ſome is ſaid to be found in Somerſet- Shire. Of TIN. I N the Philoſophical Tranſaktions, there are large Accounts of Tin Mines in Cornwall and Devonſhire. And in Greſham College there are Specimens of Tin Oars of ſeveral Co- lours, viz. Blackiſh, Browniſh, Purpliſh, Reddiſh and Yellow ; fo good that they need little or no Preparation by Stamping or Dreſſing for Blowing: Neither is there any conſider- able Waſte in Melting. Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, ſays, that at Walſall they make a great Variety of Iron Wares; in perfecting whereof they uſe a great deal of Tin, which they ſuperin- duce over them, to give a better Luſtre and preſerve from Ruſting, and to prevent others from giving a Taſte of the Metals to Things boiled in them: For Performance whereof they uſe Methods and Materials proper for each Metal, viz. for Iron, they melt in a Pan, Tin and yellow Roſin, which will ſmim above the Tin the thickneſs of a Crown-Piece; into which the Wares being firſt ſoaked in old ſharp clarified Whey to cleanſe them from all Filth, and duly beaten, and then dip'd into this Mixture, being ſhak'd about by Me- diation of the Roſin, they become Tinned all over : And for Tinning ſmaller Braſs Wares, they put them all together in an Earthen Pot, and heat them over the Fire to a due Pro- portion ; then put in a ſuitable Quantity of Tin, and when it is melted they caſt in ſome Sal Armoniac ; by Mediation whereof the Braſs admits the Tin, which when ſhaken toge ther, the Work is finiſhed, In Tinning Copper they uſe the fame Methods, only inſtead of Sal Armoniae they uſe Black Rofin to unite the Metals; with which they rub the Veſſel all over, and then apply the Tin, and fo proceed as above. That the Operations are foz all our Workmen muſt know ; I 20 gni A New Syſtem of igA know; but why theſe Materials, above all others ſhould perform theſe Feats, is a Queſtion perhaps hitherto unpropoſed, much leſs determined. But, The great Uſe of Tin is to make Pewter with; which is a Mixture of three, four, five or fix Pound of Copper to one Hundred Weight of Tin; and the finer the Tin, the more Copper. To take of ill Colour, is ſometimes added a few Ounces of Spelter, and of this ſort of Mixture are made Diſhes and Plates; but Pots for Meaſure, Chamber- Pots &c. have ani Allay of Lead in them, being a coarfer Compoſition of Metals . Pewter is light and porous, therefore it is hammer'd much to make it cloſe and ſervice- able: Dyers Vats are made of it. Tin mixed with Copperz in Proportion as Two to Seven, makes Metal for Bells, Organs, &c. Of Í RON, and IRON-WORKS. 1 RON, Biſhop Wilkins ſays, is a Mineral of a hard Conſiſtence, cloſe, duttila fuſil; it is reckoned among the perfect natural Metals, ſuch as of themſelves grow in the Earth, without any kind of Mixture, or other Help by the Art of Men; and it is of a more baſe and common fort, being the uſual Matter for Weapons and Tools. Of Irons there are many forts at Greſham College; as, Bruſh Iron, Iron Oar, Iron Stone, &c. dug in Glouceſterſhire in the Foreſt of Dean, and in Wiltſhire, Herefordſhire, Monmouthſhire, &c. and Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, tells us, that in Digging for Iron Stone they meet firſt with a ſmall Baſs, then a ſtrong Baſs; then a Stone from its Colour called a Blue Cap; and after that the Iron Stone of a darkiſh blue Colour, which ordinarily lies there not above two Foot in thickneſs. On Mear-Heath they obſerve, in Digging for Iron Stone; that if they meet with Rocks, Sand, Gravel and Clays that the Head of the Mine is quickly eaten out ; eſpecially the laft, which ſo keeps down the Head, that it comes to nothing preſently; all which they count bad, the Works being thinner and more chargeable to dig : But if they meet with Mine-Earth which is white; then they promiſe themſelves good Mines both of Iron Stone and Coolz which, as at moſt other places, lie here together; the Stone above the Coal, between four Fingers and half a Foot thick, having Baſs above and below it ; which they meer, an Iron Oar calld Ball Stones diſtinct from the Vein, and then indeed it is thicker. Where Iron Stone and Coal lie together, they call it the deep Mine; which is not the beſt, the chalky Mine and the little Mine being preferred before it. About Dudley, where the Iron Stone lies under ten Yards thickneſs of Coal, and above the Heathen Coal of a conſiderable thickneſs, it is divided into divers Meaſures of diffe- rent Denominations ; as the Black-Row-Grains, the Dim-Row-Grains, the White-Row- Grains; all fo called from Earths of thoſe Colours in which they lie'; the Rider-Stone, the Cloud-Stone, the Bottom-Stone, &c. At Walſal and Ruſmal they divide their Iron Oar into Black-Bothum, Grey-Bothum, Chatterpye, Grey-Meaſure, Muhy and White-Meaſure : The two laft the Principal forts, but Muſh the beſt of all; ſome of it being a ſmall Comby Stone, other ſome round and hollow, and many times filled with a brisk ſweet Liquor, and is ſo very rich an Oar that it may be made into Iron in a common Forge. This ſweet Liquor is thought to be the Matter of Metals before it is coagulated into a metallick Form; for ſome of it being dried pretty hard, and burnt in a Crucible, it quickly ma- turates into Iron. At the Orkneys they are now Digging for Iron, were they find it in great Plenty. And likewiſe at many other Places in Staffordſhire they dig Iron Stone ; the ſeveral Mea- ſures and Sorts whereof have obtain'd different Names, tho' gotten but a very little Di- ſtance from one another. Of the Oars they make ſeveral forts of Iron, differing Good- neſs according to the Richneſs or Poverty of the Oars, and having their Names ſomewhat agreeable to the Qualities of each Metal : The firſt and meaneſt they call Yellow Share, a ſort that runs all to Dirt, and is good for nothing; and ſuch is the Iron made of the Cannock-Stone, the loweſt Meaſure of Iron Oar about Dudley, which is ſo fulphureous and terreſtrial, that it is not fit to make Iron: This fort ſome call Red-Share, becauſe a Plough- Share made of it will crack in the Red-Heat. The ſecond fort is ſtiled Cold-Share; which, tho' it will not break when Red-Hot, yet in Hot-Heat or Cold, the biggeſt Bar of it may be broken with a ſmall Blow upon the Anvil . The Oar for this Iron they have at Red-fireet, Apedale, &c. and the only Uſe of this Íron is to make ſmall Two-penny Nails, and Sheathing Nails for Ships, having broad Heads and ſhort Shanks, to keep the Timber from being eaten by Grubs. The third fort is call?d Blend-Metal, of which is made large Nails and all ſorts of heavy Ware, ſuch as Hammers, &6. and in ſome Parts, Horſe- ſhoes; Agriculture and Gardening. I 21 be Thoes; the Oar comes from Wednesbury and Darlafton. The fourth and beſt fort they call Tough-Iron, of which the beſt Wares are made, there being nothing ſo good but may made of this; for which they have their Оar chiefly at Ruſhal, and ſome from Watſall, but not ſo good : Of theſe Irons they make all their beſt and fineſt Wares mediately or im- mediately; for the beſt Iron of all is made out of the Filings and Parings of the Lock- Smiths ; which they make up into Balls with Water, and dry them by the Fire till hard, then they melt it in the Fire by Blaſt, licking it up with a Rod of Iron, and then beat it into a Bar, and this they uſe chiefly for Keys and other fine Works. Before the Oar is fit for the Furnace, it is burnt or calcin’d upon the open Ground for three Days with ſmall Charcoal, Wood or Sea-Coal, to make it break into ſmall Pieces ; and this they call Annealing, or fitting it for the Furnace. In the mean while they heat their Furnace for a Week's Time with Charcoal, which they call Seaſoning ; and then they throw the Oar in with the Charcoal, and by two vaft Pair of Bellows placed behind the Furnace, and compreſs’d alternately by a large Wheel turned by Water, the Fire is made ſo intenſe, that after three Days time the Metal will begin to run, ſtill after encreaſing till in fourteen Nights time they can run a Sow and Pigs once in twelve Hours; which is done in a Bed of Sand before the Mouth of the Furnace. From the Furnace the Sows and Pigs of Iron are brought to the Forges ; which are of two forts, but commonly ſtanding together under the ſame Roof; one whereof is called the Finery, the other the Chafery. In theſe two Forges they give the Sow and Pigs five ſeveral Heats before they are perfectly wrought into Bars. Firſt in the Finery they are melted down as thin as Lead, where the Metal thickens by degrees into a Lump or Maſs, which they call a Loop. This they bring to the great Hammer rais’d by the Motion of a Water-Wheel, and firſt beat it into a thick Square, which they call a half Bloom : Then they put it into the Finery again, and bring it again to the fame Hammer, where they work it into a Bloom, which is a ſquare Bar in the Middle, with two ſquare Knobs at the Ends, one much leſs than the other, the ſmaller being called the Ancony End, and the greater the Mocket Head: Then the Ancony End is brought to the Chafery, wliere after it has been heated a little time it is alſo brought to the Hammer, and there beat quite out to a Bar, firſt at the End; and after that the Mocket Head is alſo brought to the Chafery, and wrought under the Hammer into Bars of ſuch Shapes and Sizes as are the moſt fitting. Thoſe they intend to be cut into Rods are carried to the Slitting Mills, where they are drawn through Cutters, which are of divers Sizes; and when cold, they are bound into Faggots fit for Sale. And this is much the Method uſed in Sir Ambroſe Crawley's Iron Works near Newcaſtle. In melting of Iron Oar, ſome have great Regard to the Make of the Furnace, and placing the Bellows, and the Hearth of the Furnace into which the Oar and Coal fall. This Furnace is ordinarily built ſquare, the Sides deſcending obliquely, and drawing near one another toward the Bottom like the Hopper of a Mill, where theſe oblique Walls terminate, which is termed the Bothes. There are joined four other Stones, which are commonly ſet perpendicular, and reach to the Bottom-Stone, making the perpendicular Square that receives the Metal; and thele, according as they may be pitched, leſs tran- maw, or more borrow, will mend or alter the Mixture of the Iron ; if tranſhaw, or tran- firing from the Blaft, the Iron will be more cold-ſhear, leſs fined, more indeed to the Ma- ſter's Profit, but leſs to him that has the Manufactory of it; whereas the Iron made in a Borrow-work is much more tougli and ſerviceable. Nor is the ordering of the Bellows of leſs Concern, which have uſuall their Entrance into the Furnace between the Bottom of the Hopper or Boſhes and the strom-Stone, and are placed nearer or farther off, ac- cording as the Oar and Metal require. It is alſo of Importance in melting of Iron Oar, that there be five or fix Sows made under the Furnace in parallel Lines to the Stream that turns the Wheel, which compreſſes the Bellows, to drain away the Moiſture from the Furnace: For ſhould the leaſt" drop of Water come into the Metal, it would blow up the Furnace, and the Metal would fly about the Workmens Ears; from which Sows they muſt alſo have a Conical Pipe about nine Inches at Bottom, ſet to convey the Damps from them into the open Air, which otherwiſe would alſo annoy the Workmen even to Death. The hardening of Iron in Staffordſhire, they perform with old Shoes burnt, Urine, and Wood-Soot; and Brittle hardening with cld Shoes, Tupps-Horns, Bay-Salt, and Argol or Tartar ; which harden Iron to the Height, and give it the brighteſt Poliſh. Others fay, the tougheſt Hardening is made with the Juice of Nettles, Man's Urine, and Linſeed-Oil; and the Higheſt of all, by quenching hot Iron in the Juice of Mouſear. I i But I 22 A New Syſtem of But theſe Hardenings have been reckoned only ſuperficial; there therefore is another Me chod, uſed by a Perſon at Bromleys to harden whole Bars of Iron quite through; the Man- her thus : He has a round Oven built of Brick, like a Baker's at the top, having a Grate in the bottom near the middle, about a Foot and a half or two Foot wide, where he lays the Coal, on each ſide whereof and at the end beyond it he lays his Iron, inclos’d in Cof- fins made of Amblecot Clay, to keep it from melting; the Coffins being proportioned to the Bars of Iron, which are broken into Lengths of between three and five Foot long, the longeſt being placed at the end of the Oven, and the ſhorteſt on each ſide ; each Coffin containing half a Ton of Iron. When the Fire is put to it, it is conſtantly tend- ed Day and Night; till the Operation is perform’d; which, according to the Goodneſs or Badneſs of the Coal, is done in a longer or ſhorter Time, ſometimes in three Day's and three Nights, other times in four, and ſometimes not under a Week's Time; the critical Minute in which the Operation is finiſh'd being the great Secret of the Art of making Iron into Steel. There are divers Ways of giving a due Temper to Iron ; for one Temper is required for drawing it into Wiré, another for a File, another for a Chiſel , another for a Sword, &c. For the hardening of Iron for Files, this is commended : Take Horſe-Hoofs, or Rams- Horns, and hang them over the Fire till they drop like Glew; take likewiſe pieces of Leather, and burn them black : Powder them both, and put to them ftale Urine, and Bay Salt. Let them ſtand together fome Years, the longer the better. Caſe the Iron with this Mixture, and give it a ſtrong Heat, ſufficient to fuſe the Mixture for three Hours, and then cool it: The Surface of this Iron will be as hard as the hardeſt Steel, and will make excellent Files ; but the Hardening reaches not to the Heart of the Iron. Beſides hardening of Iron, in Iron-works there are frequent Occaſions for ſoftening it; which may be done with Oil, Wax, Suet, Butter, Affafætida, Sulphur, &c. the Iron being daub'd over with any of theſe, and then heated red-hot, and ſuffer'd after to cool in the Fire by degrees, as it goes out of itſelf. As to the Virtues of Iron of Rufma, (a brown and light Iron Subſtance) with half its Quantity of Quick-Lime ſteep'd together in Water, the Turkiſh Women make their Ointment to take off their Hair whereſoever they pleaſe. There are many medicinal Preparations of Iron and Steel, all accounted great Alteratives, and Purifiers of the Blood. Nay, it is thought that Steel does good in Dropſies, Green- Sickneſs, ill Habits of Body, and in many other Caſes; but Iron (the chief Virtue where- of proceed from its Salt) being more porous than Steel, and yielding its Salt eaſier, has been preferr'd in Medicine to Steel. What gives Virtue to ſome medicinal Waters, is their paſſing through Veins of Steel and Iron. Of ALLOM. PE trous. Erfect Allom is a Compound made of a Stone dug out of a Mine, of a Sea-Weed, and of Urine. The Stone is ſuppoſed to be found in any Quantity, no where but in the Hills in Yorkſhire, between Scarborough and the River Teas, and alſo near Preſton in Lanca- shire, the fame being of a bluiſh Colour, and will clear like Corniſh Slate. The Mine that lieth deepeſt in the Earth, and is indifferently well moiſtened with Springs, is ac- counted beft; but too much Moiſture cankers and corrupts the Stone by making it ni- For the more convenient working of the Mine, (which ſometimes lieth under a Surface or Cap of Earth twenty Yards) they begin their Work on the Decline of a Hill, where they may have the Convenience of Water, and dig down the Mine by Stages, to ſave Carriage, and ſo throw it down near the Places where they calcine it. This Mineral, before it is calcined, being expoſed to the Air, will moulder in Pieces, and yield a Liquor whereof Copperas may be made; but being calcined, is fit for Allom. As long as it continues in the Earth, or in Water, it remains an hard Stone; but ſome- times a Liquor will iſſue out of the ſide of the Mine, which by the Heat of the Sun is turned into natural Allom. The Demand of Allom is chiefly from the Tanners and Leather-Dreſſers; and it is alſo a neceſſary Ingredient in the Dyers-Vats; for without it they cannot well ſet their Co- lours. Accordingly, there are great Quantities thereof fent abroad into Foreign Parts. Neither is it leſs uſeful to the Sugar-Boilers for the fineſt Loaf-Sugars, for ſome phyſical Preparations, and for Salves, &c. in Surgery. Of Agriculture and Gardening. 123 Of L E A D. Oar, &C. E AD is a natural Mineral, cloſe, duttil, and fuſil, of the moſt baſe and common fort, L more ſoft than other Metals, and therefore not fonurous. There are of this a great Variety at Greſham College; as Chriſtalline Lead from the Mine, Oar rich in Silver, Lead With Lead ſeveral Counties in England abound, eſpecially the North and Weſt; and the Mendip Lead Mines (in Somerſet ſhire) are very conſiderable ; but in ſome Counties we hear of none; and not much in Staffordſhire, where Dr. Plot ſays it is dug in a yellowiſh Stone; and the Workmen diſtinguiſh it into round, ſmall, and ſmithum Oars; the two laſt where- of are beaten to Pieces, and the Oar ſeparated from the Stone, and then waſhed in an Iron Sieve, the better to clear it from Terreſtrities; which done, it is ſold to the Potters for Six or Seven Pounds the Ton, who have occaſion for moſt that is found here for gla- zing their Pots. There was a Lead Oar dug at Ribden ; but none were ever conſiderable; and in the Biſhoprick of Durham, where there are great Quantities, it is obſerved that where there is much Coal, there is leſs Lead; altho' at Mendip two or three Hundred Weight of good Lead Oar is found growing to a Vein of Coal . Lead, by reaſon of its great Plenty in England, as alſo its Cheapneſs, Fluidity, Ductili- ty and Durableneſs, is put to abundance of Uſes, relating to Building, Waterworks, &c. And it is mightily improved of late by a new Invention of Milling, which renders the Sheet exactly equal in all its Parts, and more ſmooth and ſolid than Caſt Lead can be ; whereby it becomes more beautiful and ſerviceable for all Purpoſes, (and eſpecially for co- vering Houſes, Churches, &c.) wherein Lead is uſed, than the other; it being to be had of any Thickneſs deſired, and the Sheets of Three Foot and a half broad, above twice as long as the Plummer can caſt, if required. Beſides, the thinner Sort of three Pound to a Foot Square, with the Nails made of a mixt Metal agreeable thereto, is an excellent Sheathing for Ships; for it is a certain Security againſt the Worm, and much better for failing than Wood-feathing can be, and with reſpect to its Duration, &c. about Cent. per Gent. cheaper. By melting, Lead may be purged; viz. by adding white melted Wax or Greaſe to make it flame; and then putting it into hot Water, it may be calcined or burnt, ſo as to be powdered by help of Fire or ſharp Liquors. The Calcination of Lead is by melting it in an earthen unglazed Pan, and ſtirring it over the Fire with a Spatula, till it is reduced to a Powder. If you increaſe the Fire, and ſtill calcine it for an Hour or two, it will be more open, and fit to be penetrated by Acids. If you calcine this Powder in a reverbe- ratory Fire for three or four Hours, it will be of a red Colour, and is called Minium, or Red Lead: And if you take two Parts of Lead melted in a Pot or Crucible, and add to it one Part of Sulphur; when the Sulphur is burnt out, the Matter will be in a Black Powder, which is Burnt Lead. All theſe Preparations are drying; they unite with Oil or Fat in Boiling, and give them a ſolid Confiftence; therefore they are mixt with Oint- ments and Plaiſters. In the Calcination of Lead, as well as ſeveral other Things, it is obſerved, that altho’ the fulphureous or volatile Parts of the Lead do fly away in the Calcination, which ſhould make it weigh leſs; nevertheleſs, after a long calcining, it is found that it increaſes in Weight. This is referred to the Diſpoſition of the Pores of Lead in ſuch a manner, that Part of the Fire inſinuating into them, does there remain embodied, and cannot get forth again; whence the Weight comes to be increaſed. I am informed that Lead that weighs in Air, Thirty Pounds, weighs in Water but Twenty Seven Pounds; and that a piece of unmelted Lead will ſwim in melted Lead. A great many Bullets for Musket and Piſtol are made with Lead, by being caſt into Moulds; and alſo Shot; after another manner. Lead (beſides the Uſes commonly known) is alſo employed for refining Gold and Silver; and from it is made a Salt and many other Medicines, as may be ſeen in Diſpenfatories. N. B. There is a ſort of Lead by ſome called Glack; much uſed by the Potters for an- nealing or leading their Pots, which is abundantly found in ſome Parts of Wales: Which in the Deſcription is often miſtaken for that which is properly called Black Leady of a quite different Nature from the other, and is wont to be uſed only for Pencils, and for Combs for Hair, &c. This fort is only found, by what I can learn, in Cumberland, and bears a very good Price for the Uſes aforeſaid: For tho there has been found ſome in the Weft-Indies, much of the Nature of this; yet foraſmuch as upon Trial it would not bear 124 Å New Syſtem of bear the Saw, it has been rejected as of little Value. The firſt Sort of Black Lead, called Glack, found in Wales, is very different in its Nature from this, which is infuſible; where- as that, to anſwer its End, muſt be and is fuſible in the Potter's Fire. But in the Bowels of the Earth are alſo contained rich and fruitful Mines of Salt and Sulphur, of which I ſhall treat next. Of S ALT, SULPHUR, &c. in the Earth. D R. Willis, in his Enquiry into Chymical Principles, and of what mixt Bodies (viz. Animals, Minerals, and Vegetables) are made, and from what Parts Fermentation proceeds, affirms that all Bodies or Things when analized, and their Parts ſeparated by Fire, are to be reſolved or brought into Spirit, Salt, Sulphur, Water and Earth; and from the different Motion and Proportion of theſe Five Principles, the Beginning, Growth and Ending of Things, and chiefly the Reaſons and Varieties of Fermentation are to be fought. He tells us that Spirits are Subſtances highly ſubtle or fine, and always ſtriving to fly away from the Subject they are in, but are retained with more thick Parts; which thicker Parts they, being mixt with, diſpoſe to Maturity; that is, they ſtill ſtriving to get away, raiſe the thicker Parts with them: By their Preſence they keep the mixt Body together, and open them by their Departure ; and thus they bridle the Irregularities of Sulphur and Salt. Sulphur is a Principle of a little thicker Conſiſtency than Spirit, and after that the moſt active; for when the Spirits fly away, the fulphureous Particles endeavour to follow: The Temper as to Heat and Frame depends chiefly on Sulphur; and for the moſt part from hence ariſes the Variety of Colours, Smells and Taſtes ; Beauty and Deformity. The Subſtance of Sulphur, tho' leſs ſubtle, is yet of more Fierceneſs than the Spirits ; for un- leſs it be reſtrained by ſome more groſs Parts, it deſtroys itſelf with too much Violence: Indeed the little Parts of it being gently moved, cauſe Digeſtion and Ripeneſs, Sweetneſs and many perfect Qualities in Things . Being a little more moved, they cauſe Heat ; and an Exceſs cauſes great Diſorders, and chiefly a ſtinking Savour; but a violent and extreme Motion brings the Diſſolution of Bodies with a Flame and Burning. Salt is of a little more fixed Nature than either Spirit or Sulphur, not ſo apt to fly away; but beſtows a Cloſeneſs and Solidity on Things, as well as Weight and Diuturnity. It retards or ſlackens the Diffolution or Separation of Bodies or Things, and promotes Coagulations and Sticking together, and very much reſiſts Putrefaction, Corruption and Inflammations, becauſe it fixes the Sulphur and Spirit that are apt to fly away; wherefore heavy Woods, Stones, Metals, and what abounds in Salt, will hardly burn, and remain a long while free from Corruption. The Fruitfulneſs of the Earth, and the Growth of Plants, take their Original from the Operations of Salt. Salt, when almoſt void of Spirit and Water, but bound together with Earth or Sulphur, grows into Stones, Metals or Minerals, which is imitated in making Glaſs or Earthen Wares; but when it is looſed from its Fixedneſs with the Earth, and mingled with Spirit and Sulphur, and diluted with Water, it ferments; and being ſo put into Motion, there is obſerved a threefold Condition, viz. Fuſion, or Melting ; Volatiliza- tion, or Readineſs to fly away; and Fluxation, or Running about. From Fuſion, proceeds a rude and indigeſted Formation of Things, an ingrateful or un- pleaſant Smell , and for the moſt Bitter or Biting: From Volatilization of Salt, proceeds Beauty, Fairneſs and pleaſant Smell, as in florid Blood of living Creatures, in ripe Fruit, Sugar, Milk and Honey: From Fluxation of Salt, proceeds the ingrateful Sourneſs of Wine, Milk, Blood, and eatable Things, that at firſt were grateful and ſweet. And from the aforeſaid Three Principles, Spirit, Sulphur and Salt, (which are called Astive) we como to the other Two call?d Paſive Principles. The firſt is Water, which carries the Spirit and Sulphur about, and by whoſe help they mix together, and alſo with Salt; and were it not for the Water to keep them in Moti- on, they would grow ſtiff as if frozen. When Water is wanting, Things wither; when it abounds, they are ſluggiſh and flow. Bodies too moiſt, are liable to Rottenneſs and Cor- ruption, and then the Water eaſily flies away, and carries with it the Spirit and Sulphur, and leaves the Body dead, or made ſharp with Salt, which we call four. From hence it is that Infuſions of Vegetables, (ſuch as Beer) Decoćtions, Juices of Herbs, and all wateriſh Preparations, if they have too much of the Water, they eaſily corrupt. The laſt Principle is Earth, which, with the Water, helps to extend and fill up Things. The more Earth there is any Body, that Body is leſs active, and laſts longer: Hence Mi- nerals Agriculture and Gardening. I 25 nerals endure long; next the greater Trees; when Animals and more ſlender Plants are but ſhort liv’d. But I am now to ſhew you how theſe Principles agree and diſagree. The Spirit and Sulphur agree very well, and eaſily mix and fly away together ; but Spi- rit and Salt are not ſo eaſily join'd: For Sugar and Salts are ſcarcely diffolv'd in rectify’d Spirit of Wine; (Spirit diſtilld fo high till it will all burn away; or if Cotton or Gun- powder be put in, it will burn till it dries, and makes them take fire.) To which I'll add, that when Brandy is burnt with Sugar, the Sugar will not diſſolve till the Spirit is al- moſt burnt away. But Spirit and Salt, by the Mediation of Sulphur will eaſily mix to- gether; and as Spirit beft agrees with Sulphur and Water, fo Sulphur intimately cleaves to Earth and Salt. But as Spirit does not join with Salt, ſo Sulphur does not with Water ; for fat and oily Things, as alſo Gums and fulphureous Rolins, either ſwim upon the Water or fink' down to the Bottom : But ſulphureous Things (Salt coming between) are mixt with a watery Liquor, as we fee Oils mixt with Sugar or Salt will diſſolve in Water, which otherwiſe would flow ſeparate. Salt, beſides its Affinity with Sulphur, is alſo moſt ſtrictly united with Earth; where- fore Stones, and the more hard Minerals, conſiſt chiefly of Salt and Earth. In Glaſs, Salt and Earth are ſo ſtrictly join'd, that by no means can they be ſeparated; but Salt is moſt eaſily diſſolved in Water; it melts of its own accord in a moiſt Air, and theſe are as eaſily ſeparated one from another. From the various Combinations the Principles have various Names; for Sulphur, when joined with Spirit, is called pure and ſweet; with Salt, impure and ſtinking; when with Salt and Earth, it is call’d thick and earthy; when the Spirit takes fulphureous Particles, it is fweet; when faltiſh Particles, Sharp; when both, bitter. And Salt is known by divers Names; for beſide the Names of Fluid, Fixed, Volatile, it is termed Marine, Aluminous, Nirrous, Vitriolick, Aromatick, or of ſome other kind. Dr. Wilkins reckons Sulphur among ſuch earthy Concretions as commonly grow in Mines, and are diſſolvable by Fire, inflameable, of a dry Conſiſtence and yellowiſh Colour. And Dr. Grew gives an Account of a great many Sulphurs in the Repoſitory at Greſham College, particularly of Native Sulphur, chryſtalized, of a pale golden Colour ſent from Peru, and the like from the Pike of Teneriffe. There is alſo a Lump of Native Sulphur like Olibanum Drops, or opacous yellow Amber, from the ſame Place. Two Pieces of Oar; the one Earth of a brown, the other Stone of a Sand Colour and gritty. Native Sulphur of Iceland, of the Colour of common factitious Brimſtone, and immerſed in a ftony Bed. Some of a curious Orange Colour, extracted from Gold Oar. Sulphur Oar of Freyburg. One Piece almoſt like Cinabar, which in Fire ſmells like Brimſtone, but flames Two of blackiſh and Ath-coloured Parts mixt with Red; in the Fire they are like the firſt inflameable, but ſmell not ſo ſtrong. A Green Sulphur Oar. Oar of Iceland, opacous, and immerſed in a bluiſh Glebe. Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, fays, that the Coal of Wednesbury has much Sul- phur; from whence might be made Rolls, Flower of Brimſtone, or Oil of Sulphur per Campanam; and believes, that and the Pyrites to be the Cauſe of Earthquakes : He alſo gives Accounts of divers ſulphureous Waters, with many Cures they have done ; but their being Sulphur, appears not, but is found out by divers Experiments and Concluſions from them. From Sulphur or Brimſtone are made abundance of Medicines, of which there are Ac- counts in the Diſpenſatories. Nitre, or Salt Petre, Dr. Wilkins reckons a factitious Subſtance, having ſome Analogy to ſuch earthy Concretions as grow in Mines, diſſolvable by Fire or Water, and not in- flameable, of the more ſimple fort, being a kind of Salt of the Air, uſed as a chief Ingre- dient in the making Gun-Powder. Dr. Willis ſays, that Nitre or Salt Petre is not to be enkindled by itſelf, tho' a ſtrong Fire will melt it; but being mixt with ſulphureous Things, it flames with Force and Ex- ploſion; for being added to common Sulphur, Antimony or Tartar, it burns with a thun- dering Noiſe : Alſo if you put into it melted a burning Coal, the Flame is caſt forth round about with a Wind; ſo that the Matter put in is flung up and down, and often quite out of the Veſſel: By this means the Nitre is conſumed, and the fixed Salt (which is Tartar) remains. From hence Nitre ſeems to conſiſt of abundance of Salt and a little Sulphur, both ready for Motion; tho' the Salt is too ſtrong for the Sulphur ; but when that is help’d by another enkindled ſulphureous Body, the Particles of Salt are disjoined, and the little Bodies of Sulphur fly forth with Violence. To prove it is Sulphur, is urged its burning Quality in Agriculture, faming Colour, and Generation among fulphureons Excren.ents of Animals. K k Mr. not. . 1 26 A New Syſtem of Mr. Henſhaw, F. R. S. thinks the Air to be full of Nitre; and tho' it may be extracted from the Earth, the ſulphureous ſaline Particles are imbibed from the Air, by Cavities in alkalous or other acid Bodies, as I have ſhewn in my Account of fertilizing Earth, and impregoating Lime, &c. Of SALT made, and SALT-WORK S. D R. Wilkins reckons Salt to be a factitious Subſtance, having ſome Analogy to the Mineral, and diſſolvable by Water, not inflameable, being a more ſimple Kind from Sea-Water, and the moſt neceſſary Condiment for Meat. Moſt Authors make a Difference between common Salt made from Brine, or the Salt from the Sea, and Rock-Salt; but Dr. Halley thinks them all one, and he proves it thus : He made a Brine with common Salt, and fully ſatiated it, ſo that a good Quantity ſunk to the Bottom in Form of white Salt; then he hung in this Brine for many Hours, a Piece of Rock-Salt, but there would not one Grain of it diffolve; but when other forts of Salt were put into it, they diſſolved preſently: From whence he concludes, that the Rock-Salt and common Salt were of the fame Species of Matter. Dr. Grew, in his Anatomy of Plants, &c. thinks Sea-Salt nothing elſe but that of Animals and Vegetables carried thither and freed from their other Parts, which he endea- vours to prove by an Experiment; but conſidering Dr. Halley's Experiment above, and that the major Part of Sea-Salt is acid, and the major part of Animal and Vegetable Salts are alkalous, I ſee no Reaſon why we may not think the Saltneſs of the Sea to proceed alſo in a great Meaſure from the waſhing down of the Foſſile or Rock-Salts, either from thence, or after they have been brought into Uſe by Mankind; and of the ſame Opinion is Dr. Plot, who is confirmed by the Authority of Pliny and others. But to proceed to the making of Salt; Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Staffordſhire, tells us of ſome in the Pariſh of Weſion, where is made perhaps as good white Salt, as any in England, tho' not to fo great an Advantage ; for it yeilds but a ninth Part of Salt, where- as at Up-wich and Middle-wich it yields a fourth, and at North-wich and Nampt-wich a fixth; but with the Advantage of the Brine left in a former Pan, fifteen Hogſheads of Brine makes nine Strike of Salt, which is ſixteen Hours evaporating away. The Pit from whence this Brine is pumped is nine Yards deep and two Yards ſquare; what comes from the Bottom is much the ſtronger in Saltneſs and Stink, and of a clear- er Complection: And the Pans wherein they boil it are three, made of forged Iron, two Yards three Quarters long, and one Yard three Quarters broad; and their Fuel Pit-Coal, whereof, when their Pans are all kept going, they ſpend two Tons to a Drawing. Du- ring the Boiling, the Salt is cleared from Sand, of which there is ſome (at leaſt will be after it has exhaled for ſome time) in all Brines whatever, which is thrown off towards the Corners of it, where are placed ſmall ſquare Iron Pans to receive it; this Brine, which is evaporating ſo long, yielding ordinarily from the five Fillings ten Pans of Sand, each weighing ten Pounds, in all one Hundred Pound of Sand, which is above one Fourth of as much Sand as Salt, allowing a Buſhel of Salt to weigh about Fifty Pounds. About three Hours before the Evaporation is finiſhed, that is, before they begin to draw (at the fifth Filling) they clarify the Brine with the White of an Egg; which being broken into a Bucker, and mixt both with cold and ſome of the hot Brine, is by the Motion of the Hand brought into a Lather, and gently ſprinkled all over the Pan; whereupon there preſently appears a Scum, that thickens by Degrees as the Impurities riſe, which thus catched and detained by the Viſcoſity of the White of the Egg before the Brine boils again, is drawn over the side of the Pan with a thin oblong ſquare Board, fixed to a Staff or Handle call'd a Loot. The Scum taken off, they boil it again gently till it begins to corn, which, to have to Defire, if they intend a large Corn, and have but little Time to let it corn by a gentle Fire of itſelf, they put into it about a Quart of the ſtrongeſt and ſtaleſt Ale they can get ; which corns it greater or ſmaller, according to the Degree of Staleneſs: Or if they would have it finer than it uſually corns of itſelf , they either draw it with a quick Fire, which breaks the Corns ſmall, or ſprinkle the Surface of the Brine with fine Wheat-Flower, which makes the Salt almoſt as fine as the Sand which comes from it; which being very fine and white, it is thought may be of admirable Uſe in making of Glaſs. But during the Time of its corning, they generally Nacken their Fire, ſupplying the Furnace now rather with the Cinder of the Coal, (the ſmaller ſort ſifted from the Aſhes) than the Coal itſelf; this giving the Brine a gentle Heat without Flame, and corning it better than 3 Agriculture and Gardening. I 27 a forcible Fire, which breaks it ſmall. Quickly after it has ſpent ſome Time in corning they begin to draw, viz. to take the corned Salt from the reſt of the Brine, with their Loot, which they put into Wicker-Baskets called Barrows, made in a conical Form, and ſet the Bottom upwards, cach containing a Buſhel; through theſe, being ſet in the Leach- Troughs, the Salt drains itſelf dry in three Hours, which draining they call their Leach- Brine, and carefully preſerve it to be boiled again, it being ſtronger Brine than any in the Pit. The Draught of the corned Salt continues for about ſix Hours, and is performed gra- dually, the Salt-workers getting firſt about two Buſhels , or Barrows-full; then by a gentle Fire they corn it again in half an Hour for the three firſt Pair of Barrows, but afterwards not under an Hour, the Brine being then thinner and the Pan cooler. They leave ſome Brine towards the next Filling; which, with the Addition of the Leach-Brine, heightens the weak Liquor, and much advances the following Operations. The Barrows being fully drained, are removed into the Hot-Houſe, behind the Saltern to dry, and are ſet over the Brick Conveyance for the Flame, from under the Pans to the Funnel of the Chimney, (which Paſſage for that Purpoſe is made fix or ſeven Yards long ;) where after they have continued for Twenty-four Hours, the Salt will become ſo dry, that it is fit for Carriage or publick Sale. This is the Proceſs of making Salt in Staffordſhire ; which, tho' much more chargeable than in Worceſterſhire or Cheſhire, where they ſpend not ordinarily above half the Time or Fire, of what the great Quantity of Brine they muſt uſe here neceſſarily requires for its Evaporation; yet its being always clarified with Eggs, and not with Bullock's Blood, as it is moſt commonly in Cheſhire, (which gives the Salt an ill colour and Savour, and its being better cleared from Sand by long Boiling than either Cheſhire or Worceſterſhire Salts) have given it the greateſt Reputation. Mr. John Collins, F. R. S. in his Book of Salt and Fiſhery, written Anno 1682. ſays, that the chief Brine-Pits for Salt are in Cheſhire and Worceſterſhire, and that the chief in Cheſhire are at North-wich, Middle-wich, Nampt-wich, of which North-wich excels. There is in the Town one Pit, and five without, and all afford great Plenty of excel- lent Brine; of which is made Salt, pure, ſmall, or big kerned, heavy, hard and dry, that loſeth little in Bulk, if well kilned or preſſed into the Bag, which are the Qualities of the beſt Salt, and is there fold at Six-pence the Buſhel. The Town-Pit is more conveniently ſituated than the reſt, being within five or ſix Miles of Fratfome Bridge, where it is laden for Ireland, and a River comes thro' the Town that might be made navigable. At Middle- wich are Seven Pits or Brine Sheaths, which yield great Plenty of moſt rich Brine. At Nampt-wich is one within the Town and two without, and are ſufficient to ſerve the fourth Part of the Nation, altho' it is weaker than the other Wiches, in which ſome will turn to Salt in an Hour's Boiling; whereas at Nampt-wich the Pans are twice or thrice filled, and boiled down. Leaden Coolers have been made to put the Salt in, as it came out of the Pans, where it would dry, harden and become big-grained. It is Mr. Collins's Opinion, that in Cheſhire and Worceſterſhire, with Skill, Coſt and Labour, there may be more Salt made than can be ſpent in the King's Dominions. He ſays, that at Nampt-rich they boil it in Iron Pans, about three Foot Square and fix Inches deep; their Fires are made of Staffordſhire Pit-Coals, and one of their ſmall Pans is boiled in two Hours. To clarify and raiſe the Scum, they uſe Calf's, Cow's and Sheep's Blood; but this gives the Salt an ill Savour, as I preſume any Blood will do: And it is by its Vif- coſity, like Whites of Eggs, which makes the Filth ſtick to it, and get together in a Scum ; and the Blood was uſed only for Cheapneſs-fake. About Droyt-wich, within four Miles of Worcefier, are many Salt-Springs, and from one in the great Pit at Up-wich, is made four Hundred and fifty Buſhels of Salt in every twenty four Hours; it is ſo ſtrong, that the fourth Part is Salt. They uſe Leaden Pans five Foot and a half long, and three Foot wide. Their Fuel was formerly all Wood; but ſince the Iron Works in the Foreſt of Dean have deſtroyed that, they now uſe Pit- Coals. The Salt-Springs are very cool at the Bottom, and not to be endured by Men above half an Hour, thoʻthey be well warmed with much ſtrong Liquor; however, it never freezeth. To prove this Salt better than others, Mr. Collins ſays, it will dry in four Hours; and keep ſo three Quarters of a Year; that none is whiter and freer from Droſs; and a Win- cheſter Buſhel weighs half an Hundred; that in the fame Quantity it makes Meat falter than French Salt : But I conclude this muſt be from its being freer from Droſs, and ſo there is more Salt; and its having a ſmaller Grain, which makes it diffovle ſooner. Her- rings have been falted herewith, and have been whiter and better taſted than with Bay Salt I 28 gni A New Syſtem of Salt. It is ordinary to falt Beef but once to keep a Year; and its common with all barrel'd Beef to do ſo. They have a Sort called Clod-Salt, digged from the Bottom of the Pans with a Picker being the ſtrongeſt, and moſt uſed for Bacon and Neats-Tongues; it makes the Bacon redder than other Salt, and the Fat eat firm. Some ſay this Salt is beſt for Cheeſe, but it is accounted too ſtrong for Beef; perhaps becauſe it is a large Grain, and penetrates by degrees, which is equivalent to an often Salting. With the fineſt white Salt they make Loaves like Sugar-Loaves, which will keep dry without Fire; but it is otherwiſe at Nampt- wich, I preſume from a different Management. As to Salt made by boiling of Sea-Water, the want of Brine-Springs near the Eaſtern Coaſt, and the Dearneſs of Foreign Salt, neceſſitated the making of Salt at Shields, and Biſhop Weremouth in the Biſhoprick of Durham. The Pans here uſed are made of wrought Iron, of eighteen or nineteen Foot long, twelve Foot broad and fourteen Inches deep, and boiled with Sea-Coals. At Spring-Tide they let the Sea-Water into Ponds, from whence it is pump'd into their Pans, which are fix or ſeven Times filled, and half or more every Time boiled away, before it becomes Salt. When great Freſhes come into the Rivers Tine and Were, they take no Liquor; neither need they, for they make as much Salt in Six Months as they can ſell in Twelve. Of late they boil their Salt better, and make it harder than formerly; for this Salt hath had a bad Repute, by being moiſt and apt to run to Water. The Sum is, that with good Care it will ſerve for moſt Purpoſes, and is found peculiarly good for Hung-Beef and Bacon. Salt made from Brine rais’d by the Sun, &c. is made at Limmington in Hampſhire, not far from Portſmouth, in an Iſland called Portſea, from whence the Salt hath its Denomi- nation. The Place where this Salt is made, is called a Salt-Work; and in it is to be con- ſidered, Firſt, the Quality and Situation of the Ground; Secondly, the Banking or Re- covering the ſame; Thirdly, the making of Brine-Pans, and in them Brine by the Sun's Exhalation, with the Manner of doing thereof; Fourthly, the Boiling-Houſes, Grates, Iron-Pans, and the Art of boiling Brine into Salt. For the Quality and Situation of the Ground, it ought to be a Sea-Mud, Oaſe or Sleech, overflowed (if it may be) at the loweſt Spring-Tide three Foot; and then the higeſt will be ſometimes twelve or thirteen Foot. The Reaſon of ſuch Overflowing is, that there may be made Feeding-Ponds with Walls of Earth, to keep Sea-Water in of any Dimen- fions, two Foot in Height one above another, ſo that the loweit may be filled by a little Sluice in the Bank, at the loweſt Spring-Tide, where this (which is called Stay-Liquor) will improve by the Sun and Wind before it be tranſmitted into the jhallow Brine-Pits, on lower Ground. Theſe Ponds are furniſhed with Mullets, Plaiſe, Flounders, Eels, and other Fiſh from the Sea; where they increaſe incredibly, and exceed both in Goodneſs and Largeneſs freſh River Fiſh of the ſame Kind. If convenient, there may be alſo Oyſter- Pits. The Ground muſt be ſtrong Sea-Mud, like Clay, that will retain Liquor. This Mud ought to be eight or more Feet, for making of Ponds callid Ciſterns, to keep Brine in, without ſoaking away, after it comes from thoſe Pans called Sun-Pans, where it is made ſtrong, and transferred into theſe, to grow more mature with Age. Here the Brine may be impaired with Rain-Water, but that will ſwim uppermoſt, and the Brine may be pump- od from the Bottom, if the Bottom of the Pump be faſtened into a Basket. If one of theſe be covered with a Tiled-Roof, it is called a Brine-Houſe, to retain Store for Winter-Builing; and Tiles are better than Thatch, becauſe its Straws will fall into and diſcolour the Liquor. The Sides and Ends of the Brine-Houſe ought to be Poſts of Timber, with Hurdles behind, the Ground being ſuch as will not imbibe the Liquor. If the Ground do not admit the Depth above-mentioned, Ciſterns are to be made above- ground, into which the Brine muſt be pumped or laved; which the Workien, in wet Weather, are apt to decline, to the Loſs of much Brine. But in the uncovered Ciſterns the Brine will freeze, and therefore ought to be removed. In the Tiled Brine-Houſe it freezes The beſt Situation for a Salt-Work, is where there is moſt Sun-line, and the Wind has freelt Acceſs, near a Coal-Mine or good Turf; however, not far from ſuch Place where Coals may be landed, and Salt exported. If Ground might be had to Wiſh, it ſhould be a Riſing Ground, with a Channel in the Middle: Thien with Banks three Parts round, high and ſtrong enough to keep out the higheſt Tides; both from the Sea and Channel may Ponds be made with low Banks; and tho’ the Water, by Sluices, be let in from the Channel, and out from the higheſt to the loweſt at Pleaſure, and be the eaſieit Charge. not. If Agriculture and Gardening 129 If it be in a Salt-Water River, Land-lock’d, it will be much the better; for leſfer Banks will ſerve, and they will endure better. Near the Channel, in the Middle, may be made a Key, whereon to land or ſhip Goods ; athwart which ſhould be a Sluice with ſtrong Gates, whoſe Hinges open Sea-wards, to carry off Freſhes, and to keep Sea-Water out: And other Gates may be made towards the Land, to draw up with Windleſſes. Banking and recovering the Ground is performed by the Aid of Gin-boats, to drive into the Mud, Rows of Trees, and Poſts ſharpened at the lower End to ſhape out a Walk. Theſe Trees to be bound together long and broad-ways, like the Ribs of a Ship, with Flitterns, or Pieces of Oak, or Croſs-Bars; and after good ſtore of Stones have been thrown into the Middle, and Parts adjacent to the Channel, where theſe Trees ought to be thickeſt and longeſt, the fame to be boarded up, and the Whole filled when it ſhall be fitting, with Stones, Gravel, Clay, &c. which will force the Mud out on each Side, and make a Declivity; which Sea-ward, may be hardened with Gravel to become a narrow Walk, wherein to ſtand to drive Stakes, whereto to fix Hurdles or Hedges, which will be filled with Sea-Weeds, and much defend the Bank from being waſhed down by the Waves. After a Summer or two the recovered Mud will be dry; with Cracks which muſt be filled with Earth, and reduced to Feeding-Ponds, and Levels for Brine-Pans. This Mud wid make excellent Bricks, and Soil for Lands; but what is deſigned for Tillage and Paſture muſt be deep ploughed and harrowed, that Rain-Water may not waih the Salt out; or it may be cured with Lime or Marle, which makes it admirably fertile, and a very good Compoſt to improve barren Ground. Mr. Collins gives the Manner of making Brine-Pans and Brine; alſo of Salterns or Boil- ing-Houſes, Grates, Furnaces, and Iron Boiling-Pans, &c. of all which I have ſaid ſome- thing in my Cheſhire Salts; and if more be deſired, 1 refer you to his Book, or the Places about Portſmouth, &c. where all may be ſeen. Salt upon Salt is San-made Salt, boiled up with Salt-Water, and cleared from Dirt, Sand and Bittern; and this is allowed to be good for all Intents and Purpoſes. Salt upon Sand is only Salt-Water-Sand waſhed and boiled to Salt, made by them that know not how to do better. The Chymiſts ſay, Rain and Dew will yield a Salt, and have given the Pro- ceſſes of making it; and it is reaſonable enough that their coming through the Air, Mhould bring ſome of the Nitre with them. Mr. Collins mentions divers Inſtances of fertilizing Land by Salt, tho' antiently ſome Cities were curſed by ſowing of Salt; and undoubtedly, diſcreetly uſed, it is excellent Ma- nure ; i. e. in too great Quantity, it kills, in leſſer fertilizes. Dr. Wood tells us, that ſeveral Plants as well as Fith thrive well in Salt-Water ; but where he ſpeaks that Dung fertilizes, ergo Salt, he miſunderſtands his Subject; for the Salt of Dungs is a quite different fort of Salt from Fofile or Marine. He gives ſeveral In- ſtructions about the moderate Uſe of Salt in_fertilizing Land, which is certainly right; but ſtill ſpeaks of my Lord Bacon's applying Fertility to Salt, as if he meant Marine Salt. Not but that it is very reaſonable to ſuppoſe from Experiments that have been made, that even Foſſile or Marine Salts have much of the Nature of Nitre in them; that is to ſay, they in ſome degree cauſe a Ferment, which is a Help to Vegetation : They ſet in Motion the earthy Particles, or proper terreſtrial Mattrer, which by the Help. of Heat and Moiſture are conveyed thro' the Veſſels of Plants for their Nouriſhment and Increaſe. This may be gathered from the Effects of Sea-Sand (and the ſalter and wetter it is the better) laid upon Land as a Manure: The Sand diſperſing equally the faline Particles, (and not ſuffering them to lie in Heaps, which would prove fatal) ſurprizing Products even from worn-out Land have been obſerved to follow; for which Reaſon it is that I have warmly recommended this Practice to thoſe who live within a few Miles of the Sea. Brining of Wheat (now grown very common) is found good by Experience to prevent Smut, Vermine, &c. OF QUARRIES, E9C. I N many parts of England there are plenty of Quarries of Stone, &c. for Materials for Building, and Fences for Walls, dug in the Earth, as well as Mines of Coal, Oars, &c. And the chief of theſe Quarries, for the Product of beautiful Stone, is in the Ife of Portland; tho' there are few Lords of Manors, eſpecially where there is a Scarcity of Timber and Wood, but on their Lands may dig Stones fit for any common Employ- ment; ſo well is Nature ſtored with what is neceſſary for the Conveniencies of Life, in this our Iland. LT Near 130 A New Syſtem of ga Line is carried up and down for Whiting, being as pure as any Chalk : There is like Near Chatſworth, in Derbyſhire, the Seat of his Grace the Duke of Devonſhire, there is a Piece of Ground callid Haddon Paſture, ſo rich for its ſubterraneous Products, that as many Shillings have been offered for it, as lying flat would make a Border round it; which was refuſed, unleſs they would ſet them edge-ways; and ſome think that would have been a good Bargain. The Paſture of this Ground is extremely rich; and beſides a rich Oar within leſs than a Yard of the Surface, and ſtore of Iron Oar; here are extraordinary Quarries of Mill-ftones that ſerve moft Part of the Kingdom, and they are worth eight, nine or ten Pound the Pair, and Grind-ſtones of all ſorts, from five or fix Foot Diameter and under, and Scythe-ſtones in abundance. There are alſo Quarries of Free-ſtone, Ala- baſter and Marble ; of which as curious Works may be made as the World affords. There is alſo Store of. Lime, which makes as good Mortar as can be uſed; and Critch- wiſe great ſtore of Plaiſter, which being burnt and thraſhed to Powder, (to which it burns with eaſe being new) and this being well wrought with Water, and ſpread on a Floor, in a few Days will be as hard as Brick, and may be made as ſmooth as Glaſs; but the Floors are commonly made part of old and part of new Plaiſter, and the new alone is uſed for drawing a thin fine white Coat over the grey, (viz. old and new beaten to- gether) and if this prove to be curiouſly burnt, neither too much nor too little, it will continue a firm Floor for Hundreds of Years, tho? conſtantly trod upon, and will be ſafe from all Danger of Fire ; but if it be too much burnt, then it will be more ſoft when the Floor is caft, and will ſweep up in a ſhort Time, unleſs extremely water’d, which fome- times recovers it; and if it be too little burnt, then it cannot be thraſhed to any purpoſe, ſo that the Floor will have Lymps, as if it was full of Stones, which will be the ruin of if; ſo that you are under a Neceſſity of avoiding theſe two Extremes in the Uſe of this Flooring This Account I have mention'd, to ſhew the Treaſure of the Earth ; and there are many Places in this Kingdom, that are extremely rich in their Products of Mines, Quar- ries, &c. as well as Haddon Paſture above deſcribed. For as I have Reaſon and Occaſion often to obſerve the wonderful Proviſions of Nature and Riches couched in the Bowels of the Earth throughout the Biſhoprick of Durham ; ſo here it cannot but be obſerved with Gratitude, that hardly any one valuable Treaſure ordinarily found ſcattered in ſome other Parts of the Kingdom, but it is found in ſome meaſure here, and in moſt forts a vaſt Plenty; and that (which is no inconſiderable Cir- cumſtance) generally within a ſmall Diſtance of a navigable River. The inexhauſtible Mines of the beſt Coal in Europe (of which more preſently) is an immenſe Treaſure, as they bring Riches, not only from our own Ports, but from all the neighbouring Kingdoms. Free-ſtone of all ſorts ; fome as fine as that from Portland, fit for the beſt Floors, Walls and Chimney-Pieces, is found in great Plenty even on the Banks of navigable Rivers ; not to mention the beſt ſort of Fire-ſtone, Grind-ſtones, Mill-ſtones, but eſpecially Lime-ſtone; of which more in another Place. At Penchy-Hill, three Miles from Sunderland, there are three remarkable Treaſures couched in its Bowels : On one ſide is found Goal at an eaſy Depth; on another ſide is found excellent Lime-ſtone, and on a third fide great Quantities of Free-ſtone for Building, all within one Hundred Yards compaſs. Thus are ſeen together Stone and Mortar, growing as it were out of the Bowels of one little Hill. To ſay nothing here of Lead, Iron, &c. which hath been ſpoke of ſeparately, I cannot forbear mentioning one remarkable Thing lately found in the Bowels of the Earth, even in my own Glebe at Biſhops Weremouth, where the Quarry-men digging for Lime-ſtone, at leaſt ten or twelve Foot Depth of folid Rock, found, to their great Surprize, amidſt the ſmall Joints and Crevices of the Stone, three Pieces of Caſt Metal hard al- moſt as Steel, and yet reſembling Bell-metal, in the Form here annex’d; Two of them much bigger than the Third, hollow within, and perfectly ſharp in the Edge. It is hard to ſay how or when they ſhould come there, as of what Uſe they could be ; except, having Sockets, they ſhould be uſed as offenſive or defenſive Inſtruments in War. According to the aforegoing Conjecture, having thewed the Curioſity to ſome conver- fant in Medals, and other curious Pieces of Antiquity, I find it is generally agreed to be a ſort of Cuncus, or Battle-Ax, which the Danes brought over amongſt us in great Quan- tities; which, it is probable they put on the end of their Spears occaſionally, as rather de- fenſive Weapons to keep off the Horſe from annoying and diſordering the Foot Soldiers. Whether this Conjecture be right or no, I know not; but I have been told by an inge- nious Gentleman in the Herald's Office, that there are ſeveral of them found in many other Parts M Agriculture and Gardening. 131 Parts of the Kingdom, in much the ſame manner as before related, even in the Caverns of the Earth, and very deep amongſt the Clefts of the Rocks, moſt frequently lying on Heaps in Numbers , ſometimes twenty or thirty of them together. It is here to be obſerved, that hard Rocks have not a cleaving Grain as ſoft ones have; and therefore when they are minded to break up the Stone in ſuch Quarries, they uſe great heavy Stone Axes, with which they work down a deep Channel in the Stone; into which Channel, at the top they lay two Iron Bars, ſuch as Smiths have from the Forge to work out, and ſo they drive Iron Wedges between theſe Bars to break off the Stone; for their Wedges will not go where there is not a Channel made for them, as they will in ſoft Stones. But then again, that which in ſome Quarries cannot be effected without much Time and Toil, as well as an extravagant Expence, by the help of divers Tools and Inſtruments, ſuch as Mauls, Pick-Axes, Wedges , Leavers, &c. is in other Places readily performed with leſs Charge and Trouble, by making a ſmall Perforation into the Rock, which may reach a pretty way into the Body of it, and have ſuch a thickneſs of the Rock over it as is thought convenient to be blown up at one Time. For at the further end of this Perfora- tion a convenient Quantity of the beſt Gunpowder is placed; and then all the reſt of the Cavity being filled with Stones and Rubbiſh ſtrongly rammed in, (except a little Space left for a Train) the Powder by the help of it is fired; and the impetuous Force being hindered from expanding itſelf downward, diſplays its Strength againſt the upper Parts of the Rock, which cracks it into ſeveral Pieces, moſt of which, with no great Difficulty, ſubmit to the Strokes of the Workmens Hammers; and thus, by the help of a few Bar- rels of Powder, employed in this manner, many Thouſand Tons of Stone have been ob- tained out of a common Rock. But notwithſtanding all this, it ſhould not be diſſembled, that this Matter of blowing up Rocks, of Lime-Stone eſpecially, is by no means brought to that Perfection one might have expected from the Force of Powder; at leaſt to have it done in ſuch a manner and meaſure as to anſwer the Charge: Of which I have an experimental Knowledge in my own Glebe, where I have vaſt mountainous Rocks of Lime-Stone, lying with little Earth upon them, and bedded in large Pieces with few Seams, in perpendicular Strata about fifty Foot deep. On theſe have been ſeveral Attempts made by Gunpowder, the Rock being firſt bored perpendicularly, and the Powder ramm'd and faſtened in by proper Plugs; but yet the Fraction always proved too inconſiderable for the Trouble and Charge; which has diſcouraged further Attempts that way: However, it ſeems rational to hope, that if a Contrivance could be made at the bottom of the Rock, where it is excavated, to bore an Hole horizontally into the moſt ſolid Part, and to make a Cavity within much bigger than the Orifice to receive a Quantity of Powder, the Earthquake and Diffolution, as well as the Advantage accruing thereby, might be very conſiderable. This is what I propoſe, ſome time or other, to try and improve, if poſſible; and in the mean time, for my own fake, as well as the good of the Publick, ſhall be glad if any ingenious Perſon skilled in the Force of mechanical Powers, would communicate to the Publick his Thoughts on this Head. I have been lately aſſured, that they conſtantly and ſolely uſe this Method of. Gun- powder in the Weſt of England, tho' I have not been able yet to obtain an Account of their Art. Of Coals and COW K E. 5 OF F Coal we have abundance in England, more perhaps than in any other Part of the World, dug out of Land, to the very great Profit of the Owners of the Soil. Coal is thought to be nothing elſe but Bitumen indurated by Time and ſubterraneous Heats. There is a fort of Cannel Coal, of ſo cloſe a Texture, that it will take a tolerable Poliſh and the Choir of the Cathedral Church of Litchfield is in a great part paved Black and White, with Cannel Coal for the Black, and Alabaſter for the White ; and when kept clean, it appears like Black and White Marble. It turns like Ivory into many pretty Utenſils, Ink-Boxes, Candle-Sticks, &c. This Coal is dug in the Park adjoining to Beau- defert, belonging to the Lord Paget, about thirty or forty Fathom deep, lying between other Beds of a ſofter Kind, and is the beſt in Staffordſhire, or any where elſe; except in Lancaſhire, which it is ſaid has no Grain, and therefore not cleaving as this will do ; upon which account it is preferred for making ſuch Utenſils as above. The chief Uſe of the Staffordſhire Coal is for Firing, wherein thoſe who uſe it obſerve the Grain of the Coal; for if they would have it burn ſlow, they lay it flat-ways upon the 132 A New Syſtem of ſenſible Plated anley-Green, near Newcaſtle, Under-Line, is much ſofter, and of much more the Fire ; but if clear, it is ſet edge-ways, and then it burns as light as a Candle. The Coal dug Hanley-, , , , , appear to the naked Eye when the Grain of the Cannel : Wherefore this is no more capable of Politure than common Coal, yet it is more gay to the Sight, and it burns (wift ; and therefore better for Smiths than Kitchen-Fires, tho' not fo good as Sea-Coal. Theſe laſt are beſt ſupplied by the common Coal of the Country, eſpecially that of Dudley, Sedgely, &c. which ſome prefer to the Cannel itſelf; the Texture and other Qualities thereof being ſuch, that it is a fat ſhining Coal, having a pretty open Grain, lying feldom in a Level with the Plain of the Horizon, (which indeed is the Caſe of alí Veins of Coal throughout England) but moſt times inclining to it, (according to which it cleaves into Blocks at the Diſcretion of the Workman) that it burns away with a ſweet white Flame, and into white Aſhes without Cinder. Of this ſort there is great Plenty in all Parts of the Country, eſpecially the Places aboveſaid; that moſt commonly there are twelve or fourteen Collieries in Work, and twice as many out of Work, within ten Miles round; ſome of which afford two, three, four, or five Thouſand Tons yearly, the Upper- Beds above the Iron-Stone lying ſometimes ten, eleven, twelve or fourteen Yards thick; ſo that ſome Acres have been ſold for 100 l. each, and one for isol. and from one Shaft hath been drawn five Hundred Pounds worth of Coals. In the Foreſt of Kings-Wood, near Briſtol, are very conſiderable Collieries ; which not only furniſh that large City with Firing, but alſo the whole Country: In Wales there are alſo Mines of Coals; and on Mendip Hills in Somerſetſhire, there are great Plenty of Coal-Works, and almoſt all other Mines. But that which calls for our greateſt Regard and Notice in this Article of Coals, is the ſurpriſing Quantity of them, and the ingenious Method of conveying them to the na- vigable Rivers in the Biſhoprick of Durham, and the Parts about Newcaſtle. As far as appears to the contrary, there is no doubt to be made but theſe Treaſures lie hid in the Bowels of the Earth, in ſome Places ſhallower, in others deeper, almoſt all over the Coun- ty of Durham ; and it is not uncommon for the Miners to ſink fifty, fixty, and ſeventy Fathom in ſearch of theſe Riches; which, when found, by the Contrivance and accom- pliſh'd Skill of the Owners, are with great Expence made to anſwer the Purpoſes of get- ting vaſt Eſtates, of employing great Numbers of poor people, and furniſhing all the Sea- Ports in Europe with vaſt Quantities of excellent Fuel, but eſpecially the City of London, which would otherwiſe remain under a miſerable Degree of Want. That vaft City is almoſt wholly ſupplied with theſe Coals, and (were it not for the Duty laid on them) at a very eaſy Expence: Which Expence is yet made heavier by a certain Number of Men in London, called Crimps, who monopolize them, and engroſs the whole Market in the Summer, and ſet their own Price in the Winter on thoſe who are forced to buy them. Thoſe who are acquainted and are converſant with the Collieries, know there is great Difference in the Goodneſs of them. There are what they call Three Quarter and Five Quarter Coals, which are the firſt and eaſieſt come at; but that they call the Main Coal is what lieth deepeſt, and is every where accounted beſt ; and they are ſuch as are almoſt univerſally fent abroad to Market; and the other are fold cheaper at home. But there is alſo a Difference in the Goodneſs of theſe, though the Monopolizers at London make none, when they mix them all together; and even the beſt, which are ſent out of the Bi- ſhoprick, are all called Newcaſile Coal. It is to little Purpoſe to mention the ſeveral Strata or Veins of Earth, thro' which they dig before they come at Coal; becauſe theſe are different in different Places : But in all of them there are vaſt Varieties ; and ſometimes they meet with Rocks of Stone almoit impe- netrable, the hardeſt of which they do however overcome with Gunpowder, or with con- tinual Labour. But the greateſt Annoyance, and hardeſt to be overcome, is Water ; which often pours upon them from Bags and unforeſeen Currents, and would deſtroy all at once, if a ſeaſonable Remedy were not applied. The Method of which, as it is now uſed and much improved by the polite Men of the North, is one of the greateſt Inſtances of the real Uſe of Philoſophy and Mathematicks to Mankind rightly applied. The Engine or Contrivance for drawing Water by the help of Fire, is the ingenious In- vention of the late Mr. Savory, F. R. S. which Mr. Bradley has curiouſly delineated on a Copper Plate, and particularly deſcribed the Nature and Method of its Operations : But as it is now grown into more common Uſe, is ſo thoroughly well underſtood, and ſo much improved, cſpecially in the North, of late Years, I ſhall lay little more about it here, ex- cept what is to my preſent Purpoſe, viz. That this Fire-Engine is now ſucceſsfully uſed, no1 Agriculture and Gardening. 133 not only to clear the Pits of Water, whilſt the Coals are winning; but alſo as an Inftru- ment to rid them of all Water, even whilſt they are Sinking, by moving the Sucker or Pipe from one ſide to another, as they go down Step by Step; which not only faves a great deal of Charge, but makes great Expedition. Of the Uſes and Application of this Engine may be found a full Account in the Inventor's Book call’d the Miner's Friend, The Charge indeed firſt of making, and afterwards of working the Fire-Engine, is very conſiderable, and would any where elſe but in a Country of Coals be inſupportable : But here it is to be taken Notice of, that the Engine works its own Life ; and whilſt it re- moves the Water, it helps at the ſame to procure Coal; which gives it Breath, and ſets it in Motion. However, the Conſumption of Coal being very great, hath of late put ſome upon Trials to effect the ſame thing by the Air and its elaſtical Power ; but this be- ing one of thoſe Things which are true in Theory, but falfe in Practice, it is found by Experience not to anſwer ; by reaſon the Diſcharges are too ſlow, and not frequent enough to remove the Load of Water to be diſcharged. But, beſides the Ingenuity uſed in applying the Powers of Nature for the gaining theſe Coals, mechanical Powers are alſo uſed with no leſs Art for the conveying thele Coals to the ſeveral Parts of navigable Rivers. For the Waggons and Waggon-Ways are ſo cu- riouſly contrived, and ſo rightly adjuſted, that one Horſe is able to draw Four Thouſand Five Hundred Weight of Coal at Four Miles Diſtance, and to go backwards and for- wards four times in a Summer's Day. The Waggon-Ways are contrived and made to be as near an horizontal Level as is practicable, and to run with two parallel Lines made of Oak Spars, kept ſteady by croſs Pieces ; and at the exact Diſtances of the Waggon- Wheels, which preſs upon them, not in an exact Plane, but a little obliquely, the better to keep them in their Places. The Waggons are made ſquare and tall, wider at the top than at the bottom, and are carried by four Wheels, of about two Foot diameter, made of ſolid Oak. But becauſe Wood preſſed upon by Iron, would quickly wear out, therefore the Wheels are not ſhoil, except ſometimes in ſuch Places where there is found ſome Decay. On which account however, the Motion being ſometimes violent, and the Friction very great, there is found ſome Hazard of the Wheels being ſet on Fire. To prevent which, and the violent Motion on every little Declivity, they are forced to take out the Horſe, and to let him fol- low; and to make the Friction fall in more Places than one, as well as to hinder too vio- lent a Motion forward, there is alſo a Contrivance of a ſtrong Piece of Wood fixed on one ſide of the Waggon on a Centre in the middle, called a Convoy: Which Convoy in the Hands of the Governor is preſſed upon more or leſs, like a Leaver, and is ſo contrived as to occaſion the other end to preſs on the edges of the Wheel; whereby a greater or lef- fer Friction being made, the Motion of the Waggon is regulated as Circumſtances and Ne- ceffity require. After the Coals are thus with ſafety convoy'd to the Steaths, or Keys by the River-ſide, where they are to be unloaded into the Keels, here alſo there is no leſs Ingenuity and Me- chaniſm uſed for Diſpatch and Expedition; for the Steaths being made in the Form of wooden Bridges, the Horſe by an eaſy Aſcent draws up his Load to the top, which is ſometimes twenty Foot above the Surface of the Water. There the Horſe is looſed, and the loaded Waggon by one Man is moved into its proper Place deſigned for unloading; the Foundation whereof being contrived to turn altogether upon a Centre, the Whole is turned half round, and by pulling a Board out of the bottom of the Waggon, the Coals immediately tumble out into a Spout, which conveys them next way into the Keel lying in the River. And although, as I ſaid, each Waggon contains no leſs than Forty Four, or Forty Five Hundred Weight, they are all emptied into the Keel in leſs than half a Minute. The Reaſon of the Waggon’s being turned half round upon a Centre is, to put it into à Poſture of going off empty on another Frame of Wood ſide-ways. By this Means there is a conſtant Succeſſion of loaden and unloaden Waggons, from Morning to Night, coming and going without any Interruption. I have been the more particular on this Head, that People in the South, who are apt to entertain ſtrange and monſtrous Opinions of the North, as if it wanted both Sun and Senſe, as well as the Neceſſaries of Life, may form right Ideas of Men and Things: For if Trade, and Riches, and a Multitude of People ; if Plenty of the Comforts and Conve- niences deſireable in Life; if the Improveinent of ingenious Arts and Sciences, and a polite and elegant Way of Living and Converſing : If all or any of theſe are real Indications of the Beauty of any Country, or the Wiſdom of any People , this Part of the North makes a pleaſing Diſcovery of them all. It may be envied, but with Knowledge it cannot be pitied. Bút Mm 134 SE A New Syſtem of us But yet as Rich and as Polite a People as are here ordinarily to be found, I have often ſmiled with my ſelf to think, that the Riches and Trade of this Country are ſupported and maintained chiefly by three ſeeming Abſurdities : For in the Buſineſs of the Collieries, it ſo happens, that they are ſometimes drowned for want of Water ; you frequently ſee here the Cart before the Horſe; and almoſt every Day in the Year they carry Coals 10 Newcaſtle. The Firſt caſe happens in a dry Summer, when their Feeders fail them at the Fire-Engine; the Rivulet that ſhould fupply the Engine with Water, hardly conveys enough to keep it working, whereby the Water in the Pits is in danger to get Head of them. The Second is every Day leen, when the Coals are going down-hill; they are forced to take the Horſe out, and let them follow the Cart, which of itſelf, tho' loaden, goes upon the Frames faſt enough (ſometimes too faſt) when there is any conſiderable Declivity. The Laſt needs no explaining Cowkes are the Cinders of Coal, made in the following manner : The Collier fets ſix or eight Waggon-Loads of Coal in a round Heap upon the Ends, and as Pyramidal (viz. large at bottom and ſmall at top) as they will ſtand. If it be a windy Sealon, he ſets Fleaks to ſhelter it ; and then into a Hole left in the middle to the top of the Hear, or Pit as they call it, he throws a Shovel full or two of Fire, which by ſpeading itſelf each way fires the Fit round; this burns and blazes till the Smoak and Flame ceales, and it is all of a red Fire ; then he covers all the Heap with Duft, and that ſide firſt which by the help of the Wind burns moft, or where the Fire firſt breaks out, which immediately damps it and makes them dead Coals, which thus ftand till next Morning, or longer according to the Occaſion; and then with a Rake, like a Gardener's, having ſix or eight Teeth, he pulls them down round the Heap, and the Duſt falls to the bottom, which is thrown up on a Heap to damp the nex Pit. It is obſerved, that three Hundred of Coals make but one Hundred of Gowkes, and the lighter they are the better ; if they are curiouſly burnt they will gingle like common Cin- ders, and a Sack of fix Buſhels will weigh about one Hundred Weight. The reaſon of the North-Country Pale Malt being ſo fine and ſweet, is imputable to the drying it with Cowkes; and it is not much above half a Century of Years, ſince the Mal- ſters at Derby dried their Malt with Straw (as other places now do) before they uſed Cowkes, which have made that Alteration ſince, that all England admires. Other Countries have as good Barley and Malſters as Derby ; but for want of theſe burnt Coals, the Malt that is made is much inferior to what is made there, and in the other Parts of the North, with the Cowkes above-mentioned. B Of BRIC K-MAKING. Rick-Making is a great Improvement of the Profits of Land: And there are chiefly two forts of Bricks, viz. Stock-Bricks and Place-Bricks. The firſt are ſtrongeſt and hardeit, made of Hazel Mould or Stiff Loam, nine Inches long, four Inches and a half broad, and two Inches and a half thick. The Earth is dug about Martlemas, and tem- pered about Lady-Day following; after which it is made in a Mould, attended with a Water-Trough, Sand, a Sirike, and Pallate-Boards. The Earth being prepared, is moulded like Dough, and fanded like Flower, and laid on a Balk edge-ways; and when pretty dry, another Courſe is laid croſs them, and ſo for ten Courſes, then covered with Straw till dry. They are in new Ground burnt in a Kiln; but afterwards the Clamp is covered with burnt Bricks. There are uſually employed about a Stools Work, four Men and two Boys : The firſt, an Earth-Maker, that prepares the Earth: The ſecond, a Carter, to bring the Earth to the Stool: The third, an Up-Striker, a Boy, that lays the Earth upon the Table, and cuts it out for the Moulder : The fourth, the Moulder, who makes the Bricks in the Mould: The fifth, an Off-Bearer, a Boy, who carries the fame in the Mould, and lays them abroad upon the Ground: The fixth, an Up-Ganger, who a Day or two after, as they become ſtiff, takes them up, and ſets them in Wind-Rows to be dried; and when they are enough dried, they are to lay them in the Kiln for Burning. A Stool does ordinarily make (if the Men work by the Day the uſual Hours) Six Thou- Sand a Day; but if the Men work by the Great, beyond their uſual Hours, they will make Eight Thouſand Bricks in a Day. One Man, without Help, will make a Thouſand in a Day; but with a Temperer and Boy, two or three Thouſand, &c. The fix Perſons em- :ployed have but three and twenty Pence the Thouſand; the Moulder, five Pence; the Earth- ز Agriculture and Gardening. 135 two Pence. Earth-Maker, Carter, Off-Bearer and Up-Ganger, four Pence each ; and the Up-Striker, A Piece of Ground of ten Spades, which is about thirty three Foot ſquare, will make an Hundred Thouſand of Bricks; and the Digging it amounts to One Pound five Shillings, which makes it three Pence the Thouſand. Two Hundred Thouſand of Bricks, made to be burnt in one or two Clamps, will require about four or five Loads of Wheaten Straw; (tho’ Rye Straw is eſteem'd better than Wheat, becauſe it is tougher, and will bend and carry off Wet better ;) and the Expence of Straw is much the ſame as Digging. Of Coals , about a London Chaldron goes to every Ten Thouſand of Bricks, and fo Ten Chal- dron to One Hundred Thouſand : But ſome ſay, Five Chaldron will ſerve; and that Ten Load of Straw will be ſufficient for Ten Hundred Thouſand Bricks. The Coſt of Coals, by the firſt Computation, comes to about Twenty Shillings the Thouſand Bricks, but much cheaper itill where Coals are plentiful. A Load of Sand ſerves for Six Thouſand Bricks. In Ruſia, 'tis ſaid they uſe Sun-burnt Bricks; and Mr. Houghton ſays, a Gentleman of Bedfordſhire did the like to good Purpoſe. Powder of Bricks is good for ſeveral Uſes, particularly for ſcouring of Metals, and ſome uſe it for Manure ; the Reaſon whereof is, that by the Fire it is made porous, and ſo fit- ted to imbibe the Nitre or Spirit of the Air, by which means it opens and relaxes, and ſo fertilizes the Earth. Tiles are made with ſomewhat finer Earth than Bricks, better tempered and harder baked. A NEW 137 A NEW SYSTEM Ο F AGRICULTURE Α Ν D G A R D EN IN G. B OOK II. CH A P. I. Of the ſeveral Sorts of Foreſt and Timber Trees, great and Small, Ever-greens, and flouring Shrubs, ſuch as are found grow in England without Houſing, ſhewing their Na- ture, Uſe and Virtues. to HE great and ſenſible Decay and Want of Timber for theſe late Years ought to inſpire every generous Spirit and Lover of his Country with a Zeal and Paſſion for Planting, that may give him a more comfortable View, and ſuch as late Poſterity may bleſs and praiſe him for. The Avarice of ſome and the real Wants of others, have of late Years ftrangely impaired the Riches of the Foreſt. And I doubt it is ſtill a growing Evil, ſuch as may in Time have a very Melancholly Effect on our Navy, which hath been ever thought the Nn Glory 138 A New Syſtem of Glory as well as the envied Bulwark of theſe Kingdoms, if not fome way or other pur a Stop to. The Timber of an Eftaté; either dip'd or mortgaged, is the firſt thing that the imprudent unthinking Heir lays his hand upon, as what is to bring him in ready Money ; not ſo much perhaps to pay his Father's Debts or Siſters Portions, as to ſupply him with Tools for Gaming, and Neceſſaries (as he calls them) to ſupport his Luxury, and criminal ways of Pleaſure. I ſhall not at preſent give theſe Perſons the Satisfaction of ſmiling at me, for Preach- ing them out of theſe dangerous Gaieties as a Divine; but I hope they will ſuffer me as a Lover of my Country, and a Promoter of its general Good and Intereſt, to ſet the Mat- ter of Planting in ſuch a Light, and make the Manner of doing it fo eaſy and familiar, that every one (as Occaſion and Circumſtances offer) may lend a helping hand to retrieve our paft Loſſes, and at the ſame time ſee that he is doing ſomething that may be for his own preſent Pleaſure and Advantage, but moſt certainly for the Intereſt of his Family, and a publick Good. The Learned and Ingenious Mr. Evelyn, was the firſt that gave the World a right Senſe of this thing, and went to the Bottom of the whole Myſtery of Planting Foreſt-Trees . Even the preſent Age may bear the Repetition of his Truths; and as there are others of Jate who have enlarged this Knowledge by further Experience and Obſervation, I ſatisfy my ſelf that all Curious and Inquiſitive Perſons, ſuch at leaſt as have a Tafte and Reliſh for theſe rural Diverſions, will readily give us the Hearing, and think their time not ill ſpent, if they ſee now and then ſomething new, to ſtrike their Fancy, or to put them upon Experiments Innocent, Diverting and Profitable. Soil.] The firſt thing then that I thall ſpeak to, is the Ground or Soil proper to be choſen for a Plantation of Wood. And this being indeed the Foundation of the Whole of what is to be expected, it may be neceffary to premiſe ſome general Rules concerning it. Now altho' Trees will many times thrive on coarte Land, yet it is undoubtedly true that the deeper and richer the Soil is, the more proſperous and taller Trees you may expect; all Trees commonly growing ſhrubby, unfruitful, or unnaturally ſpreading on their Tops, where the Soil is either dry or ihallow. However, I am not for making choice of the beſt Gra- zing or Meadow Ground, which turn to the greateſt Profit other ways; becauſe there are many ſorts of Land not worth above five or ten Shillings an Acre, not very good for either Corn or Graſs, that will do very near as well for Foreſt-Trees. What I would therefore chuſe (if choice may be had) ſhould be of the Loomy nature, and ſuch too wher neither Spade nor Plough has ever come, which I call untried Earth. It is thought that all Soils whatſoever may be reduced to theſe three general Heads ; Sand, Loam, and Clay: Every one of which are alike tending to Vegetation, as having their Proportions of Salt , and Vegetative Matter. But whereas Sand tho' it is hafty in its Productions, yet by its ſiipperineſs and too eaſy ſeparation of its Parts, ſoon loſeth its Riches and Vegetative Power ; and Clay, whoſe Parts are cloſely wrought together, will not part with the Vegetative Matter therein contained, nor eaſily ſuffer the Fibres of Plants and Trees to make their way thro’ it; but if its Parts are ſeparated by digging, and by a due mixture of Sand, or ſome ſuch ſlippery Body, kept open, we ſoon ſee the Effects of its Vigour and Vegeta- tive Power We find indeed Clay has certain Plants growing upon it, which are as it were natural to it, and thrive better in it than in any other Soil; but then there is no ſuch thing as pure Clay; for by every Experiment made upon it, there is always found to be fome Mix- ture of Sand. And Sand likewiſe hath its natural Plants, which delight in it, and will not proſper ſo well elſewhere; but then alſo it muſt be ſaid that all Sandy Soils have a great deal of other Mould and Vegetative Matter mixt with it. So that when it happens that a Soil hath a due and proper Proportion of theſe two, Sand and Clay; this is what may be called Loam; the Middle betwixt the two Extremes, and which hath therefore this Pro- perty belonging to it, that the Trees natural to Clay, and thoſe natural to Sand, will both equally grow and proſper in a Loamy Soil, as Loam partakes of the Qualities both of Sard and Clay. From all the Obſervations I have made about the Natures and Properties of Soil, this I take to be right Reaſoning; and the Uſes to be made of it are many; but I ſhall only at preſent, (beſides what is to our Purpoſe in the choice of Soil for a Plantation) obſerve by the way; that in all our Mixtures and artificial Compoſts contrived to forward Vegetati- on, we ſtrive to imitate Nature, and avoid all indigeſted Dungs and forcing Ingredients. Theſe, tho' they haften Nature, yet make her tire by the way. Whereas in the growth of Plants, Nature's, like the Carriers Pace, is beft; Fair and Softly. Wherefore Dr. Agri- cola’s ingenious Whim of accelerating the Growth of Foreſt-Trees by an artificial Mum- Mya Agriculture and Gardening. 139 Practice: For ſuch Methods have plainly the ſame Effects in Trees as the uſe of hot and my, tho' it may excite Wonder and Curioſity, yet is by no means to be made a common itrong Liquors has in Men:. They raiſe their Spirits , but ſhorten their Lives. After what I have here faid about a Loamy Soil and untried Earth, as what are to be preferred as the belt Foundation whereon to raiſe Woods and Foreſts, the diligent Planter will not be at a Loſs to know how to chuſe. And yet if he cannot chuſe as he would, he ſhould not yet refuſe every Soil that is not exactly agreeable to Loam; becaufe, as Í have obſerved, ſome Trees will thrive in the ſtrongeſt Clays, as the Oak, the Lime and Fir: And others will alſo thrive in Sand or Gravel, as the Walnut, the Aſh and the Sycamore : And others again will flouriſh moſt in low and Marſhy Grounds, as the Poplar the Abele and the Willow. The Seminary.] When therefore a right and proper Place is pitch'd on for a Seminary or Nurſery of Foreſt-Trees, (well guarded if poſſible from the North and Weft Winds) let it firſt be cleared of all Whins, Buſhes and other Trumpery; and then let it be through- out well trench'd with the Spade two Spit deep, caſting the upper part or Surface of the Earth undermoft.This may be thought a conſiderable Charge, but the quick Growth of the Trees will abundantly repay and anſwer it. There is no need to ſtay, to give this Nurſery a Summer and Winter's Mellowing, as ſome (weakly enough) have adviſed; but let the one half of it be well work'd with the Harrow in October and laid into Beds about four Foot wide, and the other half (that eſpecially which may ſeem to want mellowing by the Froſt in the Winter) may be let alone till the Spring, for there are thoſe two Seaſons for ſowing the Maſt, and Both of them are ſometimes attended with Misfortunes ; and beſides, fome Seeds are beſt ſown in Autumn, and others in the Spring. The Seed.] The Ground then being prepared and ready for fowing, and a ſuitable Place allotted for different Seeds by themſelves, chuſe the ripeſt and foundeſt Seed of every ſort, ſuch as eaſily ſhake from the Boughs of the moſt thriving Tree; the shape and weight of the Seed inform which is the beſt, and how they may be ſet, lying on one ſide with their ſmall End to the Earth, from which part they put forth the Root firſt, which when it hath laid hold of the Ground, from the ſame Place ſends forth the Shoot which is to form the Tree. Altho', as I have obſerved, both Seaſons are proper for fowing Maſt, yet it is by many thought that the Maſt of all Trees ſhould properly be ſown when Na- ture directs, eſpecially Acorns, viz. as ſoon as they are ripe. For thoſe which are fown in Autumn have been obſerved for the moſt part to ſucceed, whereas thoſe fo.vn in Spring fometimes miſcarry and fail; owing (as ſome think) to the Rooks and Mice which are then greedy of them ; whereas they are otherwiſe employ'd in Autumn : And yet before February the Seed will be diſpoſed for Growth; and the Land not being then freſh and new broke up, the Rooks, &c. will not be tempted to ſeek for Food, as they always do in new broken up Ground: However, ſtill it is good to make uſe of both Seaſons. Being thus provided with Seeds of all kinds, it is ſtill to be conſidered what forts are proper to be Sown and what to be Set. The heavy and larger Seeds are more proper to be Set regularly in Rows with a Line; ſuch as Acorns, Cheſtnuts and Walnuts; which laſt are itill beſt to be planted with the Green Husk, on, the bitterneſs whereof prevents the Mice meddling with them, which otherwiſe they are very greedy of. The Sycamore, Beech, Elm and Aſh, are moſt proper to be ſown; tho' it ought to be remembred that the Afh-Keys (for Mr. Bradley either forgot himſelf or miſtook) will not come up till the fe- cond Year; and therefore the beſt way is to gather them as you do Haws, and lay them by in Heaps for a Twelvemonth, till Seed-time. Many ſorts of Trees may be propagated by Layers, which is done by flitting the Branches a little way with a Croſs cut, and lay- ing them half a Foot under Mould, and if they do not well comply, peg them down with a Hook. Other Trees may be raiſed of Cuttings, as the Willow, Poplar and Alder. And many alſo from Suckers which come from the Roots : But ſtill the beſt and ſafeſt way is (I think) from the Seed, for theſe Reaſons: (1.) Becauſe they take ſooneft. (2.) Becauſe they make the handſomeft Trees and moſt uniform Shoots. (3.) Becauſe they will neither require ſtaking nor watering, as tranſplanted Suckers and Layers do. Careful weeding of this Seminary and Nurſery for the firſt two or three Years hath been generally thought a very neceſſary piece of Care and good Husbandry ; but I have been told from an ingenious and old Practitioner and Planter, Sir William Huſtler in York- ſhire, that in the Progreſs of his Plantation he has found very little difference betwixt careful weeding and not weeding at all. It muſt be owned that the great Care and Charge which is commonly beſtowed on the Weeding a Plantation is what hath tired many, and frighted more; and if the Succeſs be no way equal to the Charge, the beſt way is to truſt the Plantation to Nature, well guarded from foreign Invaſions of Cattle. Exact Weeding he hath obſery'd bath greatly let in the Summer drought, and ſtunted the Seedlings 140 A New Syſtem of A Seedlings; and if Weeds may a little over-ſhadow the Plants, ſtill they keep the Ground cool and moiſt, which balances the other Inconvenience. The Trial both ways is eaſily made, and I am apt to think if only ſome of the larger Weeds that ſhoot upwards were removed, this Method of Sir William's is beſt and moſt rational. After the Seedlings are two or three Years old, where they are thickeſt, fome ſhould be drawn and tranſplanted into other parts of the Nurſery at proper Diſtances, and the reſt remain for Trees; always ſuppoſing ſtill that the whole be well defended from the Brouze of Cattel, till they are got out of their reach : If at any time you diſcover in the Nurſery an awkward ill-ſhapen Tree, the beſt courſe you can take, is to cut it off ſlope- wiſe at the bottom where the Crookedneſs begins, and the next Year you will find it to make one ſtrait Shoot, and will quickly recover that Diſcipline ſo as to make a fine hand- ſome Tree: I have ſeen at Greencroft at my Friend James Llavering's, Eſq; a young Oak thus ſerved, and I found from the Place of Amputation it had ſhot in one Summer more than three Yards perpendicular. The Objection which ſome make to this, that ſpoils the But-end when it comes to be Timber, is of little weight, becauſe it is ſuppoſed to be cut near the Ground, and then only too when the Tree will not otherwiſe be brought into ſhape and vigour. A ſmall Crookedneſs in a young Tree is much mended by a gentler Diſcipline, viz. Cutting it in the Ham tranſverſly and perpendicularly, three Inches above, and three below the place of bending. Thus much may be thought ſufficient to be ſaid of Nurſeries and preparatory Semi- naries in general; what Directions and Rules are wanting with reſpect to particular Trees will be taken notice of when we come to treat of thoſe particulars : In the mean time, that I may proceed regularly, I ſhall ſet down here a compleat Catalogue of all ſorts of Trees great and ſmall, ſuch as are found to grow in England without Houſing, dividing them into four Claſſes, viz. 1. Large Foreſt-Trees. 2. Foreſt-Trees of a leſs and humbler Size. 3. Ever-Greens. And, 4. Flowring-Shrubs. And I put them here in this View, becauſe ſuch a Collection and compleat Catalogue as this, I have long ſince thought would be a Curioſity that any Gentleman, who is a Lo- ver of Vegetables, thould naturally deſire to have in ſome one part of his Ground, where he may at one View behold all the Sorts and Varieties of Trees and Shrubs, which his Native Country by Art and Care is made to preſent him every Day in the Year. Theſe may be made a very goodly Sight, by having only one of every fort; and Rows of each Claſs placed ſo diſcreetly one before another, the talleſt firſt, the humbler fort of Foreit- Trees next; the Ever-Greens next, and Flowring Shrubs in the Front. and is to our Here Agriculture and Gardening. 141 Here then followeth the Catalogue under their ſeveral Claſſes. {Englis and The Lime and wild. Large Foreſt-Trees. Hackberry Tree, whoſe Fruit Flowring-Shrubs. is harſh and unpalatible. with its Hickery Tree from Carolina. Sena Tree. The Oak Mifletoe. Cotton Tree. Laburnum. The Aſh. Muſcovy Apple Tree. Maracoc or Paſſion-Tree. Witch Mirabolan Plum. Honyſuckle, ſeveral Sorts. The Elm Manna Alh. Fruit and Dutch. Canada Berberry. Pomgranate & double Flower. The Beech. Solanum § Strip'd and The Abele. Ever-Greens. ? Plain. The Aſpine. Yellow and The Poplar. dwarf and Meſerion Scarlet The Ilex { The Walnur. tall. Berry. broad leay'd The Holly: Of many Sorts. Gilder-roſe. The Eugh. Roſe; of ſeveral ſorts. The Sycamore. The Phylerea. Lilac. Alaternus. Dwarf and Almond Leffer Trees. The Box. Standard. Cork-Tree; two Sorts. White, The Alder. $ Engliſh and Juniper { Yellow, Jelamine The Birch. Swediſh. Strip'd, and The Hazel and Filbert. Engliſh Purple. The Horn-beam. Laurel Cherry Althea-frutex Purple, The Marple. Alexandrian. White. The Serviſe. Cypreſs. Tulip-Tree. The Wild Pear. Spirea frutex. Ş Scotch, Silver and Fir The Crab. } । ? Norway. Spaniſh Broom. Black and The Pine. Syringa. Mulberry { { White. Arbor Vitæ. Dog-Tree. The Cheſnut. Ivy, ſtrip'd and plain. Sea Ragwort. Horſe Cheſnut. } Savine. Barba Jovis. Black and Wild Cherry Pyracantha. Virgins Bower. Red. Celaſtrus or Staff-Tree. Periwincle. The Quick-beam. Arbutus. Amara dulcis. White Thorn. New-England, Olive-Tree, Black Thorn. Virginia, Cedar Oleander, or Roſe- tender. Glaſſenbury Thorn. Bermudas, bay, The Withy. Lebanon. Agnus Caftus. The Sallow s common broad- Cytiſus or Bean Trefoil. The Ozier. leay'd. Sage-Tree. Red, White Prim-Roſe-Tree. Roſemary ſtrip'd { Yellow. The Willow White, Dwarf-Plane or Whitten-tree. Sweet. The Bay Sea-Holly Tamaris. Laurus-cinus. The Linden, Lime-Tree, or The Plane. Privet. Wild Lemon. The Elder. Lentiſcus or Maſtic-Tree. The Carob or Bean-tree, ſweet The Medlar. Maternus. The Ciſtus. L' Azzerole. Butcher's Broom. Bladder Nut. The Lotus, or Nettle-T'ree.? Prickly Box Balm of Gilead. The Cornel-Tree. Sothorn Wood. Piſtacia-Tree. Larch or Larix. Snow-drop Tree. Benjamin-Tree. Bucks-horn. Groundſel-Tree from Virgi- Caper-Tree. Accacia. nia. Cackinea, or Tea-Tree. Buckthorn. } Olcaſter. Coccigria. } Roſemary { leay’d. 1 Oo Large 142 A New Syſtem of BO Large Foreſt-Trees. O A K-Tree. T or three. HE Oak is a large Glandiferous Tree, of a hard lafting Wood, rugged Bark, and Leaves waved on the Edges. Of this Tree much is to be ſaid; but the beſt Account I can give is, that a piece of Ground reſpecting the South-Eaſt, rather than full South, and well protected from the North and Weſt, is the beſt for a Seminary or Seed-Plot : This ought to be broken up before the Winter you ſow, to mellow it, eſpecially if it be a Clay, and then the Fur- row would be made deeper, or ſo at leaſt as you would prepare it for Wheat: Or which is beſt of all, you may Trench it with the Spade; by which means it will be the eaſier cleanſed from all Obſtructions: Then having given it a ſecond ſtirring with a Harrow im- mediately before you ſow, caſt and diſpoſe it into Rills, or ſmall narrow Trenches, of four or five Inches deep, and in even Lines at two Foot Interval; for the more commodious Runcation, Hawing, and Dreſſing the Trees. Into theſe Furrows ftrow your Acorns , not too thick, and cover them well with a Rake or Harrow : But (to be more accurate) Set them as you do Beans. Do this in the fiffer Grounds at the latter end of O&tober, and in the lighter about February. Let the Acorns be gathered in their juft Seaſon, that is, when dropping ripe, and from fair thriving Trees : And fix Buſhels of Acorns will fow or plant an Acre of Ground, at one Foot diſtance. Your Plants when they begin to peep, ſhould be Earthed up, eſpecially after breaking of the greater Froſts, and when the ſwelling Mould is apt to Spue them forth; but when they are about an Inch above Ground, you may in a moiſt Seaſon draw them up where they are too thick, and ſet them immediately in other Lines or Beds pre- pared for them; or you may plant them in double Foſſes, where they may abide till they are of a fit Stature to be tranſplanted; and then they ſhould be ſet at ſuch diſtances as the ſeveral kinds of Oaks require ; but if you draw them only for the thinning of your Seminary, prick them into ſome empty Beds at one Foot interval, leaving the reſt at two When your Seedlings have ſtood thus till June, beſtow a ſlight digging upon them, and ſcatter a little halt-rotten Lither, Fearn, or old Leaves among them, to preſerve the Roots from ſcorching, and to retain the Moiſture ; and then in March following, you ſhall chop it all into the Earth, and mingle it together: Continue this Proceſs for two or three Years ſucceſſively; for till then the ſubſtance of the Kernel will hardly be ſpent in the Plant, which is of great Import ; but then (if the Stature of your Plants invite) you may ſet them forth, carefully taking up their Roots; and cutting the Stem within an Inch of the Ground, (if the Kind ſuffers the Knife) ſet them where they are to continue: If thus you reduce them to the diſtance of forty Foot, the Intervals may be planted with Ath, which may be felled either for Poles or Timber without prejudice to the Oak. Some re- peat the cutting we ſpeak of the ſecond Year, and after March re-cut them at half a Foot from the Surface; and then meddle with them no more: But this muſt be done with a very ſharp Inſtrument, and with Care, left you violate or unſettle the Root; which is to be practiſed upon all thoſe that you did not tranſplant, unleſs they are very thriving Trees; and then it ſhall ſuffice to prune off the Branches and ſpare the Tops ; for this Amputation eſtabliſhes your plants by diverting the Sap to the Roots, and frees them from the Injury of the Winds, and makes them handſome ſtreight Shoots, infinitely pre- ferable to ſuch as are abandon’d to Nature and Accident without this Diſcipline: By this means the Oak will become excellent Timber, ſhooting into ſtreight and ſingle Stems : To this I am to add, that as often as you make your Annual tranſplanting out of the Nurſery, by drawing forth the choiceſt Stocks, the reſt will be improv’d by a due ſtir- ring and turning of the Mould about their Roots. In planting preſerve the Roots, and eſpecially the Earth adhering to the ſmalleſt Fibres, which ſhould by no means be ſhaken off; for thoſe tender Hairs are the very Mouths and Vehicles which ſuck in the Nutriment, and transfuſe it into all the parts of the Tree; and theſe periſhing, the larger Roots, hard, and leſs ſpungy, ſignify little but to eſtabliſh the Stem: Therefore we ſhould bind the Mould about them, or transfer the Roots in Baskets, to preſerve it from forſaking them; for this Earth being fitted to the Mouths of the ות ; to Agriculture and Gardening. 143 the Fibres, it will require ſome time to bring them in Appetite again to a new Mould, and may be dangerous. The Pits and Foſſes, into which is deſign’d the Tranſplantation, ought to be prepared and left ſome time open to macerating Rains, Frotts and Sun, that may reſolve the com- pacted Salt, render the Earth friable, mix and qualify it for Aliment, and to be more ea- lily drawn in and digeſted by the Roots and analogous Stomach of the Trees : This to ſome degree may be artificially done, by burning of Straw in the newly open Pits, and drench- ing the Mould with Water, eſpecially in over dry Seaſons. There is no certain Rule at what diſtances Trees ſhould be planted; for various quan- tity of Soils will make Alteration. If thoſe that affect cold and moiſt Grounds be planted in hot and dry Places, then ſet them in cloſer order ; but Trees which covet ſcorching dry Grounds, at farther diſtance. The like may guide in Situations expos’d to impetu- ous Winds and other Accidents; which may ferve for general Rules. To contribute to the Stability of our tranſplanted Trees , ſomething is to be premiſed concerning their ſtaking, and ſecuring them from external Injuries, eſpecially from Winds and Cattle; againſt which, Copices and Woods are ſufficiently defended by the Mounds and their cloſer order ; eſpecially if they riſe of Seed: But where they are expos’d in ſingle Rows, as in Walks and Avenues, the moſt effectual courſe is to empale them with three good quarter Stakes, of competent Length, ſet in a Triangle, and faſtened to one another by ſhort pieces above and beneath; in which a few Brambles being ſtuck, ſecure it abun- dantly, without that choaking or fretting to which Trees are obnoxious that are only ſingle ſtaked and buſhed as the vulgar manner is; and in this the Advantage is more than the Charge. Where Cattle do not come, a piece of Rope tied faſt about the Neck of Trees upon a Whiſp of Straw, to preſerve it from galling, and the other end tightly ſtrained to a Hook or Peg in the Ground (as the Shrouds in Ships are faſtened to the Mafts) ſufficiently eſtabliſhes Trees againſt the Weſtern Blaſts without more trouble, for the Winds of the other Quarters ſeldom infeſt us: And if the Cords be well pitch'd they will ſerve many Years. But notwithſtanding all this, a noble Perſon tells my Author, that in windy Scotland he never ſtakes his Trees, but makes his Servants ſet up again thoſe that are thrown down; and thus they ſtrike Root ſo faſt, that nothing but the Axe is able to proſtrate them; for they looſen the Mould, and ſo prepare it to receive the better Nouriſhment. The Oak carries it from all other Timber whatſoever for the building of Ships, being tough, bending well, ſtrong, and not too heavy, nor eaſily admitting Water. As to the variety of Oaks, there are four ſorts only; two of which are moſt frequently with us : The two frequent Oaks are the Quercus Urbana, which grows more upright, and being clean and lighter is fitteſt for Timber; and the Robur, or Quercus Sylveſtris, which is of an hard black Grain, bearing a ſmall Acorn, and affecting to ſpread in Branches, and to put forth its Roots more above Ground; and therefore in the planting to be allow'd a greater diſtance, viz. from twenty five to forty Foot (nay, ſometimes as many Yards) whereas the other ſhooting up more erect will be contented with fifteen. This kind is farther to be diſtinguiſhed by his fulneſs of Leaves, tarniſh, and becoming yellow at the Fall, and the Roots growing very deep and ftraggling. 'Tis the Propagation of theſe large ſpreading Oaks, which is eſpecially recommended for the excellency of the Timber, which require room to amplify and expand themſelves, and would therefore be planted in Foreſts, at more remote diſtances, and free from all Incum- brances : For by dreſſing, and due Culture, many Years advance is to be gain’d. Both theſe kinds ſhould be taken up very young, and tranſplanted about October ; fome, for theſe hardy and late ſpringing Trees, defer it till the Winter be well over ; but the Earth had need be moiſt; and tho' they will grow tolerably in moſt Grounds, yet do they generally affect the found, black, deep, and faſt Mould, rather warm, than over-wet and cold, and a little riſing : This produceth the fineſt Timber; for as ſays Pliny, this is a general Stature and ſpread more amply in the lower Ground; but the Timber is far better, and of a finer Grain, which grows upon the Mountains. The Timber of thoſe Trees which grow in moiſt and ſhady Places, is not ſo good as that which comes from a more expo- ſed Situation, nor is it ſo cloſe, fubftantial and durable; but yet what is Wind-Thaken ne- per comes to good. Generally the cloſe-grain’d is moſt ſtout and permanent ; and it is to be noted, that the Oak neither proſpers in very hot, nor exceſſive cold Countries: If I were to chuſe the Place for the Tree, it ſhould be ſuch as grows in the beſt Cow-paſture, or upland Meadow, where the Mould is rich and ſweet ; and in ſuch places you may alſo tranſplant large Trees with extraordinary Succeſs; and therefore it were not amiſs to bore and ſearch the Ground where you intend to plant or low, before you fall to work ; ſince 144 A New Syſtem of fince Earth too ſhallow or rocky is not proper for this Timber, the Roots fix not kind- ly; and tho’ for a time they may ſeem to flouriſh, yet they will be apt to dwindle. How- ever, to remove all Diſcouragements, Oaks proſper exceedingly in Gravel and moiſt Clays, even the coldeſt Clay that will hardly graze; but they frequently make ſtands as they meet with variety of Footing; and ſome- times proceed again vigorouſly as they penetrate beyond, or outgrow their Obſtructions, and meer better Earth ; which is of that conſequence, that my Author affirms that more than fifty or an hundred Years advance is clearly gain’d by Soil and Husbandry, In Hampſhire at a place calls Silcefter, there have grown Oaks (ſome of which have con- tain’d ten load a Piece) out of the Walls, which ſeem’d to have ſtruck Root into the very Stones; and in the Foreſt of Dean fome goodly Oaks have grown upon Ground which has been as it were a Rock of antient Cinders, buried there many Ages fince. But it is obſerv'd that Oaks which grow in rough ftony Ground, and obſtinate Clays, are long before they come to any conſiderable Stature; but in time (as has been before obſerv’d) they afford the moſt excellent Timber, having ſtood long, and got good Footing : The fame we may affirm of the lighteſt Sands, which produce a ſmooth-grain’d Timber, of all other the moſt uſeful for the Joiner ; but that which grows in the Gravel is ſubject to be ſhort and brittle. Mr. Evelyn tells us he has made the Experiment of grafting the Oak, but with very little Succeſs; altho' ſome affirm it will take the Pear and other Fruit: But for this cu- rioſity he rather adviſes Inoculation. He does not much encourage the tranſplanting of young Oaks, except the Ground be extraordinarily qualified, or that the Oak be not above ſix or ſeven Foot growth in height: Yet if any will try, let their Stems be of the ſmootheſt and tendereſt Bark; for that is ever an indication of Youth, as well as the paucity of their Circles, which in disbranching and cutting the Head off at five or fix Foot height, may, before you ſtir the Roots, ſerve for the moſt certain guide; and then plant them imme- diately, with as much Earth as will adhere to them, in the Place deftin’d for their Stati- on; abating only the Tap-roots, (which is that downright and ſtubby part of the Roots all Trees rais’d of Seeds do almoſt univerſally produce) and quickening ſone of the reſt with a ſharp Knife, (but ſparing the Fibres whichị are the main Suckers and Mouths of all Trees) ſpread them in the Foſs or Pit which hath been prepared to receive them : Unleſs you will rather Trench the whole Field, which is incomparably the beſt, and in- finitely to be preferred before narrow Pits and Holes, in caſe you Plant any number con- ſiderable. For the Earth is hereby made looſe, eaſier and penetrable for ihe Roots, about which you are to caſt that Mould, which, in opening of the Trench you took from the Surface, and purpoſely laid apart ; becauſe it is ſweet, mellow and better impregnated: But in this Work be circumſpect, never to enter your Stem deeper than you found it ſtanding; for profound burying frequently deſtroys a Tree, tho' it is an Error ſeldom ob- ſery'd: If therefore the Roots be ſufficiently cover'd to keep the Body ſteady and erect, it is enough; and the not minding this ſeemingly trifling Circumſtance, does very much deceive our ordinary Planters and Woodmen: Moſt Roots covet the Air, (altho’ that of the Quercus Urbana leaſt of any; for like the Æſculus, How much to Heaven her tow'ring Head aſcends, So much towards Hell her piercing Root extends.) And the perfection of that does almoſt as much concern the Proſperity of a Tree, as of a Man himſelf. Beſide what has been ſaid, the Poſition muſt be fedulouſly obſerved; for the Southern parts being more dilated, and the Pores expos’d (as evidently appears in their horizontal Sections) by the conſtant Eccentricity of their hyperbolical Circles, being now on the ſudden, and at ſuch a Seaſon converted to the North, does ſtarve and retard more Trees, how careful ſoever the Roots have been order'd, and Ground prepar'd, than any other Ac- cident whatſoever (neglect of ſtaking and defending from Cattle excepted ;) the Importance whereof ought to be conſidered; Mr. Evelyn having ſometimes tranſplanted great Trees at Midſummer with ſucceſs (the Earth adhering to their Roots) and miſcarried in others where this Circumſtance only was omitted. The bigger the Tree, the more this Circum- ſtance is to be regarded. To obſerve therefore the Coaſt, and the ſide of the Stock (eſpecially of Fruit Trees) is not a Trifle, as ſome pretend: For if the Air be as much the Mother, or Nurſe, as Water and Earth, as more than probably it is, ſuch bloſſoming Plants as court the Motion of the Meridian Sun, do as it were evidently point out the Advantage they receive by their Poſition, by the Clearneſs, Politure, and comparative Splendor of the South Side: And the frequent Modlineſs Agriculture and Gardening. 145 Moſſineſs of moſt Trees on the oppoſite Side, ſufficiently denotes the Unkindneſs of that Al- pect; and which is moſt evident in the Bark of Oaks, white and ſmooth; the Trees grow. ing more kindly on the South Side of an Hill , than thoſe which are expos’d to the North, with an hard, dark, rougher and more moffy Integument, which has been experimented on moving ſome Trees to a Northern dripping Shade. Whole Hedge-Rows of Apples and Pears have periſhed after their Shelter has been remov’d: The good Husbands expected the contrary, that the Fruit ſhould improve, as freed from the Predations of the Hedge; but Uſe and Cuſtom made the Shelter neceſſary; and therefore a Stock for the Time is the weaker taken out of a Thicket, if it be not well protected from all ſudden and fierce Invaſions either of crude Air or Winds. There are other Rules concerning the Situation of Trees, altho' when ſomething ſhel- ter'd from North, Eaſt, and Weſt, 'tis beft; as alſo from Marſhes, unwholeſome Fogs, Hills and Seas, which expoſe them to the Weather; but particularly from thoſe Sylvifra- giventi, or cruel and tedious Wefiern Winds; altho' thoſe which ſtanding in Winds do con- quer and are not ſhaken, are the moſt ſtrong and ſolid, eſpecially Trees expos’d to the North : But a hot Gravel and looſe Earth doth ſeldom well; for an Oak in good Ground thall double its Growth, tho' next to this and perhaps before it) is preferr'd good Air. We thall ſometimes fee Woods to all Appearance growing on the fame Soil, when one Oak of the fame Age will contain double to another in Heart and Timber: And that in one the Heart will not be ſo big as a Man's Arm, when the Trunk exceeds a Man's Body. This ought to be well weighed in the firſt Plantation of Copſes, and a good Eye may diſcern it in the firſt Shoot, the Difference proceeding from the Variety of the Seed; there- fore let it be gather'd from the beſt ſort of Trees. To tranſplant an old Tree was formerly eſteem'd a wild and difficult Enterprize; yet Count Maurice (Governor of Brazil) planted a Grove near his Paradiſe of Friburg, con- taining fix Hundred Coco-Trees of eighty Years Growth, and fifty Foot high to the neareit Bough: Theſe he wafted upon Floats and Engines, four long viles, and planted them ſo ſucceſsfully, that they bare abundantly the very firſt Year; and Monſieur de Fiat (a Marſhal of France) hath with huge Oaks done the like at Fiat. Alſo a great Perſon in Devon, planted Oaks as big as twelve Oxen could draw, to ſupply ſome Defect in an Avenue to his Houſe; and the Lord Fitz-Harding practis’d the removing of great Oaks in the follow- ing manner : Chuſe a Tree as big as your thigh; remove the Earth from him ; cut through all the collateral Roots, till with a competent ſtrength you can force him down upon one ſide, ſo as to come with your Axe at the Tap-root; cut that off, re-dreſs your Tree, and ſo let it ſtand cover'd about with the Mould you looſen'd from it, till the next Year, or longer if you think fit; then take it up at a fit Seaſon; it will likely have drawn new tender Roots apt to take, and ſufficient for the Tree, whereſoever you ſhall tranſplant him. To faciliate the Removal of large Trees, for the Adornment of ſome particular Place, or the Rarity of the Plant, there is this Expedient: A little before the hardeſt Froſts, make a ſquare Trench about your Tree at ſuch Diſtance from the Stem, as you judge ſufficient for the Root; dig this of competent Depth, ſo as almoſt to undermine it, by placing Blocks and Quarters of Wood, to ſuſtain the Earth; this done, caſt in as much Water as may fill the Trench, or at leaſt ſufficiently wet it, unleſs the Ground were very moiſt be- fore: Thus let it ſtand till ſome very hard Froſts do bind it firmly to the Roots, and then prepare it to the Pit, made for its new Situation, which you may preſerve from freezing by laying Store of warm Litter in it, and ſo cloſe the Mould the better to the ftraggling Fibres, placing what you take out to your new Gueſ, to preſerve it in Temper : But if the Mould about it be over heavy, you may raiſe it by a Crane, or Pully hanging between a Triangle, which is made of three ſtrong and tall Limbs united at the Top where a Pully is faſtened, as the Cables are to be under the Quarters, which bear the Earth about the Roots : For by this means you may weigh up, and place the weighty Clod upon a Trundle to be convey’d, and re-planted where you pleaſe, being let down perpendicularly into the Place by the Aſiſtance of the aforeſaid Engine. And by this Addreſs you may tranſplant Trees of a wonderful Stature without the leaſt Diſorder, and many times without topping or diminution of the Head; which is of great Importance, where this is practi- fed to ſupply a Defeet, or remove a Curioſity. Trees of ordinary Stature tranſplanted (being firſt well water’d) muſt be ſufficiently ſtak'd and buſh'd to protect them from the Violence of Wind, Rubbings of Cattle, or ſuch like; till being well grown and fixed (which may be in four Years) they shall be able to withstand all accidental Invaſions but the Axe: For I am now come to their Pru- ning and Cutting, in which work the Seaſons are of great conſequence. Therefore PP 146 A New Syſtem of Therefore from Timber-Trees cut off no Heads, nor be too buſy with Lopping; but for Shade, Fuel, or Mait, lop off their Tops, and prune unthriving Branches only. If you intend an out-right Felling, expect till November ; otherwiſe the Sap not being perfectly at reſt, the Worms will breed there: But for the Chimney you need not be ſo punctual . The beſt time of Felling is juſt before they begin to decay; but ſuch as appear decaying are firſt to be cut down, and then thoſe that are approaching to it; but the plain thri- ving indulged till laſt. The beſt way to know the State of the Tree, is to bore with a middling Piercer, made Auger-faſhion, and to examine what Subſtance comes by the fre- quent pullings out. Some will pronounce ſhrewdly the State of a Tree, by digging a little about the Roots ; and when the Tree periſhes at Top, it is ever a Mark of great Decay in the Roots. There is alſo a ſwelling Vein, which diſcovers itſelf eminently above the reſt of the Stem, altho' inveſted with Bark like the reſt, and which frequently circles about the Tree like Ivy, which is an infallible ſign of Hollowneſs. The common Seaſon for this work is about the End of April , (when the Bark does commonly riſe freely.) Men greatly differ in this Point: But without doubt, while the Trees are over moiſt they are not ſo fit for the Axe, for they are more obnoxius to Putrefaction and the Worm; wherefore it is adviſed before a Fall to make a Gaſh to the Pith, that the whole Moiſture may diſtil; for the Veífels that aſcend in the Bark, are called the Arteries, and thoſe that deſcend in the Sap, I may rather ſay the Trunk, are the Veins. Some ſuper- ftitious Perſons lay great ſtreſs upon the time of the Moon and Day, when Timber ſhould be felld; and not only ſo, but the Strength of the Wind, and the Corner from whence it cometh ; which latt indeed may be of ſome uſe in conſideration of the Place where it is deſign’d to lie; but otherwiſe the Woodman would make but ſmall Riddance, and be like the Husbandman in the Proverbs, that minded the Winds, and therefore cou'd neither fuw nor yeap. In order to Felling of Timber (in caſe of buying) Mr. Evelyn approves of Markham's Advice, who ſays, “ Survey your Woods as they ſtand, immediately after Chriſtmas; and " then divide the Species in a Note-Book, and conſider for what Purpoſes every Kind is “ moſt uſeful: After this, reckon the bad and good together, that one may put off the “ other without gleaming the beſt Timber. This done, learn the marketable Prices near- “ hand of the ſeveral forts; as what ſo many Foot ſquare and long is worth for the ſeve- “ ral Employments; what Planks and other Scantlings, &c. are fit for ſo many Spokes, Rings, Pales, Poles, Spars, &c. As ſuppoſe it were Afh, to ſet apart the largeſt for S the Wheelwright, the ſmalleſt for the Cooper, and that of ordinary Scantling for the " Ploughs, and the Bruſh to be kidded and ſold by the Hundred And ſo all other forts of “ Timber, viz. large, middling Stuff and Poles, &c. allowing the Waſte for the Charges ss of Felling, &c. All which you ſhall compute with greater certainty, if you girt it “ with a String, and reduce it to the ſquare, &c. by which you may give a near Gueſs : 65 Or you may mark ſuch as you intend to fell; and then begin your Sale about Candle- mas, till the Spring ; before which you muſt not lay the Axe to the Root; tho’ for “ ſome particular Ules, as for Ploughs, Carts, Axle-Trees, Harrows, and the like, it is to cut in O&tober; and indeed were it not for the ſake of the Bark, every “ Oak ought to be cut down before February. One of the firſt and moſt principal things with Workmen in Felling of Trees, is the skilful disbranching of the Boal of all ſuch Arms and Limbs as may endanger it in the Fall; and therefore in a very great Arm, chop a Nick under it cloſe to the Boal, that ſo meet- ing with the downright Strokes, it may be ſever'd without Splitting. In Trees, what is call’d the Male, is much harder than the Female. If you deſign a freſh one to grow from the Roots, fell your Tree as cloſe to the Ground as poſlible; beſides, the longer the Stick of the Tree felld, the better it is for many Uſes. Some will not cut a feedling Oak, ſo as to have any thing grow from its Root, becauſe they ſay it produces a reddiſh Wood not acceptable to the Workman; and that the Tree that grows on the Head of his Mother does ſeldom arrive to be good Timber. It is obſerv’d, that one foot of Timber near the Root (which is the proper Kerfe or Cutting-place) is worth three farther off: But let this be enquir'd into, and it ſeems to be of no great weight. When your Tree lies on the Ground, then ſtrip off the Bark, and ſet it ſo as it may dry beſt ; 'then cleanſe the Boal of the Branches which were left, and ſaw it into Lengths for ſquaring. And to make excellent Boards and Planks, ſome adviſe you ſhould bark your Trees in a fit Seaſon, and ſo let them ſtand a Year before Felling; which ſeems rational enough. Before Timber is remov’d, the Dew ſhould be off. Lay up your Timber very dry, in an airy Place, out of Wind or Sun, and laying along one Piece upon another, interpoling fome 66 common Agriculture and Gardening. 147 ز ſome ſhort Blocks to preſerve them from Mouldineſs, which they uſually contract while they ſweat; and which frequently produces a kind of Fungus, eſpecially if there be any fappy Parts remaining. Some Perſons ſubmerge their Timber in Water to hinder the clea- ving, and this is good. Lay therefore your Boards a Fortnight in the Water, and then ſetting them upright in the Sun and Wind, ſo as it may freely paſs through them, turn them daily; and thus treated, newly fawn Boards will floor better than by many Years dry ſeaſoning. But to prevent all poſſible Accidents, let the Joints for your Floors be ſhot, fitted and tack'd down only for the firſt Year, nailing them for good and all the next : For thus they will not in the leaſt ſhrink. But I take it, Oak is but little uſed for floor- ing of Houſes. Among Wheelwrights, the Water-ſeaſoning is of eſpecial Regard. The Venetians, for their Arſenal Proviſion, lay their Oak fome Years firit in Water. Some commend Buryings in the Earth; and there are Seaſonings of the Fire for hardening of Piles, which are to ſtand either in the Water or the Earth. But notwithſtanding theſe Seaſonings, the greeneſt Timber is ſometimes deſireable for ſuch as carve and turn; but for Doors, Windows, Floors, and other cloſe Works, it is alto- gether to be rejected. Therefore 'tis beſt to chuſe ſuch as is of two or three Years ſea- loning, and in the mean between moiſt and dry. Timber which is cleft is not ſo obnoxious to rift and cleave, as what is hewn, nor ſquar’d, as round. Large Columns bored through from End to End, is an excellent Preſervative from ſplitting ; tho' to cure this Accident, rubbing with a Wax-cloath is good; or before it be converted, the ſmearing it over with Cow-dung, which prevents the Effects both of Sun and Air, if it muſt be expoſed. The Hollanders coat their Timber that is expos’d to the Sun with a Mixture of Pitch and Tar, on which they ſtrew powder'd Cockle-ſhells mixt with Sea-land and Scales of Iron beaten ſmall, which arms them after an incredible manner. But the Timber muſt be well dry’d; and to prevent Fire, they rub them with a Waſh made of Allom. The moſt ponderous Timber is beſt for all Uſes, and what ſinks deepeſt in the Water is ſuch; alſo freedom from Knots and Sap is a great Excellence. Some affirm, that old Oak, old Walnut, and young Ah, are beſt for moſt Uſes; but in Ship-building it does not hold, for old Timber will be apt to be brittle. That Timber is eſteem'd beſt that grows moſt in the Sun, and on a dry and hale Ground; for thoſe Trees which fuck lealt are hardeſt and longeſt liy’d: The Climate therefore contributes much to its Quality, and the Northern Situation is preferr'd, tho' there are ſome Exceptions. The Wood under Ground is thought to be worth almoſt as much as what is above; for tho’’tis leſs, yet ’tis of more value for many Purpoſes. As to the Felling of Fuel-Wood, begin with the Under-wood, eſpecially Oaks, as ſoon as they will ſtrip, but not after May; and ſo fell as the Cattle may have the browſing; but fell no more in a Day than they can eat; then kid or bavin them on the Ends to pre- ſerve them from rooting: Thus the Under-wood being gone, the reſt will proſper the better. If you head or top for the Fire, begin three or four Foot above the Timber, if it be conſiderable; but if only ſhaken Trees and Hedge-Rows, ſtrip them even to thirty Foot high; and 'twere good to top ſuch as wither at the Tops a competent way be- neath, to prevent their Sickneſs downwards, which will elſe certainly enſue; whereas, thus dying Trees may be preſerv'd, tho’ they never advance taller. This is a profitable Obſer- vation for ſuch as have old doating, or any ways infirm Woods. In other Fellings, diſ- branch from Bottom to Top: And for cutting for Fuel, you may at the Sides cut a Foot or more from the Body; but never when you ſhred Timber-Trees. 'Tis ill to cut Fire- Wood when the Sap is up, for 'twill never burn well. Eaſt and North Winds are reckon'd unkind to the ſucceeding Shoots. Oaks from the firſt Semination are in ſome Places ready to be cut for Coppice in four- teen Years; and ſome Acorns ſet in Hedge-Rows, have in thirty Years, Stems of above a Foot diameter. Generally Coppice-wood ſhould be cut cloſe, and at ſuch Intervals as the Growth requires; which being feldom conſtant, depends much on the Places and the Kinds, the Earth and the Air, to direct us. Oak for Tanners Bark may be felld from April to the laſt of June, by a Statute of 1 Jacobi. Nothing is more deceitful than ſtanding Trees, fo various are their hidden Infirmities, till they be felled and fawn out. A Timber-Tree, whether of Oak or other Wood, is com- pard to a Merchant Adventurer ; you ſhall never rightly know what he is worth till he is dead. With Oak, Houſes, Ships, Cities and Navies are built ; and ſome is ſo tough and ex- tremely compact, that our ſharpeſt Tools will hardly enter it, and ſcarcely the very Fire itſelf; in which it conſumes but ſlowly, as ſeeming to partake of a ferruginous and me- و tallin 148 A New Syſtem of tallin ſhining Nature, proper for ſundry robuſt Uſes. It is doubtleſs, of all Timber hithera to known, the moſt univerſally uſeful and ſtrong : For tho' ſome Trees are harder, as Box, Cornus, Ebony, and divers of the Indian Woods, yet we find them more fragil, and not ſó well qualified to ſupport great Incumbencies and Weights ; nor is any Timber more laſting, which way ſoever uſed. That which is twined and a little wreathed; (eaſily to be diſcern'd by the Texture of the Bark) is beſt to ſupport Burthens; for Potts, Columns, Summers, &c. for all which, our Engliſh Oak is infinitely preferable to the French, generally ſpeaking 'Tis found that the rough-grain'd Body of a ſtubbed Oak; is the fitteft Timber for En- gines, Pales, Laths, Cooper's Ware, Clap-board for Wainſcot, &c. and ſome Pannels are cu- riouſly vein’d. There is in New-England a certain Red Oak, which being fell’d; they ſeaſon in ſome moiſt and muddy Place, which branches into very curious Works. Oak is excellent for Wheel-Spokes, Pins and Pegs for tyling, &c. the knottieſt for Water- Works, Piles, and the like; the crooked, and yet firm, for Knee-Timber in Shipping, Mill- Wheels, &c. Of Coppice-Oak, Hoops are made much better than of Hazel; for they being of the youngeit Shoots, are exceeding tough and ſtrong. One of them being of Ground Oak will out-laſt ſix of the beſt Aſh; the ſmaller Truncheons and Spray make Billet, Bavin and Coals; and the Bark is of Price with the Tanner and Dyer, to whom the very Sawa duft is of uſe. The Ground-Oak, while young; is uſed for Poles, Cudgels and Walking-Staves. Moſt Roots have ſome excellency for fair, beautiful, chamleted and lafting Timber, applicable to many Purpoſes; ſuch as formerly made Hafts for Daggers, Hangers, Knives, Handles for Staves, Cups, Tobacco-Boxes, and elegant Joiner's Work, and even for ſome Mathematical Inſtruments of the larger Size, &c. Neither is to be omitted the Galls, Miſletoe, Polypod, Agarick, Fungus's to make Tinder; and many other uſeful Excellencies, to the Number of above twenty, which diſcover the Variety of Virtues of this admirable Tree. Acorns are a good Feed for Hogs, and other Cattle. 'Tis faid, a Peck of Acorns a Day with a little Bran, will make a Hog increaſe a Pound Weight a Day for two Months to- gether. They give them alſo to Oxen, mingled with Bran, chopp'd or broken, other- wiſe they are apt to ſprout. Some adviſe to macerate them firſt in Water to extract their Malignity, left the Cattle by a new Food periſh. They are moſt proper for Swine, and being made ſmall, will fatten Pidgeons, Peacocks, Turkeys, and other Poultry. Acorns were heretofore the Food of Men, and in the Time of the Romans the Cuſtom was in Spain to make a ſecond Service of Acorns and Maſts, as the French now do of Marrons and Cheſnuts. And ſome Authors mention an Oil of Acorns chymically drawn, which they affirm to be of the longeſt Continuance, and leaſt conſumptive of any Lamps and Lights. Oaks alſo bear a Knur full of a cottony Matter, of which they antiently made Wick for their Lamps and Candles. Varro affirms, that Salt was made of Ouk, which they fome- times uſed for Meat; but chiefly to ſprinkle among and fertilize their Seed-Corn; and with- out doubt 'twas better for their Corn and Meat, for ſuch may be made of our Pot- Aſhes. Of the Galls is made the Grounds and Baſis of Inks, and ſeveral Dies, eſpecially fadder Colours. The white Moſs compoſes the choiceſt Cypruſs Powder, which is eſteem'd good for the Head. Young red Oak Leaves boild in Wine, make an excellent Gargle for a ſore Mouth; and almoſt every Part of the Oak is a ſovereign Medicine againſt Fluxes in general. The Water of May-Dew from Oak Leaves is of admirable Effect in Ruptures; and the diſtillid Water of Acorns is reckon'd good againſt the Phthiſick, Stitch in the Side, and heals inward Ulcers, breaks the Stone, and refrigerates Inflamations; being apply'd with Linnen dipp'd therein: And ſome affirm, that the Acorns eat faſting, kill the Worms, provoke Urine, and break even the Stone itſelf; to ſay nothing of the Viſcusºs, Polypods, and other Excreſcencies, of which innumerable Remedies are compos’d; ſome of which fee under the Head of Mifletoe. As we have had in all Ages, Oaks of prodigious Stature and Growth in many Part sof England, I ſhall here take ſome notice of them. The Duke of Norfolk, in Workſop Park, had an Oak ſpreading almoſt 3000 ſquare Yards, under the Shade whereof, near a Thou- ſand Horſe might commodiouſly ſtand at once. Dr. Plot, in his Hiſtory of Oxfordſhire, mentions an Oak near Clifton, ſpreading from Bough-End to Bough-End eighty one Foot, Thading in Circumference 560 ſquare Yards of Ground, under which 'twas computed 24,20 Men might very well ſtand in Shelter: And a bigger near the Gate of the Water- Walk at Magdalen College, whoſe Branches ſhot 16 Yards from the Stem: Likewiſe of another at Ricat, the Lord Norrey's Park, under, which 4374 Men could ſufficiently ſtand. This was that Robur Britannicum ſo much celebrated by the Author of Dodona's Gruve. Agriculture and Gardnenig. 149 In Denington Park near Newbury were three Oaks ſaid to be planted by Jeofrey Chaucer ; one was so Foot high before any Bough or Knot appear’d, and cut five Foot ſquare at the But-end, all clear Timber : The ſecond held 40 Foor excellent Timber, ſtrait as an Ar- row in Growth and Grain, and cutting four Fool at the ſtub, and near a Yard at the top; beſides a Fork of almoſt ten Foot clear Timber above the Shaft: This Oak was of a kind ſo excellent, that it cut a Grain clear as any Clap-board. And the third call’d Chaucer's Oak, was a very goodly Tree; and it's remarkable that theſe Oaks were not 300 Years old. This was a gravelly Clay Soil, moiſten’d with ſmall and frequent Springs. At Framingham in Suffolk grew the Oak which furniſh'd the Main-maft of the old Royal Sovereign, which was 99 Foot long, 35 Inches diameter: But this Tree was exceeded by the Oak which afforded the Beams that lay thwart her, the Diameter whereof was four Foot nine Inches, which yielded four ſquare Beams of four and forty Foot each. In Sheffield Lordſhip near to Rivelin, ſtood an Oak which had 18 Yards without Bough or Knot, and carried a Yard and ſix Inches ſquare at the ſame height or length; and not much bigger near the Root: And in Sheffield Park there was an Oak calls the Lady's Oak, that contain’d 42 Tun of Timber, which had Arms that held at leaſt four Foot ſquare for ten Yards in length; the Body fix Foot, of clear Timber. At Firth's Farm there was an Oak valued at 80l. In the upper end of Rivelin ſtood the Lord's Oak, of twelve Yards about: And in the ſame Park was a Tree, which when cut and laid flat up- on a level ground, two Men on Horſe-back cold not ſee each other over it. At Reedham in Norfolk grew an Oak valu'd at 40 l. the Timber, and 12 l. the Lop-Wood. In a Cop- pice of my Lord Craven’s there was an Oak that yielded 19 Tun and a half of Timber, 23 Cord of Fire-wood, 2 Load of Bark. Sir Edward Harley tells us, in a Park of his he had an Oak the Trunk whereof did compleatly ſeat with Wainſcot Pews a whole Church ; and that he had ſeveral other Trees of the ſame Stature : But his Trees were but Chips in compariſon of a Tree in the Neighbourhood, in which every Foot forward, one with another, was half a Ton of Timber; it bore five Foot ſquare, and forty Foot long, &c. and the Boughs afforded twenty five Cord of Fuel Wood. This Gentleman declar'd in a Letter to Sir Robert Morray, that he was aſſur’d by an Inquiſition taken about three hundred Years from that Time, that his Park and ſome adjacent Woods, had not then a Tree capable to bear Acorns ; yet that Park he had ſeen full of great Oaks, and moſt of them in the extremelt wane of decay. This ſeems to determine the Age of Trees, according to the common Obſervation, that an Oak is one hundred Years a growing, one hundred Years at a ſtand, and another hun- dred in its decay. The MISLE TOE. TH HIS Plant uſually growing upon ſome or other kind of the Foreſt-Trees, well de- ſerves a Place amongſt them : And both for its extraordinary Virtues, and for its uncommon way of Propagation, highly merits a very particular Deſcription. Pliny in his Natural Hiſtory is very full in treating of this curious Super-Plant; but our modern Ob- fervations about the manner of its Growth and Propagation, and its Uſe in Phyſick, ſo far lurpaſſing every thing that was ſaid of it by the Antients, I ſhall content my ſelf to obſerve, that the great Veneration and Eſteem which the Druids, formerly Prieſts and Philoſophers of this Illand, acquired to themſelves, proceeded from the almoſt miraculous Cures which they performed by means of the Mijetoe of the Oak, which was in a peculiar manner held Sacred with them. However, I think our ingenious Country-man, Sir J. Colbatch, in his ſhort Treatiſe of the admirable Virtues of this Plant, hath given right and ſtrong Reaſons, that the difference of Trees doth little or nothing alter the Nature of the Plant. And therefore concludes, that there are the ſame Virtues to be found in the Miſletoe, up- on what Tree ſoever it grows: And the general Method of its Propagation he hath found to be this. “ There is a Bird generally known by the Name of the Mijletoe Thruſh; which Name I s ſuppoſe it derives from its feeding upon Mifletoe Berries during the Winter-Seafon : " From the Pulp of the Berries it is nouriſhed, but the Seeds are diſcharged with the ** Excrement undigeſted. Now the Excrement being of a flimy Nature, ſticks faft to " the Branches of the Trees, upon which it falls, and if there be any crack in the Bark, there the Seed lodges itſelf, and produces a Plane the next Year: The Excrement be- ing of the Nature of Birdlíme, and Birdlime, as it is ſaid, being to be made of the Ber- Q9 or ries 150 A New Syſtem of 55ries of this Plant, gave riſe, I ſuppoſe, to that very old Saying, that * Turdus cacat ſui 66 Excidium. How this Plant thrives in hotter Climates, and whether it will be perſwaded to grow upon Ever-greens like itſelf, I have never yet learnt ; but the artificial way of propagating it, where you have a mind, is to open the Bark of the Tree with a Knife, and therein tº ſtick the Seed in the Winter-Seaſon when it is ripe. But it ſhould regularly be placed on the upper part of a Branch running horizontally, that it may be ſupply'd with Dews and Rain for its Nouriſhment and Growth. Mr. Bradley obſerves, that the manner of making its firſt Roots from the Seed, is by ſending out from its Center three Claws, which fix themſelves on the Bark of the Tree in three Points of a Triargle, and are at their Extremities like the Mouths of Leaches, whereby they draw their Nouriſhment. After it is become a Plavt of ſome bigneſs, it proceeds to bloſſom and bear Fruit, and will live to a great Age. There have been ſeveral Experiments try'd to make it grow in the Ground or prepared Earth; but I could never hear of any, that have ſucceeded, even with the utmoſt Care. Some bave imagined that it much weakens the Tree on which it grows, becauſe it commonly is found on old Trees; but there cannot be much in that. Old Trees rather than young ones being more ſubject to Cracks and Accidents, which give Life to the Seeds there ſcattered. And it is very much to be queſtioned whe- ther the Miſletoe receives its full Nouriſhment from the Juice of the Tree; becauſe tho' it is indeed alive in the Summer-time, when the Sap moſt freely circulates, yet it is then but alive, and doth not begin to flouriſh, till the Sap abates of its Vigour and Activity, and the Leaves of the Tree begin to drop. Inſomuch that the Berries of this extraordinary Plant are not full ripe till the latter end of December; and which is more extraordinary ſtill, it is obſervable that the Rigour and Severity of the Winter adds much to the Vi- gour and Verdure of the Milletoe. All which conſidered, makes it highly probable, that it derives its principal Support and Nouriſhment from the Vegetable Particles floating in the Air. This might be proved by an eaſy Experiment of circumciſing the whole Bark of the Branch on which it grows, two or three Inches wide below, ſo as to hinder any Communication of the Sap that way. The ingenious Sir J. Colbatch hath recommended the Virtues of this wonderful Plant to the World with great Force and Spirit, to be uſed chiefly in all Epileptick Caſes. His Hiſtory of Cures performed thereby are indeed ſurpriſing: But there is a good deal of care to be taken in preparing its Powder. His method is, at the latter end of December to gather the Leaves, Berries, and tender Twigs, drying them altogether over a Baker's Oven, where there was a conſtant gentle Heat. After that he had it made into very fine Powder to be put into a Glaſs covered with a Bladder, and kept in a very dry Place, The larger Stalks he alſo kept dry'd for Decoctions and Infuſions. He tells us of a diſtreſſed Youth of twelve Years of Age, who for five Years had laboured under violent convulſive Fits, without hopes of Remedy. He gave him only half a Dram of the Powder made into a Bolus with Syrup of Peoneys every ſix hours, and after it a large draught of a ſtrong Infuſion of the Stalks bruiſed and ſweetned with Syrup of Peoneys, and it ſucceed- ed fo well, that he had not one Fit from the time he began to take this glorious Medi- cine, for a Month or more ; and never one Cataleptick Fit to the day of his Death. In ſhort, it is now generally accounted one of the belt Specificks in all Epileptick Caſes, and is ſo much better in its kind than the Jeſuits Bark, that, contrary to the Nature of that, the more of it is taken, ſo much the better. ASH-TREE. TH HE Aſh is a Tree which bears its Seeds in ſingle Teguments, and theſe Seeds are contained in membraccous Coverings, or Seed-Veſſels, it hath winged Leaves, a ſmooth Bark, and a tough Wood. The Aſh is with us reputed Male and Female, for that the one bears Keys, the other never any; the one affecting the higher Grounds; the other the Plains, of a whiter Wood, and riſing many times to a prodigious Stature: So as in forty Years from the Key, an Aſh hath * It is more than probable, that this was what Theophraſtus, in his Hiſtory of Plants, had in his Eye, when he relates, that a Bird, having let fall a Grain of Seed, which it could not digeſt, into the Cleft of a Branch, the Subſtance mix'd and incorporated so with the Tree, that it grew, and gave the firſt hins and occaſion to Grafting. been Agriculture and Gardening. 151. been fold for thirty Pounds Sterling : And 'ris credibly reported, that one planted ſo many Aſhes as in his own Life-time were juſtly valu'd at Fifty Thouſand Pounds. The Keys being gathered from a young thriving Tree, when they begin to fall (which is about the end of Oktober) are to be laid in a place to dry, and then fowed any time be- twixt that and Chriſtmas, but not altogether ſo deep as Beech Maſts: They will lye a full Year in the ground before they appear; and becauſe you muſt carefully fence them all that time, therefore if you would make a conſiderable Wood of thein at once, dig or plough a Parcel of ground, as you would prepare it for Corn; and with the Corn, eſpe- cially Oats, ſo alſo good ſtore of Keys; take off the Crop of Corn, or ſeed it in its Sea- fon, and the next Year following ’t will be covered with young Afhes, which will be fit either to ſtand (which is beſt) or be tranſplanted for divers Years after: And theſe will be far better than thoſe from Woods, (eſpecially Suckers, which are worth nothing) being re- mov?d at one Foot ſtature, the ſooner the better, and well defended from Cattle. The rea- ſon of this haſty tranſplanting, is to prevent their obſtinate and deep rooting, which makes them hard to be taken up when they grow older; and being remov'd they take no great hold till the ſecond Year, after which they come, away amain : Yer ſome of five and fix Inches diameter have thriven as well as the ſmaller Trees. You may accelerate their ſpring- ing by laying the Keys in Sand, and ſome moiſt fine Earth, or a row of Earth and a row of Keys; but lay them not too thick, nor double ; and in a cover'd, tho’airy Place, for a Winter before you ſow them; and the ſecond Year they will come away greatly, ſo as you trim and cleanſe them. Cut not their heads at all, not by any means the fibrous part of the Root; only the downright, or tap-root, is to be totally abated : And this ought to be in the Months of October, or November, and not in the Spring. 'Tis better to ſpare the bead than the ſide-branches of the Afh, (which while young may be cut cloſe) becauſe being yet tender, it is but pithy, and of a ſpongy Subſtance; but being once well fixed, you may cut him as cloſe to the Earth as you pleaſe ; it will cauſe him to ſhoot prodigiouſly, ſo as in a few Years to be fit for Pike-ſtaves; whereas, if you take him wild out of the Foreſt, you muſt of neceſſity. ſtrike off the head, which much impairs it. Young Aſbes are ſometimes in Winter Froſt-burnt, black as Coals; in which caſe it is beſt to cut them down to the very bottom: For from the low Cuttings come out Ground- Aſhes, ſo much ſought after for Arbours, Eſpaliers, and other Pole-works : They will ſpring in abundance, and may be reduced to one for a Standard-Tree, or Timber. Aſho will be propagated from a Bough ſlipp'd off with ſome of the old Wood, a little be- fore the Bud ſwells, but with difficulty by Layers. Such as they reſerve for Spears in Spain, they keep ſtript up cloſe to the Stem, and plant them in cloſe order, and moiſter Places; theſe they cut above the Knot in January, which is rather of the lateſt. "Tis ill to plant Aſh in Plow-Lands, kept in Tillage ; for the Roots will be obnoxious to the Coulter, and the Branches dripping upon Corn ſpoils it. But in Hedge-Rows and Plumps they will thrive exceedingly, and without doing injury, where they may be dif- pos'd at nine or ten Foot diſtance, and ſometimes nearer. But in planting a whole Wood of ſeveral kinds of Trees for Timber, every Third at leaſt ſhould be an Afh. Some ſay, (but it is not very material) that the Aſh will receive a Graff of its own kind; or be ino- culated with the Pear and Apple. The beſt Aih delights in the beſt Land, (which it will ſoon impoveriſh) yet grows in any ; fo as it be not over ſtiff, wet, and approaching to the marſhy, unleſs it be firſt well drained: By the Banks of Chryſtal Streams they thrive infinitely. There is as much difference in the Timber of the Aſh as the Oak; much more than is found in any one kind of Elm. The Ground-Afh (like the Oak) much excels a Bough of the ſame bulk of Elm for Strength and Toughneſs : And in farther emulation of the Oak, it has been known in ſome Places to prove as good and laſting Timber for Build- ing, nay, preferr'd before it, where there has been plenty of Oak; valt difference there is alſo in the ſtrength of Ground and Quarter'd- A. 'Tis likewiſe remarkable, that the Aſh grows when the Bark is as it were peeled off. Some Aſh is curiouſly camleted and vein'd lo dif- ferently from other Timber, that 'tis priſed equal with Ebony, and has the Name of Green Ebony. The uſe of Aſh is (next to that of the Oak itſelf) one of the moſt univerſal : It ſerves the Soldier for Spears, the Carpenter, Wheelwright, Cartwright for Ploughs, Axle-Trees, Harrows, &c. and makes the beſt Oars, and Blocks for Pulleys and Sheffs, as Seamen name them : It alſo ſerves the Cooper, Turner, and Thatcher; and nothing is like it for Gar- den Paliſade-Hedges, Hop-Yards, Poles, Spars and Handles, Stocks for Tools, Spade-Trees, &c. The Aſh is uſeful from the Pike to the Plough. There is extracted an Oil from Ajh, by the proceſſion of other Woods, which is excellent to recover the Hearing, fome drops of it 152 A New Syſtem of it being diſtilled warm into the Ears ; and for the Caries or Rot of the Bones, Tooth- ach, pains in the Kidnies and Spleen, the anointing therewith is moſt ſovereign. The Chymiſts commend the Seed of Ajn as an admirable Remedy for the Stone. The dead Leaves of Aſh afford (like thoſe of the Elm) Relief to our Cattle in Winter ; and there is a Dwarf fort in France, whoſe Berries feed the poor People in ſcarce Years ; but it bears no Keys like to ours, which being pickled, afford a delicate fallading. But the ſhade of the Aſh ſhelters a noxious Infect; and for their leafing fo late, and falling ſo foon, they are not to be planted either for Umbrage or Ornament, eſpecially near the Garden, becauſe the Roots are prejudicial, and the long-leav'd Stalks are drawn by cluſters into the Worm- holes, and ſo foul the Allies with their Keys. The Truncheons of this Wood make the third ſort of moſt durable Coal, and is the ſweeteſt of our Foreſt-Fuelling, being fittelt for Ladies Chambers: It will burn even when green, and the Sap is yet in it. The Seaſon for felling of this Tree, is when the Sap is fully at reft; for if it be cut down too early or late, it will be ſo obnoxious to the Worm, as greatly to prejudice the Timber; therefore be ſure not to fell till the three Mid-winter Months, beginning about November. But in lopping of Pollards (as of ſoft Wood) it is beſt to ſtay till towards the Spring, and that the Lops grow not too great. As ſoon as a Pollard comes to be conſiderably hollow at the head, cut it down, for otherwiſe the Body will decay more than the head is worth. The ſame is to be done with taller Alhes, where the Woodpeckers make holes, which conſtantly indicates their being faulty or rotten. As to the further Virtues of the Aſh, it may be obſerved, that the Juice thereof is much recommended as a ſovereign Remedy againſt Poiſon, and the ſting of Serpents. Pliny ſpeaks of this Tree as of a wonderful Vulnerary; and aſſures us, that in all Nature there is no Specifick for healing of Wounds, and againſt Poiſon, that can be compared to the Juice of the young Shoots and Leaves of Ath. According to his own Experience, he gives this Deſcription of it. The Juice of Ath (faith he) is a powerful Remedy againſt the biting of Serpents, for to drink of it will perform the Cure. Apply fome Leaves of this Tree to a Wound and it will heal. I know not any Remedy ſo ſpeedy and certain ; and I believe there is nothing in the World ſo good and ſafe. The Aſh is ſo powerful a Remedy againit Serpents, that neither in the Evening nor Morning, when the ſhade of the Tree itretches furtheft, no Serpent whatſoever will dare to paſs under it. And I know by my own Experience, that a Serpent encloſed with Aih-Leaves, and a Fire throughly kindled, will throw himſelf rather into the Flames, than croſs over the Leaves *. But indeed, ſince the Days of Pliny, many other Virtues have been diſcovered in the Ath; and among the wonderful things ſaid of it, if but one half of them were true, we ſhould find in this ſingle Tree almoſt an entire Difpenfatory; and the Leaves, the Wood, and the Juice of the Aſh, would be ſufficient to furniſh an Apothecary's Shop. † Schottas has collected no leſs than thirty ſeven Virtues, which the Germans aſcribe to the ſeveral Parts of this Tree. To which I refer the Curious. But after all; I cannot but wonder, with Mr. Evelyn, at the univerſal Confidence of our Botaniſts, who are apt to take things upon Truſt from one another, eſpecially if they can ſupport a Paradox by the Authority of ſo great a Man as Pliny: How they can affert a thing ſo improbable and ſo contrary to Truth, as the Serpent avoiding an Afh-Bough, and chuſing the Fire. Pliny himſelf, I doubt, gave into many things only on Hear-lay and Report; and his Followers have done very ill to ſpread many of his Miſtakes. Contra Serpentes verò Succo expreſſo ad potum, & impoſita Ulceribus, opifera ac nihil æqué reperiuntur Fraxini folia : Tantaque eit vis, ut ne matutinus quidem occidente fue Umbras, quæ ſunt longiffimæ Serpens ar- boris ejus attingat, adeò ipſam procul fugiat. Experti prodimus, fi fronde ea gyro claudatur Ignis & Serpens, in Ignem potius quam in Fraxinum fugere Serpentem. Hiſt. Nat. Lib. xvi. Cap. 13. † Schottus Joc. Ser. Nat. & Art, Cent. 3. Propof. Pag. 299. E LM- Agriculture and Gardening. 153 EL M-TREE. TH HE Elm is a Tree bearing its Seeds in ſingle Teguments or Coverings, that are membranaceous, with falcaceous Husks, whoſe Leaves are rough and indented, and ha- ving a rugged Bark. Of theſe Trees, Mr. Evelyn ſays there are four or five forts; but we reckon two or three only are moſt worthy of our Culture : The vulgar Engliſh, or Mountain-Elm, be- ing of a leſs jagged and ſmaller Leaf; and the Dutch or French-Elm, whoſe Leaves are thicker and more florid, delighting in the lower and moiſter Grounds, where they will ſometimes riſe to above an hundred Foot in height, and a prodigious growth in leſs than an Age; there is alſo the Witch-Elm. It has been generally thought that the Elm has no Seed, but Experience ſhews the con- trary; and though all of theſe are commonly rais’d of Suckers, yet they grow and come well from the Seeds, which are ripe about the beginning of March, or the following Month. To raiſe them of their Seeds, being well dry'd a day or two before, and ſprink- led in Beds prepared of good loamy freſh Earth ; fift ſome of the fineſt Mould thinly over them, and water them when need requires : Being riſen (which may be within four or five Months) an Inch above ground, refreſh'd and preſerv'd from the ſcraping of Birds and Poultry, comfort the tender Seedlings by a ſecond lifting of more fine Earth to eſtabliſh them; thus keep them clean weeded for the firſt two Years, and cleanſing the Side- boughs; or till being arriv'd of fitting Stature to remove into a Nurſery at wider Inter- vals, and even Rows; you may thin and tranſplant them in the ſame manner as you do young Oaks; only they ſhall not need above one cutting, where they grow lefs regular and hopeful. But becauſe all this is ſomething troubleſome, 'tis adviſed that Suckers ſhould rather be planted about the end of Oktober, when they will grow very well. Even Stakes of Elm Tharpen'd at the ends for other purpoſes, take root familiarly in moft Grounds, and become Trees. Truncheons of the Boughs and Arms, about a Yard or Ell long, chop'd on each ſide oppoſite, and laid into Trenches half a Foot deep, and covered about two or three Fingers with good Mould, increaſe abundantly. The Seaſon for this work is about the end of January, or early in February, if the Froſts hinder not; and after the firſt Year you may cut or faw the Truncheons off in as many places as you pleaſe, and as the Shoots and rooted Sprouts will direct you, for Tranſplantation. Beſides theſe ways for propagating Elms, let Trenches be funk twenty or thirty Yards from ſuch Trees as ſtand in Hedge-Rows, and in ſuch Order as you deſire your Elms where theſe Trenches are, many young Elms will ſpring from the ſmall Roots of the adjoining Trees: Divide after one Year the Shoots from their Mother-Roots with a ſharp Spade; theſe tranſplanted will prove good Trees, without damage to their Progenitors. Or lop a young Elm, the Lop being about three Years growth; do it in the latter end of March, when the Sap begins to creep up into the Boughs, and the Buds are ready to break, into Lengths of four Foot flanting, leaving the Knot where the Bud ſeems to put forth in the middle: Inter theſe in Trenches of three or four Inches deep, and in good Mould well trodden, and they will infallibly produce you a Crop, for even the {malleſt Suckers of Elms will grow (being fet) when the Sap is newly ftirring in them. There is yet a fourth way no leſs expeditious : Bare fome of the Maſter-Roots of a vi- gorous Tree within a foot of the Trunk, and with your Axe make ſeveral Chops, put- ting a ſmall Stone into every Cleft, to hinder their cloſure, and give acceſs to the Wet; then cover them three or four Inches thick with Earth; and thus Mr. Evelyn aſſures, that one ſingle Elm well order'd will make a fair Nurſery, which after two or three Years, you may ſeparate and plant in the Place deſign'd for them; and which, if it be in clumps, within ten or twelve Foot of cach other, or in Hedge-Rows, it will be the better : For the Elm is a Tree of Confort, Sociable, and ſo affecting to grow in Company, that the very beſt do almoft touch one another; this alſo protects them from the Winds, and cauſes them to ſhoot of an extraordinary Height, ſo as in a little more than forty Years they arrive to a Load of Timber, provided they be carefully cultivated, and the Soil pro- pitious. An Elm does not thrive ſo well in the Foreſt, as where it may enjoy Scope for the Roots to dilate and ſpread at the ſides, as in Hedge- Rows and Avenues, where they have the Air likewiſe free. They do very properly by Layers alſo. Of all the Trees in our Woods, none better fúffers a Tranſplantation than the Elm; for you may remove a Tree of twenty Years growth with undoubted Succeſs. My Author has tranſplanted an Elm as big as his Waſte; but it was disbranched all but the Summit, which was entire, and he took him up with as much Earth as he could, and refreſh'd him ſhould grow ; RI 154 A New Syſtem of him with abundance of Water : This is an excellent and expeditious way for great Per- Sons to plant the Acceſſes of their Houſes with; for being diſpos’d at ſixteen or eighteen Foot interval , they will in a few Years bear goodly Heads, and thrive to admiration. Some emplaiſter the wounded Head of ſuch over-grown Elms, with a Mixture of Clay and Horſe-Dung, bound about with a Whiſp of Hay or fine Moſs, which may do well if tem- per's ſo as the Vermin neſtle not in it. For more ordinary Plantations (not Viſtas's and Avenues) younger Trees which have their Bark ſmooth and tender, clear of Wens, about the ſcantling of your Leg, and their Heads trimm'd at five or ſix Foot height, are to be preferr'd before all others; but Experience tells us we can hardly plant an Elm too big, provided you lop his Head in a due Proportion to what hath been taken from the Roots. There is no Tree whatſoever becomes Walks and Avenues comparably to this Majeſtick Plant. At the Eſcurial, belonging to the King of Spain, are planted, for Leagues toge- ther, theſe Trees'; and ſome of them forty Yards high, are kept ſtript almoſt up to the very top Branch, which renders a moſt glorious and agreeable Sight. And the Elm is, by reaſon of its aſpiring Nature (unleſs it be topp'd to enlarge the Branches and make it ſpread) the leaſt offenſive to Corn and Paſture Grounds, to both which, and the Cattle that feed therein, they afford a kind Shade and Defence, and are at the ſame time an agreeable Ornament. The Elm delights in a found, ſweet, and fertile Land, ſomething more inclined to Loamy Moiſture, where good Paſture is produced, tho' it will proſper in the gravelly Land, pro- vided there be a competent depth of Mould, and it be refreih'd with Springs; in defect of which, being planted on the very Surface of the Ground (the Swarth par'd firſt away, and the Earth ſtirred a Foot deep or more, they will undoubtedly ſucceed; but in this Trial, let the Roots be handſomely ſpread, and cover'd a Foot or more in height, and above all firmly ſtack’d. This is practicable alſo for other Trees, where the Soil is over- moiſt, or unkind: For as the Elm does not thrive in too dry, fandy, or hot Ground, no more will it abide the cold and ſpungy; but in Places that are competently fertile, or a little elevated from theſe Annoyances, as we ſee in the Mounds and calting up of Ditches, the Female fort upon the Banks thereof does naturally delight. It ſhould be planted as ſwallow as may be; for (as I am willing often to repeat it) deep interring of Roots is a great miſtake. And new planted Elms are to be kept moiſt, by frequent refreſhings, upon ſome half-rotten Fern and Litter laid about the Foot of the Stem, the Earth being a little ſtirr’d and diſpers’d for the better Reception and Retention of the Water. The Plantations muſt be carefully preſerv'd from Cattle, and the Concufîons of impetuous Winds, till they are out of the reach of the one, and ſturdy enough to en- counter the other. When you lop the Side-boughs of an Elm, be careful to indulge the Tops; for they protect the Body of your Trees from the Wet, which always invades thoſe Parts firſt, and will in time occaſion them to periſh to the very Heart : This Lopping may be done about January for the Fire; and more frequently, if you deſire to have them tall , or that you would form them into Hedges; for ſo they may be kept plafh’d, and thicken'd to the higheſt Twigs, affording a moſt magnificent and noble Defence againſt the Winds and Sun. When you would fell this Tree, let the Sap be perfectly in repoſe ; as is commonly about November or December, after the Froſt has well nipp'd them. And I am told, that both Oak and Elm ſo cut, the very Saplings will continue as long as the Heart of the Tree, for ſome uſes, without decay. In this work, cut your Kerfe near to the Ground, but have a care that it ſuffer not in the fall, and be ruin'd with its own Weight : This in- deed is a neceſſary Caution in the felling of all other Timber-Trees. If any begin to doat, pick out ſuch for the Axe, and rather truſt to its Succeffor. Elms have been grafted, ſome think, to a great Improvement of their Heads. Virgil tells us they will join in Marriage with the Oak, eſpecially if you graft under the Earth, upon or near the Root itſelf, which is likely to entertain the Cyon better than when more expos’d, till it be well fix’d, and have made ſome conſiderable Progreſs. A fair advance for ſpeedy growth, and noble Trees, may be aſſuredly expected from the grafting of young Elms with the beſt of their kinds; and where the goodlieſt of theſe are growing, the Ground would be plough'd and finely raked in the Seaſon when the Scales fall; that the Showers and Dews faſtening the Seed when the Wind drives it, it may take root, and haften (as it will) to a ſudden Tree : And if ſuch were planted near to one another, it is almoſt incredible what a Paleing they would be to our moſt expos’d Plantations, mounting up their wooden Walls to the Clouds. Was eid as mais brand new the pool w SE BOVEN When Agriculture and Gardening. 155 When Quickſet is planted, Mr. Evelyn adviſes to plant an Elm every twenty or thirty Foot; and if in planting Elms at competent Spaces, and in Rows, you open a Ring of Ground at about four Foot diſtance from the Stem, and prick in Quickſet Plants, you may after a while keep them clipp'd at what Height you pleaſe; and to preſerve them from outward Annoyances. Elms are apt to be hollow, which is commonly caus'd by ig- norant or careleſs Lopping, whereby the Wet falls perpendicularly upon a Part, eſpecially the Head: In this Caſe, if there be ſufficient ſound Wood, cut it to the Quick, and cloſe to the Body, and cap the hollow Part with a Tarpaulin, or fill it with good itiff Loam, Horſe- Dung, and fine Hay mingled: Old broken Boughs, if very great, are to be cut off at ſome diſtance from the Body; but the ſmaller, cloſe. The Oak will ſuffer itſelf to be made a Pollard, that is, to have its Head quite cut off; but the Elm fo treated will periſh to the Foot, and certainly become hollow at laſt, if it eſcape with Life. It may not be amiſs to inform the Curious here, that if the Elm is deſired to grow tall and ſtrait, without any ſmaller Branches out of its Body or Stem, the cutting off ſuch Branches at Midſummer, effectually anſwers that Purpoſé; for after that you will ſee no more of them. In the Mannor of Norton, in the Pariſh of Ebbiſham in Surrey, there were, not long ſince, Elms in good numbers, which did bear almoſt three Foot ſquare, for more than forty Foot in Height: They grew in a moiſt Gravel, and in the Hedge-Rows. Dr. Plot in his Natural Hiſtory, tells us of an Elm in Oxfordſhire, at leaſt fix Yards diameter near the Ground: And alſo of a Wich-Elm, that was ſo very great and tall, that two able Workmen were five Days in felling it; that it fell forty Yards in Length, was at the Butt-end ſeventeen Yards in Circumference, eight Yards and a half about by Girth Mea- ſure in the Middle, and contain'd about ninety ſix (if not one Hundred) Tun of Timber; beſides Lop and Top, which made above threeſcore Loads of Fire-wood: This Tree grew at Field in Staffordſhire ; and the Account of it is well atteſted by Sir Harvey Bagot and others. As to the Uſes of Elm for Pumps and Water-Pipes, I find none like it : It is a Timber in moſt ſingular uſe, eſpecially where it may lie continually dry or wet, in Extremes ; there- fore it is proper for Water-works, Mills, Pumps, Aquæduets, Pales, Ship-planks beneath the Water-line, &c. Some Elm that has been fouud buried in Bogs, has turn'd like the moſt poliſh'd and hardett Ebony; only diſcerned by the Grain : For the Wheelwright, Chop- ping-blocks, Blocks for the Hat-maker, Trunks and Boxes, to be cover'd with Leather ; this Wood is of uſe; alſo for Coffins, Dreſſers, Tables of great Length, for the Carvers Work, and moſt of the Ornaments appertaining to the Orders of Architecture. And beſides theſe and many other Uſes, this Wood makes the ſecond ſort of Charcoal. The Leaves of this Tree, eſpecially the Female, being dried in the Sun upon the Branches, and the Spray ſtripped off in Auguſt, are a great Relief to Cattle in the Winter, and in ſcorching Summers, when Hay and Fodder are dear; they will eat them before Oats, and thrive exceedingly well with them. In ſome Parts of Herefordſhire they gather them in Sacks for their Swine, and other Cattle. The green Leaf of the Elm contuſed, heals a green Wound or Cut; and boild with the Bark, conſolidates fractur’d Bones: All Parts of this Tree are abſterſive; and therefore ſovereign for conſolidating Wounds, and to al- ſwage the Pains of the Gout. A Decoction of the inward Bark has been much uſed in Gargariſms, or Mouth-waters : And a Decoction of it may be alſo made an admirable diuretic Medicine. Mr. Switzer obſerves, that he always look'd upon what Salmafius had ſaid concerning raiſing Elms of Chips, to be but a fabulous Story; till upon buying a great many in Ox- fordſhire for the Plantations at Blenheim, it was confirmed in ſeveral Places, and one eſpe- cially where there was a very fine Nurſery of Elms about five or fix Inches diameter, where the Perſon who was the Owner of them, aſſured him, that within thirty Years be- fore, there was not one Elm, nor any thing like it near them; but that upon hewing a great many Elm-Trees for building a Barn, they were perceived the next Year to ſpring up; and taking care to preſerve them from the Cattle, they had come to that Stature he ſaw them in. Rightly enough ſuppoſing, that it might probably be from thoſe Knots which grow thick on Elms, rather than the common Chips; or indeed rather from ſome of the green tender Branches trod in, or accidentally covered in the Ground. This is one of the Trees chiefly to be recommended for Avenues leading to the Houſe : The Walk ſixty Foot broad, and the Trees to be ſet forty Foor aſunder. BEECH- 156 A New Syſtem of the Beech-TREE. T a HE Beech is a nuciferous European Tree, containing in one common Husk ſeveral Leaf, and having a ſmooth Bark, with its Nuts or Mait of a triangular Figure. The ingenious Mr. Evelyn, from Palmerius, tells us, that the Beech in Theophraſtus muſt needs be the Oak, and ſhews his Reaſons : But leaving this, there are of Fags, or Beeches, two or thee Kinds with us : The Mountain Beech, (where it moſt affects to grow) which is the whiteſt, and moſt ſought after by the Turner; and the Campeſtral or Wild Beech, which is of a blacker Colour, and more durable. They are both to be raiſed from the Maſt, and govern'd like the Oak; and that is certainly the beſt Way of furniſhing a Wood, unleſs you will make a Nurſery; and then you are to treat the Maft as you are inſtructed in the Account of Ajhes, ſowing them in Autumn, or later, even after January, or rather nearer the Spring, to preſerve them from Vermin, which are very great Devou- rers of them: But they are likewiſe to be planted of young Seedlings, drawn out of Places where the fruitful Trees abound. In tranſplanting them, cut off only the Boughs and bruiſed Parts, two Inches from the Srem, to within a Yard of the Top; but be very ſpa- ring of the Root: This is for ſuch as are of pretty large Stature. They make ſpreading Trees, and roble Shades with their well furniſhed and gliſtering Leaves, being fet at forty Foot diſtance; but they grow taller and more upright in the Foreſts, where at eight or ten Foot they ſhoot into very long Poles, but are neither very apt for Timber or Fuel: In the Vallies, where they ſtand warm and in Confort, they will grow to a ſtupendious Height, tho' the Soil be itony and very barren: Allo upon the De- clivities, Sides, and Tops of high Hills, and chalkey Mountains eſpecially; for they will ſtrangely inſinuate their Roots into the Bowels of thoſe ſeemingly impenetrable Places, not much unlike the Fir. Virgil reports, it will graft with the Cheſnut; and being prun’d, it heals its Scars immediately, but is not apt to put forth ſo ſoon again as other Trees. The Beech ſerves for various Uſes: With it the Turner makes Diſhes, Trays, Buckets, and other Utenſils, Trenchers, Dreſler-Boards, &c. It is alſo uſeful to the Wheeler, Joiner, and the Upholſterer, for Chairs, Stools, Bedſteads, &c. For Fuel, Billet, Bavin and Coal, though one of the leaſt laſting. If the Timber lies always under Water, 'tis little inferior to Elm. Of the thin Lamina or Scale of this Wood, are made Scabards for Swords, and Band-Boxes; Boxes for Writings, Hat-Cafes, and formerly Book-Covers; ſome commend it for Oars. The Maft is of great uſe to fat our Swine and Deer; and hath in fome Fa- milies, even ſupported Men with Bread. Cbios endur'd a memorable Siege by the Benefit of this Maſt. The Leaves (which make the moft agreeable Canopy all the Summer) being gathered in Autumn, and before they are much Froſt-bitten, afford the beft Mattrelles to lay under Quilts inftead of Straw; for which Purpoſe they are uſed by Perſons of Quality abroad. Floats for Fiſher's Nets, inſtead of Cork, are made of its Bark: The Shavings of the Wood are good to fine Wines ; and the Aſhes of Beech, with a proper Mixture, excellent to make Glaſs with. In the Cavities of theſe Trees, Bees much delight to hive themſelves: The ſtagnant Water in the hollow Trees, cures the moſt obſtinate Tetters, Scabs and Scurfs in Man or Bealt, fomenting the Part with it; and the Leaves chewed, are good to preſerve the Gums and Teeth. It is very remarkable, that from the Malt of this Tree, an exceeding ſweet Oil is extracted, even not inuch inferior to the Oil of Olives; and hath been accordingly uſed in Sallads. Mr. Aaron Hill, ſeveral Years fince, wrote a Book of its Virtues, and to recommend its Uſe: And although his Views might not be altogether juſtifiable, yet his Relation of Facts were right, viz. That the Oil is ſweet and good for almoſt all Úſes; that the Quantity of Oil extracted from the Maſt, is no leſs than a Gallon from a Buſhel; and that the Tree once at leaſt in three Years, never fails to afford a vaſt Quantity, ſometimes forty Buſhels from one Tree. The late ill Management of ſome Undertakers Thould not make one ceaſe to wonder, that ſo profitable a Tree ſtands every where neglected, and that its laden Boughs will not excite the Induſtry and Diligence of an enterprizing Age. ASPEN Agriculture and Gardening. 157 ASPEN and POPLAR, ABELE, &c A S to Alper and Poplar they are well known, and eaſily propagated; therefore I ſhall ſay the leſs. The Shade of Poplar is eſteemed very wholſome in Summer ; but they do not become fine Walks or Avenues, by reaſon of their Suckers; and that they foul the Ground at the Fall of the Leaf. The Leaves are good for Cattle; which muſt be ſtrippd from the cut Boughs before they are faggotted: And this is to be done in the middle of Oktober, and reſerved in Bundles for Winter Fodder. The Wood of White Poplar is ſought after by the Sculptor; and they ſaw both forts into Boards, which, where they lie dry, continue a long time. The Aſpen is a White Poplar, as likewiſe is the Abele : They are beſt propagated of Suckers from the Roots, the leaſt of which will take; and may in March, at three or four Years Growth, be tranſplanted. In Flanders there are large Nurſeries of them; and we now, within twenty Miles of London, have them plentiful enough. The Planting is eaſily learn'd, and in three Years they will come to an incredible Altitude; in twelve Years be as big as your Middle; and in eighteen or ewenty, arrive to full Perfection. By theſe, in a little time a Man may have his Houſe in a Wood, where a little before, there did not grow a Tree. The Black Poplar grows rarely with us, but plentifully abroad: And there is a Mountain Poplar near Vienna, of which, ſome Trees have yielded Planks of a Yard in Breadth. N. B. The planting this Tree in or near Gardens, is by no means to be encouraged, and the Practice is always repented ; for that it annoys all the Ground round about it, with its troubleſome Suckers from the moſt extended Roots The beſt uſe of the Poplar and Abele, is for Walks about low Grounds; but when they come to grow old, they are apt to become knurry, and out of Proportion. The Timber is incomparable for all ſorts of white wooden Veſſels, as Trays, Bowls, Dimes, and other Turner's Ware; and of eſpecial Uſe for the Bellows-Maker, becauſe it is almoſt of the Nature of Cork; and for Ship-Pumps, though not very folid, yet very cloſe : Allo for Wooden-heels for Shooes, &c. likewiſe to make Carts, becauſe it is exceeding light; for Vine and Hop- Props, and divers vimineous Works. The Loppings in January are for the Fire; but this Wood burns untowardly, and rather moulders away, than maintains any ſolid Heat : Of the Twigs, with the Leaves, are made Brooms, where Birch and Broom are wanting. The Juice of Poplar Leaves, dropp'd into the Ears, affwages the Pain ; and the Buds contusid and mixt with Honey, is a good Collyrium for the Eyes; as the Unguent is to refrigerate and cauſe Sleep Of the Aſpen-Tree our Woodmen make Hoops, Firewood, and Coals, &c. WALNUT TREE. T HE Walnut is a Nuciferous European Tree, containing in one common Husk one Nut, of winged Leaves, odorate, having a rugged Kernel, divided into ſeveral Lobes. Mr. Evelyn ſays, that the Wall or Welch-Nut is of ſeveral ſorts ; the ſoft Shell and the hard, the whiter and the blacker Grain : The black bears the worſt Nut, but the Timber is much to be preferr'd; theſe we might get from Virginia and propagate here; they bear a Square Nut, are of all other the moſt beautiful, and the beſt worth planting; but had we ſtore of theſe, we ſhould deſpiſe the reſt of our own Product. Thoſe of Grenoble are next eſteem'd, for their Uſe to the Cabinet-Makers. In all Events, be ſure to plant from young and thriving Trees, bearing full and plump Kernels : Though it ſhould be obſerv'd that you are never ſure of having the fame Tree from the Nut, becauſe Nature for the moit part degenerates. The beſt way to raiſe them, is to plant the Nuts, and ſet them at the diſtance you wou'd have them ſtand; for which Purpoſe, beat them off the Trees, ſome Days before they quit the Branches of themſelves, and keep them in their Husks, or without them till Spring, or bed them (being dry) in Sand or good Earth till March, from the time they fell , or were beaten off the Tree. In March the Nurs are to be planted, or it may be fooner, if they are interi'd in their Husks; by reaſon che extreme Bitterneſs thereof renders them deadly to Worms, &c. It is good to ſtrew ſome Furzes (broken or chopp'd ſmall) SC under 158 9 A New Syſtem of ing A you ſtrip up under the Ground amongſt them, to preſerve them from Mice and Rats, when their Shells begin to wax tender; eſpecially if you fupple them in warm Cow's Milk, as ſome Perſons do; when ſprouted, you are to plant them where they are to abide, but they are moſt impatient of tranſplanting: If there be an abſolute neceſſity of removing them, let your Tree never be above four Years old; and then by no Means touch the Head with your Knife, nor cut away ſo much as the very Tap-Root, being ſo old, if you can well diſpoſe of it; ſince being of a pithy and hollow Subſtance, the leaſt Diminution or Bruiſe will greatly endanger the killing. It may be propagated by a Branch ſlip'd off with ſome of the old Wood, and ſet in February; and 'tis certain they will receive their own Cyons be- ing grafted, (and grafted on the Aſh they will thrive exceedingly) which improves their Fruit, and makes you ſure of the ſort: Some put a Tileſhard under the Nuts when firſt ſet, to divaricate and ſpread the Roots, which are otherwiſe apt to penetrate very deep: And ſome fay, they may be tranſplanted when as big as one's Middle, better than when much younger. The beſt compoſt is the ſtrewing of Aſhes at the foot of the Trees, the Salt where- of being impregnated with the Nitre of the Air, and waſh'd into the Earth, is the beſt dreſſing; whilſt the Juice of the fallen Leaves, though it kill the Worm, is noxious to the Root. This Tree doth not refuſe to thrive among others, and in great Woods, provided the collateral Arms: It delights in a dry, found, and rich Land, eſpecially if it incline to a feeding Chalk or Marle;, and where it may be protected from the cold Winds (though it affects Cold rather than extreme Heat) as in great Pits, Vallies, and Highway-Sides; alſo in ſtony Grounds if loamy; and on Hills, eſpecially Chalky; likewiſe in Corn-Fields, (lixty or an hundred Foot diſtant) where it is ſo far from injuring the Corn, that it is look'd upon as a great Preſerver, by keeping the Ground warm, nor do the Roots hinder the Plough. Walnut-Trees render moſt graceful Avenues to Country Dwellings, and do excellently near the Hedge-Rows; but had need be planted at forty or fifty Foot diſtance, becauſe they affect to ſpread both their Roots and Branches. In Germany there are Arbours of thele Trees for many Miles together; and other very extenſive Plantations of them: In England we have likewiſe great Plantations of Walnuts; at Sir Robert Clayton's near Godſtone in Sur- rey there are ſeventy Acres of Ground that is planted, whereof a great Part are theſe Trees; and his Garden alſo has ſeveral Nurſeries of young Trees to ſupply their Defects. About Carſe-Halton there are many thouſands of theſe Trees, which celebrate the Induſtry of the Owners, and reward it with infinite Improvement. The French uſe the Wood of this Tree for moſt domeſtick Affairs : It is of ſingular account with the Joyner for the best grain’d and colourd Wainſcut; the Gunſmith uſes it for Stocks; the Coach-Maker for Wheels and Bodies of Coaches; the Drum-Maker for Rimbs; and the Cabinet-Maker for Inlayings, eſpecially the firm and cloſe Timber about the Roots, which is admirable for Chambletted Works. Some Wood, particularly ſuch as comes from New-England, &c. is very black of Colour, and ſo admirably ſtreak'd as to re- preſent natural Flowers, Landskips and other Fancies. The Fruits of the Walnut, with Husk and all, when tender and very young, are fit for Preſerves; and for Oil, of an extraordinary uſe with the Painter in Whites and other de- licate Colours, alſo for Gold-Size, and Verniſh : The Husks and Leaves being macerated a Month in warm Water, and that Liquor poured on Walks and Bowling Greens, infallibly kill the Worms without endangering the Graſs. The green Husk dry’d, or the firſt peeping red Buds and Leaves reduc'd to Powder, ſerves inſtead of Pepper to condite Meats and Sauces. The Husks boild make a good Colour to dye dark Yellow; and the Diſtillation of its Leaves with Honey and Urine, makes Hair ſpring on bald Heads. One Drachm of the inner Bark dried, is a ſtrong Vomit, 'tis faid for a lufty Man: For a Pain in the Side, a Pint of the freſh Oil of this Nut gives immediate Eaſe; and the Juice of the outward Rind makes an excellent Gargle for a fore Throat. Water of the Leaves mun- difies and heals Ulcers; and the Water of the Husk is ſovereign againſt Peſtilential Dil- tempers. One Buſhel of Nuts will yield fifteen Pounds of peeld and clear Kernels, and that, half as much Oil, which the ſooner 'tis drawn, is the more in Quantity, tho' the dryer the Nut, the better in Quality. The young Nuts before they thell, or at leaſt before tle Shell grows hard, are ſold in the Phyſick Markets of London abundantly, the Juice of which is a principal Ingredient in Treacle Water. The green Nuts preſerv'd are eſteemid better than the ſimple Water ; but perhaps not by way of Medicine. We endeavour to imi- [ate Mangoes with green Walnuts, and alſo with large Cucumbers, or rather ſmall Melons, &c. which are excellent Pickles. Tis Agriculture and Gardening. 159 'Tis better to cudgel off the Fruit, when dropping ripe, than to gather it by Hand; and ſome believe beating improves the Trees : That the Husk may open, lay them in a dry Room, ſometimes turning them with a Broom, but without waſhing, for fear of Mouldineſs': Thoſc Nuts which come not eaſily out of their Husks, ſhould be laid to Mellow in heaps, and the reſt expos’d in the Sun till the ſhells dry, elſe they will be apt to periſh the Kernel. Some Perſons keep them in their own Leaves, or a Cheft of Walnut-tree Wood; others in Sand, eſpecially if you will preſerve them for a Seminary: Do this in Oktober, and keep them little moiſt, that they may ſpear, to be ſet early in February: Thus after two Years they may be remov'd a Yard aſunder, cutting the Tap-Roots and ſide Branches, but ſparing the Head; and being two Yards high, bud and remove them immediately, that you may be ſure of a good fort. After the Nuts are beaten down, the Leaves ſhould be ſweep'd into Heaps and carried away, becauſe their extreme Bitterneſs impairs the Ground, and prejudices the Trees. Old Nuts are not reckon'd wholeſome till macerated in warm, and almoſt boiling Waters; but if you lay them in a Leaden Pot, and bury them in Earth free from Vermin, they will keep very plump the whole Year about, and may eaſily be blanched. vod It may be further obſerved of the Walnut, that it is one of the moſt profitable Trees that can be planted, and if it likes its Situation and Soil, is a quick grower. It will not indeed thrive on the Tops of bleak Hills nor in wet Vales, but it will proſper well both on the ſides of Hills, and in dry Vales; in Soils that are either Chalky or Gravelly, or Loamy. It refuſes almoſt no Soil but ſtrong Clay, and barren Sands: But ſo great is the difference betwixt a Walnut removed with the Loſs of its Tap-Root, and another of the fame Age ſtanding in the Nurſery without a Remove, that Mr. Bradley tells us he obſerved one of the Laſt after forty Years was valued at five Pounds, whilſt one of the Firſt of the ſame Age was not worth thirty Shillings, tho' they ſtood both together. N. B. They will never thrive where they are much expoſed to cold Winds. LIME-TREE. TE HE Lime-Tree bears its Seeds in ſingle Teguments or Coverings, contain'd in round Buttons. It hath broad Leaves ending in a Point, being ſmoother above than uni- derneath, bearing a ſweet Bloſſom, and a round Fruit, about the bigneſs of a Pea, contain- ing one Seed Mr. Evelyn tells us that of theſe Trees there are two kinds, the Male (which ſome think but a finer Sort of Elm) and the Female : Tho' this diſtinction Mr. Cook will not allow, becauſe both bear Seed. The Male is harder, fuller of Knots, and of a redder Colour, but producing neither Flower nor Seed (fo conſtantly and ſo mature, with us) as does thé Female, whoſe Bloſſom is alſo very Odoriferous, perfuming the Air : The Wood is likewiſe thicker, of ſmaller Pitch, and not obnoxious to the Worm. Lime-Trees may be raiſed either of the Seeds in October, or with better ſucceſs by the Suckers and Plants; which ſhould be cultivated like the Elm. Be fure to collect your Seeds in dry Weather, airing them in an open Room, and reſerving them in Sand till Mid-February, when you may fow them in pretty ſtrong freſh and loamy Mouid, kept ſhaded, and moiſt as the Seaſon requires, and clear of Weeds; and at the Period of two Years plant them out, dreſs’d and prun'd as Diſcretion ſhall adviſe. It is not only raited by Seed, by Suckers and Layers at the Roots, but even by Branches lopp'd from the Head, may this Tree be propagated; and peeling off a little of the Bark, at a competent Diſtance from the Stem or Arms, and covering it with Loam mingled with rich Earth, they will ſhoot their Fibres, and may be ſeaſonably ſeparated; but to accelerate this, apply a Liga- ture above the place when the Sap is aſcending, or beneath when it deſcends : From June to November you may lay them; the Scrubs leis erect, do excellently to thicken Coppices, and will yield lufty Shoots, and uſeful Fire-wood. The Lime affects a rich feeding loamy Soil, where they will grow incredibly for ſpeed and ſpreading: They may be planted as big as one's Leg, their Heads toppd at about ſix or eight Foot bole; thus they become of all other the moſt proper and beautiful for Walks, as producing an upright Body, ſmooth and even Bark, ample Leaf, ſweet Bloſſon, and a goodly Shade, at the diſtance of eighteen or twenty Foot : They are alſo very pa- tient of Pruning, and may be clipt into any Shape, tho' the Conical is that it moſt affects; but if they Taper over much, ſome collateral Boughs ſhould be ſpared to check the Sap, which is beſt done about Midſummer; and to make the Tree grow upright, take off the prepondering Branches with Diſcretion, and to indeed you may correct any other Tree, and 160 g A New Syſtem of ing A and redreſs its obliquity. The Root in tranſplanting muſt not be much Lop'd 3 which is alſo a good leſſon for all young planted Trees : And the diſtance for Walks and Avenues may in rich Ground be twenty Foot, in a more ordinary fifteen or fixteen Foot. The Elector Palatine did at Midſummer remove very great Lime-Trees from one of his Foreſts to a ſteep Hill, exceedingly expos’d to the Sun, at Heidelburgh: They grow be- hind that ſtrong Tower on the South-Weſt, and moſt torrid part of the Eminence; being of a dry, reddiſh, barren Earth; and yet do they proſper very well : But the Heads were cut off, aud the Pits into which they were tranſplanted were filled with a Compoſition of Earth and Cow-Dung, which was exceedingly beaten, and ſo diluted with Water, as it became almoſt a liquid Pap: In this were the Roots plunged, covering the Surface with the Turf, which is a ſingular Example for others to follow and imitate. Other Perfections of that Tree (beſide its unparallel'd Beauty for Walks) are, that is will grow in almoſt all Grounds; that it laſts long, it ſoon heals its Scars, it ſtoutly reſiſts a Storm, and feldom becomes hollow. Thoſe Royal Plantations of theſe Trees, in the Parks of Hampton-Court and St. James's, will fufficiently inſtruct how theſe and all other ſingle Trees are to be govern’d and defended from Injuries till they are able to protect themſelves : Some ſhelter them with three or four Deal Boards; which yet is not ſo much approy'd of, by reaſon it keeps them from the free Air. 2 Sir Thomas Brown of Norwich gave an Account of a Lime-Tree at Depeham in Norfolk, that in the leaſt part of the Trunk (which was about two Yards from the Ground) was at leaſt eight Yards and a half in Circumference; about the Root near the Earth fixteen Yards, and about half a Yard above that, about twelve Yards: The height to the upper- moſt Boughs about thirty Yards. The Timber of a well grown Lime, is convenient for any uſe that the Willow is; but much to be preferr'd, as being both ſtronger, and yet lighter; and therefore fit for Yokes, and Boxes for the Apothecaries: Becauſe of its colour, and eaſy working, and that it is not ſubject to Split, Architects make with it Models for their deſigned Buildings; and ſmall Statues, and little curious Figures have been carv'd of this Wood: With the Twigs, Bas- kets and Cradles are made, and of the ſmoother ſide of the Bark, Tablets for Writing. The Grecians made Bottles of it, which they finely rozin’d within ſide. The Gravers in Wood do ſometimes make uſe of this fine Material, and even the courſeſt Membrane, or Slivers of the Tree, growing between the Bark and the main Body they now twiſt into Baſs-ropes; beſides, the Truncheons make a far better Coal for Gun- powder than that of Alder itſelf: And the extraordinary Candor and Lightneſs of this Wood, has dignified it above all the Woods of our Foreſt in the Hands of the Right Honourable the White-ſtaff Officers of the Court. As to the Virtues of this Tree, it is of admirable Effect againſt the Epilepſy; for which the delicately ſcented Bloſſoms are held prevalent. The Berries reduc'd to Powder, cure the Dyſentery, and ſtop Blood at the Noſe: The diſtilld Water is good againſt the Apoplexi, Vertigo, trembling of the Heart, Gravel, &c. And ſome uſe a Medicine made of the Bark for Wounds and other Diſtempers. And The SYCAMORE-TREE. very R. Evelyn calls the Sycamore the Acer majus or a ſort of Maple. It is multiplied readily by its own Seed or Keys, which it bears in a plentiful manner, and come up the firſt Spring after fowing. They may alſo be propagated by Suckers or Layers, but the firſt way is the beſt. They bear tranſplanting very well, and therefore may be removed of any ſize, provided the Head be lopp?d and made ſomething proportionable to the Root. Only it being a ſpungy Wood, the greater Wounds ſhould be covered with Clay, mixt with a Cow-dung. It is a Tree mightily propagated and planted in the Biſhoprick of Durham; where it thrives and reſiſts the ſtrongeſt Winds this Country is ſubject to: And beſides, not being fit for any of the uſes of the Waggon-ways for Coals, they have eſcaped the common plunder and demand for Timber; which is almost the only thing deſireable in Life this Country is detti- tute of for real Uſe and Ornament. Theſe Trees however preſent themſelves frequently in Hedge-Rows, and are an excellenc defence againſt the Winds, eſpecially near the Sea where hardly any other Tree will grow. One would not chuſe to Plant them near fine Walks and Gardens, becauſe their large Leaves are apt to defile them; and it is alſo obſerved that they breed many Inſects from the Honey-dew which this Tree is apt to retain; and therefore ſo friendly and kind to the Bees. OF Agriculture and Gardnenig. 161 : Of this Wood the Turner makes Trenchers and Diſhes, being ſoft and white. And it is not leſs uſeful for Cart and Plough Timber, being light and tough. The Sap will run from this Tree in great plenty, when the Bark is opened, and ſome think it as wholeſome as Birch, when mixt with Malt, and made into ſtrong Beér. What follow next are Trees of an humbler Size. ALDER-TREES. may cut THE Alder is a Coniferous Tree, bearing ſmall Cones; and grows in watery Places, having Leaves of a dark Green, undulated and ſhaped like thoſe of the Nut-Tree. "Tis of all other Trees the moſt faithful Lover of Watery and Boggy Places, and thoſe moſt deſpis’d weeping Parts or Water-galls of Foreſts. They are propagared of Truncheons, (for ſo they raiſe them in Flanders, and make wonderful profit of the Plantations) like the Poplar; or of Roots; which way Mr. Evelyn prefers, being ſet as big as the ſmall of ones Leg, and in length about two Foot, whereof one ſhould be plunged in the Mud: This profound fixing of Aquatick-Trees being to preſerve them ſteady, from the Concuſ- fions of the Winds, and violence of the Waters, in their liquid and Nippery Foundations. They may be placed at four or five Foot diſtance, and when they have ſtruck Root, you hem, which will cauſe them to ſpring in Clumps, and to ſhoot out into many uſeful Poles. But if you Plant ſmaller Sets, cut them not till they are arrived to fome competent bigneſs, and that in a proper Seaſon; which is a Rule for all the Aquaticks, and ſoft Woods; not till Winter be well advanced, in regard of their pithy Subſtance: Therefore, ſuch as you have occaſion to make uſe of before that Period, ought to be well grown, and felled with the earlieſt, that ſo the ſucceſſive Shoots receive no Prejudice. There is another way of planting Alders, after the Jerſey manner; viz. by taking Trunch- eons of two or three Foot long, at the beginning of Winter, and bind them in Faggots, and place the ends of them in Water till towards the Spring, by which Seaſon they will have contracted a ſwelling Spire or Knur, about that part, which being ſet does never fail of growing and ſtriking Root. There is alſo a black fort more affected to Woods and drier Grounds. Some adviſe to plant Shoots of Alder, and ſo of all the ſwift growing Trees, being of ſeven Years growth; floping off both the ends towards the Ground, to the length of a Billet, and burying them horizontally a reaſonable depth in the Earth: This will cauſe them to put forth ſeven or cight Branches, each of which will become a Tree in a ſhort time, eſpecially if the Soil be moiſt. The diſtance for Alder-Plantations, ought not to be more than five Foot at firſt; fince every felling renders them wider for the benefit of the Tim- ber, even to thirty and forty Foot in five or fix Fellings. You may cut Álder and other Aquatick-Trees every third or fourth Year; and ſome do it more frequently: They ihould alſo be abated within half a Foot of the principal Head, to prevent the periſhing of the Main Stocks; and to accelerate their Sprouting. And the laying of Truncheons in Water for a while, after they are fitted to the Size, is generally approv'd to be a good Method to prepare them. Some weakly enough extirpate theſe Trees from their Boggy Places, and yet kno!v not how to turn them to better uſe. The Shadow of this Tree doth nourith the Graſs grow- ing under it; and being ſet and well plalh’d, is an excellent defence to the Banks of Ri- vers; ſo that Authors have wondered it is not more practiſed about the Thames, to fortify and prevent the mouldring of the Walls and Banks from the violent Weather they are ex- pos'd to. Of old they made Boats of the greater parts of theſe Trees, and excepting Noah's Ark, the firſt Veſſels we read of were made of this Wood. And as then, ſo now, are our over- grown Alders frequently ſought after for ſuch Buildings as lye continually under Water, where it will harden like Stone; whereas being kept in any unconſtant Temper it rots imme- diately. Vitruvius tells us that the Morales about Ravenna in Italy were piled with this Timber, to ſuperſtruct upon: And it was uſed under that famous Bridge at Venice, the Rialto, which paſſes over the Grand-Canal, bearing a vaſt Weight The Poles of Alder are as uſeful as thoſe of Willows; but the Coals far exceed them, eſpecially for Gun-powder : The Wood is uſeful for Piles, Pumps, Hop-poles, Water-pipes, Troughs, Sluices, Small Trays, and Trenchers, Wooden-heels, &c. The Bark of Alder is precious to Dyers, and ſome Tanners and Leather-dreſſers make uſe of it; and with it and the Fruits (inſtead of Galls) is compor'd an Ink; for if macem TE rated 162 A New Syſtem of ing rated in Water, with a little ruſt of Iron, it makes a black Dye, which may be likewiſe uſed for Ink. The interior Rind of the Black Alder, purges all Hydropic and ſerous Humours; but it muſt be dried in the Shade, and not uſed Green ; and the Decoction is to ſettle two or three days before it be drunk. Being beaten with Vineger it heals the Itch. BIRCH-TREE. T Trecs, HIS is a Tree bearing its Seeds in ſingle Teguments or Coverings, of ſmall Leaves, having ſlender reddiſh Twigs, with ſmooth and white Branches. The Birch is ſaid to be a Natural Tree of England; and is altogether produced of Roots and Suckers, (tho' it ſheds a kind of Seeds like the Elm about the Spring) which being planted at four or five Foot interval, in ſmall Twigs, will ſuddenly riſe to pro- vided they affect the Ground, which cannot well be too barren : For it will thrive in the dry, wet, Sandy and ſtony, and even in Marſhes and Bogs; the Water-galls and Uliginous or Mooriſh Parts of Foreits, that will hardly bear any Graſs, do many times ſpontaneouſly bear it in abundance, whether the Situation be high or low, and nothing comes amiſs to it. Plant the ſmall Twigs or Suckers having Roots, and after the firſt Year cut them within an Inch of the Surface; this will cauſe them to ſprout in ſtrong and luſty Tufts, fit for Coppice and Spring-Woods; or by reducing them to one Stem, you may render them in a very few Years fit for the Turner. Though Birch be the worſt of Timber, yet it is uſed for Ox-yokes ; alſo for Hoops, Pana niers, Brooms, Wands; Arrows, Bolts, Shafts, Diſhes, Bowls, Ladles, and other Domeſtick Utenſils . In New-England, our Northern Americans make of it Canoo's, Boxes, Buckets, Ketiles, and Diſhes, (which they low, and join very curiouſly with Thread made of Cedar- Roots) and divers other Utenſils, whereof they have a blacker kind: They make alſo ſmall- craft Pinnaces of Birch, ribbing them with white Cedar, and covering them with large Flakes of Birch-Bark : They low them with Thread of Spruce-Roots, and pitch them as we do here in England. This Wood is uſeful for Fuel, great and ſmall Coal, which laſt is made by charring the Nendereſt Bruſh and Summities of the Twigs : The inner Bark was anciently uſed for Wri- ting Tables, before the Invention of Paper; and with the outward and thicker Bark are divers Houtes in Ruſia, Poland and other Northern Tracts, covered inſtead of Tile. Of the whiteſt part of the old Wood, found commonly in doating Birches, is made Grounds for ſweet Powder; and of the quite conſum'd and rotten Trees is made the beſt Mould for raiſing of divers Seedlings of the rareft Plants and Flowers. Neither ſhould it be forgot- ten, that from this Tree a Liquor is drawn which mixt with a due quantity of Sugar makes excellent Wine : And being skilfully tapp'd in March, there will How from it, be- twixt the Wood and the Bark, an incredible Quantity of Juice very palatable. HAZEL-TREE, and FILBERT T. HE Hazel is a Nuciferous, European Tree, containing in a common Husk, one Nut, open at one End, being ſmaller Trees than Walnut or Almond, of broad indented Leaves, bearing Catkins; of a leſſer Kernel and thicker Shell than Filberts, and whole Husk is ſhorter. It is beſt raiſed from the Nuts (altho' they are alſo rais’d by Suckers and Layers) which ſow like Maft, in a pretty deep Furrow towards the end of February; or treat them as directed for the Walnut : Light Ground may be immediately fown and harrowed in, very accurately; but if Clay, plough it earlier, and let it be ſufficiently mellow'd with the Froſts ; and then the third Year cut your 'Trees near to the Ground with a ſharp Bill. But for a Grove for Pleaſure, plant them in Foſſes at a Yard diſtance, and cut them within half a Foot of the Earth, dreſſing them for three or four Springs and Autumns, by only looſening the Mould a little about their Roots. Others ſet the Nuts by Hand, at one Foot diſtance, to be Tranſplanted the third Year at a Yard alunder: Do this when Winter is far advanc’d; becauſe they are exceedingly obnoxious to the Froſts ; nor will they ſprout till the Spring; and Vermin greatly devour them: Preſerve them therefore moiſt, not mouidy, by laying them in their own dry Leaves, or in Sand, till January. From this Management they thrive very well , the Shoots being like ſmall Wands and Switches, or ſomewhat bigger'; and ſuch as have drawn divers hairy Twigs, are by no means to be disbranch’d, no more than their Roots, unlely by a very ſparing and diſcreet Hand : Agriculture and Gardening. 163 Hand: Thus your Coppice of Hazels being planted about Autumn, may be cut within three or four Inches of the Ground, the Spring following. Mr. Evelyn, would ſpare them two or three Years, when they have ſtrong hold, and may be cut cloſe to the Earth ; the unproſperous and feeble ones eſpecially. Filberts are thus to be treated, and both of them much improv'd by Tranſplanting; but chiefly by Grafting on the common Hazel raiſed from Seed. For the place of Growth, they above all affect cold, barren, dry and ſandy Grounds; Mountains, and even Rocks will produce them; but more plentifully, if ſomewhat moiſt, and moſſy; they will grow well on ſides of Hills, or Hedge-Rows. Such as are maintain'd for Coppices may after twelve Years be felld the firſt time; the next at ſeven, or eight, &c. for at this Period their Roots will be compleatly vigorous. You may plant them from October to January, provided they are carefully weeded, till they have taken firſt hold; and there is not among all our Store a more profitable Wood for Coppices. N. B. Thoſe who ſet Nuts, ſhould by picking get the largeſt they can find There is a compendious Expedient for the thickning of Coppices, which are too tranſ- parent, by laying of a Sampler or Pole of an Hazel, Aſh, &c. of twenty or thirty Foot in length (the Head a little lopp’d) into the Ground, giving it a chop near the Foot, to make it lye eaſy; this faſtened to the Earth with a Hook or two, and covered with ſome freſh Mould at a competent depth, will produce a great many Suckers, thereby fur- niſhing a Coppice very ſpeedily. The uſe of the Hazel, is for Poles, Spars, Hoops, Angling-Rods, Faggots, Coals, &c. and it makes one of the beſt Goals; once us’d for Gun-powder, being very fine and light, till Alder was found to be more fit: Alſo it is much us’d for Riding Switches, Hurdles, &c. of which laſt Walls are made, inſtead of Laths and Puncheons, ſuper-induc'd with a courſe Mortar made of Loam and Straw: Theſe Walls incloſe divers Cottages, Sheds and Out- houſes in the Country, being ſtrong and laſting; and ample Incloſures of Courts and Gar- dens have been ſo ſecured. This is practiſed much in Bedfordſhire. There is no Wood which purifies Wine ſooner than the Chips of Hazel. The HORN-B E A M. T THE Horn-Beam is but of one kind, and is generally admired for its Shade and the pleaſant Verdure of its Leaves. It is moreover greatly reſpected for its early puſh- ing forth, and holding its Leaves a long Time; for even after they have loſt their Colour they continue on the Tree till new ones thruſt them off. By which means it becomes very valuable for Eſpaliers that are to defend the tender Plants from external Violence: It is alſo the moſt tonfile . Plant, and bears well the diſcipline of the Sheers, ſo as to be- come almoſt an impenetrable Defence. One of the greateſt Beauties of the Ene Gardens at Verſailles is thought to conſiſt in the Tallneſs, and exact Regularity and Beauty of theſe Hedges; and in Italy the fineſt Grotto's and Wilderneſſes are made with them. But as it is good for Hedges, ſo alſo, if it is neglected, it becomes an uſeful Foreſt-Tree for Shade; and they make excellent Pollards. Both the Rhind and Wood is rough and hard, and of a whitiſh Colour. It bears Flowers in the form of Strings, which conſiſt of ſeveral little Leaves faſtened about it like Shells, and underneath are ſeveral Stamina. It may be railed either of Seeds, or increaſed of Layers. But foraſmuch as the Seed lieth in the Ground a whole Year before it peeps, (as the Aſh and Holly) the beſt way to raiſe it, is either from Layers or rather from Setts, which are eaſily procured in the Woods where they grow, being apt to ſtool with Suckers from the Root. There are few Soils which they refuſe, both Hills and Dales ſuit them, and they will grow even where they are over-topp'd and dropt on by larger Trees; and yet few Trees make more baſte in growing. The Timber of this is uſeful for Mill-Cogs, &c. exceeding all others for ſuch ſort of Uſes. It is good alſo for Yoke-Timber, Heads of Beetles, and Handles for Tools, and for the Turners uke, being tough and white. It makes excellent Bil- leting, and is fit Fuel for a Lady's Chamber. MAPLE- 164 6. A New Syſtem of ingA . MAPL E-TREE. โรงงาน รวม T HE Maple is a Tree bearing its Seeds in ſingle Teguments or Coverings, that are Membranaceous ; the Seed-Veſſels or Keys being double, and having ſmall Leaves di- vided into five Segments, and 'tis a brittle Wood. This Maple, of which Authors reckon ſeveral kinds, was of old held in equal Eftima- tion almoſt with the Citron ; eſpecially the French Maple, and the Peacock’s-tail Maple, which is elegantly undulated and criſp'd into variety of Curls; the Maples we have in England differ very little, and they are produc'd of the Keys like the Aſh, and like to it affect a found and dry Mould; growing both in Woods and Hedge-Rows, eſpecially in the latter, which if the Ground be rather hilly than low, afford the faireſt Timber. It is alſo propagated by Layers and Suckers: By thredding up the Boughs to a Head, it will ſhoot to a great Height in a little Time; but if you will Lop it for the Fire, do it in January ; keep no Pollards or ſpreading Trees, for a clammy Dew falls from them, that hurts what grows under. The Timber is far fuperior to Beech for all the uſes of the Turner, who ſeeks it for Diſhes, Cups, Trays, Trenchers, &c. as the Joyner, for Tables, Inlayings, and for the delicate- neſs of the Grain, when the Knurs and Nodofities are rarely diaper'd, which does much ad- vance its Price. Alſo for its lightneſs, it is employ'd often by thoſe who make Muſical Inſtruments. The larger ſort of it we call the Sycomore, but the deſcription of this lejer Maple, and the ancient Value of it, is worth the citing. The Maple (fays Pliny) for the Elegancy and Fineneſs of the Wood, is next to the very Cedar itſelf: There are ſeveral kinds of it, eſpecially the white, which is wonderfully beau- tiful; this is calld the French Maple : The other has a curld Grain, fo curiouſly macula- ted, that from a near reſemblance it was uſually call?d the Peacock’s-tail, &e. The Bruf- cum or Knur, is wonderfully fair, but the Molluſcum is counted moſt precious; both of them knobs and ſwellings out of the Tree: Large Planks for Tables were of old preferrd to Cedar and Citron; but now they are uſed only for ſmall Table-Books; and with its thin Boards, Bed-teſters are wainſcotted. The Bruſcum is of a blackiſh kind, with which they make Tables. Cicero had a Table of this Wood which coſt him Ten thouſand Seſterces: Such another had Afinius Gallus. That of King Juba was ſold for 15000; and another we read of for 140000. H. S. which At 3 d. Sterling ariſes to about 1750l. and yet that of the Mauritanian Ptolomy, was far rieher, containing four Foot and a half Diameter, and three Inches thick, which is reported to have been ſold for its Weight in Gold. The Knot of this Timber was moſt eſteem’d; which is much reſembled by the Female Cypreſs; and we have now as beautiful Planks of ſome Walnut-Trees, near the Root; but the great Art, in ancient Times, to make the Maple, &c. fo exceeding fine, was in the Seaſoning and Politure. There have been fome Maples of large Bulk and noble Shades: Virgil chofe it for the Court of his Evander, one of his worthielt Princes, where in his beſt of Poems he deſcribes him fitting in his Maple-Throne ; and when he brings Æneas into the Royal Cot- tage, he makes him this great and memorable Compliment. sition This humble Roof, this ruſtick Court, ſaid he, tant de Receiro'd Alcides crown'd with Victory : o'z din tara Scorn not (great Gueſ) the Steps where he has trod, But contemn Wealth and imitate a God. The Romans were madly luxurious for buying Tables and other Furniture at very great Rates ; and when they at any time reproached their Wives for their expenſiveneſs in Pearl and other rich Trifles, they were wont to retort and turn the Tables upon their Husbands. Agriculture and Gardening. 165 BUS. kind of Lufus Nature. The Wild Pear, is long before it bears any Fruit from the Seed ;. The SERVICE-TREE, ör SORBI OME fancy there are ſeveral kinds of this Tree, but we find little difference in Eng- land, only that ſome of them bear a larger Berry than others, which perhaps is more owing to the Soil than the Sort. It bears a Cluſter of white Bloſſoms in the Spring, which ſeldom fail to afford ſo many Berries in Autumn, ſomething bigger than Haws, which after they come to appear rotten in Oktober, are eaten with great greedineſs by many, having a pleaſant and grateful Acidity: But they are not reckoned wholeſome for ſome Conſtitutions, as they are in a great de- gree coflive. They may be raiſed from the Berries ; but the beſt and quickeſt way is from Suckers, which they put forth very plentifully; They may be tranſplanted of any bigneſs ; and if they are headed, the Wound will quickly heal up. You cannot fail to furniſh your ſelf with any quantity from the Woods, where they naturally grow, and are a proper Stock whereon to graft either the Medlar or L'Azzerole ; of which more anon. The Timber (for they will ſometimes grow large) is uſeful for the Joyner and Turner, for Bows, Pullies, Screws, Mills , Spindles, Piſtol and Gun-Stocks, being of a very fine Grain, and if aſlifted with ſome boiled Linſeed Oil, will be made to counterfeit Ebony and moſt of the Indian Woods. This Tree makes an early Appearance in the Spring, both with its Leaves and Bloſſoms, and therefore ſhould be planted within View for its Beauty. It cures the Green-Sickneſs, diſtillid in Water. The WILD PEAR, and the CRA B. HESE are both of them Foreſt-Trees, and will arrive to a conſiderable Stature from the Kernels of both; from which are produced great Varieties in their Fruit by a but it afterwards amply rewards that Lazineſs, by annual and plentiful Crops ; of the Fruit is made in ſome Countries a moſt delicious Liquor called Perry, which is eſteemed to be equal to moſt of the French White-Wines, both in ſtrength and goodneſs ; eſpecially if it be kept three or four Years. But it is ſeldom ſuffered to come into private Hands abroad; for the Vintners in London greedily buy it, and fetch it from Herefordſhire, and ſome parts of Glouceſterſhire, to mix with ſome of their ſtrongeſt Spaniſh Wines, as they do alſo ſome of the richeſt Cyders; the beſt of which Liquor is alſo made from Apples never grafted, but raiſed from the Seed; which tho’ they retain an unpleaſant roughneſs to the Taſte from the Tree; yet make better and richer Cyder, than the beſt of the eating Apples grafted. The Wood of theſe Trees, eſpecially the Pear, bears án excellent ſmoothneſs and poli- ture in all ſorts of Wooden Ware; and the Joiner covets it much for Tables, Cheſis of Drawers, and Wainſcot. The Wood of the Crab is very tough, and is much uſed by the Farmer for Flails to beat out Grain, and for Gudgels or Walking-ſticks ; eſpecially ſuch as are uſed in a way of Diſcipline. The very worſt and ſmalleſt Fruit of the Crab affords a Vera juice mighty uſeful in the Kitchen; and in moſt ſorts of Condiments, is thought much bet- ter than Vinegar. T The MULBERRY. F this Tree I ſhall fay little here, having already ſpoke of it in the Fruit-Garden. There are two ſorts of it, the Black and the White. The firſt is a flower, the laſt a much quicker Grower. They both bear Catkins, producing Male and Female Bloſſoms at the fume time. But becauſe the White Mulberry bears a leſs and more indifferent Fruit, but is yet the quickeſt Grower, it is adviſeable to graft the Black upon the White, to accelerate its growth, and to mend the Fruit. It is raiſed from the Seed, from Suckers, and from Cut- tings, ſet in a thady Place. They love a light and warm Soil, where they will grow to be very large, and make an handſome Shade in the four Summer Months amongſt the Foreſt- Trees . The beſt time for tranſplanting them is in Autumn. But they ſhould be carefully taken up, having long Roots, and yet as few of them as poſſible ſhould be taken off . Ít need not be repeated how uſeful theſe Trees are to the Silk-Worm, and what Profit might ac- crue to the Nation, if the Culture of them was more encouraged, and the Silk Trade put into a right method of Manufacture.' Of which more in another Place. CHESNUT- U u 166 A New Syſtem of T inult alter, CHES NUT-TREE. HIS is a Nuciferous, European Tree, containing in one common Husk ſeveral Nuts, whoſe outward Husks is echinate and prickly į and hath long, ſmooth, deeply indented Leaves, its Husks containing three or four Nuts . Pliny reckons many kinds of Cheſnuts about Tarentum and Naples; but we commend thoſe of Portugal and Bayonne, chuſing the largeſt, brown and moſt ponderous Fruit; buc the leffer ones to raiſe for Timber : They are produced beſt by Sowing ; previous to which, let the Nuts be firſt ſpread to ſweat; then cover them in Sand; a Month being part plunge them in Water, reject the Swimmers; being dry, for thirty Days more ſand them again, and water them as before: Being thus treated till the beginning of Spring or in November, ſet them like Beans, and as ſome do, drench'd for a Night or more in new Milk. They are to be put into the holes with the Point upmoſt; one in a hole will do, if tryd as before, nor will any of them fail, unleſs by ſome Accident : But being come up, they thrive beſt unremoved, making a great Stand for at leaſt two Years, upon every tranſplant- Ground, or moiſt Gravel; tho’ they will grow in Clay, Sand, and all mixed Soils, upon expoſed and bleak Places, and the pendent Declivities of Hills to the North, and in dry airy Places; and ſometimes they thrive near Marſhes and Waters; but they affect no Com- poit, fave what their own Leaves afford them, and are more patient of Gold than Heat : As for the fowing in the Nurſery, treat them as you do the Walnut. If they are ſet in Autumn or Winter, it is beſt to inter them within their Husks, which being every way arm’d, are a Protection againſt Mice, and other Vermin, which would de- Atroy them. Some fow them confuſedly in the Furrow like the Acorn, and govern them as the Oak: But then ſhould the Ground be broken up between November and February ; and when they ſpring, be cleanſed at two Foot aſunder, after two Years growth : Like- wiſe Coppices of Chelnuts may be wonderfully increaſed and thickened by Laying the ten- der and young Branches; but ſuch as ſpring from the Nuts are beſt, and will thrive ex- ceedingly, if (being let ſtand without removing) the Ground be ſtirr’d, and looſened about their Roots, for two or three of the firſt Years, and the ſuperfluous Wood prun'd away; and indeed for good Trees they ſhould be ſtripp'd up after the firſt Year's removal ; they alſo ſhoot into very good Poles from a felled Stem: Thus will you have a Coppice ready for felling, within eight Years, which (beſides many other uſes) will yield incomparable Poles for any Work of the Garden, Vineyard, &c. till the next cutting : And if the Trees like the Ground, will in ten or twelve Years grow to a kind of Timber, and bear plentiful Fruit. Cheſnuts have been tranſplanted as big as a Man's Arm, their Heads being cut off at five or ſix Foot high; but they came on at leiſure : In all Plantations for Avenues, you may ſet them from thirty to ten Foot diſtance, though they will grow much nearer ; when tender, you cultivate them like the Ah, the Nature of whoſe Shade they reſemble, ſince nothing affects much to grow under them : Some ſay that the young Cheſnut Trees ſhould not be prun'd or touched with any Edge-tool, for the firſt three or four Years, but rather cropp'd cr broken off, which is left to Experiment. The Cheſnut being grafted in the Walnut, Oak, or Beech, it is ſaid will come èxceeding fair, and produce incomparable Fruit: And it is with'd we did more univerſally propagate the Horſe-Cheſnut, which being caſily increas’d from Layers or from the Seed, grows into a goodly Standard, and bears a moft glorious Flower, even in our cold Country, but a very nauſeous Fruit; as may be ſeen at Sir William Aſhurſt's at Highgate, and ſeveral other Places, but eſpecially at the Biſhop of London's at Fulham. The Cheſnut was firſt brought from Conſtantinople to Vienna, thence into Italy, whence it was propagated in France, and thence among us. It is (next the Oak) one of the moſt ſought after by the Carpenter and Joyner , and it formerly built a good part of our an- cient Houſes in London : This Tree affords the beſt Stakes and Poles for Paliſadoes, Peda- ments for Vine-Props, and Hoops; alſo for Mill-Timber and Water-Works, or when it may lie buried; but if Water touch the Roots of the growing Trees, it ſpoils both Fruit and Tim- ber. The Timber does well for Columns, Tables, Cheſts, Chairs, Stools, Bedſteads, for Tubs and Wine-Gasks, which it preſerves with the leaſt Tincture of the Wood of any whatſo- ever: If it be dipp'd in ſcalding Oil, and well pitch’d, it becomes exceeding durable ; but otherwiſe, contrary to the Oak, it will make (like many other things in the World) a fair fhew outwardly, when it is all rotten within. As Agriculture and Gardening. 167 mo As to the Fruit of this Tree, 'tis beſt to beat it from the Trees, ſome little time before they are ready to fall of themſelves; thus they will keep the better; or elſe you muſt ſmoke-dry them: They are commended highly for Food, and the beſt Tables in France and Italy make them a Service, eating them with Salt in Wine, or Juice of Lemon and Su- gar; being firſt roaſted in Embers. They are here uſed in ſtewed Meats , &c. by our French Cooks ; and they are beſt preſerved in Earthen-Vefſels , in a cold Place ; ſome lay them in a Smoke Loft, others in dry Barley-Straw, Sand, &c. The way of eating them in London, is by boiling them till ſomewhat ſoft, which will make the Shells come off eaſily, and then we eat them either hot or cold: If thus prepar'd they were eaten with Butter, Vinegar and Pepper, as we eat Potatoes, there is no doubt but that they would be an acceptable Diſh. The Leaves of the Cheſnut-Tree make very wholeſome Mattreſſes to lye on; and they are good Litter for Cattle : The Coals of this Tree are excellent for the Smith, being ſoon kindled, and as ſoon extinguiſh’d; but the Aſhes will ſtain Linnen, if a Lee be made of them and it is waſhed therein. The Flower of Cheſnuts, is an approv'd Remedy againſt Spitting of Blood, and the Cough, being made into an Elektuary with Honey. The W110 CHERRY, Black and Red. T: HERE are two ſorts of the Wild Cherry, which bear Fruit very plentifully, Black and Red, and which grow to be large Timber Trees. They grow frequently and na- turally in the Hedge-Rows in Berkſhire, Hertfordſhire, and in ſeveral other Counties; from whence the Fruit is carried in great Abundance to other Parts deſtitute thereof. It is va- There is hardly any other way to preſerve ſome of the Fruit from the Birds, but by plant- ing a good number of Trees, and then fome will fall to the Owner's ſhare; eſpecially if the Black-Birds and Thruſhes, be a little kept in Awe with the Gun at the time of ripening. They make a well-Ihaped and beautiful Tree for Avenues, and therefore ſhould be more encouraged and planted than they are; for they proſper almoſt in any Soil, but chiefly diſdain the two Extremes of Sand and Clay. They are raiſed either from the Stones or Suckers, but the firſt way is by much the beſt, carlieſt, and moſt natural ; and they may be removed (with care) almoſt of any ſize. The Wood excellent and uſeful for all or moſt of the purpofes mentioned under the Head of the Wild Pear. T: The QUICKEN, OX QUICK-B E A M. HIS Plant affects the dry Places or Banks of Woods and Groves, by fonte called the Iriſh or Wild Ah, from the reſemblance its Leaves and Bark have to the com- mon Aſb-Tree. Though the Leaves are a little more jagged on the edges, and ſomething ſmaller and longer in proportion to its bigneſs. It doth not bear Keys, but moſt beauti- ful Scarlet Berries in Cluſters, which look very ornamental, and make a fine Shew at a di- ſtance all the Winter long : And even the Bloſſoms in the Spring have a very fragrant ſmell. They are eaſily raiſed from theſe Berries or from Suckers; and will endure well the Se- verities of the Cold and Northern Blaſts, being a very hardy Tree, and therefore worth pro- pagating for the two reaſons above, for its Beauty and Strength ; and alſo that is a pro- per Stock for the Service, the Medlar, and the L'Azzerole, to be grafted upon. It is a very tough Wood, and all Heart, therefore uſeful for the Wheelwright, and to the Husbandman for moſt of his neceſſary Tools. Mr. Evelyn fays, the Berries fermented by themſelves make an excellent Drink againſt the Spleen and Scurvy. The gni A New Syſtem of 3A T. 09:00 168 The White and BLACK THORN, and G LASSENEURY THORN. BOSTON THESE come into the Catalogue of the Trees of the Foreſt, becauſe they fo frequently mix with them, and ſometimes come to a conſiderable Stature; tho' their uſes are otherwiſe better known, eſpecially that of the White Thorn, for Mounds and Hedges. The Black Thorn, is indeed a perfect Weed, running quickly over a Ground from its Roots and Suckers, and therefore is not to be encouraged any where but in Coppices as Under-wood. But the White Thorn, as a Standard, mixes well enough, and anſwers very well for Lop as a Pollard, amongſt the Foreſt-Trees. It is raiſed from the Haws, which lie in the Ground a whole Year before they peep. The Wood is white, hard and many uſes. As to the Glaſſenbury Thorn, it differs from the other Thorns only in this; that as they bloſſom in Summer, this ſooner or later blofſoms in Winter. It takes its Name from the Monaſtery at Gluſſenbury, where it is reported it was firſt diſcovered. This Tree was many Years ſince planted in Wilton Garden near Sarum, and I think it is there now. not be expected it ſhould be as exact in the Time of Blooming as it was ſuppoſed to have been at the Old Monaſtery from whence it came, viz. on Chriſtmas-Day. It muſt The Willow, SALLow, and OZIE R. T THESE Trees are alſo well known and ſo eaſily raiſed, that there needs very little to be ſaid concerning them. They all delight in low moiſt Grounds, eſpecially the Ozier: For the Withy and the Sallow, will alſo grow upon the drieſt Land. The beſt time both to tranſplant and to lop them is in February, juit before the Sap begins to riſe ; For they are to be raiſed of Truncheons, and to be kept from the rubbing of Cattle, by Buſhes ty'd about them. The Truncheons of the Withy and Sallow, ſhould be left about eight or ten Foot high, and have all their Budds rubb’d off, but what may ſerve to form a Head at the top : But thoſe of the Ozier, ſhould only juſt appear with their Heads above Ground. The Wood of the Withy and the Sallow, are very ſerviceable for the Fire in a ſcarce Country of Wood. For (as the common Saying among the Country-men is) theſe will purchaſe an Horſe, ſooner than an Oak will a Saddle . They make excellent Stakes for Hedges, where they will grow and thicken; of theſe are made Rake and Scythe Handles, Clogs, Pattens, Hurdles, and Sieves. And the Oziers are peculiarly ſerviceable for all ſorts of Baskets, Hampers and Panniers. Inſomuch that an Ozier Ground (for it produces a Crop every Year) is reckoned of more value than the ſame quantity in Tillage. I have heard of ſome that have been Let for eight or nine Pounds a Year per Acre. Which conſider- ing the conſtant Crop, the little Charge that attends them, the Eaſineſs of renewing the old Plants when decayed, by ſticking in Pieces of the laft Year's Shoots, and withal, that they grow where almoſt nothing elſe will grow, this muſt be thought one of the beſt In- provements of bad Land. WILLOW-TREES, T HE Willow is a Tree bearing imperfeet Seeds in ſingle Teguments or Coverings, and this Seed is contain’d in Catkins, call?d Juliferous Trees, and is of the longer Leaf, and of a ſoft Wood, growing moſt naturally in moiſt Places; having its Leaves more denſe and compact than the Sallow, and being the larger Tree. Our common Willow is of three kinds, the White, and Black, and Sweet-ſcented : The White is alſo of two forts, the one of a yellowiſh, the other of a browniſh Bark: All of them are planted of Stakes. The White delight in Meads and Ditch-ſides, rather Dry than over-Wet; yet the Black and Reddiſh, do well in more boggy Ground. When they are planted, let holes be made for them, rather than be forced in with too great Violence, and they muſt be ſoak’d in Water two or three days before they are planted, and done in February, the Mould being well cloſed to them. By good Management there may be made very profitable Coppices of theſe Trees : They may be grafted betwixt the Bark, or budded, and then they become ſa beautiful as to be fit for ſome kind of delightful Walks. In low and marſhy Places, they may be ordered ſo US Agriculture and Gardening. 169 as in eleven or twelve Years to yield a hundred Load of Wood in an Acre : It is the ſweet- eſt of all our Engliſh Fuel, provided it be found and dry. The third is the Garden Willow, which produces ſweet and beautiful Flowers, - which may be ſet for Partitions of Squares ; but they have no Affinity with others : There is in Shropſhire another very odoriferous kind, extreamly fit to be planted by pleaſant Rivulets, both for Ornament and Profit; it is propagated by Cuttings or Layers, and will grow in any dry Bottom, ſo it be ſhelter'd from the South, affording a wonderful and early Relief to the induſtrious Bee. What moſt of the former kinds differ from the Sallows, is not much conſiderable, they being generally uſeful for the ſame purpoſes; as for Apothecaries and Goldſmiths Boxes, Sad- dle-Trees, Gun-Stocks, Half-Pikes, Harrows, Shoe-makers Lafts, Heels for Shoes, Clogs, Forks, Rakes, &c. Perches, Hop-Poles, Supporters for Vines, Hurdles, Sieves, Nine-Pins, Tops, Plat- ters, líttle Casks, Fruit-Baskets, Cans, Trenchers, and other Utenſils : The larger ſound Trees make excellent Boards for Wainſcotting, and the Boughs make good Coals ; nay, the freſh Boughs, (which of all the Trees yield the cooleſt Shade in the hotteſt Seaſon of the day) are fit to be placed about the Beds of feveriſh Perſons. The Wood preſerv'd dry, will endure a long time; but what's wholly putrify’d, and reduced to a loamy Earth in the hollow Trunks of ſuperannuated Trees, is of all other the fitteſt to be mingled with fine Mould, for raiſing our choiceft Flowers, ſuch as Anemonies, Renunculus's, Auricula's, and the like. The TAMARIS K. T HE Tamarisk is a Tree uſually planted for Variety; and is uſeful in ſome parts of Phyſick. It may be raiſed either of Layers, Slips, or Suckers. It grows tall like the Cypreſs, and will bear to be ſhorn into any handſome Shape, eſpecially if it have a warm Shelter, for ſometimes a hard Winter kills it. It looſes its Verdure in the Winter ; but placed as above in Shelter, it quickly recovers it in the Spring. The PLATANUS, or PLAN E-TREė. TH HIS Tree, tho' of late Years it hath been much neglected and little ſought for, is yer a moſt beautiful Shade, and grows very well with us in England, having no other fault but that it loſes its Leaves early in the Autumn. The way of raiſing it is by its Seeds and Layers. This Tree was had in great Eſteem and Veneration among the Romans. This Tree was firſt introduced among us by Sir G. Crook of Oxfordſhire. The Elder and MED L A R, and L’A Z ZEROL E. TH HE Elder loves to grow in Hedge-Rows, or even under the ſhelter and dripping of other Trees in Woods, and is eaſily raiſed by Cuttings and Slips, or from the Seed, which is ripe in September. And from its Black Berries is made a very ſovereign wholefome Wine. There is a fort alſo that bears White Berries, which ſome think is preferable for the purpoſe aforeſaid. The early Buds of this Tree in the Spring boiled as Watergruel, is reck- oned an excellent Antiſcorbutick; and it is beſides a ſovereign Plant in many Diſtempers . The young Wood of this Tree is uſeful to make Scoops for Apples; and the bigger Branches are much uſed by the Butchers for Scures, when they cannot get Dog-wood. The Medlar, tho’ I have before ſpoke of it, yet I here rank amongſt the Trees of the Wood; becauſe the common Stock whereon it is grafted is the White-Thorn, and it will endure any. Expoſition. But I know not that its Wood is any way peculiarly ſerviceable ; and its Fruit every one knows is not good till ’tis retten. The L'Azzerole is, as I have alſo obſerved before, a ſort of Medlar brought originally from Italy and Spain; there are ſeveral ſorts of them, and they grow and bear Fruit with us very well, even amongſt other Woods of the Foreſt. The Fruit of them all has an agreeable Acidity, and therefore the French make their beſt Sweetmeats of them. Xx The 170 A New Syſtem of The LOTUS, the CORNEL-TREE, and the L ARCH or LARIX. T Lotus.] HE Lotus or Nettle-Tere, ſo called, for that the Leaves reſemble thoſe of tire Nettle, is planted chiefly for variety, having nothing remarkable, but that it affords a very fine Shade, and pretty durable Timber; planted in moiſt Ground. The Roots of it make good Hafts for Knives and Carpenters Tools, and the Wood of it is not leſs uſeful for Pipes and other Inſtruments. Cornel.] The Cornel-Tree, bears the Fruit call'd the Cornelian-Cherry, from the Reſem- blance it bears to the Cornelian-Stone, in the Colour of it. It is an old faſhioned Tree; and the Fruit, tho' now out of Date, was formerly much eſteemed both in the Kitchen and Conſervatory. It is raiſed both of Seeds and Suckers, and grows to a good height in al- moſt any ſort of ground. The Wood being durable is uſeful for Wheel-work, Pins and Wedges. Larch.] The Larch or Larix is another Tree not much known, and yet will arrive to a conſiderable bigneſs, producing Timber that is durable and uſeful. Mr. Evelyn takes notice of a great many Buildings in Italy made of this Wood, which he faith no Worm will touch, or ſcarcely any Fire burn. But Quære. However, from this Tree that uſeful Drug Agaric is gathered. BUCKS-HORN-TREE. T HIS is called the Virginian Summach; the young Branches being of a reddiſh brown, feeling like the Velvet of a Buck's Horn, and yielding Milk like the Branch of a Fig, when broken or cut. The Leaves are indented, and at the end of the Branches come forth long, thick and brown Tufts, made of ſoft woolly Thrums; among which appear many ſmall Flowers. It will grow in ſome places near ſix Foot high : Is increaſed by Suckers, which it puts forth very plentifully. The Seed is flat and red, growing in Bunches or Cluſters like Grapes. The ACACIA, and B UCK-THORN. T THE Acacia is called ſo from the Reſemblance its Leaves has to the true Acacia, ſomething like the Engliſh Vetch. There are ſeveral ſorts of them in Holland : But we have few in England but what are of the Virginian Kind, which will grow to a large Tree, and ſtand abroad without ſhelter in the Winter. Some are now growing in Pa- lace-Yard, Weſtminſter. They ſmell very fragrant, and afford a very pleaſant Shade, which makes them very acceptable to Walks and Arbours. They love a dry Soil, and are pro- pagated from Suckers. Their only Fault is, that the Wood is brittle, ſo that high Winds ſometimes a little irregularly prune them. The Buck-Thorn, is a Tree that grows frequently in the Hedges; for it is raiſed and planted as the White-Thorn, and makes a Tree of like Stature. It is deſervedly valued for its Black-Berries in Autumn ; the Juice whereof made into a Syrup with Sugar, is thought to afford one of the beſt and fafeſt Purges. CHAT. * 171 Agriculture and Gardening. CH A P. II. Of the ſeveral Sorts of Ever-Green Trees, great and ſmall, ſuch as will bear our Climate without Houſing. Firſt, Of the Ilex. THI HE Ilex, or Ever-green Oak, is a Tree that deſervedly ſtands in Front of all the Ever-Greens, both for its Beauty and Uſefulneſs. But becauſe there have been al- ready ſo many Miſtakes made, and ſo many Diſappointments undergone with reſpect to the Kind and Management of this Tree, I have the Pleaſure to let the World know from whence thoſe Miſtakes came, and how to prevent future Diſappointments. The Secret I had from a Friend, who was well informed thereof by a Correſpondent in Italy, who afſures us, that there are two Sorts of Ilex, viz. the Tree, and the Dwarf-Ilex; both of them well known in Italy, by that diſtinction. And although they are exactly alike in Shape and Con lour, when they are young, yet it is well known that the Tree-Ilex, will not eaſily be made a Dwarf, and the Dwarf-Ilex, can never be made a Tree, but is always intended and kept for Eſpaliers. It is the laft of theſe whoſe Seed we commonly receive from Italy and Spain ; and there have been very few of the former fort ever yet ſent over, as imagining that we want Eſpaliers, and not Timber. Mr. Balle in Devonſhire, and ſome few others, have been ſo fortunate as to light upon the large fort, and manage even that ac- cording to the Rules of Art, by either letting them ſtand in the Seed-Plot, without a re- move, or if they are remov'd, to do it with the utmoſt Care and Caution, not hurting or ſhortning the Tap-root : But as far as I can find, it is the general Complaint, that the Ilex here proves a Dwarf-Tree: And for what reaſon, let it be judg’d by what hath been faid above. However, after ſuch a Caution as this, it is eaſy to direct that the Seed be pluck'd from the large Trees, and not from Dwarfs, when a demand is made, or to get them from ſome of thole large Trees now in Devonſhire, raiſed from the Acorns, ſet in well fifted Loam; and not removed if poſſible, but with all the Root and Earth about them. This ma- naged and rightly choſen, it is a Tree of very quick growth, vaſtly beautifui and very pro- fitable. There is a great deal of the Timber brought over every Year into England, the Ship-Carpenters thinking it rather better and tougher than the Engliſh Oak. It delights in a deep Soil, rather moiſt than too dry, and is raiſed only from the Acorns, though I am apt to think it may well enough be grafted on a young vigorous Engliſh Oak. The Wood of this Tree is ſometimes finely chamletted, as if it were painted. It is uſeful for Chairs, Axle-Trees, &c. being very hard and durable. And the Acorns are thought a Food for Hogs little inferior to Cheſnuts. The HOLLY-TREE. HE Holly is a Bacciferous, Ever-green Tree, conſiderable for its Red-Berries, and large, ſhining, prickly Leaves. This Tree is preferr'd before all other Engliſh Winter-Greens, and Mr. Evelyn won- ders at thoſe who are ſo expenſive in Foreign Greens, and yet neglect the Culture of this incomparable Tree, which ought to be propagated not only for Ornament, but Defence, and divers other uſes. We have two eminent Kinds of this Tree, the prick- ly, and ſmoother leav’d, or as ſome call it, the Maiden Holly, not unwelcome when ten- der, to Sheep and other Cattle : There is alſo the yellowed Berried, and the variegated Holly; which proceeds from no difference in the Species, but accidentally, and by ſport of Nature, or rather through Infirmity and Weakneſs, as moſt ſuch Variegations do. And we are taught how to affećt it artificially , by fowing the Seeds, and planting them in gravelly Soil, mixed with ſtore of Chalk, and preſling it hard down; it being certain, that moſt or all of them return to their Native Colour, when ſown in richer Mould. The 172 A New Syſtem of The Holly is rais’d of the Berries (of which there is a ſort that bears them Yellow) when they are ready to drop ; they muſt be freed from their tenacious and glutinous Mu- cilage, by being waſh'd, and a little bruiſed, then dried with a Cloth; or you may bury them as you do the Yew and Hips : Remove them after three or four Years; and if you plant the Setts, place them Northwards, as you do Quick. Of this may İncloſures be made for Parks, &c. and cut into ſquare Hedges, the Fence becomes impenetrable; and 'will thrive in the hotteſt as well as the coldeſt Places. You may take (though this way I ſhould not chuſe, but rather from Nurſeries) Thouſands of the Serts, of four Inches long, out of the Woods, and ſo plant them; but this muſt be before the Cattle begin to crop them, cípecially Sheep, which are greedy of them when tender : Put them into the ground in a moiſt Seaſon, Spring or early Autumn, but parti- cularly the Spring; let them be ſhaded (if the Weather prove too hot and ſcorching) till they begin to ſhoot of themſelves; and in very ſharp Weather, and during our Eaſtern Winds, covered with dry Straw or Haume; and if any of them ſeem to be in a periſhing Condition, cut ſuch of them cloſe, and you will ſoon ſee them revive at Root. The Juſtier and bigger the Setts are, the better; and if you can procure ſuch as are a Thumb's-breadth thick they will ſoon furniſh a Hedge. Mr. Evelyn tells us of an Hedge of this Tree, of near three hundred Foot in length, nine Foot high, and five in Diameter : He calls it an impregnable Hedge, glittering with its arm’d and verniſh'd Leaves; the taller Standards at orderly diſtances, bluſhing with their natural Coral : It mocks at the rudeſt Affaults of the Weather, Beaſts, or Hedge- Breakers and none unpunish'd can hurt it. This rare Hedge (the boaſt of the Villa) was planted upon a burning Gravel, expoſed to the Meridian Sun: Where undoubtedly they thrive belt, after they have been well guarded and watered for the two firſt Years. In Hertfordſhire, and almoſt all over the Biſhoprick of Durham, and in many other Counties, theſe Trees grow naturally, even among the White-Thorn, and Aſhes : But if your ground, in any Situation, be ſtiff, you are to looſen it with a little fine Gravel, Time muſt bring this Tree to perfection, as it does all things elſe, and we ſhould work for Pofterity : But a little Culture about the Roots, (not Dunging, which it abhors) and fre- quent ſtirring of the Mould, will very much add to its growth. Yet there is an Expe- dient to effect it more inſenſibly, by planting it with Quick: Let every fifth or fixth be an Holly Sett, which will grow up infallibly with your Quick, and as they begin to ſpread, make way for them by extirpating the White-Thorn till they quite domineer : There is al- ſo another, not leſs applauded Method of raiſing theſe Hedges, viz. by laying horizontally well rooted Seets, (a Yard or more in length) and ſtripping off their Leaves and Branches; theſe covered over with Earth, as the Poles of Hazel, &c. will ſend forth innumerable Suckers, which will advance into an Hedge. The Timber of the Holly, (beſides that it is the whiteſt of all hard Woods, and there- fore uſed by the Inlayer) is for all ſturdy Uſes; the Millwright, Turner, and Engraver prefer it to any other : It makes the beſt Handles and Stocks for Tools, Flails, Riding-Rods, Carters-Whips; Bowls, &c. and of this have been made even Hinges, and Hooks, to ſerve inſtead of Iron. Of the Bark of this Tree is made our Birdlime : And the Leaves of it, dried to a fine Powder, and drank in White-Wine, is prevalent againſt the Stone, and cures Fluxes ; they are alſo good againſt the Cholick; the Berries being ſwallowd whole, purge Phlegm, without danger. 3 The Yew or E UGH. T HE Yew-Tree is a Bacciferous, Ever-green Tree, bear's Red Berries, and hath ſmall narrow Leaves of a dark Green. For the forts of theſe Trees, I muſt be beholden to Mr. Evelyn, for I have yet feen no- thing of what he tells us of the Arcadian Black and Red, and the Yellow of Ida, infinite- ly eſteem'd of old. Since the diſuſe of Bows the propagation of Yew is forborn; though to our Shame, ſeeing the barreneſt Grounds and coldeſt of our Mountains might be profi- tably repleniſh'd with them; for beſides the uſe of the Wood for Bows, 'tis excellent for Cogs of Mills, Pofts to be ſet in moiſt Ground, and everlaſting Axle-Trees : Alſo the Bo- dies of Lutes, Theorbo's, Bowls, Wheels, &c. are made of this Wood. The Engliſh Yew-Tree is eaſily produced of the Seeds waſh'd and cleans'd from their Mucilage, then buried and dried in Sand a little moiſt any time in December, and ſo kept in ſome Veſtel of the Houſe all Winter, and in ſome cool ſhady Place abroad all the Sum- mer; fow them the Spring after : Some bury them in the Ground like Haws; it will commonly let er Agriculture and Gardening 173 commonly be the ſecond Winter e’er they peep, and then they riſe with their Caps on their Heads; being three Years old, you may tranſplant them, and form them into Standards for Walks, Hedges, &c. in all which they fucceed well, and are worth our Patience, for their perennial Verdure and Durableneſs : For Hedges they are preferrd for their Beauty, and being of all other Plants the moſt tonfile, are a ſtiff defence before any other againſt Wind and Weather. The Yew is almoſt natural to the open Downs of Hampſhire and Wiltſhire, where they grow ſtraggling in ſingle Buſhes, and to a great Bulk. A great many of theſe Trees grow in Surrey; where Dr. Moreton bought an Eſtate, call’d Yew-Wood ; although I preſume good Husbandry has greatly alter'd the Place, and made Corn grow in the room of ſuch Trees : And near Buxbill, as Mr. Evelyn ſays, if in any Spot of England, 'tis here Eternal Spring and Summer all the Year. This Plant has a matted Root, and therefore delights in a dry and light Soil, and will grow ſometimes even upon the barrenelt Rocks. lo my own Glebe there is now grow- ing a Yew-Tree from the Clefts of the Rocks above thirty Foot perpendicular from the Ri- ver ſide, and by the bigneſs and gradual decay of its Body, it ſeems to be at leaſt two hundred Years old. This Tree is beſt tranſplanted either early in Autumn, or late in the Spring, viz. either in Auguß or in April. It will grow of Slips apt enough for Hedges, but they will never grow call or handſomely Pyramidical, which is of all others the beſt Shape. The PHILIREA and A LATERNUS. HESE two Plants (by thoſe who are unskilful and have not nicely obſerved the difference) have often been accounted the ſame. But there is in many reſpects a great, real, and manifeſt difference. The Leaves of the firſt are larger and differently ſet on upon the Branch, as it were by Steps; whereas the other hath its Leaves in an alternate Order to one another, from whence probably its name Alaternus. Beſides, the Seeds of the Phylirea (from whence it is raiſed) lie a Year in the Ground before they come up, but the other germinate the fame Spring. There are ſeveral ſorts of the Phylirea : The moſt beautiful, though the moſt tender in the extremeſt Froſts, or againſt a South Wall, makes a moſt beautiful Shew all the Year. The bloach'd Kind mixt with Green and Yellow is an handſome Plant, and not near ſo ten- der as the other; but will endure, with the common ſort, to be made Pyramids or Balls, or to be planted to cover North Walls, for it anſwers to the Sheers very well. The Phylirea is to be governed as the Holly in raiſing it from Seed; but from Layers and even Slips it may be raiſed, and the gilded Kinds may be put into the common ſort by Inoculation. It delights in a light unmixt Soil, inclining to Loam; for there it will thrive apace, and make excellent Hedges, Paliſadoes, and Arbours. The Alaternus requires much the fame Management and Soil as the Phylirea. It is a quick Grower, and will form a fine Hedge, planted in ſingle Rows two Foot aſun- der, even to twenty Foot high, if it have but ſome additional Support againſt the Fury of the Winds. Or it may be uſed for Ornament in Pyramids or Balls in Compart- ments, be The Box. T HERE are reckoned to be three or four ſorts of Box. One fort runs up to Wood, and will make Timber and a conſiderable Tree, called therefore Boxus Arbo- reſcens. The ſecond is called the Shrub-Box, and this is ſometimes variegated and ſtrip'd with Yellow. And the third is the Dwarf-Box, ſo well known for its lingular uſe and beauty for Edgings; of all others the moſt durable and eaſieſt kept in order The Box-Tree deſerves to be cultivated for the excellency and uſefulneſs of its Wood, and alſo becauſe it will proſper on the Declivity of cold, dry, barren, and chalky Hills, where nothing elſe will grow, Mr. Leiger rightly judges the large Box to be of no uſe in Y y 174 gr. A New Syſtem of in Gardens, although Mr. Bradley thinks it makes delightful Hedges. However, the Taite of the preſent Age hath well nigh baniſhed it from the Garden; and that with a good deal of Reaſon, on the account of its ſtrong and diſagreeable ſmell; eípecially after clip- ping. But as every thing hath, or ſhould have its proper Place, ſo this Tree ſhould find Encouragement at an humble diſtance from the Houſe, for the Value and great Price ſet upon its Wood; which is thought to be the hardeſt and heavieſt of all Englifl growth, and therefore is eagerly fought for by the Turner and Engraver ; by the latter eſpecially, for all ſorts of Mathematical Inſtruments. This Tree will thrive in almoſt all Soils, and (as I have already obſerved) in ſome of the worſt. It is ſomething tedious to raiſe it from the Seed : But it will grow with great facility from Slips or Layers in the Nurſery. And every little Branch of the Dwarf ſort will eaſily anſwer this way. The CORK-TREE. TI HE Cork-Tree with us, is of two forts. The one hath a narrower and leſs jagged Leaf than the other, keeping its Leaves green all the Winter ; but the Leaves of the other are broader and fall in the Winter. The latter fort is ſomewhat the hardieſt; but they will both well enough endure our Climate and Winters. There are ſeveral of them of late Years planted in ſeveral parts of England; at my Lord Pembroke's in Wilton Garden, there is one of a conſiderable bigneſs, whoſe Bark plainly diſcovers the Nature of the Cork. It hath three Barks when it is full grown, the outermoit whereof is the Cork, which, in the Weſt-Indies, they ſtrip once in two or three Years in a dry Seaſon; becauſe the Wet is apt to prejuice the Trec. And one of the other Coats being Red, bears a good price with the Tanner. I cannot learn that the Wood of the Tree is of any particu- lar Service. It is to be raiſed from Suckers or Layers. Mr. Evelyn remarks, that the Gre- cian Ladies made uſe of the outward Cortex for Soles to their Shooes, and from thence were called light-footed. misin JUNIPER-TREE. HE Juniper is a Bacciferous, Sempervirent Shrub, whoſe Leaves are entire, of ſmooth edges, and diſtinguiſh'd by the Leaf, which is ſmall, ſlender, prickly at the end, being odorate ; and both the Leaves and Wood are of a pleaſant Scent, producing bluiſh Berries, from whence the Tree may be raiſed. Mr. Evelyn tells us of three forts; the Male, the Female, and Dwarf; whereof one is much taller, and more fit for Improvement than the others: And there is yet a fourth, called the Swediſh Juniper, of a much paler and handſomer green, and therefore more fought for than the Engliſh. The Wood is Yellow, and being cut in March, ſweet as Ce- dar, whereof it is by fome accounted a ſpurious Kind; all of them difficult to remove with ſucceſs ; nor will they proſper being much ſhaded, or over-dripp’d. He has rais’d them abundantly of their Seeds, (neither watering nor dunging the Soil) which in two Months will peep, and being govern'd like the Cypreſs, apt for all the Employments of that beautiful Tree: To make it grow tall, prune and cleanſe it to the very Stem ; the Male is beſt. The diſcreet looſening of the Earth, about the Roots, makes it ſuddenly ſpread into a Bruſh, fit for a thouſand pretty uſes, for it comes to be much unlike that which grows wild, wild, and it may be formed into moſt beautiful and uſeful Hedges and Ar- bours. Ei to Out of one Tree, Arbours may be made for ſeveral Perſons to fit in: At Woodcut in Surrey, there was an Arbour made of a Juniper-Tree, which meaſured ſeven Foot ſquare, and eleven in height; and would certainly have been of a much greater Altitude, and far- ther ſpreading, had it not been continually kept ſhorn: And what is the moſt conſiderable, it was then hardly ten Years ſince it was brought out of the Common a ſlender Buſh, of about two Foot high. At Ebiſham in Surrey, are alſo exceeding fine Juniper Hedges. Mr. Evelyn experimented a proportionable Improvement in his own Garden, where he mingled them with Cypreſs, and found they perfectly became their Stations, where they might enjoy the Sun: They may be properly ſet where Cypreſs does not ſo well thrive, viz. in ſuch Gardens and Courts as are open to the Eddy-Winds, which indeed a little diſcolour our Junipers when they blow Eaſterly towards the Spring, but they conſtantly recover again; and beſide, the Shrub is tonfile, and may be put into any ſhape. The Agriculture and Gardening. 175 The Berries of the Juniper afford (beſides a tolerable Pepper) one of the moſt univerſal Remedies in the World; for being ſwallow'd whole, they feldom fail to appeaſe the Wind- Cholick; in a Decoction they are moſt ſovereign againſt inveterate Coughs; and the Wa- ter is an excellent Specifick againſt the Gravel : But all is comprehended in the Virtue of an Électuary made of it, which is good againſt the Stone, Rheums, Droply, Jaundice, in- ward Impoſthumes, Palſey, Gout, and the Plague. The Timber of this Wood it fit for many curious Works, for Tables, Chefis, Carvings, Spoons, &c. and the very Chips render a wholeſome Perfume within Doors, as well as the duſty Bloſſoms in Spring without. The LAUREL; Engliſha Alexandrian, and Cherry. HE Laurel is an old faſhioned and now much neglected Tree; for it is neither fit for Hedges nor Pyramids, the Sheers not at all agreeing with it, on the account of its large Leaves, which look very awkward and unnatural when they happen (as it muſt ſo happen) to be cut in halves. If it hath any Beauty or Excellence, it is when ’tis wholly neglected in Standards, or when planted againſt North Walls, where they may be only a little tack'd to, and ſo left to Nature, its ſhining verdant Green not looking amiſs. It is to be raiſed from the Berries or from Suckers, which it puts forth very plentifully, and may be inoculated on the Black-Cherry, Plum, or Aprecot; which is a certain Indica- țion that both Leaves and Fruit partake nothing of the Nature of the Juices of the Stock, but are altogether formed from the Nature of the Cyon, and the Figure of its Veſſels and Ducts. There is a ſort of it prettily bloach'd with white in the middle of the Leaves, which adds much to its Beauty. The Alexandrian Laurel makes Shoots about three Foot high, which are Alexible, and adorned with oblong ſharp-pointed Leaves, of a fine green Colour, but ſmaller than the common Laurel. From the middle of theſe Leaves arile others of much the ſame ſhape, which form a ſort of Tongue, and from the top of theſe Branches grow the Flowers. The fame Ground and Culture doth for this as for the common Laurel. There is alſo a Cherry-Laurel, ſo called from the largeneſs of its Fruit, being as big as a Cherry. This is alſo propagated from the Root, and loves the Shade, or may be inocu- lated on the Cherry. It endures the hardeſt Winters, will do well for either Hedges or Standards, and ſo ſerves either for the Garden, or for Groves and Wilderneſſes. They are an Ever-green, brighter and ſofter to the touch than the common Laurel. Cypress-Trees. T THE Cypreſs is alſo a Coniferous, Ever-green Tree, whoſe Cones are roundiſh, of the leſſer fort, having ſhort Leaves, which naturally grow in a Conical Figure. It is therefore a beautiful Tree, and was within a few Years paft reputed ſo tender and nice a Plant, that it was cultivated with the greateſt care, and to be found only amongſt the Curious; whereas we ſee it now in many Gardens, riſing to as goodly a Bulk and Sta- ture as moſt are in Italy; for ſuch were in the Garden of King Charles the Firſt, at Theo- bald's, before that princely Seat was demoliſh'd. We had our firſt Myrtels out of Greece, and Cypreſs from Crete ; and we have in England three forts of Cypreſs-Trees, which are all of them eaſily propagated, and proſper very well, if they are rightly ordered. The Tradition is, that the Cypreſs is never to be cut, for fear of killing it ; but there is not a more tonföle and governable Plant in Nature; for it may be cut to the very Roots, and yet ſpring afreſh : The Cypreſs being raiſed from the Nurſery of Seeds, lown in September (or rather March) and within two Years after tranſplanted, ſhould at two Years ſtanding more, have the Maſter-Stem of the middle Shaft cut off ſome hand-breadth below the Summit, the Sides and ſmaller Sprigs ſhorn into a Conique or Pyramidlal Form, and ſo kept clip'd from April to Auguſt, as often as there is occaſion; and by this Management they will grow furniſh'd to the Foot, and become the moſt beautiful Trees in the World, without Binding or Stake, which makes them but rot and mould within ; ftill remembring to abate the middle Stem, and to bring the colla- teral Branches in its ſtead to what Altitude you pleaſe; but by ſhortning the middle Shoot is not meant the dwarfing of it, and therefore it muſt be done diſcreetly, ſo as it may not over-haſtily advance, till the Foot thereof be perfectly furniſhed. Another 176 O À New Syſtem of Another way of dreſſing this Tree; with all the former Advantages, is by ſparing the Shaft altogether, and diligently cutting away all the forked Branches, reſerving only ſuch as radiate directly from the Body, which being Morn and clip'd in due Seaſon, will render the Tree very beautiful; and though it be more ſubject to obey the ſhaking Winds, yet the natural Spring of it does immediately redreſs the Injury, without the leaſt diſcompoſure. Thus alſo may you form them into Hedges and Walks ; or by fowing the Seeds in a fhal- low Furrow, and plucking up thoſe that come too cloſe and thick : For in this Work, it will ſuffice to leave them within a Foot of each other; and wḥen they are riſen about a Yard high (which may be to half your Palliſado) cut off their Tops, as you are taught, and keep the ſides clip'd, that they aſcend by degrees, and thicken at the bottom as they climb up. Thus they will preſent you, in ſix or eight Years, with incomparable Hedges, preferable to all others, becauſe they are perpetually green, and able to reſiſt the Winds better than any, the Holly excepted, which has no equal. By Winds are meant their fierceſt Gufts, not their Cold; for our cruel Eaſtern Winds do fometimes mortally invade them which have been left clipp?d; but ſeldom che untouch’d, or thoſe that were dreſs’d in the Spring only The Froſt of the ſevereſt Winters, till it joins Forces with deſtructive Winds, never does any conſiderable damage to theſe Trees, unleſs they have been clip'd late in the Au- timn; neither will they then affect them, if clothed with a Wiſp of Hay or Straw, to fecure them from the Winds; and the Froſts only diſcolour them, but ſeldom or never hurt them. If they are not thus cioathed, or capp'd, when they are late cut to the Quick, (at the latter end of Oētober) and are raw of their Wounds, they are ſubject to take cold, and gangreen, and at length die. If you affect to ſee the Cypreſs in Standard, and grow wild (which in time may arrive to be of large Subſtance, plant of the reputed Male ſort ; it is a Tree which will proſper wonderfully; and it is of this Timber that the Venetians make their greateſt Profit. There is likewiſe the Tarentine Cypreſs, ſo much celebrated by Cato; and both that and the Mile- fian are worthy of Culture. Beſide raiſing from the Seed, (as aforementioned) the Ancients, who were wont to make great Plantations of them for Timber, had another Method, which has here been practiſed: If you your Seed in the Nuts, which uſes to be gathered thrice a Year (but ſeldom ripening within) expoſe them to the Sun till they gape, or near a gentle Fire, or put them in warm Water, by which means the Seeds will eaſily be ſhaken out; for if you have them opened before, they do not yield you half your Crop: About the begin- ning of April, or before, (if fhowry Weather) prepare an even Bed of fine Earth, and clap it down as Gardiners do with their Spades for Purſelain Seed; upon this ſtrew your Seeds pretty thick, then fift over them ſome more Mould, more than half an Inch thick ; keep them duly watered after Sun-ſet, unleſs the Seaſon do it for you ; and after one Year's growth, you may tranſplant them as you pleaſe. In watering tlieſe, and moſt tender and delicate Seeds, 'tis better to dew them with a Broom or Spergitory, than hazard the beat- ing them out with the common Watering-Pot; and when they are well come up, be but ſparing of Water. Be ſure to cleanſe your Trees, when the Weeds are very young, left you eradicate your Cypreſs : And if well watered, they will make a prodigious Advance. They thrive beſt in our ſandy, light, and warmeſt Grounds ; but in low, and mooriſh Places, ſtiff and cold Earth, &c. they never proſper. When that long and incomparable Wall of Cypreſs at Fraſcati near Rome, was firſt planted, they drew a ſmall Stream by the Foot of it, and made it arrive (as reported) to ſeven or eight Foot height in one Year. The Venetians ſufficiently underſtand the Uſes of this Timber for Cheſts, Harps, and other Mufical Inſtruments; for it reſiſts the Worm and Moth, and all Putrefaction, and is alſo very ſonorous, and therefore employ'd for Organ Pipes. At Venice were to be ſeen Planks of above four Foot in breadth, of this Timber; and the Valves or Gates of Saint Peter's Church at Rome were made of this Material, which laſted from the Time of the Great Conſtantine to Pope Eugenius the Fourth’s Time, almoſt fix hundred Years, and were then as fresh and entire as if they had been new; but this Pope would needs change them for Grates of Braſs. Thucydides tells us, that the Athenians uſed to bury their Heroes in Cypreſs Coffins, and many of the Mummy Cheſts brought from Ægypt with thoſe condited Bodies are of this Wood, which probably may have lain in thole dry and ſandy Crypta many thouſand Years. 30. The lafting Bridge built over the Euphrates by Semiramis was hereof: And it is report- ed pleaſantly, that Plato choſe this Wood to write his Laws in, before Braſs, for its Dilla turnity. The People of Crete and Malta build with this Timber, becauſe they have plenty you receive of Agriculture and Gardnenig. 177 of it, and nothing outlafts it or can be more beautiful. Divers will have this to be the Gophir Wood, mentioned in the Scripture: It is commended for the Improvement of the Air, and Specifick for the Lungs, as ſending forth moſt ſweet and Aromatick Emiſſions, when clipp'd or handled; and the Chips and Cones being burnt, extinguiſh Moths and ex- pel Gnats and Flies: The Chips alſo give flavour to Muſcadines and other rich Wines. This Wood likewiſe yields a very good Gum, not much inferior to Turpentine. Mr. Mortimer tells us of a Friend of his in Barbadoes, who cut down one of theſe Trees there, which had above four hundred Foot of Timber in it. And that there were others ſtill of greater Magnitude. FIR-TRees. T: 1H E Fir or Deal, is a Coniferous, Ever-green Tree, whoſe Cones are of the leſier fort, having long Leaves ; either that whole Leaves encompaſs and cover the Branches, bearing, long Cones hanging downwards, as the Male Fir-Tree or Pitch-Tree; or that whoſe Leaves grow from each Side of the Stalk, being more flat like thoſe of the Yew, Green on the upper Side, and Whitiſh underneath, furcated at the End, bearing Cones ſhorter and thicker, and growing erect as the Female Fir-Tree. The firit of thele is called the Scotch, the other the Norway or Spruce Fir, which anſwers much better to the Sheers than the other. This Tree is eaſily rais’d of the Kernels, which may be gotten out of their Cones by expoſing them a little before the Fire, or in warm Water till they begin to gape. The Seeds may be fown in Beds or Caſes in March, and when they peep they are to be care- fully preſerv'd with Furzes or the like Fence from Birds : The Beds ſhould be made in a ſhelter'd Placc, and the Seed ſown not above half an Inch deep in Shallow Rills, and co- * vered with fine rich Mould: When they are not up a Finger high, ſtrengthen their Stalks by fifting ſome more Earth about them: When they are two or three Years old you may tranlplant them, and after three or four Years, when well rooted, they make prodi- gious Shoots. Firs will grow in moiſt Clays or barren Gravel, and even in poor Ground if not over light and ſandy: Before fowing the Seed, turn it up a Foot deep, fowing or ſetting your Seeds a hand diſtance, and riddle Earth on them: In five or fix Weeks they will peep: When you tranſplant, water them well before, and cut the Clod out about the Root, which knead cloſe to them: Thus they may be ſafely ſent many Miles, but the Tops muſt neither be bruiſed nor cut, which would dwarf them, and make them ill ſhaped for ever after. The beſt time to tranſplant theſe Trees is in the begining of April; and they will thrive mainly if tranſplanted into a ſtiff hungry Clay, or rather Loan, and not a rich Soil: If your Ground be improper, fill the Holes with ſuch barren Earth, and if the Clay be too Ntiff, with a little Sand, removing them with as much Earth about the Roots as is poſſible : If through neceſſity you plant towards the latter end of Summer, lay a pretty deal of Horſe-Litter upon the Surface of the Ground to keep off the Heat, and in Winter the Cold; but let no Dung touch the Stem or Root. You may likewiſe fow in ſuch Earth about February, they will ſhoot the firſt Year an Inch, the next an handful, the third three Foot, and thence forward above a Yard annually, except a very dry Year overtake, and that will diſcover a manifeſt Difference. The Facility of their Propagation, their affecting Places where little elſe will thrive, their Uniformity and Beauty, their perpetual Verdure, Sweetneſs, and Fruitfulneſs, affording Seeds, Gum, Fuel and Timber, of all other Wood the moſt uſeful and eaſy to work, &c. all theſe Qualities render them highly worthy of Re- commendation as an excellent Improvement of Husbandry, fit to be enjoin'd by ſome Law or Statute, to the Inhabitants of this Iſland, that we might have Mafts for Shipping, and thoſe other Materials of our own Production, without being oblig'd to other Nations. Fir is of extreme great uſe: It makes our beſt Mafts for Shipping, Sheathing, Scaffold Poles , &c. (heretofore the whole Veſſel); and tho’ Fir rots quickly in Salt Water, it does not fo foon in freſh; nor is it refus’d in Merchant Ships, eſpecially the upper Parts, be- cauſe of its Lightneſs: It is alſo uſeful in Wainſcot, Floors, Pales, Boxes and Bellies for all Muſical Inſtruments. It is exceeding ſmooth to polithon, and therefore does well under Gilding; and takes Black equally with the Pear-Tree : Fir does well in Carvings, as for Capitols , Feftoons, Statues, &c. elpecially being gilded, becauſe of the eaſineſs of the Grain to work: And it takes the Tool every way. That famous Image of the Bleſſed Virgin at Loretto (faid to be carved by St. Luke) was made of Fir. Z z The 178 A New Syſtem of The Heart of Deal is almoſt everlaſting if kept dry, and no Wood agrees with Glew like it. Whole Towns and Cities are built of this Wood, in the Northern Parts of the World, as Moſcow, &c. and Tholouſe in France was within not much more than an Hun- dred Years, moſt of Fir. Moſt of Venice and Amſterdam is built upon them: And they make excellent Piles to ſuperſtruct on in boggy Ground. In former times they made Carts and Coaches of this Wood. The reſinous Tops of Fir and Pines are a ſovereign Remedy in Scorbutick Diſeaſes, Gravel in the Kidneys, &c. and the Chips or Shavings of Deal Boards, beſides kindling of Fires, are uſeful to keep Drink inſtead of Hops. The Fir, and moſt coniferous Trees, yield the ſame Concretes, Turpentines, Rofins, Pitch and Tar, &c. as the Pitch-Tree or Pine . But Mr. Evelyn diſlikes tranſplanting of Firs, becauſe for want of Tap-Roots (eſpecially if ſet cloſe or in Tufts) they are in danger of being deſtroy'd by Winds: Therefore they do beſt in Walks at competent Diſtances. The Rule is, Woods Mould be fowed; and not remov’d. There is a Silver Fir, which Mr. Evelyn names Spaniſh, which is ſtill a more beautiful Tree than either of the two former, by reaſon of its Silver Colour on the infide of the Leaves; but whether it is better than either of the former for uſe, is ſtill uncertain. The PINE-TREES, &c. ITCH and Tar are moſtly made in New-England, from the Pine; which naturally yieldeth Turpentine, at firſt flowing liquid and clear, but being hardened by the Air, is not much unlike the Burgundy Pitch; and in that Country they are call’d Pitch Pines out of which this gummy Subſtance tranfudes : They grow upon the moſt barren Plains, and on Rocks, and Hills ariſing amongſt thoſe Plains, where ſeveral are found blown down, that have lain ſo long, as that the whole Trees being periſhed, fome certain Knots of the Boughs have remained entire, lying at the fame Diſtance and Poſture as they grew upon the Tree, for its whole Length: The Bodies of ſome of theſe Trees are not cor- rupted by Age, and when reduc'd to Aſhes by Fire, it hath no Power over theſe hard Knots, beyond a black Scorching ; tho' on Heaps they are apt to burn. Of theſe Knots they make their Tar in New-England and the Country adjacent, while they are well impregnated with that Terebinthine and Reſinous matter, which like a Balſam preſerves them ſo long from Petrefaction. The reſt of the Tree contains the like Tere- binthine Sap, as appears from Inciſion, by a ſmall Chriſtalline Pearl, which ſweats out; but this being more watery and undigeſted, renders the Tree more obnoxious, eſpecially if it lies proftrate with the Bark on, which is a Receptacle for a certain Worm that haſtens its Decay. The Knots alone, the Tar-makers amaſs in Heaps, carrying them in Carts to ſome Place, where finding Clay or Loain fit for their turn, they lay an Hearth of ſuch ordinary Stone as they have at hand: This they build ſo high from the Level of the Ground, that a Veſſel may ſtand a little lower than the Hearth, to receive the Tar as it runs out. The Hearth is made wide according to the Quantity of Knots to be ſet at once, and with a ſmooth Floor of Clay, yet ſomewhat deſcending from the extreme Parts to the Middle, and thence towards one of the Sides, where a Gullet is left for the Tar to run out at. When the Hearth is thus finiſh’d, they pile the Knots one upon another, as our Col- liers do their Wood for Charcoal, and of a Height proportionable to the Breadth of the Hearth, and then cover them over with a Coat of Loam or Clay; which is beſt, and in defect of them, with the beſt and moſt tenacious Earth the Place will afford; leaving only a ſmall Spiracle at the Top, whereat to put the Fire in, and making ſome little Holes round about at ſeveral Heights for the Admiſſion of ſo much Air as is requiſite to keep it burning, and to regulate the Fire by opening and ſtopping it at pleaſure. The Proceſs is the fame almoſt with that of making Charcoal; for when it is well on fire, the Hole at top is ſtopped, and the Regiſters ſo govern'd, as the Knots may keep burning, and not be ſuffocated with too much Smoke; whilft all being now thorough heated, the Tar runs down to the Hearth, together with ſome of the more watery Sap, which hafting from all Parts towards the Middle, is convey'd by the aforementioned Gutter into the Veſſel placed to receive it. The Tar being all melted and run out, they ſtop all the Vents very cloſe, and find the Knots made into excellent Charcoal, preferr'd by the Smiths before any other made of Wood; and in defect of Sea-Coal they chuſe this , and give greater Prices for it. From theſe Knots alſo the Planters ſplit ſmall Slivers, about the thickneſs of one's Finger, which burn Agriculture and Gardening. 179 burn inſtead of Candles, giving a very good Light: This they call Candle-wood, and is much in uſe in New-England, &c. The Knots are not to be ſeparated, only by time; neither are they the only Materials from whence Tar can be extracted; for there are many other Trees abounding with the ſame ſort of Knots, and full of Turpentine to make Tar": But the felling and cutting out the Knots, would exceed the value of the Tar; whereas the Knots above deſcribed are gotten only by gathering. Sometimes Trees are found, the loweſt part of whoſe Stems towards the Root, is as full of Turpentine as the Knots; of theſe allo may Tar be made, but ſuch being rare, are commonly preſerv'd to ſplit into Candle-wood, becauſe they eaſily rive into any Lengths and Scantlings, much better than Knots. The whole Art of Tar-making, is but a kind of rude Diſtillation per deſcenſum ; and might be as well done in Furnaces of large Capacity, were it worth while. Of Tar, by boiling it to a ſufficient height, is Pitch made; and in ſome places where Roſin is plen- tiful, a fit proportion of that may be diffolv'd in the Tar, while it is boiling, and this is ſooneſt converted to Pitch, but 'tis ſomething different from what is made of Tar only. Some Perſons, to bring their Tar into Pitch for a ſudden uſe, make the Tar ſo hot in an Iron Kettle, that 'twill eaſily take Fire, and when blazing, ſet it in an airy Place to burn, till it appears of a fufficient Conſiſtence, then by covering the Kettle cloſe the Fire is ex- tinguiſh'd, and the Pitch is made without any more Ceremony. Five Leagues from Marſeilles are very high Mountains, for the moſt part covered with Foreſts of Pine-Trees, which grow wild; and here you ſee the making of Pitch, Tar, Rofin and Turpentine thus. In the Spring when the Sap runs moſt, they pare off the Bark of the Pine, to make the Sap run down to the Hole, which they cut at the bottom to receive it ; as it runs it leaves a Cream or Cruft behind it, which they take and temper in Water, and vend for White Bees-Wax (tho’ it is not ſo that they make Flambeaux of; then they take up the Juice in Spoons from the bottom, and when they have a good quantity, they ſtrain it through ſuch a Basket as Grocers put Malaga Raiſins in; what runs through eaſily is the common Turpentine, what remains they diſtil in an Alembick with a ſufficient quantity of Water, and what comes over is Oil of Turpentine, and the Calx remaining is common Rojin: Then they clit the Stock of the Tree into large Chips, and pile them hollow in a Cave, covering it on the Top with Tiles, but ſo as to let ſome Air come in to feed the Fire, and then burning them, there runs a thick Juice to the bot- tom, where they make a ſinall hole for it to run out at, and that which ſo runs is Tar : Then boiling it gently to conſume more of the Moiſture, they ſet it to cool, which when cold is Pitch. The great uſe of Pitch and Tar, in our Shipping and Navigation, is ſufficient to make this ſhort Account of their making it acceptable ; eſpecially as the Fir (a Tree of our own natural Product) furniſhes us with like Materials for Pitch, Tar, Turpentine, &c. Turpentine is us’d in many Medicines; as is likewiſe Pitch for Ointments, &c. and from the burning and fuliginous Vapours of theſe, eſpecially the Roſin, we have our Lamp and Printers Black. 'Tis thought that the Pine and Fir-Trees in Scotland might yield his Majeſty plenty of excellent Tar. The Cultivation of all the ſeveral ſorts of the Pines is much after the manner of the Fir, to which Head I refer the Reader ; but it ſhould be taken notice of here, that there are many ſorts of Pines, and the Tree hath the different Sexes of Male and Female ; for the Male is generally lower, and more knotty than the Female : That fort called the Picca affects cold Ground and proſpers well in England, and ſo doth the Pineafter or wild fort, out of which is extracted great ſtore of Pitch. And we are told of another Sort called the Peda, which grows in Dalmatia, and is ſo unetuous that it will ſlit into Candles. ARBOR 180 gri A New Syſtem of 19A bo ho ARBOR VITÆ. HE Arbor or Lignum Vitæ is a curious Ever-green ; and if it likes the Soil, which ſhould be Loamy, will grow to a great height and make handſome Timber. It alſo makes beautiful Standards for Pyramids and Balls to adorn the Parterres; for it bears the Sheers very well, and is therefore alſo good for Hedges and Arbours. The ſmell of the Leaves 's Aromatic ; offenſive to fome, and pleaſing to others. It is thought when rubb'd between the Fingers, to ſmell like Cheſhire Cheeſe. Whether it be from this ſtrong ſmell or any other Virtue in the Leaves, I know not; but 'tis an excellent Specific for an Ague when rubb’d or bruiſed with a rolling Pin, and afterwards apply'd to the Wrifts and Soles of the Feet, where it ſhould continue leveral Days ty’d on. I have ſeldom known it fail of a Cure, eſpecially among Children, except in very ſtubborn and extraordinary Caſes. It is hardy, and very natural to our Climate, which makes me wonder it is not more cultivated; eſpecially conſidering it is eaſily raiſed either from Layers or Slips, and is of all others incomparably the beſt for the Turners uſe; the Wood being ſinooth and com- pact, and prettily veined; which makes the Buxes, Bowls, Cups, and other Curioſities made of this Wood much ſought after and deſired. The Leaf of this Tree is likewiſe thought to make one of the beſt Ointments for green Wounds, for healing them ſuddenly. antem u RS I y y, Strip'd and Plain. THE plain Ivy, is an old faſhioned Green, of late Ycars much neglected and deſpiſed ; chiefly becaule being a Climber and not able to ſupport itſelf, it hath been found to injure the Buildings againſt which it is fet; foraſınuch as it eats out the Mortar from between the Joints of the Stone, with its natural Claws, which find and ſearch every pal- {age. Neither its Bloſſoms nor black Berries are very beautiful; but its Leaves are of a fine ſhining Green all the Year; which chiefly gave it its former Reputation. But there is a ſtrip'd Sort, edged with Silver, which looks very beautiful; and very agreeably co- vers a North Wall made with Brick, where it can do but little harm with its Claws. Be- ſides, tho' it hath been thought to be ſuch a Climber as would not grow without a ſup- port, yet Experience and Practice teaches, that it may be made a Dwarf Standard with its ſtrip'd Head cut into round Balls, than which nothing more pleaſes the Eye, nothing better endures the Cold, and nothing is of late more fought for among the hardy Ever- greens. It may be propagated either from Suckers or Layers. TH SAVINE. S1 NAVINE or Sabin is a dwarfiſh Ever-green, not much unlike to the Engliſh- Juniper. It bears clipping, and is therefore fit either for Hedges or Standards cut into Form. A Decoction of the Branches of this Tree is an exceſſive Bitter, and effectually cures the Worms: It is uſually raiſed from Layers and Cuttings. PYRAC ANTHA. TH HIS is a Thorny Shrub, ſhooting out ſeveral Branches which bear Leaves like thoſe of a Wild Pear, of a dark green colour all the Year. This Plant hath many Ex- cellencies, which other Greens of the Parterre want; and yet (for what Reaſon I know not) it doth not meet with that Encouragement it deſerves. For beſides the Beauty of its green Leaves, and the Bunches of Flowers it puts forth in May, it bears Cluſters of Berries of ſuch a bright Scarlet, as dazzle the Eye; which commonly hang on the Tree all the Winter till Spring; if the Birds will let them alone, for they are greedy of them in hard Weather. The ſtrong, frequent, and prickly Thorns it puts forth, occaſions the Tradition, that this was the Tree, of which out Saviour's Crown of Thorns was made, from hence by ſome this is called the Holy Thorn; growing, as it is ſaid, frequently in Judea. It may be trained into Balls and Pyramids, but then a great deal of its Beauty is loſt when it grows ſtubbed and woody; and beſides, the Flowers and Berries always grow on the Wood of the laſt Year, Agriculture and Gardening. 181 Year, which in cloſe clipping, is chiefly removed; and therefore the beſt way of ma- Anging this Tree in Perfection and Beauty, is to plant it againſt the North Sides of the Houſe or other Buildings, where it may have room to ſpread : For chiefly on the horis zontal Branches will it diſplay its Beauty in Flowers and Scarlet Berries. As to the Culture of this beautiful Plant, it is raiſed either from the Berries, or from Layers and Suckers. In the firſt way the Seeds muſt be ordered as thoſe of the Holly; but I think the giving them firſt to Fowls to paſs through their Bodies, is a little too fan- ciful: It may ſuffice only to lay them in heaps in fome by-place for one Year, and low them the next. In the other way from Layers and Suckers, care ſhould be taken that they be not too long out of the Ground, having commonly but few and weak Fibres. It de- lights in a mixt loamy Soil, hating either Clay or Sand, much more any Dung or via- nure, CEL ASTRUS and ARBUTUS. HE Celaſtrus or Staff-Tree is but little regarded and taken notice of, yet it is but juit to let it have its place in a compleat Collection; it bears green Leaves all the Winter, and ſome mix it with the Pyracantha to make the Ever-green Hedges. It is raiſed of Seed and Layers, and removed in the Spring. The Arbutus or Strawberry-Tree, fills a place amongſt the Ever-greens very agreeably. It is indeed an Exotic, and hath been uſed very tenderly (as many others have, that need it not) but it is by Experience found to thrive very well amongſt our Engliſh Greens, tho' more commonly, and ſome think more naturally, in Ireland. There are ſome very large Trees of it in the Gardens about London, which bear Flowers, Fruit and Seed, to per- fection. It holds its Leaves on all the Winter, which are of a bright ſhining Green, much reſembling the Bay, only more indented, and the young Shoots are a little reddiſh. In short, it is one of the moſt beautiful Plants, not variegated, we have. It is ſomething dif- ficult both to raiſe and to remove. The beſt way is from the Seed, which is contained in the Fruit like a Strawberry, and of no unpleaſant Taſte when it is ripe about Chrift- The Seed ſhould be ſown in a Box of light Earth in the Spring, and carefully co- vered, to the thickneſs of a Crown-piece, with fifted Mould. The gentle Heat of a Hot Bed will accelerate its Germination, and increaſe its Stature; but I am ſtill of the mind, that for Health and long Life, Nature's and the Carrier's Pace is beſt: If you can find a way to lay ſome of its tender Branches, let it be done in fine Earth about September, and in a Year’s time, (if it be a dripping Summer, or that it have frequent waterings) it will have gor Strength enough to be tranſplanted in the following Spring, but yet with great care and caution. It cares not much for the Sheers, and indeed doth not much want them, being diſpoſed to grow into good Shape. Where there is plenty, ſome will make Hedges of them, but they appear in their greateſt Beauty in the Wilderneſs-Works . It avoids Clay, and delights chiefly in a rich Gravel or Sand; where it will moſt commonly bloſſom twice a Year. mas. 22 CEDAR-TREE S.org CE IEDAR is a Coniferous, Ever-green Tree, large and tall, and bearing great roundish Cones of ſmooth Scales, ſtanding upwards, the Leaves being ſmall, narrow, and thick ſet together. There are ſeveral ſorts of this Tree not much differing from one another ; but the forts known and growing in England, are three ; Virginia, Bermudas, and the Lebanon Cedars. This Tree Mr. Evelyn fays, grows in all Extreams ; in the moiſt Barbadoes, the hot Bermudas, the cold New England, even where the Snow lies almoſt half the Year ; and why then it ſhould not thrive in Old England, he conceives to be the want of Induſtry : It grows in the Bogs of America, and on the Mountains of Aſia. He has frequently rais d it of the Seeds, which he ſet like the Bay-Berries; and we might have of the very beſt kind in the World from the Summer Ipands, tho' now almoſt exhauſted there alſo ; ſo that the moſt incomparable of that Sacred Wood, is like to be quite deſtroy’d, which is by Nature almoſt Eternal : What we have from Barbadoes and famaica is a ſpurious fort, and of fo porous a Nature, as that Wine will ſoak through it; but that they call ſo in New England, is a lofty Grower, which being fawn into Planks make excellent Floor- ing, and everlaſting: They thingle their Houſes with it, and uſe it in all their Edifices. It Ааа 182 gni A New Syſtem of A It is the Oxycedrus of Lycia, which the Architect Virtruvius deſcribes to have its Leaves reſembling Cypreſs; the right Phenician Cedar has them like the Juniper, and it bears a Cone not ſo pointed and diſtinct in Scales, as thoſe from Mount Lebanon. 'Tis recorded that in the Temple of Apollo at Utica, there was Timber of near two thouſand Years old, of this Wood: In Sagunti in Spain there was a Beam in a certain Ora- tory confecrated to Diana, which had been brought from Zant two hundred Years before the Deſtruction of Troy: The Statue of that Goddeſs in the famous Ephefine Temple, was of this Wood, as was moſt of the Timber-Work in all their Sacred Buildings. The Sittim, mentioned in Holy Writ, is believ'd to have been a kind of Cedar; of which precious Utenſils were form’d. Sefoftris King of Egypt built a Ship with Cedar of 280 Cubits; and Noah's Ark is ſuppos'd to be built of Cedar: The Mait of Demetrius's Galeaſe was one Cedar; and one of the Float that wafted Caligula's Obelisk out of Egypt was four Fathoms in Circumference. 'Tis writ alſo of a Cedar growing in the Iſland of Cypreſs, which was 130 Foot long, and 18 in Diameter. The Cedar is excellent for Poſts and Columns, becauſe of its direct growth, natural and comely Diminutions; and the more odoriferous the Trees are, the more durable and laſt- ing. Mr. Evelyn wiſhes that Cedar might be brought into more common uſe, ſince be- ſides the everlaſtingneſs of the Wood, not obnoxious to Worms, and which would allo be a means to preſerve Cloth and other Goods from Moths and Corruption; it would like- wiſe be a Cure to reform the Malignity and Corroſiveneſs of the Air, and make this City as if it ſtood among the Spices of Arabia, or the Proſpects of Mount Lebanon. Mr. Mortimer ſeems to have been very exact in, and to have underſtood well, the raiſing and cultivation of this delightful Tree, ſo much neglected, becauſe little underſtood. He tells us of that ſort which is eiteemed the tendereſt, viz. the Lebanon Cedar, that it bears even the ſevereſt Winters we have. He himſelf raiſed ſeveral of them of Cones, which he had from Mount Lebanon, and hath had a Walk long ſince planted with them. For, (as he rightly obſerves,) the Seeds keep well in the Cones, which may be brought from the fur- theit parts of the World with ſafety; and if the Seed is not taken out of the Cone till the Time of ſowing it in the Spring, it may laſt good three or four Years. Some Years ſince there was a fine Tree of this ſort growing at Stanſtead in Eſex, and I ſuppoſe it is there ſtill; for it had outlived ſome of the ſevereſt Winters when I ſaw it: It cannot be leſs than so Years old, and therefore every Year better able to reſiſt cold, and to natura- lize itſelf. The Juniper is reckoned to be a ſort of Gedar, ROSEMARY of ſeveral Sorts. RE OSEMARY is a fine Aromatic Ever-green Shrub, uſeful both in its Leaves and Flowers for many purpoſes. There are ſeveral Sorts of it, viz. the Common narrow leaf d; the broad leafʼd, the gilded or variouſly ſtripd with Yellow, and the Silver Roſemary : And Mr. Mortimer tells us of another fort that bears double bluiſh , Flowers. Thoſe that are ſtrip'd are moſt tender : But any of them ſet in a dry Soil, and under a tolerable Shelter, will ſaft many Years, and defy the Froſts, which yet will kill them if they are planted'in a cold wet Soil. They are increaſed very eaſily, either of Seeds, or Slips, ſet in April or May, which quickly take Root, if they are Shoots of the laſt year. If this Plant is ſet againſt a South Wall, it may be trained up to a conſiderable Height, and if it is planted in a ſhel- tered place in the Parterre, it will form itſelf, with a little help of the Sheers, into hand- ſome Pyramids. The Roaſt Beef formerly ſeldom appeared with any grace, except fuck with Roſemary : But Time and Faſhion alter both Palate and Beauty B AY- Agriculture and Gardening. 183 BAY-TREE. TH THE Bay is a Bacciferous, Ever-green Tree, conſiderable for its Berries; whoſe Leaves are ſhort, odorate, of a deep Green, and each Berry containing two Seeds. Mr. Evelyn tells us they are increaſed both of their Suckers, and Berries; which ſhould be dropping Ripe before gathered : Pliny's proceſs was the gathering the Berries in Janu- ary, ſpreading them till their ſweat be over, then putting them in Dung, and fowing them: To ſteep them in Water, is as well as Wine; ſome waſh the Sceds from their Mucilage, by breaking and bruiſing the glutinous Berries : Then ſow them in March, by ſcores in a heap, and ſo they will come up in Cluſters, but not ſo fit for Tranſplantation as where they are interred as you would furrow Peaſe: This way, and ſetting them apart, will raiſe Mul- titudes, and that in the Berries, without any farther Preparation; only for the firſt two Years they ſhould be defended from the piercing Winds, which frequently deſtroy them; and yet the ſcorching of their tender Leaves, ought not to make you deſpair, for many of them will recover beyond expectation. This Aromatic Tree greatly loves the Shade, yet thrives beſt in our hotteſt Gravel, ha- ving once paſſed the firit difficulties ; Culture about the Roots, wonderfully augments its growth; ſo as Trees of them will grow near thirty Foot high, and two Foot diameter. They are fit alſo both for Arbour and Paliſade-work, provided the Gardener underſtands when to prune them and keep them from growing too Woody. The Berries are emollient, Sovereign in Amictions of the Nerves, Cholicks, Gargariſms, Baths, Salves, Perfumes; and ſome have uſed the Leaves inſtead of Gloves. It is a com- mon thing with Nurſes, to eaſe Children of the Gripes, to boil Bay-Leaves in their Food. The Kernels of theſe Berries are very like Wheat. Of late Years abundance of theſe Trees have been raiſed and kept in Boxes, with curi- ous round Heads, and ſingle Stems of four, five, or fix Foot high or more, and brought us over from Flanders and Holland; the great Uſe and Ornament of which in Parterres have encouraged us to raiſe them here. They appear in Tubs like Oranges; and, at plea- fure, make a beautiful ſmall Walk. And it is worth remarking here, that the wonderful ſtraitneſs of the Bodies of theſe Trees before they come to Head, is owing to an ingeni- ous Contrivance of raiſing the whole Stem in one Year in a hot Bed from a Plant cut down to the very Root; and that is effected by means of a perpendicular Frame of Wood made for that Purpoſe. Lavender and Rue are more reptile Ever-greens, and require much the ſame Soil and Culture from Slips. The LAURU S-TINUS. TH HE Laurus-Tinus, tho' it is a flowring Shrub, and might properly be taken notice of under the next Catalogue ; yet being a beautiful Ever-green, generally planted in Parterres and amongſt other Greens in the Wilderneſs-Works, I ſhall give its Place here. Some fancy there are ſeveral kinds, but I could never yet diſcover any other difference, but what might juſtly be attributed to the Soil or Situation. It is eſteemed and reſpected in moſt Gardens both for its conſtant Verdure, and its beautiful well-ſcented Flowers, which appear, contrary to moſt others, in all the Winter Months. It makes handſome headed Plants in the Parterre, and refuſes almoſt no Soil but thoſe that are cold and ſpewy: And in ſuch indeed a hard Winter kills them. Such Plants as are diſpoſed to put forth near the Root, ſhould be encouraged for the ſake of Layers, by which it is chiefly to be in- creaſed. The richneſs of the Soil is the occaſion of a ſtrong ſhooting from the Root, but that hinders its Beauty both in Figure and Flowring. And for the ſake of the laſt, I ſhould adviſe rather to plant it againſt à Wall , or in a Wilderneſs at large, where it need not undergo ſo much the Severity of the Knife. For an unskilful Hand often deprives it of its greateſt Glory. PRIVET 184 GOT A New Syſtem of ing A PRIVET, LENTISC and MATERNUS. P RIVET is an Ever-green, much of late Years out of Faſhion, tho’ formerly almoſt the only Green uſed for Arbours and Hedges. It loves to grow amongſt other ſtronger Trees and Hedges, being not ſo well able to ſupport itſelf. It is eaſily raiſed by Suckers and Seed. The Italian green Privet is now got amongſt us, having Leaves much like the Olive. It loves a hot Soil, will bear the Severities of our Winter, eſpecially planted either m the Wilderneſs or Hedges, for it will bear clipping well; and becauſe it keeps its Ver- dure all the Year, it is a great Ornament to the Garden either in Hedges or Standards. The Berries are like thoſe of the Myrtle, and from them the Plants may be raiſed. The Lentiſc, Lentiſcus, is another very beautiful Ever-green, brought originally from Italy, and therefore is of the tenderer Sort; but with a little care and ſhelter, it will thrive in a warm Soil, and may be propagated by Suckers and Layers. Mr. Mortimer recommends the Wood of this Plant for Tooth-pickers; and thinks the Maſtick thereof to be a Spe- cific for the Teeth and Gums. There is alſo a Plant called the Maternus, which being a kind of Phylerea, is alſo good for Hedges, and may be as eaſily managed. Having thus given an Account of Foreſt-Trees and Ever-Greens of all Sizes and Sorts ; before I proceed to ſpeak of Flowring-Shrubs, I ſhall ſay ſomething in general of the manifeſt Advantage and Vſe, Of Wood and Timber. E VERY Man, to be a faithful Steward of his Land, ought to put it to that Uſe that will bring in moſt Profit. And Enquiry ſhould be made into what may be gained by letting Wood grow on Land, and in what Caſes it is neceſſary to com- pare the Benefit that may be made by employing it to other uſes, with the Benefit made by Wood; which two Profits being different in every Country, there is no poſitive Rule to be given for it; but it is poſſible to direčt how the Compariſon may be truly made. To which purpoſe there is a Method for making a Table ſhewing when Land affords Profit by bearing Wood: Firſt, rate the Land at ſo much per Acre; then ſee what Price the Wood is in that Place, and what an Acre of young Wood will afford at five Years for ſmall Hoops, Bruſh, Fagots, & c. which is the moſt benefit in ſome Places : What at nine Years for long Fagots, Bavins, &c. What at fourteen Years for Cord-Wood. One Acre will bear twenty Cord (a Cord being a Stack eight Foot long, four broad, and four high, every Stick at leaſt three Inches about) and after fourteen Years the Body or Stem increaſes flower, the Boughs more; and many ſmall Trees are deſtroy'd by the dropping of the more proſperous : Likewiſe what is to be made by Poles of thirty Years old, &c. Theſe Uſes take up the whole Benefit of the Land: And for Timber-Trees, there muſt be known the Value of Timber ; and we muſt ſuppoſe every Acre to bear one Hundred; and each Tree at ſeventy Years growth to have two Tun; and ſee what Satisfaction that will make for the long Expectation. To reduce the Trees to one Hundred, many muſt be drawn out at fourteen, twenty, or thirty Years end, whoſe Value will be known as above, and Allowance is to be made againſt the Rent for their Value. Then Trees with their dropping lowre the Graſs, 'tis true ; but they kill Moſs and Heath, which elſe would cover ſuch Ground as will ſerve well enough for Timber Trees, (the Experiment muſt not be made in good Ground, and kill Bryars, and ſecure it to bear Grafs; ſo that the Profit of the Ground is hardly leffen’d by the Trees ſtanding, there being ſtill Food for young Cattel : I need not ſay any thing of the Maſt or Profit of Paunage, which is yet ſomething. An Aſh, at thirty or forty Years is worth as much as an Oak at ſeventy. If Land be intended at firſt for Timber only, Cattle may be turned in at ſix or ſeven Years: But this is not the moſt profitable way. I allow nothing for the ſowing, becauſe poſſibly the beſt way is only to firew Maſt on the top of the Ground, never breaking it: I have ſeen they come up thickeſt where never cover'd. Nor for Incloſure, that may be charged Agriculture and Gardening: 185 charged on the Land next the Wood, for the Tenant incloſes againſt the Lord, in whoſe hand the Wood is ſuppos’d to be: And if it be a Wafte, &c. it is already done. When a Wood is fell’d, it muſt be incloſed from Cattle a Year before, and fix or ſeven after, for any Trees but Beech: They are drawn as they may be fold; and Cattle hinder not the growth of young ones in their Places : But it is not ſo for other Wood. So that in ſhort, the Table for purchaſing Annuities, applied to the preſent Rent of the Land, will ſhew whether the Wood coming in ſo many Years, will at the end in that Place of che Country make amends for the ſtay. I am confident many places would find Wood the beſt Employment: It has this conve- niency, that it yields ready. Money at any intermediate time, and ſtill increaſes the Value of a Purchaſe; but it were good if one could tell the yearly Improvement of a Tree, as we can of Corn and other Products of Land. With the Adiſtance of my inquiſitive and learned Authors I have ſaid a great deal about Oaks (in its proper place) and other Wood; notwithſtanding which, Mr. Houghton, F. R. S. has plainly proved in an Eſſay publiſh’d, Anno 1683. that if no Wood for Fuel or Tim- ber grew within twelve Miles of a Navigable River within this Kingdom, 'twould be its great Advantage; as to Trade, &c. And as I have known few Gentlemen that have turn'd their Arable or Paſture to Wood, I ſhall here make ſome particular Notes on ſome of Mr: "Evelyn's Examples as to the Improvement of Plantations in general. His firſt Inſtance is Latimer's Wood, in Norfolk, where soo Acres of the beſt Saplings were worth but 3 d. each, but in 25 Years they were worth 2 s. 6 d. each, and in so Years about 10 s. for 1380 Trees were valued at 700l. beſide 40 l. made before; and the Land if it had been clear'd would not have Let for above 5 s. the Acre. Upon which I remark, that theſe Saplings grew on old Stubbs, which I preſume makes them grow much fafter than if they had come from an Acorn; but what the difference is, I won't deter- mine; however, the Charge of Tilling and Setting the Ground with Acorns is to be con- ſidered; likewiſe 201. a Year for the so Years, be it more or leſs; all which I'll reckon for nothing : But at so Years end from the ſtubbing, the whole Growth was valued but at 700 l. with the Improvement it produc'd to the roth Year, beſide the 40 l. made ſome time before, whoſe Value I know not, but ſuppoſe it 100 l. in all 800 l. the whole Value of the Land by Wood. But conſidering that Money at compound Intereſt doubles in ſomething leſs than twelve Years, and 201. the Year, ſo reckoning amounts in yo Years to upwards of 68351. there is no Compariſon : Tho' the Acorns would have yielded ſomething, as alſo ſome few Sap- lings to make way for the reſt; but had all been cut down, the Improvement of the Land, beyond the Rent, would have exceeded all thoſe, and I alſo believe the Rent too. Another Example of Improvement of Wood is as follows: In 1636. an hundred Tim- ber-Trees of Oak were ſold for 100 l. but the Buyer going from his Bargain, they con- tinu'd growing till 1671. and then they were ſold for rool. and it looks like a very great Profit; but upon a nice Enquiry it will not be found ſo; for it is but an indifferent Oak whoſe Boughs will not reach one Pole on a ſide; and at that rate there can ſtand not many more than forty in an Acre; therefore I cannot imagine but that the Ground theſe hundred Oaks ſtood on, was worth 20 s. the Year, and ſo the 35 Years was worth in ready Money 211. 1 s. 2 d. which doubled once in 12 Years (as Compound Intereſt will do) and allowing one Year's growth more, the Rent would have amounted to 168 l. 95. 6 d. and the 1001. would have have yielded 800 l. both which make 968 l. 95. 6 d. then deduct from this the rool, the Trees ſold for, and there remains 480 l. os. 6 d. only the one Year is to be allow'd out of it. The next Inſtance is of a Perſon who planted an Afh; and before his Death fold it for 40 s. I will not reckon the Ground this Àſh grew on to be worth any thing ; but ſup- poſe the Aſh when planted was worth but one Shilling, and the Man liv'd 84 Years after, the Shilling would have amounted to fix Pounds and eight Shillings, which is far better than 40 s. Again, three Acres of barren Land ſown with Acorns, in fixty Years became a very thriving Wood, and was worth 300 l. Becauſe the Land was barren, I'll ſuppoſe it worth but 3 s. the Acre, Os. the three Acres; which for 60 Years was worth in preſent Mo- ney 15l. os. 7 d. which doubled every twelve Years makes 495 1. 6s. 8 d. Suppoſe that the Tillage, Acorns, and Setting, came but to the third part of 151. gs. 7 d. it would be upward of 165 l. which together makes above 600 l. for the 300l. my Author gives two more Inſtances, of very great Profits by Wood, but tells not how many Acres it grew on, therefore no Calculation can be made ; but one (and perhaps both) grew in Hedge-Rows, and ſo the Land coſt nothing. В ьь But 186 A New Syſtem of But Mr. Evelyn ſhews, that almoſt any Soil is proper for ſome profitable Timber-Trces or other, which is good for very little elſe. Then he gives ſeveral curious ways how to ſow and ſet Woods, to the greateſt Advantage; as alſo a Calculation of one Captain Smith's, of the great Profits made from 1000 Acres in 217 Years; as alſo an Eftimate what 20000 Acres would yield in iso Years, which amounts to many Millions of Pounds Sterling : tho' I preſume if ſo many were planted more than is, they would be worth little; or be, as King Charles the Second ſaid to the Merchant, that ſaid, if his Majeſty would encourage it, the Merchants would make Gold as plenty as the Stones in the Street ; to which the King anſwer’d, then 'twould be no more than the Stones in the Street : And a great deal of Navigation for Wood muſt ceaſe, and by conſequence we muſt have fewer Ships and Seamen. My Author, partly as a Divine and partly as a Philoſopher, concludes his Diſcourſe on Foreſt-Trees, with Contemplations on the Weakneſs of the Beginning, and Grandeur of the Growth of Trees; and not only ſo, but of ſome being as hard as Iron, and others as ſolid as Marble; ſome like the Birch, yielding more Wine in a little time than the weight of the whole Tree; and the contemptible Vinc, that without help cannot lift itſelf from the Ground, that yearly yields vaft quantity of Wine, that is ſaid to chear the Heart of Man. It has been obſerv'd, that Plantations of Trees attract and cauſe Moiſture and Rain; and in ſome places of the World, they have no other Water to drink, than what their Trees afford them; not only of their proper Juice, but from their attraction of the Even- ing Moiſture, which impends in the ſhape of a Cloud over them. To what probable Cauſe this may be aſſigned, will be berter underſtood, when the Nature of Vegetation is conſidered and explained. Of which in its proper Place. I am aware that beſides theſe Ever-greens here mentioned, there are many other Exo- tics of late Years introduced and naturalized amongſt us, ſuch as are found to bear the Se- verities of our ordinary Winters pretty well: Some of which (as alſo of the Exotic Flow- ring-Shrubs) I have juſt named and inſerted in the Catalogue. 游絲​端​游​晓华​创​驗​:將​能​帶​勢​雄​:勢​均​端​臉​照​馈​然​農場 ​CH A P. III. Of Flowring-Shrubs. T HAT I may compleat the Collection of Trees and Plants before mentioned, I ſhall now continue to diſcourſe of Flowring-Shrubs, but yet with as much Bre- vity as poſſible, becauſe theſe are generally well known, and their Cultivation as generally well underſtood. Sena.] I ſhall begin with the Sena, of which there are commonly known two Sorts, the Scorpion, and the great Bladder or Baſtard Sort, called Gollutea. The firſt is the moſt beautiiul; but both of them make a handſome ſhew with their yellow Bloſſoms both in Spring and Autumn. They are hardly able to ſupport their own weight, and therefore are pleaſed with the help of a Wall, or to be ſet againſt an Arbour, where they are tona file and endure all Weathers. Eaſily increaſed by Seeds, Layers and Suckers. Laburnum.] The Laburnum is rather a Tree than a Shrub, by ſome called the Bean Trefoil, its Leaves being an indented Trefoil, and its Pods reſemble Beans. Its Strings of yellow Bloſſoms look very beautifully in the Spring, and therefore tho' this Plant grows fome- times to near 20 Foot high, it obtains a Place among the Flowring-Shrubs and in Wil- derneſs-Work. It is eaſily raiſed from the Seeds, and grows in the moſt expoſed Places. Maracoc, or Paſſion-Tree.] I ſhould not do Juſtice to this moſt beautiful and glorious Plant, if I did not a little dwell on the Deſcription of it, as well as direct its Culture. The Maracoc, or Paſſion-Tree, by fome called Grenadille, and the Indian Creeper or Climber, a very extraordinary Plant, for the ſurprizing Beauty of its Flower, the conſtant Suce ceſſion of them for ſometimes more than fix Months, the Verdure of its Leaves, the Length of its Shoots, and the Largeneſs of its Fruit. There are ſeveral ſorts of this Plant, moit of them impatient of extreme Cold; therefore here I am only to regard that one fort is fo Papirion Flower and Fruit. Agriculture and Gardening. 187 ſo well known in England, which will endure our Climate pretty well abroad, and bear conè ftantly Flowers, and Fruit ſometimes. Mr. Bradley has taken ſome Pains in deſcribing the Nature and Culture of this Plant, to which I ſhall have ſome Things and Obſervations of my own to add. The known fort will certainly, if rightly managed, bear conſtant Flowers and ſometimes Fruit, as the Climate and Soil will ſuffer. But becauſe there will be a Neceſſity for a Deſcription of the Plant either in Words or Figure, I choſe to have the Figure thereof inſerted, as cons veying a better Idea to the Mind than any verbal Deſcription. From a View of this Figure, it may be ſeen the Flower has ten white Petals around it at equal diſtances, two Rows of purple Threads, a Stile reſembling the Pedeſtal of a Pillary dividing itſelf on the top into three Parts, and be ſet round at the bottom with Threads or Spikes crect. But as I ſaid, Inſpection is beſt; and I have ſaid ſo much, only a little to explain the Superſtition of the Friars, when they make the Flower the Repreſentation of our Saviour's Paffion; the great part whereof is forced to be help'd by pure Invention. The ten Petals, they ſay, are the ten Apoſtles; for one deny'd his Maſter, and the other hanged himſelf, and ſo were denied the Honour of a Place. The Circle of Purple Threads is the Glory commonly painted round the Head of our Saviour, and the ereet Spikes are no ill Reſemblance of the Crown of Thorns. The Stile in the middle of the Flower is the Pillar to which Chriſt was bound when he was ſcourged, the Claſper is the Gord, and the Leaf is the Hand. One of the Stamina with its Apax is a Hammer, and the four others make the Croſs : But what is moſt deſired to be thought wonderful and ſurprizing is, that every Flower is juſt three Days opening and ihutting. It were happy for Mankind, if Popiſ Superſtition were always thus harmleſs! Bur let us ſee what is to be done with this pretty Plant, that it may diſplay all its Beauties. That it delights in moiſt and warm Places is moſt certain, both what Mr. Bradley has told us from his Correſpondents, and alſo from what I have ſeen my ſelf; and there- fore to ſurround the Roots often with Cow-dung, or to ſet it againſt a conitant drain or ſink of Water, is an Advice to be followed, if it can at the fame Time have a South Aſpect; for the Cow-dung will keep the Roots cool and moiſt, and the Aſpect will be its defence and ſecurity in the Winter, which ſometimes kills this Plant down to the Roots; but then it will be ſure to revive again, which by the way is a better Emblem of the Reſurrection. But ſtill there is a good deal of Care to be uſed in the Pruning this Tree, that it may bear Fruit; for to neglect it wholly, or to prune it too much, are equally injurious. He ihat knows how to prune a Vine cannot miſs of doing this as he ought. If you cut an old Vine down to the old Wood all over, tho' that be the way to get good Wood next Year, yet that Year you muſt expect no Fruit; or if you leave too much, or a con- fuſed Quantity of Wood, little good Fruit can be expected. Thus you muſt diſcreetly order this Tree as a Vine, leaving every where ſome of the laſt Year's Wood four or five Inches long, the Tree ending in Points, fome ſhorter, fome longer intermixt, and not too many neither; for nothing is more apt to be confuſed than the Luxury of this Plant. In thort, prune it as you prune or ſhould prune the Vine, and you cannot err. But becauſe the ear- lieſt Bloſſoms commonly ſet for Fruit, it is a good way to ſet fome Frames of Melon Glaſſes before the upper Parts of the Tree in March and April, to make the Tree puſ; and if you can procure Bloſſoms by the latter end of May, you need not fear a Succeſſion of Fruit, eſpecially if you give it plentiful Watering in ſome of the drieſt Months. The Fruit is in ſhape and colour like a Lemon ; but the inſide is more like a Pomegranate, of a charp, but not unpleaſant Taſte. I have often wondered, conſidering the Beauty of this Plant, what a fine ſhew it makes againſt the South ſide of an Houſe, running ſometimes eighteen Foot in one Year, and how caſily the Tree is raiſed both from Suckers, Layers and Cuttings, that it ſhould not be more propagated than it is. For indeed no Place of Beauty ſhould be without it. We are told that Mr. Whitmil of Hoxton has a new ſort of dwarf Paſſion-Tree hitherto unknown, which bears Fruit very well upon ſmall Plants even in Pots, by the help of Sup- porters. One of them was brought laſt Winter to 7. Tempeſt, Eſq; with Fruit upon it; and from the Seed this Year I have raiſed ſeveral Plants. Honey-Suckle.] The Honey-Suckle or Wood-bind is of various forts, diſtinguiſhed by their Colours and Times of blowing. All of them bear pretty ſweet-ſcented Flowers, and ſome of them come early in the Spring, and therefore deſerve our Pains in propagating them. The Scarlet Flower is reckoned the moſt beautiful and blows late. They are called Wood- Binds, as they are twining Plants. They are eaſily raiſed from Layers or Cuttings. They do beſt in Arbours and againſt the fides of Houſes, only they are apt in ſuch Situations to be 188 A New Syſtem of A 7 be infeſted with a fort of Fly or Cantharides, which ſpoils all their Beauty, and makes them become offenſive. They look well among and about Trees in Avenues, and tho' they are not well made to ſupport themſelves, yet they may be formed into Heads from a ſingle Stem not too high from the Ground; and as ſoon as their bloſſoming is over may be clipp'd. Pomegranate.] The Pomegranate, which finds a place in this Catalogue, is that of the double-flowring Sort, whoſe Bloſſoms are of a moſt beautiful Scarlet Colour. Some ſet them in Arbours, and others adviſe them for Hedges of Wilderneſs-Works; but both theſe ways ſeem too hazardous for a tender Plant. The great Beauty and Glory of their Flow- ers in Auguſt and September highly merit a tenderer Regard, even to have the help of a Shelter or Wall much in view and facing the South. But there is another fort bearing ſingle Flowers of the ſame Scarlet, which in ſome Years and Situations ſet for Fruit. I have ſeen above an one Hundred ripe upon one Tree at Cue-Green near Richmond. They are both propagated from Layers, and may be Tranſplanted either in Spring or Autumn into a light warm Soil. Solanum.] The Solanum or Night-ſhade is of ſeveral Sorts. There is the Shrub Night- Shade which has a woody Stock with dark green Leaves; and there is the Tree Night- made, ariſing with a wooden Stem a Yard high, with green Leaves and white Flowers like Stars : But neither of theſe are comparable to the Beauty of the common Sort which grows in Hedges (not able to ſupport itſelf) when it happens to be variegated in its Leaves. For then is diſcovered no leſs than four Colours all at once in Autumn, viz. Purple Blof- ſoms, Scarlet Berries, and at the ſame time green Leaves edged with white or cream Co- lour. This Plant muſt be ſupported with Help againſt a Wall; but it will do on any Expoſition. The tender weak Branches ſhould be removed every Year, and it will not fail to repleniſh the Wall with new ones in the Spring, which attract the Eyes of the Curious, and Lovers of Beauty. Meſereon.] The Meſereon or Dwarf-Bay, riſes to two, three or four Foot high, as they happen to like the Soil; for tho’ they are ſtrong and hardy Plants, yet they are nice and ſomething hard to be pleaſed in their Roots. There are two or three Sorts of them. One which bears the red Flower, another which bears the Peach-bloom Flower, and another the White. Theſe Flowers are ſucceeded by beautiful Scarlet Berries, and ſometimes by Yellow ones, not lo beautiful tho’ more rare. Thele Trees have two Excellencies which make them univerſally eſteemed. They are the firſt Trees which put us in mind of the Spring by explaining their beautiful Sweet-ſcented Bloſſoms even in January, and continue them till March ; and then give us, not a Taſte, but a Sight of their beautiful Berries all the Au- tumn. Theſe Berries are hot to a very violent degree; but yet the Robin is greedy of them, and they readily grow after they have paſſed thro' his Body. By which means they are ſcattered and raiſed in great Abundance. Gilder-Roſe.] The Gilder-Roſe bears Bunches of white Bloſſoms in May, as big as a large Ball. It is a hardy Plant, grows in almoſt any Soil, and is increaſed by Suckers. But not being willing to be chaſtized by the Sheers, or kept in any exact form, he ſubmits to be placed among the Plants of the Wilderneſs. Roſé.] There are more Varieties of a Roſe than of any other Flowring-Shrub. And if you conſider the Beauty of their Flowers, the Fragrancy of their Smell, the Eaſineſs of their Culture, and the Continuance of their Blowing, one or other of them ſometimes for nine or ten Months, it will eaſily be granted, that nothing amongſt this Tribe can better deſerve the Room and Place they require. But becauſe there are ſo many Sorts, it may be fuf- ficient to give a Catalogue of them in their order, as commonly diſtinguiſhed by the Gar- deners; and then make ſome Remarks where particular Sorts require them. That which ought to have the preference to all others for Beauty and Colour, is the Yellow-Roſe, ſingle and double : But the firſt Blower is the Cinamon-Roſe; then follow the Monthly-Roſe, and the Cluſter-Monthly- Roſe; the Auſtrian-Roſe, the Damask-Roſe; the Province-Roſé ; Mr. Hart's Roſe; the Belgic-Roſe; the ordinary Red-Roſe; the Roſamundi, or York and Lan- caſter-Roſe; the Marbled-Roſe; the Velvet-Roſe; the White-Roſe; the Roſa-Canina ; the Musk. Roſe; the Ever-green-Roſe ; and the double-bloſſomed Sweet-brier: With ſome others The beſt, tendereſt, and more excellent Sorts have ſucceeded very well by grafting on the Stock of the common Sweet-brier, or by inoculating on the common Roſe at Midſummer, which is the beſt way of propagating the double Yellow-Roſe, whoſe Flowers are ſo very beautiful, and the Tree ſo little known, that I would prevent Miſtakes in planting it, by ſaying, that it ſhould by no means be planted in a Place too much expoſed to the Sun, nor in too light a Soil. The fewer and the ſtronger the Branches are left, the fairer will the Flowers be. The Monthly, and Cluſter-Monthly-Roſes, ſhould be ſet againſt a South Wall of leſs note. Agriculture and Gardnenig. 189 Wall, to make them blow carly and late ; for in ſuch Station, with the help of a little ſcreening and defence, I have known them bear till the beginning of December. Altho' the ſeveral forts of Roſes differ in their times of ripening, yet their Culture and Propagation is much the ſame. They love a Marle or loamy cool Soil inclining to moi- ſture, and are raiſed from Layers, Suckers, or even Cuttings ; which laſt way, tho it is not the moſt expeditious, yet is what I would recommend rather than the two former, which commonly produce a multitude of Suckers; and Suckers are always. Robbers and great Weakners of a Plant, and ſpoil its Beauty and Uniformity, which ſhould always be re- garded. Take therefore the very ſtrongeſt and ſtraiteſt of the laſt Year's Shoot of a Roſe from the Root, and cut off from the bottom every thing that looks like Fibre or Bud; and fo examine it all up the Stem till you come within three or four Inches, or as many Buds, of the top where you intend to ſhorten it, removing the Buds, with a knife, And in this manner keep always a Quantity in the Nurſery planted in the Spring in a cool Place, agreeable to the direction of the Gooſeberry and Current ſpoken of in the Fruit- Garden. For this Method ſecures it for ever from putting forth Suckers, and conſequently ſtrengthens the Plant. And this is the Method you are to follow, if you intend to ino- culate the weak and tenderer forts on the more robuft and ſtronger; for thús they will always form beautiful Plants, viz. handſome Heads on ſtrait Stems. Lilac.] The Lilác or Pipe-Tree is of two forts; the one bears a white, and the other a pale blue Flower, opening in April and May, and affording a very ſweet Scent, hanging down in Bunches like Plumes of Feathers. The White and the Blue agreeably intermixt look very pleaſantly in Walks or Wilderneſs-Works. They are raiſed from Suckers, which they are apt to put forth plentifully. Almond.] The Almond, both Standard and Dwarf, is of the Peach-kind, and until the large Plumb was found to be better, was uſed as a Stock for the Peach. But the chief uſe of the Almond now in England is for the Beauty of its Flowers, which appearing very early and of a pale red, attract every one's Eye to them in the Spring The Standard forts grow ſtrait, and make very handſome Heads, and in good Years bear tole- rable Fruit without the help of a Wall, and with it are more certainly ripe. The Kernel is generally bitter, but ſome think that often removing them makes them grow ſweeter. The Dwarf Kind is ſmaller in all its parts, ſomething tenderer, and valuable chiefly for its Bloſſoms, and is raiſed from Suckers. The way of raiſing the Tree is to ſet the Stones with their outward Coat in October; in the Place where they are to ſtand if poſſible; for they take a Remove very unkindly. But Care and Caution overcome great Difficulties. Jelfamine.] The Jeſſamine hath great Varieties ; but what concerns me at preſent, is to mention the forts that will endure our Winters without Houſing, of which fort are the common White, the Yellow, the Stripd, and the Perſian or Purple Jeſſamine. The firſt fort hath Branches of a deep green Wood flexible; opening at their Ends at Midſummer in- to a Tufc of divers Flowers, which are white and of a delicate Perfume; which Flowers with us commonly fall away without ſeeding, and therefore the Plant is to be raiſed from Suckers (which it is apt to put forth plentifully) and Layers. It is generally uſed to adorn the outſide of an Houſe, where it is very agreeable both to the Sight and to the Smell : But it is alſo a great Ornament to the large Plantations, and amongſt the Flowering- Shrubs ; where it may be trained up to a headed Plant, and will ſupport itſelf: In which Shape it may be ſet in Pots to adorn the Chimnies in the Summer Months. The Yellow Felamine, by ſome called the Jonquil, from its reſemblance to that Flower. From the flender Stems of this Plant, garnithed with oblong ſharp-pointed Leaves, come the Yellow Flowers, conſiſting of five Leaves in form of a Star. If it come (as ſome fancy) originally from Mexico, it is much it ſhould be ſo hardy; for no Winter, nor even no Neglect hurts it: Its Flowers have little ſmell, and therefore muſt give the other the Preference; but yet it makes a pretty Variety, and may be raiſed as the other, from Layers, &c. Both theſe are proper Stocks for moſt of the tenderer forts to be inarched or inoculated on; as alſo for The Strip'd Jeſſamine, which is certainly one of the moſt beautiful of the whole Tribe of Flowring-Shrubs; having its Leaves and the greateſt part of the young Wood tinged with a Gold-coloured Yellow intermix'd with the Green. For tho' the Bloſſom is no way af- fected with the Yellow ; yet the Leaves and Wood being of ſo beautiful a Die, the whole Plant ſoon attracts the Eyes of the Beholder. This may alſo be propagated by Layers and Cuttings; but it is alſo obtained by Inoculation on the plain White; and (as ī have elſewhere largely explained) a Bud lo put into the common fort hath a ſtrange Vir- tue to communicate its Die to the whole Plant, even on Branches coming from the Root on the other ſide of the Tree, whereby the Circulation of the Juices or Sap in Plants, as Сcc the 190 A New Syſtem of mora A the Blood in the Veins and Arteries of Animals, is undeniably proved to a Demonftraa tion * The Perſian Jelamine, which bears Flowers of a purple Colour, is alſo raiſed with us from Layers or Suckers, and loves a light, warm Soil, where it will bear our Winters well enough; and though it is but a ſmall Plant, yet it makes a pretty ſhew amongſt the Va- rieties of the Wilderneſs- Works and Flowering-Shrubs. This precedes the other in flow- ring, and yields moſt pleaſant and well-ſcented Bloſſoms. There is alſo the Indian Scarlet Jelamine, which with the help of a Wall and its Tendrils riſes to a great height, and af- fords a Scarlet Bloſſom : But it muſt be uſed tenderly. Althea Frutex.] Althea Frutex, or Shrub-Mallow, is of two forts, the White and the Purple; they are both equally hardy, and endure the Winter. They may be raiſed either from the Seed or Suckers. The Bloſſoms reſemble thoſe of the Mallow, from whence it has its name, and few themſelves very beautiful all the Summer till the Froſt overtakes them. Tulip-Tree.] Mr. Bradley has made it his Obſervation, that the Tulip-Tree will not live in expoſed Places, but only in the Wilderneſs, and amongſt Trees deſigned for Groves. Its Leaves are ſomewhat like thoſe of the Maple, and its Flowers, which begin to open in July, are only on the Extremities. It is a Native of the Weſt-Indies, and grows chiefly in Virginia and Carolina ; but yet managed according to its Nature, is eaſily Naturalized. There is a large one in my Lord Pembroke's Garden at Wilton, and another at my Lord Pe- terborough's at Parſon's Green; but I think its reſemblance to a Tulip is hardly fufficient to challenge the Name. The Petals, or Flower-Leaves, are of a yellow Colour, a little varie- gated. The Fruit, which is like the Cones of the Fir, doth not come to Perfection with us; but as they are brought from Virginia, they may be fowed in Autumn, and kept heltered in Pots during the Winter, and they will come up without the help of a hot Bed in the Spring. They muſt be uſed tenderly for the firſt four or five Years, and ſo may be eaſily uſed by degrees to our Climate, being ſet in a warm Sand. Spirea Frutex.] Spirea Frutex is a ſmall Shrub, feldom riſing above three Foot high. Its Beauty is chiefly in its Flower; for it bears a Peach-coloured Bloſſom in Auguft. It is an hardy Tree, and may be raiſed from Suckers or Layers. Spaniſh-Broom.] There is no great Beauty in the Leaves of this Plant; but its Flowers of little Pearls, or ſomething reſembling the Butterfly, make a pretty ſhew. There are two ſorts of this Spaniſh-Broom, one with White, and other with Yellow Flowers, bearing their Seed of a ſhining Red. The beſt way to raiſe them is from the Seed. The White fort is tender ; but the other is a hardy Plant, and eaſily cultivated from the Seed. But as it has long and ſlender Tap-Roots, great care ſhould be had in tranſplanting them ; for Nature beft directs what it wants, and therefore ſhortning them too much will be againſt Nature. If the Farmer and Grazier would not too much wonder and ſmile, when I men- tion the Engliſh Broom and Firze, I ſhould think them not amiſs to be planted amongſt the Shrubs of the Wilderneſs. They both anſwer the Sheers, look green all the Winter, and bear pleaſant yellow Bloſſoms. The latter, beſides its being as governable as the Eugh, bears its Bloſſoms the whole Year round, which no other Shrub (I think) can boaſt of. Syringa.] Syringa is another ſort of Lilac, which if planted in a ſhady Place will grow almoſt in any Soil. It bears many Cluſters of Flowers of a faint White, or Primroſe co- lour ; yielding a ftrong Scent, ſome think, not much unlike the Orange Flower, but ſtronger and leſs grateful. The late curious Botaniſt, Biſhop Compton, bas obſerved, that the Leaves of this Tree taſte like green Cucumbers. It is much planted amongſt the Flowering-Shrubs of the Wilderneſs, and is raiſed with great eaſe from Suckers, which it puts forth plentifully. Dog-Wood.] The common Dog-Wood is a Dwarf-Tree or Shrub, that grows frequent- ly in Hedges, bearing white Flowers and red Berries, the Wood whereof is of great uſe to the Butchers, but eſpecially to the Silver Wire-drawers, to clean the holes of their Plates from Wax, &c. But there is a Virginian fort that makes a Tree as big as a Cherry- Tree, which has likewiſe in April white Flowers and red Berries; the Roots whereof, boil- ed in Water, the Indians uſe to heel green Wounds. Sea-Ragwort.] Sea-Ragwort is another pretty Flowring-Shrub. It has an uncommon light Green without, and a white within or underneath the Leaves, which makes ſome call it the powdered Beau, and it produces Cluſters of Yellow Flowers about Midſummer. A * See Clerg, R creat, very Agriculture and Gardening. 191 watered. very ſevere Winter is apt to kill it ; and therefore it is proper to have ſome of it in Pots, which may be heltered in Extremities. And this will afford a Supply ; for it is eaſily raiſed from Suckers and Slips, and grows almoſt in any Soil, if it have moiſture. Barba Jovis.] This is a Shrub ſhooting a Stalk about a Foot and half high, which is hard and woody, covered with a downy Rind. At the end of the Branches appears a Butterfly-like Flower, which, after it falls , is filled with a roundiſh Seed. This is only a Plant of Curioſity, and is ornamental amongſt the Flower-Plots. But it muſt be weil Virgins Bower.] This Plant is of a twining, climbing Nature, and muſt be ſupported. It bears Flowers of a Violet colour, which grow in great Numbers, almoſt covering the Plant in July and Auguft. It may be raiſed from Layers and Cuttings : Will do againſt Arbours and Walls, or among the Flowering-Shrubs. There are allo ſingle ones both Purple and Red; but the double ones of both Colours are moſt eſteemed. The more they are pruned, the better and fairer are the Flowers of both forts. Periwincle.] This Plant, tho' it is a ſort of Reptile, hath great Varieties. For there is the broad-leaved Periwincle; the narrow-leaved Periwincle; the Periwincle with white Flowers; the double flowring Periwincle ; the yellow ſtrip'd Periwincle; and the Silver firip'd Periwincle with purple Flowers : Theſe two laſt eſpecially make a fine ſhew, both with their Flowers and painted Leaves, which are alſo ſemper virent. It delights in the ſhade, and even under the droppings of other Trees. But the way to make it thew its Beauty moſt, is to make it hold up its Head; and that is by tying up its Branches to ſmall Stakes, and having thus by the help of Sheers made it to form a ſort of Pyramid, it may very well be reckoned a Companion for Flowring-Shrubs. There is no difficulty in propagating it; for it grows from every Knot or Joint : On the contrary, there ſhould be care uſed to plant it where it may not over-run the Ground. Many more there are of this kind more common and of leſs note, which I ſhall not think fít to trouble the Reader with, as either growing wild in the Hedges, or elſe dif- cover little or no Beauty. But (as I have before remarked) there are alſo many Flowring- Shrubs from abroad introduced amongſt us, and are by Experience found to be hardy enough for our ordinary Winters; ſome of which I have therefore juſt named in the Ca- Thus much may fuffice to be ſaid concerning Foreſt-Trees, Ever-Greens, and Flowring- Shrubs : But becauſe there are Hints to be given about Growth and Planting, which may be thought uſeful, I ſhall add here one Chapter more. talogue. CH A P. IV. Of the beſt Ways and moſt general Seaſons for Setting Plants, &c. A LL Trees, Shrubs, and Plants of a woody Subſtance, that have Bodies able to endure the Cold, are beſt ſet before Winter, as foon as the Leaves begin to fall; and a Quickſet Hedge of this Seaſon is obſerved by far to outgrow another of the like Kind planted in the Spring. Artichokes and Aſparagus (whatever the modern Practice may have been to the contrary) do exceedingly well being planted at this Seaſon of Autumn, if ſet in a rich warm Mould, and ſomething defended the enſuing Win- ter from violent Froſts. For Artichokes it is ſufficient that a Trench be caſt up between the Rows for the defence of the Roots : And (as I have ſeveral times obſerved) Aſpara- gus is a very hardy Plant, and needs no ſhelter after the firſt Year. For Herbs and choice Plants, eſpecially thoſe that are ſet without Roots, it is moſt pro- per that they be ſet in the Spring : Such as Hyſop, Thyme, Savory, Marjoram, Wall-flowers, Pinks, Carnations; with this Caution, that by how much more tender and delicate each Plant is, in regard of Cold, the later it requires to be ſet, and in the warmer Place. As to all bulbous and tuberous rooted Plants, it is accounted the beſt way both for their Preſervation and Improvement, that they be taken up every Year out of the Ground, and kept ſome time within doors in dry Places, where they may have free Air, and little Sun, 192 A New Syſtem of Sun. Tulips, Ranunculus and Emonies, ſhould be taken up before Midſummer, and kept within doors till October, which will tend mightily to their Enlargement and Increaſe : Tho’ Fritelaries, Peonies, and Crown-Imperials are ſomething impatient at Removes, and thrive better without it. There is, without doubt, a Diſcretion to be uſed with reſpect to the ſeveral Kinds, and the Quality of the Ground where they are to grow. The Nar- cillus and Crocus are commonly taken up firit ; generally when the Flower is gone and the Leaf withered, and the Bulb full, is the beſt Sealon. And then as to thoſe Gardens which lie cold and moiſt, and are apt to be overflowed or ſoak’d with Water in the Winter, (for Summer-Wets never hurt them) the later bulbous Roots are ſet, the better and ſafer from danger. Concerning Plants that are ordinarily ſet abroad and left without farure Care and Atten- dance, little need be ſaid here; only theſe Obſervations (which I am forced to repeat) may not be amiſs to be taken in by the way; that it is greatly his Intereſt that minds the thriving of his Plantations, (whether they be large or ſmall Trees) that they be ſet ſo, that the Roots may only juſt run under the Turf, in the Surface of the Earth; the higher the better; eſpecially if due care be taken the first Year to keep them moift at the Root with Weeds or long Straw; or, which is ſtill beſt, with being paved round with Stones and afterwards well watered. I have ſeen ſome Plants ſo buried in a depth of thick Clay or Gravel, that they could not ſhoot for many Years any but weak and ſickly Branches, hardly a Span long; where- as others of the fame Kind planted high and according to Art, thrived abundantly even in the ſame Neighbourhood; nay, the very fame Trees, commanded to be raiſed, have been obſerved to exert their natural Vigor to a Wonder. Orchards require to have the Ground all over trenched, i.e. the upper Surface to change place with the lower Soil, and the Trees to ſtand at eight Yards diſtance in the Quina cunx Order. Without this Care and Diligence it is not to be hoped, (ordinarily ſpeaking) that you will receive the expected Fruits of your Labour. And if the Ground is ſhallow and ſubject 10 too much Moiſture, all Tap-rooted Trees are to be rejected, or you muſt plant them very high, without making any Hole, with untried Earth fuperinduced ; and after that, lay on a load to every Tree of ſuch Dirt as is found in the Streets, and diſpoſe it in ſuch a manner as to remain concave round the Tree, the better to retain the Dews and Rain. The want of this Proviſion and Practice is the occaſion that Orchards are fo often found unthriving, and the Trees obſerved to be ſtunted and dwarfiſh, and the Stems and Branches to be covered over with Moſs. For the planting of Woods in general, and for the increaſe of Under-wood, the follow- ing Method is generally approved and found right; viz. to caft up double Ditches, and plant the ſeveral ſorts in form of Quickſets, fowing allo Keys, Acorns, and Seeds on the Banks in orderly Rows. The beſt time of doing this, is as ſoon as the Leaf is fallen, without any regard either to the Moon or Weather. The Plants propagated in dry and more found Grounds, are Oak, Aſh, Elm, Sycamore, Maple, Crab, and Thorn. In the more moiſt Grounds and boggy Places, the Poplar, Willow, Sallow, and Ofier, are with moſt reaſon contrived to be planted, and all of them by Truncheons ; but yet with this Caution, that they ſhould grow rather by than in the Water : For none of them will grow long or much in ſuch Bogs as have no ſoundneſs of Ground, and are under Water the greateſt part of the Year. As to the vulgar Notion of raiſing Elms from Chips, that muſt be a miſtake, which the Country-man was probably led into from his obſerving Elms to grow from amidſt the Graſs, where Elm-Chips were ſcattered on the felling of large Trees : But the young Plants which have been there obſerved to riſe, muft neceſſarily proceed from Suckers ariſing from the old extended Roots remaining in the Ground. And theſe Suckers may eaſily be mi- itaken to ariſe from the Chips, becauſe they always come upon the felling of Elms where Chips are found, and grow at ſuch diſtances as Chips are ordinarily ſcattered. As to the Growth and Increaſe of Vegetables otherwiſe than by Soils ordinary and arti- ficial, or from the Surface of the Earth, I think it is demonſtrable and plain by every day's Experience, and by what I have ſaid of the continual Augment of Plants ſet in Wa. ter. For beſides the Slips of Mint, theſe which follow will grow and flouriſh from the Nouriſhment they receive from Water alone, not excluding the Terreſtrial Matter it con- tains; viz. Penny-Royal, Bugle, Prunella, Water-Croſs, Purple-Graſs, Periwincle, Crow- Foot, Brook-Lime, March-Mallows, Laurel, Scordium, Tripolium, Knot-Graſs, Panax-Coloni, Fet herfew, and ſome others; not meaning thoſe which will make ſome Puſhes of Vegeta- cion both in Leaves and Roots, and yet ſoon after die, of which there are a great many. Buc Agriculture and Gardening. 193 But further than this, I have already obſerved, that even the Air itſelf contains fo much vegetable Matter in it, that ſome Plants will flouriſh and grow by the Help and Virtue of that Nouriſhment alone; as moſt of the bulbous Roots will do, as well as the Sedums and Orpines. However, to that reaſoning I think fit to add in this place, that Onions, Tulips, and all bulbous Roots, tho’ by virtue of the Air and what it contains, they ſhoot out a green Leaf, yet that they conſtantly much leſſen in their weight, which is a demonſtration that they exhale more than they receive ; and their Growth is little more than a Motion of the ſame Parts, or rather another Order or Situation in relation to each other. For the Onion particularly has the thicker Coverings of the Bulb very much ſtretch'd out, and each Covering, as it increaſes in Length and Breadth by riſing into a Leaf, ſo its Bulk, while it covered the Bulb only, decreaſeth proportionably, and is mould- ed into a thinner and more largely extended Veſtment. Thus divers Sedums, Orpines, Tythmals, and ſuch like Plants, known to ſhoot and grow in the open Air, and are ſuppoſed to increaſe and to be augmented thereby, tho' the Plants grow well; yet upon Experience, are conſtantly found to loſe their weight. Thus again Aloes, tho’ it have been hanged up in the Air with a Cloth dipt in Sallet Oyl, and is ob- ſerved for many Years to put forth new Shoots and Leaves, yet it always grows leſs and leſs in weight, till at laſt the oldeſt Leaves falling off, and new ones ſucceeding, it grows to nothing It may not be amiſs under this Head, to take notice that in planting Avenues or other Rows or Cluſters of Trees, intended for Beauty and Ornament, great care ſhould be taken and judgment uſed to chuſe ſtrait, handſome, and well proportioned Trees. For beſides the uneaſineſs that every deformed thing gives to the Beholder, there is nothing more certain than this, that in all Animal Nature every thing that is ſtrait and well proportioned thrives and flouriſheth moſt; and on the contrary, every thing that is crooked and out of ſhape, is more or leſs dwarfiſh, ſtunted and unthriving; as having the Ducts and Paſſages for the Circulation of the Blood or Sap leſs open, or ſome way or other obſtructed. Which Ob- ſtructions are the occaſion of thoſe Diſappoints which careleſs Planters meet with, when tired with Expectations of having their Defires anſwered, they late (too late) ſee their Error in planting ill-choſen crooked Trees. Whereas, if Diſcretion and Judgment be uſed in the Choice of ſtrait-bodied Trees, with ſhining Bark; (a great Indication of Health) and ſuch Trees, deſigned for Ornament or Uſe, or both, be planted according to the Rules laid down, and in the right Seaſons, in Autumn or early in the Spring, (tho' the firſt is to be choſen) you may, without Pre- ſumption, ſoon expect to fee Nature exert her ſelf to the utmoſt in all her regular Ope- rations, and draw up your Infant Plants by ſwelling and extended Progreſſions to their full Stature, ſo as to anſwer your End in planting them, and excite your Thankfulneſs to the Author and Diſpoſer of all Things. D dd A 195 A N E W SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE Α Ν D G A R D E N IN G. B OOK III. Of the Fruit-Garden. LTHO' I have ſome Years ſince publiſhed to the World my Thoughts on this Subject in ſeveral Treatiſes, which have been very kindly entertain- ed and accepted: And altho' ſeveral others alſo have followed me with many ingenious Obſervations and Improvements on Vegetable Nature, whereby the Art of Gardening is become a Science now pretty well underſtood; yet for as much as this Treatiſe is intended to be a compleat Syſtem of Agriculture in all its Parts; and every day's Experience gives freſh Light, towards aſſiſting Nature in her generous Inclinations for the good of of Mankind, I have thought it reaſonable to explain and make eaſy the whole Myſtery of chuſing, raiſing, planting, and pruning the Fruit- Garden; that the whole by a regular, and orderly Government, may bring Pleaſure and Profit 196 A New Syſtem of Profit to the Owner; whereby two of the greatef Views of human Life are agreeably and innocently entertained and anſwered. But that I may proceed in ſome plain, eaſy, and regular Method, I purpoſe to begin my Directions from the firſt Riſe that a Man's Deſires take, who is to begin de novo; that ſo having before his Eyes as it were Tabulam raſam, as a blank Paper he may write upon it what is proper and moſt likely to anſwer his Purpoſe every Step he takes in a proper Order. And if ſo be a Man's Lot and Circumſtances be fuch, that he finds it is not in his Power or Choice to follow the exact Method laid down, he may eaſily break in upon it, and either chuſe or refuſe what is for or not for his Purpoſe. This being pre- miſed I ſhall begin to treat, С НА Р. І. Of the moſt defireable Situation for a Fruit-Garden. O UR Seaſons here in England are moſt commonly ſo very uncertain, eſpecially in the Spring, when Fruit-Trees are making their firſt' Attempts to reward the Owner, that it is very deſireable to have it in one's Power to chuſe a pro- per Situation; ſuch as may in great Meaſure prevent the Inconveniencies of the mercilets Winds, and the Miſchiefs attending the two Extreams of Wet and Dry; Hot and Cold. To this Purpoſe an eaſy Deſcent or Inclination of the Ground facing the South- Eaſt is much to be deſired, always ſuppoſing that every Quarter but that, be well guar- ded with Trees at a convenient diſtance; which Guard, if it is not already found, muſt inſtantly be made, that no time may be loft: But the Weſt and South-Weji Quarters call for the Maſter's more immediate Vigilance and Care; becauſe according to the conſtant Obſervations I have made for many Years, the Winds from thoſe Quarters reign for near three Parts in four of the whole Year; and conſequently as they make the greateſt Ha- vock and Deſolation in a Fruit-Garden, ſo they call for a more immediate and effectual Remedy; without which, whatever ſome may think, who truſt to Buildings and high Walls, which only create Eddies, moſt of the Planter's Labour and Charge will be fruit- leſs. An eaſy Deſcent or Declivity to the South-Eaſt is alſo deſireable for theſe following Reaſons. (1.) Becauſe ſuch Polítion receives the greater Quantity of the Sun's Rays, and conſequently more of his ripening Influence. (2.) Becauſe it makes a natural, and yet not too haſty a Drain for exceſſive Winter-Wets, oftentimes deſtructive to tender Trees and Plants. (3.) Becauſe it cauſes a natural Guard and Defence againſt the North and North- Weſt and West Winds; eſpecially if the Riſe of the Ground behind the Houſe and Gar- den towards thoſe Quarters be any thing conſiderable; which is much to be wiſhed for. Under theſe Circumſtances, and with the Advantage of a good Soil, (of which I ſhall ſpeak preſently) I venture to repeat what I have formerly ſaid, and that with more Af- ſurance, becauſe grounded upon further Experience, That three or four Degrees of Nor- thern Latitude, is a trifling Conſideration, and ſhould diſcourage no Lover of a Garden from attempting to plant and propagate the tendereſt Plants, and the beſt and lateſt Fruits. The Biſhoprick of Durham lies near the Latitude of 55, inferior to few in Riches and Beauty; we are preſented here with many right and proper Situations; and tho' the Art of Gardening has but in a manner juſt reach'd theſe Parts, yet where there has been any tolerable degree of Art and Diligence uſed, and the Soil and Situation favourable, I fee nothing deſireable in a Garden wanting: For altho' my own Situation is upon a Hill un- guarded, and I have the misfortune to be deprived of all Hopes of getting either much or good Fruit, unleſs I could afſwage the Fury of mercileſs Winds ; yet amongſt many of my good Friends and Neighbouring Gentlemen, I cannot but mention it with pleaſure, that I never eat more or better Fruit in my Life, even of all the beſt and lateſt Sorts, ex- cept Grapes; which for want of Courage are found planted but in few Places; and where they are found, miſcarry only for want of Skill in pruning; as I have already given occa- finonally ſome Demonſtrations. In Agriculture and Gardening. 197 In ſhort, every Gentleman or Clergyman that hath but the deſireable Situation here mentioned, or indeed but ſome good degrees of it, let him not imagine he is too far North, but take courage, and flatter himſelf with Succeſs in planting, when I tell him the Biſhoprick of Durham affords Plenty of the tendereſt Peaches and Nectarines, and even the late Katherines in perfection. In the Garden of my good Friend Dr. Hudleftone at Durham, beſides many other tender Curioſities, the Paſſion-Tree or Maracoc preſents itſelf in great Beauty and Glory; and tho' the Tree is but ſix or ſeven Years old, hath already made ſome promiſing Attempts for ripe Fruit; and that Reward I doubt not will be granted in a few Years more: But in- deed the Plant (tender as it is) grows in many other Places like a Weed, and where it is diſcreetly placed, neither refuſeth nor diſlikes the Climate ; which I take this occaſion to mention, that I may confirm and ſtrengthen what I have formerly laid down and ſup- ported by a Table of the Quantity of the Sun's Heat in ſeveral Latitudes from 44 to 50; whereby it appeared, that tho' three or four degrees of Latitude do produce ſome confi- derable difference in the degrees of Heat and Cold; yet that that is perhaps leſs conſiderable than is commonly thought; and conſequently that there is more weight laid upon that difference than it will bear, when a Gentleman ſuffers himſelf to be diſcouraged from plant- ing and managing Peaches and Vines, becauſe he happens to live under 54 or 55 degrees of Latitude. Which Calculation led me formerly to ſay further, “ I am ſo ſenſible how little there " is in that Diſadvantage, that if the Rules laid down be but followed, I am fanguine « enough to hope for Succeſs even in the moſt Northern Part of this Kingdom ; and it “ is with Pleaſure I expect to hear of good Grapes at York and Durham too." Moreover, it is not to be forgot what I have formerly obſerved alſo, that a Northern Latitude hath this Advantage; that from the two Equinoxes in Summer, (the time of ripening Fruits) there are no leſs than one Hundred Hours of Sun-ſhine at Durham, more than there are at Plymouth, as might eaſily be demonſtrated by a Table. Upon the whole. When the deſireable Situation here mentioned for a Garden can be had, 'I think it ſhould, almoſt at any Rate, be choſen; and when it cannot be had, either in whole or in part, the firſt Care is how to mend it by Artificial Shelters of Hedges and Rows of Trees; and by Conduits and Drains, as they are found to be wanting. C HA P. II. Of the moſt deſireable Soil for a Fruit-Garden T HE Situation of a Fruit-Garden, tho' it is a very inviting Circumſtance; yet is not the only thing to be regarded. A good Soil will do Wonders, where a bad one will do almoſt nothing without much Time, Labour and Charge. The Soil therefore (if one were to chuſe) that I ſhould call a good one is a rich loamy Earth, with near an equal Mixture of Sand and Clay two Foot deep, and under this either a Sand or Gravel, or ſomething elſe analogous to them, rocky and chiſelly, or the like. I do not ſay there is no other good but ſuch; for Chalks and Marles and ſome Sands will do exceedingly well with due Mixtures fuperinduced; but the natural Soil I would chuſe, as beſt of all, is what I have already mentioned, and if it is untried will laſt many Years without mending: And therefore ihould, I think, as near as may be, be the Stan- dard of all Artificial ones. I am ſufficiently ſenſible, that this natural deſireable Soil cannot ordinarily be had at Will or Pleaſure ; and therefore it may be expected, that I ſhould give ſome Hints and Di- rections how to mend Defects. The Fruit-Garden, and that only, is now in our View : So that according to my own Principles long ſince eſtabliſhed, and which I know to be right, I baniſh all Dung whatſoever as Poiſon, and a Nuiſance, for Reaſons I ſhall hereafter give. If the Soil then is Clay, ſuperinduce Sand; if Sand, Clay; and the bottoms of Ponds are the proper Mixtures and Manures for it. The one makes a convenient Separation of the Parts of Clay, and the other fixes the Sand: And herein lieth the whole Myſtery of a latting Improvement. Еее СНАР. 198 A New Syſtem of raingA With NATDOD go three ses A CH A P. III. Of Planting : The beſt Method and Time of doing it. B EFORE I give my Directions for planting, I would only premiſe theſe follow- ing Things, as ſeaſonable Monitions and timely Notices to every ingenious Con- triver. (1.) Let no one be over follicitous to reduce an irregular piece of Ground into any exact Squares ; becauſe Irregularities may eaſily be made Beau- ties : Strait Lines, either in Walks or Hedges, bring every thing into Shape and Order. (2.) Except where room for Fruit is much wanted, there is no neceſſity to be at the Charge to build high Walls; becauſe tho' every Height can be filled and employed, yet Fruit-Trees neither want it, nor much deſire it. Eight or nine Foot high is ſufficient for every thing but a Pear. (3.) An exact Poſition or Afpect to the four Quarters, is not much to be regarded, as of conſequence to the Proſperity of a Fruit-Garden. For if it be walled round (as it ſhould) and the Walls make either obtuſe or acute Angles, or both, there will be almoſt every Aſpect, good and bad, which may be agreeably filled accord- ing to Art and Rule. Only this I would ſay; the more of South-Eaſt and South-Wejlig the better ; eſpecially the former; and there is no need of being very follicitous for a full South Wall; becauſe a Wall that declines either way 20° or 30° hach as many Hours of Sun, and then both Declinations are almoſt equally good. (4.) I cannot but add by way of Caution; that no one be over covetous to enlarge his Fruit-Garden beyond what can reaſonably be well managed and carefully minded. Forty or Fifty Yards ſquare is enough for almoſt any Gentleman's Fruit-Garden. The great Exceſſes beyond this proportion I have long obſerved to be one great Occaſion of Barrenneſs. The Moſt are apt to covet a large Extent, but Few are willing to allow Hands enough to manage it. * Having premiſed thus much, I now come to the great Buſineſs of PLANTING. And altho' the performing this aright is of the greateſt conſequence to a Man's future Pleaſure and Profit; yet, however it comes to paſs, it hath not been well underſtood, and feldom rightly inculcated by thoſe who have treated on this Subject. It is certainly a great Misfortune to ſet out wrong, and it is commonly thought that of all Errors a furi- damental one is the worit. However, Truth, as it hates Darkneſs, is plain, beautiful, and uniform ; and as it loves the Light, is eaſily made clear and intelligible to the Under- ſtanding That I may then, conſiſtent with Reaſon, ſet this Matter in its proper Light, I muſt here take it for granted, that the Borders both under the Walls and where the Dwarfs and Eſpaliers are to be placed, be made with, and only with the beſt Virgin or Untried Earth which can be got, agreeable to the aforegoing Directions ; not above a Foor or Foot and half deep at moſt; and four or five Foot wide. The raiſing theſe Borders muſt be diſcretionally done. If the Situation be low and inclining to Wet, they may be rai- ſed ſeven or eight Inches above the Level; if the Soil be fandy or gravelly, little or no Elevation is beit. The Borders being thus prepared for Planting, the diſtance of the Trees next offers it- ſelf to be conſidered. Here there hath been a general Failure in Practice, eſpecially in Paliſades or Eſpaliers; but whatever hath been the Practice, ſure I am the general Rule ſhould be four Yards diſtance both for Walls, Dwarfs and Eſpaliers; that there may be fufficient room given for horizontal Branches ; and that the Gardener, for want of it, may not be forced to ſuffer the Branches to run perpendicularly. This then being agreed on, the whole Plan ſhould be ftak'd out in the proper diſtances, that when the Trees are made ready for planting, the Gardener may have nothing elſe to do but to plant. The Fruit-Trees then being procured from ſome of the honeſteſt Nurſery-Men in or near London, (amongſt whom I have long known Mr. Parker, and his Aſſociate Mr. Woodman to be of that Character) if they have been any conſiderable time out of the Ground, or their Roots have been much dry’d, it is good to ſteep them in a Horſe-pond twenty four * Fæcundior eft culta Exiguitas, quàm Magnitudo neglecta, Palladius, Hours, ) Agriculture and Gardening. 199 Hours, to ſupple and to recover the Roots: After this, Art and Care is to be uſed in pruning the Roots, which you muſt do by taking off all the ſmall Fibres entirely, and ihortning the bigger Roots to about fix Inches from the Stem; and if they have recei- ved any Wound or Gall in their Carriage, that part of the Root muſt alſo be cut off, Three or four Spurs are fufficient, and therefore the reſt ſhould be quite removed; be- cauſe too many large ones remaining on a tranſplanted Tree, are one Occaſion of that groſs Wood, ſo diſagreeable both to its Bearing and Beauty; and are indeed in their Na- ture as ungovernable and tyrannical in a Tree, as a {proud, ſwelling, covetous Perſon is in a Neighbourhood, who licks up the Fat of the Land, and tries to over-reach and ſtarve every one that lives near him. The Head of the Tree muſt alſo be cut off, that it may form an agreeable Figure at the bottom with horizontal Branches; ſome chuſe to ſtay till the Spring before they do this, contenting themſelves only to cut off fome, and leave the reſt to be ſhortned again afterwards. Others finiſh this Operation before they plant, ſhortning the Tree to about fix Inches above the place of Inoculation or Grafting, leaving the Slope where the Knife went facing the Wall, the Root at ſome little diſtance, and the Top near touching it; con- triving alſo, as near as may be, that two collateral Buds towards the Top may be left to ſpread Horizontally; and if any are obſerved to project forwards, they ſhould be rubb’d off at their firſt puſhing. There is however a diſcretional Power to be uſed with reſpect to thoſe Trees which are only removed from one Neighbouring Place to anothers taken up with great Care and moſt of the Earth about the Roots : For I have frequently removed, theſe, without either pruning Root or Branch, and that with Succeſs; and with this deſign too, that I might check the luxuriant Growth of a too vigorous Tree running altogether into Wood. The Time and Manner of Planting are next to be conſidered. As to the firſt , there is a pretty great Latitude in an open Winter ; for in ſuch caſe, that Work may be performed from the middle of Otober to the middle of March. But becauſe an open Winter can- not be foreknown, I would chuſe OEtober and November for the beſt Seaſon of planting Fruit-Trees, or indeed almoſt any Trees that are not very tender ; ftrengthned alſo by theſe Reaſons ; That a Tree planted in Autumn, will better diſpoſe itſelf for putting forth ſuch fibrous Roots as may ſupport the Life of the Tree, and prepare it for the kind In- fluences of the Sun in the Spring; and alſo remove one conſiderable part of the Gardeners work from the Hurry of other neceſſary Buſineſs in the Spring. However, no Time is to be loſt; a few Years make a great Hole in the beſt Part of a Man's Life. If Autumn and the Winter Seaſon be flipp'd thro’ Indolence or Neceſſity, the Spring is thankfully to be embraced, as a Seaſon for planting not to be deſpiſed. The Manner of doing this deſerves no ſmall part of our Regard; becauſe on this de- pends in great Meaſure the hopes of furure Advantage. I ſay this; becauſe the too com- mon Practice hath been to bury a Tree alive, which of all others is the worſt, becauſe most lingring Death. Let then the Gardener be prepared with a ſufficient quantity of untried Earth made' fine, and have a Barrow-full ready for every Tree. Let the Tree, already pruned, as before directed, in the Head and Root, be placed in its appointed Station, not digging any Hole, but with the Hand preſſing it an Inch or two into the prepared Border ; and after that lay on the fine Mould, diſcreetly filling the ſpaces betwixt one Root and another, till at laſt there appear a Semicircle round the Tree four or five Inches higher than the reſt of the Border. This I call planting a Fruit-Tree. This high planting, if it be performed with Care and future Caution, prevents that luxuriant Growth, lo fatal to Peaches and Aprecots eſpecially; running them into Gum, and many other Miſchiefs attending a too haſty Vigour, as will be obſerved hereafter. However, To prevent Inconveniencies from hence alſo; after a Tree is once planted according to Art in a proper Place and with a ſuitable Soil, theſe two Things ſhould conſtantly recur to the Thoughts of the Planter; viz. to keep it cool and moiſt. For it is a moſt certain Truth, that the hot Rays of the Sun are highly prejudicial to the Growth and Proſpe- rity of the Tree. Its Weakneſs at firſt planting is eaſily overpowered by uninterrupted and unintercepted Heat, and doth almott as impatiently bear the violent Heat of the Sun, as the Optick Nerves do ſuffer its Meridian Rays. And then again, if ſo be the Tree was not hurt in this Particular ; yet if after plant- ing, any laſting or conſiderable Drought fucceed, it muſt greatly ſuffer in its Health and 200 A New Syſtem of in and Proſperity, if it do not actually languiſh and die. To prevent therefore theſe two Dangers and Inconveniencies, the following Care is ſtrongly recommended and preſled. Soon after planting, pitch or pave the Tree round with Stones or Pebbles, in a conveni- ent Circle, a Foot or two Diameter, diſcretionally judged, according to the Bigneſs of the Tree and the Extent of its Roots. If the Tree be Standard or Dwarf, it muſt be an entire Circle; but if a Fruit-Tree againſt a Wall, it muſt be only a Semicircle. When this is done, as it may be with a very little Art, ſo as to look not unpleaſing to the Eye, (the Circle being made a little concave to hold the Water) let the Tree be throughly well watered, and if neceſſity require, let it be repeated once more, in the extreme Droughts of April; and I have found by long Experience that a Tree rightly planted and pruned in the Head and Roots, and in right Health, cannot well miſcarry. For this Method ex- actly and excellently anſwers the two before mentioned Requiſites for the Growth and Proſperity of a new planted Tree; Coolneſs and Moiſture. N. B. I chuſe not to plant a Tree in the very Coines or Angles of the Walls, having obſerved that ſuch Tree feldom flouriſhes well for want of Air; and tho' it is to be no- ted, that the Fig-Tree refifts this Inconvenience, and is therefore there beſt placed, be- cauſe it may there be beſt defended with Mats from the Extremities of the Winter. The Mode of the French Eſpaliers are not proper for our Climate; and therefore Pali- ſades are rather to be adviſed, which may be formed and ſupported by occafional Uprights. The Charge of a framed Elpalier is great ; and if it be made (as is common) ten Foot high, before the Fruit-Trees need regularly that Support at the Top, the whole will be in a decaying Condition. The Paliſade-Fruit-Hedges have been diſcontinued chiefly for want of Skill in planting the Trees, becauſe only or chiefly their horizontal Branches bear Fruit : Whereas hitherto the Method of planting has been (for what Reaſon I cannot tell, except from Art in the Nurſery-Man to force a Trade) moſt commonly at four, or five, or fix Foot diſtance; whereas ten or twelve Foot aſunder ſhould be the leaſt diſtance, if much more than Branches and Leaves be expected. It may not be amiſs in this place to adviſe a good Method of knowing and preſerving the Memory of the ſeveral kinds of Fruit newly planted ; and that is by a Survey or Plan of the whole, deſcribing a plain Figure of each Tree with the Name underwritten; lo as that you have alway before your Eyes even in the Houſe, the Order, Name, and Si- tuation of every Tree. Thus, ཟེ ། Old Newington P. Montabon. Noblels. Rom. Nectarine. Colmar Pear. DIT W Orleans Plum. wy Swan's Egg. way E Orange Bergamot. Turkey Aprecot. Buree. S Before I conclude this Head about Planting, becauſe I am ſo unfortunate as to differ from moſt others who have treated on this Subject, I think my ſelf obliged to allign the Reaſons why I directed the Borders to be made fo ſhallow as only a Foot or Foot and half deep, and alſo baniſh all Dung as an Enemy. For (1.) From long Obſervation and fur- ther Experience I have found, that too great Proſperity is the moſt dangerous State ; and tho the other Extreme calls for a Remedy, yet that Remedy is more eaſily applied. Over-luxuriancy in a Fruit-Tree ſubjects it to Gum and a great deal of falfe Wood; which is an Evil hardly to be cured, except by taking up the Tree, and planting as I have di- re&ted, and ſometimes by wounding and maiming ſome of the Roots. Whereas (2.) If there is no Failure or Fault at the Root, Superinductions and Waterings quickly cure Po- verty and Weakneſs. But feldom or never do I find Trees complain for want of Riches, if the above-mentioned Competency be allowed. They will not, and indeed they ſhould not, be proud or arrogant in their way of living, ſtriving to over-top their Neighbours, and aiming to be great and high. Humility is more ſuitable to their Condition, and better an- fwers the End of their Being : For by a gentle and gradual Progreſs they ſooneſt attain a State of bearing Fruit, and gratefully rewarding their Benefactors; and which is more, they Agriculture and Gardening. 201 they continue and remain longeſt in that State, bringing forth Fruit to the end of their Lives. If tall Cherries, Plums, &c. be planted at firſt in the intermediate Spaces to fill the Top of the Wall, have a care they do not ſtand there too long; and they ſhould be planted chiefly amongſt the Wall-Pears, which are hardy and ſtrong: Neither let the Borders be filled up or worn out with Colliflowers, and the too ordinary Trumpery of Lavender and Roſemary; the great Deſtroyers and Beggerers of Soil. It will not be neceſſary here to mention the true Alpect every Fruit-Tree ſhould have; becauſe that will naturally fall under the Deſcription of each Tree, whether Peach, Pear, or Plum. Neither need I ſay any thing here about horizontal Shelters : Their Direction will come under the Chapter of Blights. As to the firſt, I would only ſay, that a ſtrict Regard is to be had to the true and proper Expoſition, becauſe I am ſenſible there has been great Diſappointments attending the Ignorance or Miſtake of this point; as when ſome of the beſt French Pears (110 way inferior to good Peaches) are thought to merit no better than North-Eaſt or North-Weſt Walls. Or elſe they are planted at the very end of a South-Eaſt or South-Weſt Wall, where they are deprived of three or four Hours of the Sun by a Northern Wall interpoſing. In the Borders amongſt the Elpaliers or Dwarfs may very conveniently be ſet Gooſe- berries and Currants in the intermediate Spaces, for a time. CH A P. IV. T Of Pruning HERE is nothing in the whole Myſtery of Gardening that hath more employed the Thoughts or exerciſed the Pens of the Curious, than the Art of Pruning, rightly judging that wiſe Laws and wholeſome Rules give true Life to the Vegetable , as well as the Moral World. And this Art is the more difficult, becauſe moſt Trees require a diſtinɛt Management, and ſome a very different one. Whether there be any thing in the Conceit of ſome Authors, who tell us that Pruning was firſt diſcovered by the Effect of the Aſs's cropping the Vine, I know not : But this is certain, that the Luxuriancy and Vigour of moſt healthful Trees is like the extra- vagant Sallies of Youth, who are apt to live too faſt, if not kept within due Bounds, and reſtrained by ſeaſonable Corrections. Monſieur Quintinye was the firſt that attempted to ſpeak very particularly on this Sub- ject; and ſome others both French and Engliſh have ſince endeavoured to explain and enlarge his Rules : But whether they have made the Art ſufficiently intelligible or not, I ſhall not determine; but chuſe rather, in my own way, and according to my earlieſt and lateſt Experience, to diſcover to others what appears to me to be right, and worthy of Notice ; that this Work may approve itſelf as compleat as I intended it, and may be expected. Now becauſe in the Buſineſs of Pruning, it may be difficult to ſpeak to every Caſe in an exact Method, without great Repetitions ; to avoid which therefore I chuſe (as I for- merly did) to lay down ſome general Rules as the fix'd Laws, whereby every Pruner hould govern himſelf, when he hath his Hammer and his Knife in his Hand ready for Diſcipline. Let it then be taken Notice of as an undeniable Maxim, 1. That the more the Branches, or indeed the Body, of any Tree is led or bent down horizontally, the more apt and the better diſpoſed that Tree is to bear Fruit. So on the contrary, the more upright or perpendicular the Branches or Body are ſuffered to lie, the more diſpoſed that Tree is to encreaſe in Wood and leſs in Fruit. This is a known and experienced Truth: And it is ſufficiently confirmed by the com- mon Obſervation of ſuch 'Trees as have been blown aſide by the Winds; ſometimes ſo much that half the Roots are made bare, and the Trunk lieth along very near the Ground. Such Trees as theſe I ſay are obſerved always to bear Fruit abundantly; altho’ Nature re-directs many of the Branches to an erect and perpendicular Poſture for its Increaſe in Wood. The Reaſon of this Obſervation ſeems to be: That by bending down the Branches of a Tree from a perpendicular to an horizontal Pofture, you thereby check the free Cir- culation of the Sap; which Check, whether it be done by Art or Accident, cauſes leſs vigorous and luxuriant Shoots to be formed, and conſequently more bearing Buds : Agree- able to another Maxim, That bearing of Fruit is alway the Effect of ſome degree of Vigour loft. Fff II. As 206 A New Syſtem of II. As a Conſequence then of the aforeſaid Maxim, it ſhould ever be the Care, and al- ways in the Memory of the Pruner, to keep the middle of a Tree, whether Dwarf or that againſt a Wall, free from great Wood or thick Branches; which, tho' they will increaſe and grow upon him, he is to cut entirely out, waiting for weaker in their Places. I al- ways think it a defect of Skill, if a Tree be ſuffered long to continue without bearing Branches and Bloſſoms in ſome plenty. For tho' a Gardener cannot command Fruit from Bloſſoms by reaſon of bad and uncertain Seaſons, and ſo cannot have it when he pleaſes; yet he may in a manner have it where he pleaſes; and keep every part of the Tree in a bearing State; but yet his greateſt Skill of all is diſcovered when he makes the middle part of the Tree to bear. III. Another general Rule is, That a Tree be not over-full or crowded with Wood, no not even with Fruit-Branches; which yet is too often ſeen, to the great damage of the whole. Nature cannot ſupply a ſufficient Quantity of ſuitable Juices to ſupport them, and then it followeth that none of them will be well ſupplied; but the Bloſſoms will either drop off, or if they ſet for Fruit, it will be ſmall and inſipid. IV. One general Rule more is, To leave all ſtrong aud vigorous Shoots longer than the weak and feeble ones, even on the fame Tree; conſequently the Branches of a fickly Tree are to be pruned ſhorter, and left fewer in Number than thoſe on a healthful Trec. Which Practice and Reaſoning is founded on this certain Maxim, not ſo well obſerved as it ought; That all the Pruning more or leſs taketh not away, but gives Vigour. But becauſe, as I have already hinted, there is a diſtinct Management required for ſome of the beſt ſorts of Fruit, I ſhall mention every Particular, that nothing material may be omitted in an Article that requires ſome Application. CH A P. V. The Vine. Vine Begin with the Vine, which is the King of Vegetables, and juftly claims the Precedency. This is to be pruned with great Judgment and Diſcretion, if any valuable Reward of Fruit is expected; and yet tho' it moſt requires a repeated Skill, it is generally leaſt underſtood or minded. It is beſt pruned in November, altho' the two following Months will anſwer well enough; but much later than that, will ſubject it to bleeding, which weakens the Vine, and hinders the Fairneſs of the Fruit. Contrary to moſt others, it bears its Fruit on the ſtrongeſt Shoots. Theſe therefore muſt be left, cut to five, fix, ſeven, or eight Buds, diſcretionally judged, with a View to fill the Wall with one ſhorter and another longer; cutting the ſmall weak Branches entirely out. And as the old Wood begins to grow upon you, cut every Year ſome of it out from towards the Bottom, that that, and indeed the whole Wall, if poſ- fible, may be filled horizontally with young Wood. Obſerve to let the Track of the Knife end in a Slope on that lide oppoſite to the laſt Bud; and then nail it as cloſe to the Wall as poſſible; not with Leather or any ſuch ſtubborn Matter, but with Shreads of Woollen, that will ſtretch and yield without galling the Branches. Have a care of leaving too many even of the larger Branches: Near a Foot aſunder is, generally ſpeak- ing, enough; becauſe no other Tree is ſo apt to fill with Wood and Leaves, and confen quently to breed Confuſion as the Vine. This Firſt pruning muſt be finiſhed before February. The Second is to be performed in May, when the Cluſters appear; and then the extended Shoot is to be pinched off five or fix Inches above the Fruit, at the ſame time nailing the very Fruit, if poſſible, that it may touch the Wall. And foraſmuch as the Vine is apt to be aſſaulted with many Rob- bers in the Body and bigger Branches, eſpecially of an old Vine, theſe are carefully to be rubb’d off and check'd at their firſt Appearance; for nothing indeed ſhould remain upon the Vine in Summer, but what is abſolutely neceſſary for Wood, Fruit, and Shelter. And this I would repeat and lay a ſtreſs upon, to prevent the common and contrary Practice, of letting ſo much unneceſſary Confuſion remain uncorrected. But the Vine muſt ſtill be again and again diſciplined. A Third time about Midſummer, when all ſhould be re-examined; that it may be disburthened of a multitude of Branches it will have put forth, and the Rays of the Sun may be ſuffered gradually (not too much por all at once) to falute the ſwelling Fruit. And ſo alſo again, A Fourth Agriculture and Gardening. 207 A Fourth time ſhould the Vineyard be viſited in Auguſt, and carefully watched, that no- thing of Shade or Shelter, either natural or artificial, be wanting, and yet nothing ſuperfluous. The Vine requiring ſomething a different Soil, and Culture, from other Fruits, it may be neceſſary to add in this place, that the Soil and Situation of a Vine cannot well be too dry; inaſmuch as it loves even the dry decay'd Rubbiſh of Buildings, and the refuſe Lime- mortar thereof. This mixt with an equal Quantity of untried Earth is a good Border for Vines, which ſhould not be planted nearer than fix or ſeven Yards aſunder on low Walls, that the Branches may have room to run horizontally. The Vine is apt to take a Remove very unkindly; and if the Roots are much dried in the Air, it will hardly be perſwaded to grow. Therefore it is good to wrap wet Moſs about the Roots, as ſoon as taken out of the Ground; or, as Mr. Bradley adviſes upon Experience, to ſupple the Roots with Soap, and after planting, to give them a plentiful Watering There have been ſeveral Attempts of late made to accelerate the Ripening of Grapes in England; as putting the Fruit in or behind Glaſſes; to run the Branches on ſlope Walls on the Tiles of the Houſe: The firſt Method is apt to make the Fruit infipid, and the laft ſubjects them to the cold Nights, and perpendicular Dews and Vapours then falling upon them. The moſt rational and beſt approved Expedient yet found out, is artificial Fires on the North Side of the Wall, made hollow with ſeveral horizontal Tunnels, both under the Roots and along by the Body of the Wall, to receive and convey the Heat and Smoke; and this in the North, where Coals are plentiful, is no expenſive Mechod: Or elſe to lay freſh Horſe-Litter from the Stable on the Back of the Wall, which gives a conſtant, gentle, and ſweating Heat, very agreeable to the Growth of Vegetables. Only it is always to be remembered, that if the Vines by any artificial Heat puth before their natural time, great Care muſt be uſed to guard them from the Froſts till April and ſome Part of May be over, If the deſired Soil, and Situation, and Climate before mentioned were well conſidered and improved, I do not fee but it muſt turn to a very good Account, in fome of the Sou- thern Parts, to plant a well ſheltered Spot of Ground to be ordered in the Method of a Vineyard for making Wine. It is generally thought that the South Side of a chalky Hill is exceeding proper : But I ſhould rather chuſe an untried hot Sand or rich Gravel; be- cauſe this will retain the Heat of the Sun much longer; even ſo as to continue warm in the Abſence of the Sun, and in ſome meaſure influence the whole circumambient Air. Vines thus planted in the way of Vineyard, viz. at two Foot aſunder, and the collateral Rows three Foot diſtance running Eaſt and Weſt, require ſomething a different Management from thoſe planted againſt a Wall: For as ſoon as the Hopes of Fruit are come, (which may be expected after the third Year of Planting) in November or December you are to prune all away, except one of the ſtrongeſt, as a Reſerve for a Standard-Plant about four or five Foot high: Only ſuch as you find about the Bigneſs of an handſome Reed, theſe you are to regard and a little ſpare, by cutting them only to two or three Buds or Eyes next the Ground. Then apply a Prop to every one of your Vines, and tie them to the main Standard-Shoot before mentioned, with Oziers, about one Foot from the Earth, bending the Top of theſe Shoots to the next Prop, about two Foot from the Ground, that fo the Ranks may ſtand in form of Arches, whilſt the Eyes that you ſpared now in dreſſing ſhall the May following be bound to the Props for the next Year's bearing. In the Beginning or Middle of June, when the Fruit begins to bloſſom, ſtop the ſecond Joint above the Fruit; but remember to leave the ſtrongeſt Shoot four Foot high to be the Standard-Plant of the Year enſuing. In the Beginning of September, when the Fruit begins to turn and ripen, break off luch Shoots as you ſhall find too thick upon thoſe you pruned in May, only ſo as to let in the Sun, and not leave the Fruit naked. You are now to obſerve that the Standards which you laſt tied to the Props at a Foor "high, and whoſe Tops were bent to the next, will the following Year be grown old Wood; which for that Reaſon, at the next Pruning Seaſon is to be cut cloſe to the Ground; and his place is to be ſupply'd with that ſtrongeſt Shoot which you left for that Purpoſe as a Standard-Plant four Foot high ; and which you muſt order as before directed: Pruning all the weak Shoots to the very Earth, and leaving two Eyes to each of the ſtronger, as before. Be ſure to remember every Winter to give the Vineyard an ordinary Digging, with . Care of ſparing the Maſter-Roots, affording alſo a Coat of well prepared or elſe untried Earth. Altho' I think the black Cluſter, and the white Muſcadine ſhould be planted and encou- z aged for their early ripening; yet I think the true Claret Grape, which is an excellent Bearer, ſhould have its Place in a Vineyard, by reaſon it affords the moſt, and propereſt, becauſe the rougheſt Juice for making Wine, СНАР, 204 A New Syſtem of CH AP. VI. The Peach, Nectarine, and Aprecot, &c. I Put theſe three together, becauſe their Pruning and Management is much the ſame; and indeed I might include all the Fruits which are uſually comprehended under the Title of Stone-Fruit; and then Plums, Cherries and Almonds, would fall under this Head allo. All which (Cherries excepted) are ſo nearly allied, that they make, as I may ſay, one Family, and admit the ſame Rules of Government. But by reaſon there are ſo many Varieties of Caſes to be conſidered, from the different forts of Fruit, the different Soils, and the different States of Health cach Tree may be in, I ſhall not add a great deal here to the general Rules already laid down, which I would have well conſidered. Stone-Fruit is very apt to put forth Plenty of bearing Wood after the ſecond or third Year of planting, eſpecially the Peach and Cherry, ſo that there can- not want Choice of good ones. Theſe are eaſily diſcovered in February, by the Bigneſs of the ſwelling Buds; and that generally tempts moſt to defer their Pruning till then, that they may the better know what to chuſe and what to refuſe: Which however ſometimes proves pretty difficult, when the Tree is over-vigorous, and ſhoots every where in great Confuſion. The biggeſt of the Wood, which is commonly in the Middle, muſt unavoidably be cut quite out, that ſome of the larger fort which remains may be left the longer, even to ten or twelve Inches; which if it continue increaſing in Wood-Branches, muſt alſo be cut entirely out as ſoon as the Wall can be furniſhed with ſmaller Wood. The Fruit- Branches, if they are not over-long, may be left to their Extent untouched, provided at the ſame time, you have near it a Wood-Branch pruned to four or five Inches, which will ſupply the Vacancy in caſe the Fruit-Branch dies, as it often will. Let it be the firſt Care in pruning theſe Trees, to fill the Wall at the Bottom with horizontal Wood-Branches, truiting to the middle to provide for itſelf: But I never chuſe to bend a Branch beyond the horizontal Poſture with any View of Continuance; becauſe it feldom long outlives an Uſage ſo contrary to Nature. All dead, fapleſs and yellow Wood is to be cut out, and every Autumn (not Midſummer) Shoot muſt be rejected as uſeleſs and unprofitable. It is very wrong and unſeemly to ſuffer a Tree to grow out of Shape, much more extended on one side than the other, which indeed often happens from a Defect at the Root; but this Evil is eaſily remedied by a Reduction, when the Tree is diſengaged from the Wall, eſpecially while it has Youth of its Side. I add here by way of Caution. Beware of a common Fault in pruning, letting the Wood-Branches run without controul and leaving them too long in one Year. This is an Evil hardly to be remedied in Trees of ſome Age, becauſe the Bark of Stone-Fruit is generally hard and tough, and will not ſuffer Nature to puſh any new Shoots thro' it. The Conſequence of which is, that Trees ſo managed, become barren both of Wood and Fruit at the Bottom and Middle of the Tree, which haftens its Ruin; agreeable to this Maxim, That good Pruning not only procures Fruit, but makes laſting Trees. Having thus, before the Leaves appear, formed your Tree into Beauty and Order, the next thing to be done (and it is commonly done with too much Reluctancy) is to thin the Peaches and Aprecots, when too great Plenty apppears, the larter End of April: For without this Care, there will be few or none fit to be eaten. After this there will be little to be done here till Midſummer, when there muſt be an eſpecial Regard had to an Operation very ſeaſonable and neceſſary: viz. To ſhorten or pinch all itrong luxuriant Branches to two Inches of the Place from whence they ſhoot, with a View to get ſmaller and Fruit-bearing Wood in its place. This Practice is right both in Reaſon and Expe- rience. Winter Pruning (as I have obſerved) gives Vigour to a Tree; but this Operation, when Nature is in its full Carriere, damps its Vigour, and chaſtiſeth it into Fruit . The fame Reaſon holds for plaſhing a ſtrong Branch of a Peach or A precot, ſhooting di- rectly forward; for tho' that is not to be done in Winter, yet now it may, and that fafely; and ſuch Branch may be ſo diſpoſed, as to fill a void Place with weak and bearing Wood. When both Peaches and Aprecots begin to turn their Colour for ripening, it is very proper to pick off ſuch Leaves as hang directly before the Fruit, that the Sun may reach them Agriculture and Gardening. 205 them with his ripening Influence, and give them their inviting beautiful Colour, in per- As Plums and Cherries need little Art to make them thrive and bear againſt a Wall, fo neither do they want ſo much Attendance and Care as the other choicer Fruit. Altho', to make them laſting and healthful as well as handſome Trees, the general Rules laid down ſhould by all means be ſtrictly obſerved. fection. CH A P. VII. The Pear. T HERE is no ſort of Fruit which affords us greater Varieties than the Pears all originally raiſed from the Seed, and propagated by Grafting and Inoculation. And there are ſome ſuch admirable forts of this Fruit now acquired, that not even the moſt melting Peach can exceed them in their high Flavour and rich- neſs of Taſte. Inſomuch that many of them juſtly merit the beſt Place we can give them, and our higheſt Regard and Care in the Management of them. For which Purpoſe there- fore, beſides the general Rules already laid down, I ſhall offer ſome particular Directions neceffary to be obſerved for the obtaining a ſufficient Quantity of this delicious Fruit. It is to be obſerved, that there are two ſorts of Stocks generally made uſe of for propa- gating the Pear; which I mention here, becauſe they require very different Management : The Quince, and the wild Pear-ſtock. The firſt is made uſe of for its early bearing : Being a Dwarf and ſlow Grower, the Grafts put upon it are ſooner diſpoſed to throw out bearing Wood. Accordingly it is difficult to make it ſpread to any tolerable Height, except in a moiſt and loany Soil; and even in the moſt agreeable Soil, it is apt to be fickly and not long-lived. However, it is proper to have ſome Pears on this Stock, be- cauſe you will quickly be rewarded; and ſome think it gives a vinous Flavour to the Fruit. The Pruning here is not difficult, becauſe you have only weak Shoots to deal with, and thoſe muſt be pruned ſhort. The free Stock or wild Pear makes the moſt ſtately, beautiful and laſting Tree; but all our Care and Diligence is called for to keep it under Diſcipline, and within due Bounds. And therefore no Tree more requires the ſtrict Obſervation of thoſe general Rules already laid down. It is indeed naturally too proud for a Wall: But ſeaſonable Corrections keep all in order, which would otherwiſe be perfect Anarchy and Confuſion. The horizontal Poſture of the lowermoſt Boughs is a ſufficient Check to their Ambi- tion; and ſo nothing more but nailing them to the Wall, without any Pruning, is required. But the nearer you approach to the perpendicular Poſture, the more they begin to be un- ruly and to want Correction. But it is a Miſtake to think pruning or ſhortening the Branches is a Corre&tion : On the contrary, it is a real Indulgence, and adds to its Vigour: I have therefore often found it neceſſary to plaſs the moſt vigorous Shoots, cutting them near the Place from whence they ſhoot, more than half through upwards; which checks the Vigour, and forms Fruit-branches. Even ſometimes a Branch projecting and which ſtands condemned, by ſuch Inciſion is made to fill a vacant Place with good Wood. But becauſe the great Difficulty is to manage the very ſtrong perpendicular Branches, that will be always puſhing up in the Middle; I muſt add, that I make no Difficulty to cut the Bark of theſe quite round two Inches wide, peeling it quite off to the Wood in May, and then ſhortning the Branch, ſo as it may beſt ſerve the Turn wanted. By this means that great Barrenneſs ſo obſervable in the Middle of moſt Pear-Trees, will be remedied by a Fruit-bearing Branch; which if it die in four or five Years, yet will bear Fruit all that Time, and will infallibly be ſucceeded by many more to be uſed in the ſame Some have been diſcouraged in this Experiment, whilſt they unadviſedly disbark the large Branches, and, it may be, the very Trunk of the Tree; which if it fail, will make either an unſeemly Gap and Defect in the one Caſe, and may chance to deſtroy the Tree in the other: Whereas ordinarily, except in the way of Experiment, no Branches ſhould be thus ſeverely uſed, but ſuch as are not above three or four Years old, and that at the proper Time manner. Ggg 206 SI A New Syſtem of Time too, in April or May. To disbark them only half round (as Mr. Carpenter ſeems to adviſe) is doing nothing. Becauſe a vigorous Pear will very quickly recover that Check and his Strength together. In ſhort, the Experiment and the Succeſs of it (ſometimes even on large Branches) is ſo well ſupported by repeated Inſtances, that if it is diſcreetly and ſeaſonably practiſed, you may depend upon it, that not one in forty will miſcarry. It may eaſily be perceived that this Operation as well as the former one of Inciſion or Plaſhing, is founded on a well ſup- ported Maxim : That a convenient and ſeaſonable Check or Reſiſtance of the Sap in its free Circulation, weakens that Part, and conſequently makes it prolifick. The disbarking the Pear one would naturally think ſhould kill it; becauſe that Opera- tion kills I think almoſt all other Trees : But the Sap of the Pear, it ſeems, finds a Paf- ſage thro' the Pith; and ſuch a ſtrait one it is, as admits of only a gentle and gradual Cir- culation, ſuch as ends in Weakneſs. How and in what manner it is performed, is not yet ſo eaſy to determine for want of nicer Obſervations and Experiments. The Doctrine of the Circulation of the Sap, I think my ſelf and ſome others have undeniably proved from Facts; how it is done, I might conjecture ; but I chuſe to leave the ſtronger Knowledge thereof to Microſcopical Obſervations and Anatomical Men. The bearing Buds of a Pear-Tree are eaſily diſtinguiſhed from others, even as ſoon as the Leaves fall; being fulier and more ſwelled than the reſt; which is therefore carefully to be minded, that they may be ſpared in pruning. On vigorous Pear-Trees there will always be found ſome ſuch as are called by lome Water-Shoots or falſe Wood, diſtinguiſhable by the Eyes, placed at a greater Diſtance, and flatter than the reft; theſe as well as all Autumn Shoots, muſt be taken away; except Neceſſity require them for a vacant Place, and then they ſhould be either disbarked as above, or plaſhed more than half through. All Wood-Branches that project any thing forward (as many ſuch there will be) ſhould be cut flope-wiſe, to a quarter of an Inch of the Branch or Body from whence they ſpring; by which means their following Attempts will be weaker, and they will puſh on- ly into bearing Wood. Above all things avoid a Confuſion of Branches, and, if poſſible , a croſſing one another in the Middle of the Tree, where the greateſt Danger is. At the Extremities there is not much Difficulty; only a diſcreet Pruner will think it proper to leave one Branch longer, and another shorter; that the Wall may be gradually filled with weak Wood. It may be ſeaſonable here to remark, that the Bon Crétien Pears of the fe- veral Sorts, eſpecially the Summer one, love not the Knife at the Extremities, where they chiefly make their Attempts to reward the Owner. And becauſe they are generally ſuch free Growers, and ſo apt to run into Wood, their Vigour cannot be too much check’d, either in the Root or Branches; and for a contrary reaſon, the Buree Pear cannot well bé too much encouraged. I think, if what hath hitherto been ſaid, be rightly regarded, no one can be at a loſs how to govern his Dwarfs or Eſpaliers ; the ſame Rules (generally ſpeaking) taking Place bere alſo : Only when Inciſion or Plaſhing is practiſed, a ſlender Support ſhould be applied, left the Winds break the upper Part quite off. I cannot approve of the common Practice of too much confining the Dwarfs in low Concaves : The Poſture is unnatural and la- boured, and is found not to anſwer in the beſt and moſt difficult forts. The open Figure and larger Extent of Branches in the half Dwarfs, give room to Nature to exert itſelf; and therefore are much to be preferred to the other for anſwering the deſire of Plenty. The Trees for Eſpaliers, being placed at the Diſtance of four Yards, will ſoon anſwer the Planter's Expectations on their horizontal Branches ; provided they have their proper and occaſional Supports, and the Laws before mentioned be put in Execution. The right forts for theſe and for the ſeveral aſpected Walls, will be mentioned in a proper Place. CHAP Agriculture and Gardening. 207 CHA P. VIII. The Fig. O cut away F late Years the Fig is come into more Repute than formerly; being found when full ripe to be not only a delicious Fruit, but extremely agreeable to the Engliſh Climate. It is moreover a Plant eaſily propagated from Suckers, which it is apt to put out plentifully at the Roots; and having the Shelter of a good Wall, it feldom or never fails of bearing a good Crop. It delights moſt in a mixt loamy Soil inclining to Clay, where it will puſh very vigorous Shoots; for on theſe (like the Vine) the Fruit is for the moſt part formed, at the Extremities; and, which is very remarkable, the very Fruit appears in March long before the Leaves.' This Fruit is known to bear two conſtant Crops every Year; tho’ with us in England it is very ſeldom known that the ſecond Crop comes to Perfection: But in France and the more Southern Countries, the laſt, which ripens the latter End of October, is generally eſteemed the beſt; and its Fruit is thought to have the higher Flavour, as having not been pinched or ſtarved by the cold Winds in the Spring; for this ſecond Fruit appears not till Junë. There are great Varieties of this Fruit in foreign Parts, but with us not above three ſorts worth planting. viz. The round White Fig, by much the beſt and earlieſt ripe: The Violet or blue Fig, hardy and a good Bearer. And the Marſeilles Fig; which is high tafted, but ſmall, and a bad Bearer. Their Management is not difficult, tho' different from moſt other Trees; for tho' the French Gardeners and their Editors have led many into Miftakes, by directing the Pruning and Shortning the vigorous Branches of this Tree, and at the ſame time own that there the Fruit muſt be expected; yet I infiſt upon it, and know it to be right from Experience, that ſuch are not to be touched at the Spring- pruning. At the three or four laſt Eyes the Fruit appears. In March or April, what is ſuperfluous and ſmall Wood, ſhould be entirely removed and cloſe to the Body or Branch from whence they proceed: And ſo ihould even the large Wood that breeds Confuſion. The Suckers which yearly come in Plenty from the Roots, muſt alſo be carefully pluck'd away, and the beſt ſet in Nurſeries for future Ure. The Fig in the Summer doth not love too great Confinement to the Wall; but they are hardly to be preſerved in the Winter without it; therefore it is adviſeable to plant them in ſome warm iheltered Corners of the Wall, where they may the more eaſily be de- fended with Haulm, Straw, and Mats : But then the Mice muſt be watch’d, left they diſ- bark the Trees. This Care will ſometimes be rewarded with many of the laſt Crop get- ting ſafe over the Winter, and ripening the Beginning of June; of which I have often eaten ſome very delicious in the Biſhop of Salisbury's Garden at Sarum. There is this good Rule recommended in the Retired Gardener, which I ſhall here men- tion and enforce. viz. Nip off the Extremity of a young vigorous Shoot in June ; for this will increaſe the Number of Summer-Shoots. It will occaſion the ſecond Crop to ripen the better; and it will probably produce more Fruit the next Year. But the moſt effectual way of all others to get good and early Fruit from the Fig, is to plant them in Tubs or Boxes for Dwarfs : By which they may have the Advantage of being preſerved in Winter, in Houſes or any other convenient Shelter from exceſſive Froſt. They need no watering in the Winter; but after they are ſet abroad in April in ſome ſhel- tered Place, they muſt be well watered at firſt, and afterwards in the hot Weather every two Days. They muſt be ſhifted like Orange-Trees into new Caſes every two Years, pruning their Roots, and giving them freſh, rich and loamy Earth; and by this means you cannot fail of good Figs the greateſt Part of the Summer. Some have recommended the ſetting a Fig-Tree at the Bottom of a pretty deep Pit, not excluding any Part of the Summer-Sun, and yet every way defending it from the Severities of Wind and Froſt: Which with the help of good Soil and artificial Shelters may rationally be ſuppoſed to anſwer. Some other Fruit-Trees improved by pruning, and uſed as Dwarfs or Wall-Fruit, are as follow СНАР. 208 A New Syſtem of 23 С НА Р. IX. The L'Azzarole. HIS is a Fruit little known amongſt us, till of late Years. It is of the Medlar or Service Kind, and produceth a very pleaſant Fruit, in bigneſs betwixt the Medlar and Service. It is propagated like thoſe, either by grafting, or budding on the White-Thorn or Quicken-Tree, and is therefore now to be had with molt Nurſery-Men about London. It will grow and bear very well on Dwarfs, refifting even the hardeſt Winters; but it is much improved by a Wall, eſpecially if governed by the general Rules already faid down. T CH A P. X. The Mulberry, over. E have two ſorts of this Fruit, the Black and the White. The firft, ex- cept in ſome particular Soils, is a very flow Grower; but bears a moſt de- licious Fruit ; tho' it is ſo very tender when it is full ripe, that it will hardly bear carrying without much Injury and Bruiſing. The White bears but a very indifferent inſipid Fruit, and would hardly be worth planting, but that it is a free Grower, and affords plenty of Leaves for the induſtrious Silk-Worm. And (as the in- genious Mr. Bradley obſerves) the black fort ſeldom growing ſtrait, it would be proper to inoculate the Black upon the White Stock, which would quickly make it an handſome Tree. This Tree bears Catkins with Male and Female Bloſſoms at the ſame time. It is ob- ſerved to be, of all other Trees, the wifeft, never puſhing its Shoots till the Froſts are all And by the firſt Appearance of its Leaves, ſome govern themſelves in the Remove of their Orange-Trees out of the Conſervatory; which is by much a better Rule than the ſuperſtitious One, of the Increaſe of the Moon. It is increaſed either by the Seed ſown in March, or by Layers and Suckers; and ſometimes even by Cuttings prick'd in fine Earth, and a ſhady Place in April . It is great pity this profitable Tree is not more encouraged in England, where it is generally thought we might have as good Silk made from the Leaves as any that is brought from Italy. For there the Silk-Worms are ſubject to many hazards, and are often ſpoiled by the violent Thunders frequent in thoſe Parts, where they are never ſure of a profitable Increaſe till the Worms have actually ſpun their Silk. But I am told there are great Plantations of theſe Trees already made, with a View of beginning and carrying on the Trade in earneſt; which doubtleſs will prove the Ad- vancement and Support of many Families, as well as a general Profit to our Native The Fruit of this Tree ripening late, and ſome Years not at all, hath tempted many to ſet them againſt a Wall; and doubtleſs if the Tree were managed by Rule, as all Tim- ber-Trees ſhould, we might receive its Fruit much earlier and larger; but I am afraid not better : For, as far as my Obſervation hath gone, I find all Fruit, without Exception, which will bear and ripen on Dwarfs or Standards, are much better and higher taſted Soz than from thoſe againit a Wall. The Wall almoſt always makes Fruit larger ; but the want of free Air takes ſomething from their Flavour. Some ſay the Timber of this Tree is as durable as Oak under Water; and the Bark of it makes good Baft-Ropes. Moreover it is obſervable, that it will ſuffer no Caterpillar or Vermin to breed on it, either ſtanding or fallen, fave only the Silk-Worm. СНАР. Country: Agriculture and Gardening. 209 C H A P. XI. The Apple. HE Apple is ſo well known, being planted almoſt in every Farmer's Orchard, that were it not for its uſe in Eſpaliers, I might have been excuſed ſaying much of it in this place. There is no Tree that affords more Fruit in the way of Hedges than the Apple; and yet (becauſe it is not rightly underſtood) appears generally leſs fruitful . For what with the Fault in planting, and the Defects in pruning, you find little elſe but confuſed Branches of Wood and Leaves : Indeed every ſort of Ap- ple is not proper, and will not ſo well ſuffer Confinement. The Codlin, the Non Parelle, the Kirton-Pippin, the Holland-Pippin, and Golden-Pippin, are thoſe I would chuſe for Eſpa- liers ; and if theſe be planted four Yards alunder, as they ought, and pruned to all the Rules before laid for Pears, (except that one of disbarking all round, which to the Apple is death) there can be no danger of plenty of fair Fruit: And the ſame Reaſoning and Rules hold for Dwarfs. When I firſt came into the Biſhoprick of Durham, I was a little ſurprized to ſee almoſt every where Apple Trees planted againſt the Walls; and it gave a melancholly Turn to my Thoughts, as if hardly any thing better would grow there. Only I was ſoon ſet right again, when I came to eat ſome of the fineſt and lateſt Peaches and Pears planted by ſtrong Reſolutions and modern Courage. But indeed the Practice of ſetting Apple-Trees againſt the Walls, might be rationally enough grounded, if they were confined to the North, North-Eaſt , or North-West Walls, where they do fingularly well, and anſwer their end. Becauſe tho' the Winds are not colder, yet they come with a greater and more uninterrupt- ed Violence than in the mid-land Parts, by reaſon of a manifeſt defeet of Wood cut down of late Years, and from the narrowneſs of the Neck of Land between the Weſtern and Eaſtern-Sea, from Carliſle to Newcaſtle. Except therefore the caſe of a naturally good Shelter and Situation, the Apples in expoſed Orchards are generally blown down before they are half ripe ; and this frequently tempted the Inhabitants to lay hold of the Shelter of a Wall for their Apples : And for want of Knowledge and Experience, they carried the Practice ſo far as to plant even their South Walls with Apples and baking Pears; which are now found to produce ſome of the richeſt Peaches, Pears, and Aprecots. Some of the aforementioned Apples then being ſuppoſed to be rightly planted againſt North Walls, amongſt the Morella-Cherries and early Plums, an ingenious Pruner will al- ways contrive to ſuppreſs their luxuriant Growth, and give room both to theſe, and the Eſpaliers, to ſpread in horizontal Branches. However, Experience teaches, that moſt Ker- nel-Fruit, fuffer by too free pruning; and by the unskilful Management of the Knife, they are obſerved ſometimes to canker and die. It is therefore more adviſeable, where Ne- ceſſity requires Amputation, to break off the Buds, which would produce ſtrong Branches, when they firſt appear ; rather than leave them to be cut from the Tree in Winter. It is eaſy to diſcern in the Spring what Buds will be proper to fill vacant Places, and to know ſuch weak ones as are moſt likely to anſwer for Fruit ; and this time of chuſing and refuſing in May, will prevent a great deal of future Trouble and Inconvenience : Especially if any of the ſtrong Shoots which are left, be pinch'd off at Midſummer, near the Place from whence they puſh, which will throw them into bearing Wood. Midſummer is the proper Seaſon to tie the Shoots to the Eſpalier, and to disburthen the Tree (eſpecially if it be weak) of its ſuperfluous Shoots. And let not the Branches crowd too near one another, that the Fruit may attain its proper Largeneſs and Beauty. Moſt forts of Apples will bear well upon Half-Dwarfs, with little Trouble or Care, eſpecially if grafted upon the Engliſh Codlin: But every one, who hath ſeen the Beauty and Fruitfulneſs of thoſe grafted upon Paradiſe-Stocks, will allow that there is nothing ei- ther in the Flower or Fruit-Garden, that can vye with it for its uncommon and pretty Qualities. The Paradiſe-Stock, ſo called by the French, is properly a French Codlin, much more naturally a Dwarf than the Engliſh one, and conſequently what ſort foever is put upon it, is more a Dwarf too. It is about thirty Years ſince it was firſt brought over into England, and the Plants were then ſold at Five Shillings a-piece : But now, becauſe it is pretty eaſily propagated from Suckers and Cuttings, they are become not much dearer than our Engliſh Dwarfs. Hhh They RIO A New Syſtem of in A They have of late been much encouraged, and deſervedly admired; becauſe as they take up little more room than many Flowers , ſo they are readily admitted into the Parterres, where they attract the Eyes of their Admirers ; whilſt they behold them overſpread with Bloſſoms in the Spring, and laden with inviting Fruit in Autumn. A great part of their Beauty conſiſting in their dwarfiſh Stature, they ſhould not pro- perly be ſuffered to grow in their extended Branches above ten or twelve Inches high; and then ſome of their Fruit may often conveniently be laid upon Tiles like Melons on the Ground. Some think it adds to their Beauty and Prettineſs to ſet them in Pots; where; if they are carefully watered they will grow and bear well; eſpecially the Non Parelle. A dozen of which upon one Tree would agreeably ſurprize the Company at the end of an Entertainment, ſtanding on the Table. CH A P. XII. The Medlar and Quince. T HÉ Medlar is of two ſorts. One much larger than the other; the largeſt is beſt and leaſt gritty. It delights in a loamy Soil , inclining to Clay, and is pro- pagated by grafting on the Quicken-Tree or White-Thorn. It bears and anſwers beſt, managed as an Half-Dwarf, but it is to be obſerved that its Fruit, con- trary to all others, is not properly ripe till it is rotten or decayed; and then it is very agree- able to many Palates. The Quince is one of the natural Fruits, which requires no grafting; for it is raiſed from Layers, Cuttings and Suckers. There are chiefly two forts of it, diſtinguiſhed by the Apple and the Pear Quince; the laft is the faireſt and beſt Fruit, eſpecially thoſe brought originally from Portugal. There is hardly any Soil wherein they will not grow, tho' it has been generally thought, that they love only a moiſt one. IČ is a free Bearer, and moſt uſeful Fruit baked or boiled; but by no means to be eaten raw, either with Plea- fure or Safety. The Fruit is often too heavy for its tender Branches, and is therefore apt to be bruiſed or blown down from Standards. I have known it much improved in Large- neſs and Beauty fer againſt an Eaſt or Weft Wall. But the Phyſicians will not allow it to be eaten in any quantities without great Correctives: Which is their Rule for the Medlar alſo. :聽聽​聽聽​聽 ​CH A P. XIII. of Grafting. B В EFORE I proceed any further in the Management of the Fruit-Garden, I ſhall diſtinctly treat of and direct the ſeveral Mechanical Operations, whereby the ſeveral ſorts of Fruits, and their great Varieties, are propagated and increaſed. And indeed without the Benefit thereof, the Buſineſs of the Fruit-Garden would be almoſt at a ſtand, or at leaſt confined within a very narrow Compaſs. Becauſe it is ſeldom that we can get the ſame Fruit from ſetting the Stones of Peaches, Aprecots, and Plums; Nature that way being ſo apt to degenerate; and ſeldomer ſtill from ſowing the Kernels of Pears and Apples. This Difficulty originally and from the beginning put the Curious upon contriving how to incorporate a Branch into a Stock of the fame Species, and by a fort of Marriage to make Two to become One Tree. And this hath been contrived ſeveral ways, according as the Agriculture and Gardening 2II the different Fruits will admit; all of them well anſwering the deſign of a perfect Union ; and if the Philoſophy of it is not ſo well underſtood, yet it is plain from Experience, that the Nature of the Fruit always follows the Nature of the Cyon, Graft, or Bud, and partakes little or nothing of the Nature of the Stock, which only gives Nouriſhment and fends up proper Juices to ſupport a Super-plant : And if a Stock be grafted ſucceſſively with ten forts of Apples or Pears, one upon another; yet the laſt grafted obrains the Pri- vilege of bearing its own Fruit, although the Sap is convey'd through the Ducts and Veſſels of ſo many different kinds. The firſt Contrivance of making this Union is by Grafting ; which is performed, and that with Succeſs, ſeveral ways. The firſt and moſt common way is by ſitting the Stock after the Head is cut off, which is called Slit-grafting. After the Head is cut off ſlope- wiſe, and made horizontally even at the top, chuſe a ſmooth Place on the Weſt ſide, if poſſible , of the Stock, and there make a Slit two or three Inches down the middle with a ſtrong Knife or otherwiſe. After which, prepare the Cyon taken from a vigorous Shoot of the foregoing Year, and if it have part of the preceeding Year it is never the worſe ; with a ſharp Knife ſiope it on each ſide from a Bud or Eye, ſo that by a taper Shape like a Wedge, it may conform itſelf to the Slit in the Stock, and the Bark of both Stock and Cyon may exactly cloſe. The Cyon ſhould not be above four or five Inches long, that after the Clay tempered with Horſe-dung is put round about it, it may appear only with two or three Buds or Eyes; for if it was much longer, the Birds reſting upon it would be apt to diſturb it. Another way is called Whip-grafting, practiſed where the Cyon and the Stock are pretty near of a Bigneſs: In this way both the Cyon and the Stock are cut with a Slope, and near the end of each Slope both are alſo flit, ſo that they may be thruſt down one into the other as with a Tongue, ftill ordering it ſo, that the Cyon and Stock may exactly con- forin on the outſide, and the end of one Slope may juſt reach the beginning of the other. In this way (and ſometimes in the other alſo) there will be a neceſlīty to ule Wollen Yarn to tye them, and preſerve the Union : And I chuſe Yarn rather than Baſs-Mat, becauſe it yields before it will gall, upon the ſwelling of the Stock. Theſe two Ways are uſually practiſed upon Stocks for Pears, Plums, Cherries, Apples, and Hollies. But there is ſtill a third Way much more ſuitable to the Nature of the two laſt; and that is, to cut off the Head of the Stock ſlope-wiſe as before, and inſtead of fitting the Stock, flit only the Bark a little above an Inch on the back-ſide of the Slope. After which the Cyon is to be cut with a flat Slope about an Inch long, beginning the Slope from the backſide of an Eye : Then raiſe the Bark of the Stock where the Slit was made, with a ſmooth piece of Ivory or Wood, made fope-wiſe as the Cyon, and thruſt it down betwixt the Wood and the Bark, that the Cyon itſelf may readily enter, the be- ginning of the Slope remaining with a little Shoulder on the top-ſurface of the ſtock. It muſt be clay'd over as before, and as many Eyes left. The two firſt Operations may be performed on Pears, Cherries, and Plums, the latter end of February and in March ; but in the laſt Way, Hollies and Apples muſt not be graft- ed till April, when the Sap more freely moves, and the Bark will readily part from the Wood. There is ſtill another Method mentioned by old Authors on Gardening, called Grafting by Approach, as a way of more Curioſity than real Uſe, and hath hitherto been generally confined to Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries ; ſtill taking it for granted, that Peaches and Aprecots can be increaſed no other way but by Inoculation ; the Method whereof I Shall preſently deſcribe. Now altho' Inoculation is ſo well underſtood and practiſed, as to anſwer the Purpoſe of the Nurſery-Men, except in very dry Years; yet becauſe that Method doth not always anſwer, and becauſe it is very deſireable to know all that Nature will do for us, I ſhall conſent to the Requeſt of my ingenious, tho' unknown Correſpondent, Mr. G. Talbot, at Louvain, and communicate to the Publick all that paſſed between us on this Subject of grafting even Peaches, &c. by Approach. And I do it the rather, becauſe in the familiar way of expreſſing one's Mind by Letter, there are many accidental Hints let fall, which are not only more inſtructive and diverting, but leave a more abiding Impreſſion upon the Mind. His first kind Letter is as followeth, Mof 212 A New Syſtem of HAR (6 << CC CC C Moj Honoured and Reverend SIRg AVING had ſome Years ago the good Fortune to meet with your Clergyman's Recreation, &c. I was as much delighted and pleaſed with it as thoſe who made you the moſt early Compliments upon it. Accidentally fince, changing my Climate, “ I've made a Remark or two; I flatter my ſelf, may be added to your two Eſſays, and “ even contribute to the Gentleman's Recreation. Not, Sir, that I am ſo vain as to think 56 I can inſtruct you in that noble Art, or (if the School-Men allow it) Science : But ha- ving Obligations to you for your two Treatiſes of Gardening, I thought I could neither 6 better make my Acknowledgments, nor better pay you ſuitable Returns of Pleaſure and “ Profit, than by putting a foreign (if not my own) Experiment into your hands; which not only Reaſon but Experience too aſſures me, will with a kind of as goou'uns be an In- provement to the Engliſh Nurſery-Man, whether Clergy, Gentlemen, or others. Tho' « Grafting and Inoculating are the common, if not the only Ways in England of raiſing “ good Wall-Fruit Trees ; yet in theſe Countries, we now begin to have a third, more « expeditious and infallible by far than either of the aforementioned, which I term Nur- fing or Suckling young Trees . The Method, Sir, is this. At the Time of tranſplanting, we take out of our Nurſeries ſuch Stocks as we have a mind to improve, and plant " them diſcreetly by or under ſuch Trees as ’tis proper they ſhould have a more generous Alliance with. When the reſpective Grafting-Time is come, a correſpondent Scyon's " to be taken, and (without cutting it off from the aforementioned Tree) only gently se and cautiouſly with a ſharp Penknife, cut off a little of the Bark on each ſide, where it “ is to be fixed in the Stock, by way of Slit-grafting; and that it may remain in Statu quo, I bind thein together with a Line, and glaze it over with Bees Wax to keep out " the Air. A prudential Number of Eyes may be left above, one, two, three, or four, « in proportion to the Vigour of the Tree and Stock ; both which collectively nurſe the « Scyon. And you know, Sir, 'tis ſaid two to one are Odds at Foot-ball. "I need not " by way of Proof aſſure you I have now ſeveral Trees in a flouriſhing Condition, raiſed " this way: I am ſure the Inſight you have into vegetive Nature and new Philoſophy (or as ſome term it Carteſianiſm) will convince you before you try it, the Experiment will 66 ſucceed. Hence, in Gratitude for your Zeal for the publick Good, and Improvement in “ Gardening, I make you a Preſent of it. And the Love I bear my Country-Men makes me deſire you to give them the Experiment in Print, whether in your own Name or “ mine, ’tis equal; provided the Publick be advantaged by it, I've got all I deſire, next " to pleaſuring good Mr. Laurence. We remember in Autumn to cut the leading Fibre “ flope-wiſe correſpondently to the Stock below the Union; after which it may be tran- 65 ſplanted either for Standard or Dwarf at pleaſure. Voici, Monſieur, un Coup d’Eſai bien « rare! Secondly, Sir, I'm given to underſtand, one may raiſe very good Peaches, Necta- “ rines, and Aprecots, from Stones only; but they are not long-liv’d, and the Stones " ſhould come out of a much hotter Climate. This I advance from credible Information, " However, that I may have a Phyſical and not a Moral Demonſtration only of it, I've now actually ſent to Rome for ſeveral Fruit-Stones, which I expect will arrive here in 6 Autumn. The Soil I am bleſſed with here, I aſſure you, Sir, is ſo rich, that laſt Sum- mer I had a Magnum bonum Inoculation made one ſingle Shoot of four of theſe Country “ Ells, which are (you know) three Engliſ Yards. This I mention, not as material, but “ only becauſe I do not remember ever to have ſeen in England a firſt Year's Shoot above " half ſo long. I hope, Sir, my firſt Experiment will make an Apology for this Liberty; 6 and ſhould your Goodneſs be ſo extenſive as to honour me with an Anſwer, you may “ direct to me at Louvain, Brabant ; which would be a ſingular Pleaſure to, CC SIR, Your moſt obedient Servant, G. TALBOT Mr. Agriculture and Gardening. 213 You 66 66 tua. Mr. LAUREN GE'S ANSWER. Worthy Sir, OUR moſt kind, obliging, and ingenious Letter, I received. I am very well fa- tisfied the Study of Vegetable Nature has been very much neglected ; and altho' 66 I broke the Ice, and have given ſeveral ſhort Rules and Hints for Practice, founded upon 6 Reaſon as well as Experience, am ſenſible that it is yet capable of great Improvements, 6 both for the Pleaſure and Profit of Mankind. I am therefore not ſurpriſed to hear “ from all Quarters, that ingenious Perſons are much bending their Thoughts that way: 56 And it is in particular with an agreeable Delight, that I read the Noſtrum you have been « pleaſed to communicate to me; and the rather, becauſe I plainly diſcern you have en- “ tirely diſengaged your ſelf from that Narrowneſs of Soul, which is the Bane and Hind- “ rance of all noble Enquiries into Truth, and is too often an Appendage to Men of a “ Profeſſion, who chuſe to go on in a beaten, becauſe they think they cannot go in a 6 better and ſafer Path. “ What a fatal Stop ſuch a Principle would have made to all the late noble Improve- « ments in Aſtronomy and Philoſophy of all ſorts, I need not ſay to a Man of your In- genuity and Candour. But altho' the univerſal kind Reception my Books have met “ with, ſhew that Men of Letters and Senſe will not be tyd down to Forms ; yet how angry are the Herd of the Mechanical Gardeners, that a Clergyman ſhould ſay or do any thing to pleaſe their Maſters ? Whereas Bleſſings and uſeful Diſcoveries are not al- ways convey'd in what are commonly thought the proper Channels. It ſhould be re- “ member'd, that the Art of Gunpowder was invented by a learned Ecclefiaftick, and the “ Art of Printing found out by a Military Mechanick. If any thing uſeful is found out, " it matters not from what Quarter it comes. Tho' I own I was agreeably ſurpriſed “ with your frank and ingenious Acknowledgments, and the Teſtimony of your Love, accompanied with ſuch uſeful Experiments; to which I only ſay here, Mačte virtute “ The Method of propagating Fruit-Trees in that way you have deſcribed is pretty ; « and, if I underſtand you right, may be of uſe to the Nurſery-Men on the account of greater Expedition : But you are aware, that grafting by Approach (which is the ſame “ which you call Nurſing or Suckling young Trees) has been an antient Practice, and is “ mentioned by Langford and others, as of more Curioſity than real Uſe. Only I can- not find that it hath been ever practiſed on any other Trees but Standard-Fruit, viz. “ Pears, Apples, and Plums : Whereas you have brought the Method, it ſeems, to bear “ (if I take you right) on Wall-Fruit Trees, Peaches, Nectarines, and Aprecots. If ſo, « and that it can be practiſed ordinarily in the Nurſery, without crowding the Borders in " the Fruit-Garden, with proper Stocks, the Uſe and Advantage will be conſiderable. « But then I much doubt, whether in our Climate ſuch a Practice would ſucceed in the open Nurſery, expoſed to Winds and Cold. “ When you favour me with another Letter, pleaſe to explain your ſelf on this Head, " and whether you begin this Practice in March or April; and whether alſo it will do on “ Stocks newly removed; for you know that is not ordinarily to be practiſed with Suc- “ceſs: But what two to one may do, I can't tell. As to what you have been told « about good Peaches raiſed from Stones, it is aſſuredly very right: For all the Variety “ of good Peaches we have, have been raiſed that way; and I very well know further, " that no one fort of Fruit is more like to anſwer our Expectation of having the ſame “ Fruit from the Stone than the Peach. But yet neither is this to be depended on : And “ when the Failure of having a worſe ſort happens, I need not ſay how great the Dif- appointment is to them who truſt to a good one in their Fruit-Garden. I have already “ obſerved in my Books, that Nature for the moſt part degenerates. The Seeds of Ap- “ ples, Pears, Nuts of all ſorts, and beſt Cherries, very rarely prove the forts you fow " them; and tho they are generally and for the moſt part much worſe, yet ſometimes in- deed they prove better. This ought to be taken notice of by thoſe who think they are nurſing up a Treaſure, when they have ſowed the Seeds of what they fancy. But “ neither ſhould this diſcourage any one from trying to improve Nature; becauſe improvech " it certainly may be. “I much approve of your Thought of ſending for Peach-Stones from Rome, and hear- "tily wiſh you could ſpare me two or three of them to make Experiments here. I have “ ſeveral things to communicate to the Publick, and when my Leiſure will give me « leave to diſpoſe them, I will anſwer your Deſire in publiſhing your Noftrum. In the Iii 66 mean 214 A New Syſtem of mean time I cannot but admire the Riches of your Soil and Climate, that hath afforded you ſo uncommon a Shoot from Inoculation. But I need not ſay to you, if ſuch an one was intended for a Dwarf, the beſt way had been to pinch it off to about two 66 Inches the latter end of May, that it might form more and weaker Shoots. “ You may perceive by this long Letter, that I am got upon a Subject I know not < how to leave : But becauſe the Letter is to travel a good Way, I was not willing it " should go empty : And yet it would not be compleat, nor ſhould I acquit my felf a la Cavaliere, if I ſhould not ſum up the Whole with Thanks for the friendly Com- 6 munication of Your's; aſſuring you that I am, 66 SIR, Your much obliged Friend, and humble Servant, J. LAURENCE M. T.'s Second Letter. SIR, CC 66 EW Letters have been more agreeable to me than your's, Auguſt 4. 1721. As far as I know of the Art of Gardening, it conſiſts more in Practice than Specula- - tion; and therefore we Mechanical Gardeners muſt not be expected to remove Ob- jections : Yet what little Glimmerings I have of Reaſon, I am willing to bend that way, in order to pleaſure good Mr. L -As far as I ſucceed, he'll applaud me; where “ I come ſhort, his Goodneſs will excuſe me, and accept of the Will for the Deed. Be C aſſured, Sir, I have neither read Langford nor others about what I writ; their ſaying Grafting by Approach is of more Curioſity than of real Uſe, may ſtifle all further En- quiry among thoſe, who limit their Practice to Langford's Words. But if Experience proves the contrary, he's caft; if not, I am. If Apples, Pears, and Plums, can be raiſed this way, Wall-Fruit can too, for the ſame Reaſons, and by the fame Expedi- ents. Peaches, Nectarines, and Aprecots, I have thus raiſed. The chief hazard I have 6 found, is in tying 'em too faſt, which I preſume ſtopt the Sap's riſing freely, ſo weak- 66 ened the Shoots; but did not prevent growth. Hence perhaps tempered Clay may be properer than Flax, where the Scyon is weak, and the Srock ſtrong enough to hold it in the fixt Poſture. Where Flowers are preferred to Trees, 'tis reaſonable they ſhould enjoy the Royalty; where Trees are preferred to Flowers, why may not they have the 6 fame Privilege ? Crouding of Borders, 'tis true, is a great Eye-fore, if not falfé Heraldry: " And two Bodies, if we believe good Authors, cannot be in the fame Place at the ſame Time; yet under a large Aprecot-Tree we can have Tulips, Gilly-flowers or Pinks, tho’ " the Stem of it runs into the middle of the Border ; cannot then, from a ſtronger Ar- gument, a young Stock, which is to be removed again in Autumn, be ſet cloſe to the " Wall behind the Pinks ? I've found this true from my own Practice. No Body doubts " but Grafting and Inoculation will ſucceed in open Nurſeries expoſed to Winds and Cold. Experience proves thoſe Operations can abundantly be defended from the Weather. “ Whatever Precautions any Nurſery-Man takes in this, the ſame he may if he pleaſes in my caſe, and with more ſucceſs; for too to one are odds. I need not inform you when to begin this Practice; you know an open Winter accelerates the Spring, and long and “hard Froſts retard it. Yet this is certain, that Wall-Fruit ſhould ſooner be grafted by Approach than Apples. Doubtleſs, Stocks removed in Autumn are better diſpoſed for growing, than in the Spring ; yet I've try'd both with Succeſs. Upon the whole, I do not in the leaſt doubt, but when you try my Method of Grafting Peaches, &c. ir will “ ſucceed. I've remarked, that even when the Stock is dead, the Scyon will make an “ handſome Shoot, being nouriſhed only from its Mother-Tree. 'Tis true, this is to no " Effect; yet even from ſuch a Failure, I think one might frame a ſtrong Argument in " Confirmation of what I have advanced : But I need none fuch; ſince ſucceſsful Expe- "rience has put the thing out of doubt at Louvain. 66 Agriculture and Gardening. 215 66 I muſt beg you'll excuſe Haſte and all Faults, in which you'll highly oblige, SIR, Your very humble Servant, G. TALBOT I The Anſwer. Worthy SIR, Am extremely obliged to you for your laſt kind Letter, which came fafe to my hands. You rightly obſerve, that the Art of Gardening conſiſts more in Practice " than Speculation ; and therefore if the Mechanical Men would but be perſuaded to leave 66 ſometimes the beaten Road to make Experiments, we might expect great Improvements 6 in that Science. However, Reaſon and Speculation are the great Incitements for Pra- 56 Etical Knowledge. As therefore Practice cannot well be ſeparated from Speculation, fo 66 Speculation alone ſhould never make any appearance in the World till it is confirmed 6 by Practice : Inaſmuch as I could give you ſeveral Inſtances of Things certainly true in 66 Theory, which are falſe in Practice. But when Speculation and Practice are diſcreetly joined, they make a noble and uſeful Syſtem in any Science. I have my ſelf done ſome- “thing in this way, and I believe have put Men of greater Leiſure and Ingenuity up- on the Study of Vegetable Nature, in order to make Experiments. “ Would my Buſineſs give me Leave, and had I but Elbow-room, I have a great In- " clination to turn Quack in Vegetables, and to ſay ſomething about the Nature and Cure “ of Diſeaſes amongit Trees ; concerning which I have made Obſervations for ſeveral “ Years : Some of which Diſeaſes, analogous to thoſe in humane Bodies, I find to be cu- « rable, and others incurable. There is alſo plainly a further Analogy even in the Nature c of their Diſtempers; for ſome Fruit-Trees are ſubject to the Dead Palley; fome to the « Yellow Jaundice ; fome to the Meaſles; others to the Diabetes ; and not a few to the “ Conſumption. But whither am I running in a Letter ? “ I doubt not at all of the Succeſs you have had in your way of grafting Peaches, &c. " by way of Approach or Inarching, which I have ſince heard has been introduced in many c Places : And if it was ſuppoſed not to be better or more expeditious than the common « Practice; yet I think we ought to know all that Nature will or can do for us. “ You are exceeding kind in ſparing me ſome of your Peach-Stones from Rome; and " therefore I cannot conclude, without repeating my Thanks to you, for your kind and generous Communications and Preſents. I wiſh it lay in my Power to make you any « ſuitable Return. In the mean time I deſire you to believe that I am, Sarim, Nov.9. 1721. Your much engaged humble Servant, J. LAURENCE. Since the Receipt of theſe Letters, I have been informed that of late ſeveral have pra- etiſed this Method in England with Succeſs, and ſo 'tis probable 'twill now ſoon become familiar. And as there are ſome Seaſons and ſome caſes pretty difficult in the ordinary way of Inoculation, this of Grafting by Approach will be found to be very uſeful and ad- vantageous. To ſay nothing of the Difficulty of Inoculating in dry Summers, fome Peaches are very hardly brought to an Union with the Srock; as particularly that incomparable Peach newly raiſed, called the Royal George, which will not be perſuaded to incorporate with any of the common Plums, Peach or Almond Stocks; but in this way of grafting by Approach in the Spring, there ſhould ſeem to be no Difficulty. However, I have been told that in the way I have formerly * recommended of putting an Aprecot on the Muſcle Plumb, and then by inoculating this Peach upon the Aprecot, it will readily take. One way or other 'tis to be hoped it will be made familiar to every rebellious and ſtubborn Na- ture. * Gent, Recreat. p. 26, СНАР, 216 A New Syſtem of ing CH A P. XIV. Of Inoculation. T HIS is a pretty practical Amuſement in Gardening, invented to aſſiſt Nature in her generous Inclinations to afford Mankind every thing pleaſant and profi- table, for where Grafting fails and will not take place, this of Inoculation amply ſupplies the Defect: And is performed alſo in ſuch Summer-Seaſons as makes it entertaining, ſafe, and pleaſant; and for that Reaſon is preferred to the former, which too often ſubjects the Operator to cold Weather, wet Feet and dirty Hands. The Method of performing it is this: Cut off a Summer's Shoot from a Tree you covet, any time a Month before or a Month after Midſummer; not in a wet, but after a wet Seaſon is beſt. Then chuſe a ſmooth Place in your Stock (which ſhould not be above four or five Years Growth) making a perpendicular Slit in the Bark, ſomething above an Inch long, and another croſs-wiſe at the Bottom of that, in the Form of an in- verted 1; then with a Knife roundiſh at the Point, and keeping one Hand fteddy, with the other gently looſen the Bark of the Wood on both sides, beginning at the Bottom; but be very careful not to raze any Part of the Wood, for that would ſpoil all . Your Fruit-Branch being ready at hand, from ſome of the middle Part of it, cut off with a ſharp Penknife one of the Buds or Eyes a little more than an Inch long, enrring with the Knife ſomething into the Wood of the Branch, as much above as below the Eye. After the Bud is thus cut out, immediately with the Point of the Penknife and your Thumb take out the woody Part of the Bud, and if in doing that you diſcern the very Eye of the Bud come away (as ſometimes it will) reject that, and try another inſtantly. Then flip this Bud in between the Bark and the Wood of the Stock at the Croſs-llit already opened, leading it up by the Stalk where the Leaf grew, till it falls in at the Bottom and lo ex- actly cloſes. This done, bind it about with coarſe woollen Yarn, that all the Parts of it may cloſe exactly, and the Bud incorporate itſelf with the Stock, as it will do in about three Weeks time; and then you muſt looſen the Yarn, that it may not gall the Place too much. This Operation is beſt and ſafelt, when performed in cloudy Weather, or at leaſt in an Evening, that it may get a little Strength before the Return of the Sun. But obſerve the quicker it is done, the better the Work will ſucceed. After a little Practice, it will foon become ſo familiar, that many Inoculations may be done in an Hour. However it is adviſeable to put two or three Buds into one Stock, not juſt one over another, that in caſe of Accident, you may be the ſurer of one to ſucceed. If you begin this Work early and the Bud fails, you may make a ſecond Attempt the fame Year. For ſometimes, when a Change of Fruit againſt a Wall is wanted, a Diſappointment there is very undeſireable; and therefore the ſooner the End is attained the better. Peaches, Nectarines, and Aprecots, are not to be raiſed, and admit of no Union with the Plum or Almond, but by Inoculation, (except in the Caſe of grafting by Approach as above) and yet I think no Fruit refuſeth this Operation. The Apple, by reaſon the Bark doth not ordinarily well part from the Wood, doth not readily ſubmit; but yet I have frequently propagated Apples this way, if the Attempr were made upon young Wood. The Cherry, Plum, and Pear, almoſt never fail to anſwer in Budding: Whereas very often the Coldneſs of the Spring deſtroys the Grafts, even ſometimes after they are put forth. Any time between the Begining of June and the latter End of Auguſt moſt Fruit may be inoculated, and ſometimes Pears even in September. But it muſt be taken notice of, that the Branch or Shoot taken from a Fruit-Tree to inoculate with, muſt not (as in the Caſe of Grafting it may) lie by any time; but ſould be preſently made uſe of, as above. All the variegated Hollies, that make ſo beautiful a Figure in the Parterre are beſt pro- pagated by Inoculation; and ſo are the ſtrip'd Philereas and Jeſſamines, as well as Oranges and Lemons. And now I mention the Jeſſamine, I cannot forbear repeating what I have already communicated to the World, viz. The noble and certain Demonſtration of the Circulation of the Sap, by inoculating the yellow ſtrip'd Jeſſamine on the plain one ; whereby not only that Branch, but the whole Tree becomes ting’d and variegated, as the Sap in its Paſſage down to the Roots and up again to the Branches gradually dies, and as Agriculture and Gardening. 217 it were poiſons the Wood and Leaves. About three weeks or a Month after Inoculation, when you come to unbind, you may quickly diſcern which are good and have taken, and which not; for the Good will appear verdant and well coloured, and the other dead and withered. In March following, you muſt cut off the Stock three Fingers above the Bud; otherwiſe it will make none, or a very weak Shoot. The next Year it is to be cut cloſe, that the Bud may cover the Stock, as Grafts do. Methinks I ſhould not need to add, that Diſcretion muſt guide the Operator, when he inoculates. For Dwarfs muſt be budded very near the Ground, that they may anſwer their end when they come to be removed out of the Nurſery; whereas Standards ſhould be choſen from the ſtraiteft Stocks, and budded five or ſix Foot high. N. B. Inoculating ſome of the ſmaller and more diſtant Roots of Plums, Pears, &c. hath been practiſed with Succeſs. CHA P. XV. Of Seminaries, the beſt Method of ordering them and furniſhing them with proper Stocks for Fruit. A LTHO' I always take it for granted that every Gentleman coming to, or poſ- ſeſſed of an Eſtate, is ſo wiſe, as not to be willing to loſe any Part, much leſs the beſt Part of his Life in waiting for Fruit-Trees yet to be raiſed out of a Nurſery; but will furniſh himſelf without Loſs of Time, from the beſt Nur- fery-Men near London ; yet for as much as in a Fruit-Garden of ſome Extent there will be always ſome Vacancies to be filled up, either thro’ Omiſſion, or Misfortune, or Accident, it is very adviſeable to have a Nurſery of young Fruit-Trees always at hand to ſupply thoſe Defects as Occaſion ſerves, without the Trouble and Charge of going to Marker. For which Purpoſe then, a ſmall Piece of Ground well mounded about with either Hedge or Wall, ſhould be choſen, not lying too wet, and of a mixt Soil, and if pof- ſible, well defended from the Weſt and North Winds with Trees of fome Bigneſs. This is to be prepared by digging or ploughing in the Beginning of Ottober, or ſooner, and afterwards harrowed and made fine, cleaning it well from Weeds and Roots. Lay out your Seed-Beds with a Line three Foot wide, and leave a Path of two Foot betwixt every Bed, as a Liberty to go between them to weed; and keep a diſtinct Bed for every ſeveral ſort of Fruit; the Memory whereof ſhould be preſerved in a Plan of Paper, wherein the Beds and the ſeveral Seeds ſown may be expreſſed, as before in the Caſe of the Fruit-Garden. The Stones of Fruit ſhould be carefully ſet in Rows, with the ſharp End uppermoſt, three Rows in a Bed three Foot wide, and about two Inches afunder. I chuſe to ſer them pretty thick, becauſe the Stones, eſpecially of Plums, are very apt to miſcary. For which reaſon I follow Nature, and low them rather as Nature directs, than in the com- mon way of ſaving them till the Spring in Sand; that is to ſay, as they fall from the Tree when perfectly ripe, and that with the Pulp on. The ſorts you are to ſet for Peaches and Aprecots ſhould be of the larger Kinds, the Muſcle, the Pear-Plum, the red and white Bonum Magnums, and the black Damask : But becauſe the Stones of Fruit generally follow the Nature of the Stock, the Stones fowed ſhould be taken from ſuch Trees as have not been grafted. But the more expeditious Way is to get Plants or Suckers out of the Woods, where they are ſometimes found in Plenty: But the Suckers ſhould have one or two Removes, and be trim'd from their Spawnings; otherwiſe they are apt to be troubleſome with their numerous Suckers afterwards. The Stocks for Cherries are alſo to be raiſed from the Stones of the Black Cherry, or from their Suckers out of the Woods, where they are plentiful enough; but no other fort is ſo fit either for grafting or inoculating as that. The propereſt Stocks for Apples and Pears are to be raiſed in the Nurſery from the Kernels, and ſown by themſelves on the aforeſaid Beds in O&tober, which is beſt and moſt expeditiouſly done, by fowing the very Pouze or Muſt, the Subſtance of the Fruit, of K k k which 218 A New Syſtem of which Cyder, Verjuice, or Perry is made. They will very freely grow, diſcreetly fown in that manner, and quickly reward you with Plenty of good Stocks for Fruit, as well as a Store of Plants to mend Gaps in Hedges : But there ſhould be a careful Regard had to deſtroy the Mice, which are apt to devour theſe Seeds. Hollies and Yews being ſuch great Ornaments in every Garden of Pleaſure, they ought to find a Place in this Seminary for Fruit; becauſe they will not quickly overtop, or any way incommode the Nurſery. But their Seeds not coming up the firſt Year (to prevent the Trouble of weeding) they may be laid by in any Corner, in a Heap of Sand, for one Year, and at Oktober following, may be regularly lown in the Beds as above; and tho? they are flow in their Growth for two or three Years; yet if they be kept clear of Weeds, will after that make great Hafte, and quickly reward the Planter with Pleaſure and Profit. It may not be amiſs to let ſome Peach and Almond-ſtones have a Place in this Seminary; not only by way of Tryal to raiſe new ſorts, but alſo for Stocks for Peaches; for altho they do not make laſting Trees, yet they admit Inoculation ſomething readier than the Plum. 2015 CH A P. XVI. Concerning the ſeveral ſorts of Stone-Fruit, how to diſpoſe them, whether for Walls, Dwarfs, or Standards, their Deſcription, their Order and Time of ripening. Ccording to the conſtant Obſervations I have made of the Miſtakes committed in the Diſpoſition of Fruit-Trees, I think my ſelf obliged to be particular on this Head, and if poſſible, to give ſuch a clear and diſtinct Account of their Na- ture, Properties, and Uſe, that we may no longer hear of Complaints and Dif- appointments for want of Information and Knowledge. Of PEAChes and NECTARINE S. A There is no ſort of Fruit which affords us greater Varieties than the Peach, which tho’ in the Weſt-Indies it grows and bears on Standards and Dwarfs to great Perfection; yet in England I think it is ſeldom ſo miſtaken as to be planted any where but againſt a Wall, tho' that Wall be not ſometimes ſo good as it deſerves, the Climate and Nature of the Soil conſidered. Nay, indeed ſome of the beſt and tendereſt Peaches and Nectarines will not do at all in a Situation unguarded, and a Soil wet and cold, in whatſoever Latitude the Place is; and therefore I think ſhould not be attempted; but their room taken up with hardier Fruit; being ſtill of Sir William Temple's Mind, that a good Plum is better than a bad Peach. I ſhall here ſelect moſt of the known and valuable Kinds, deſcribing ſomething of their Nature, with the Order and Time of their ripening, that ſo every one may diſcretionally judge for himſelf, what to chuſe and what to refuſe. But becauſe I ſhall begin with thoſe, which are firſt and earlieſt ripe, I think it proper to take this Occaſion to fay what I have all along obſerved to be true, and is (as I take it) a Rule without Exception; that all the Precoces of every Kind of Fruit, whether Stone or Kernel-Fruit, i. e. every ſort of Fruit that ripens much ſooner than others of the fame Species, is the worſt, and wants ſomething of its proper Flavour, and moſt commonly of its natural Bigneſs. Accordingly, White and red Nutmeg.] The white and the red Nutmeg Peaches make their firſt Ap- pearance with the Name and ſomething of the Taſte of a Peach; but have little elſe to recommend them, but that they ripen the Beginning of July, and ſometimes ſooner in a good Seaſon; and if they be planted againſt a Wall , which they do not deſerve. But where there is room, theſe commonly find a Place. Agriculture and Gardening. 219 Áran-Peach.] The Ann-Peach, not ſo named from Queen Ann, but Mrs. Ann Dunch of Berkfloire, who firſt gave it Birth, is much commended by Mr. Switzer for its early ripening the Begining of Auguſt, and good Taſte. Royal George.] The Royal George is an excellent Peach, but lately known; deſerves the beſt Aſpect, and is ripe in Auguſt . I have already obſerved that it is very hard to be propagated by Inoculation, except on an Aprecot. White and red Magdalen.] The white and red Magdalen are valuable Peaches in warm Soils and well expofed. The laſt differs from the firſt by its later Ripening, and by its Redneſs at the Stone, which readily parts from the Pulp, which is rich and ſweet. They have large Leaves, and much indented, with ſhort and round Stones; the white is ripe about the latter End of Auguſt, and will do on an Eaſt Wall a little inclining to the South. Minion.] The Minion Peach is by many admired for a good Bearer, for its Largeneſs and Beauty : And were it not ſometimes apt to eat a little flat, it hath a very firm and melting Pulp; is ripe ſometimes before the former, and therefore will do on an Éaſt or Welt Wall. This is ſaid to have been a great Favourite of one of the Kings of France, and the Word is now accordingly uſed metaphorically. Alberge.] The red, the yellow, and violet Alberge are all good Peaches in Auguft. Burdine.] The Burdine is not inferiour to any of the former. It is not haſty to bear, but when it begins it amply makes amends for that Fault. For about Midſummer it must be disburthened of many, that the reſt may attain their agreeable Beauty and Taſte. Ripe alſo in Auguft. Montabon.] The Montabon uſhers in the next Month of September with one of the beſt Peaches we have; for it is beautiful, high-taſted, hardy, and a never-failing Bearer on a South-Eaſt or South-Weſt Wall. It is pretty ſtrange that Monſieur Quinteny, who was ſo good a Judge of Fruit, ſhould leave this (which excels moſt of its Seaſon) out of his Catalogue. Belle Chevereuſe.] The Belle Chevereuſe is a Peach that ought to have a Place among the Curious, for it is a good Bearer, and the Fruit is beautiful and of a ſugared Juice. Its Shape is rather long than round, deſerves a good Wall, and in that Situation is ripe the Beginning of September. Nobleſs.] The Nobleſs is I think univerſally eſteemed amongſt us one of the beſt Peaches. For its good Qualities, of Largeneſs of Size, rich Taſte, and plentiful Bearing, is not ex- ceeded, ſome think hardly equalled, by any, and therefore it deſerves a good Expoſition, and kind Soil; by which Means it appears in Perfection in September. Admirable.] The Admirable comes in alſo the Beginning of September, and challengeth his Name, as having almoſt all good Qualities, and no bad ones. It is round and large, hath a ſcarlet Coat, delicate Palp, ſugar Juice, and an high and exquiſite Taſte. N. B. All the foregoing forts (according to the Diſtinction the French rightly make be- tween Peaches and Pavies) are, properly ſpeaking, Peaches; that is, ſuch as part from the Stone, and are of the more melting Nature. Theſe, indeed are of ſuch Efteem among the French, that the other which are called Pavies are very little ſet by, and are accounted watry and inſipid. But without complementing away our Palates, the Engliſh venture to abide by their Judgment, when they ſay we have two or three Pavies of Engliſh Ex- traction, which equal , if not exceed any of the foregoing good forts of Peaches. As for Inftance, New Newington.] The New Newington being a Week ſooner ripe than the old one, challenges this firſt Place in order amongſt the Pavies. It is a very fair and beautiful Fruit, and in ſome Years not much inferiour in Largeneſs and Taſte to the other. But yet, Old Newington.] The Old Newington is a Fruit which the Engliſh juſtly glory in and deſervedly boaſt of, as being not only a Native of our own, and of an antient Family; but hath really all the Virtues and good Qualities that can be ſuppoſed to give Pleaſure and Satisfaction to thoſe that love Merit. It is a Diſgrace to it to be planted in a wet Soil or cold Clay; for there it will neither proſper nor bear good Fruit; but if it hath Juſtice done it, and it be planted in a warm Soil, and good Expoſition, ſuch as South or South- Eaſt, you may expect to be rewarded every Year, the Beginning of September, with ſome of the moſt delicious Fruit a Garden can afford. For beſides the Beauty of its moſt tempting Bluſhes, when it firſt changes Colour it afterwards affords the beſt Taſte and the richeſt ſugar’d Juice, with a Pulf of the higheſt and moſt vinous Flavour. In ſome Soils and Situations it will grow exceeding large : But it is always a Bonum magnum, OE 220 A New Syſtem of ing A Of the Nectarine Kind or ſmooth Peach, which the French call Brugnon, we have ſome excellent forts; and valuable Fruits they are. As, Roman Nectarine.) The Red Roman Nectarine, large and red all over. It has a firm yellow Pulp; and if it is fuffered to hang on the Tree till it is full ripe, as it ought, it is very full of Juice, and hath a vinous Tafte, which gives almoſt univerſal Satisfaction to thoſe who taite it about the Middle of September. Elrouge.] The Elrouge Nectarine comes in alſo at the ſame Time, and being of Engliſh Extraction has been very much eſteemed for its ſoft melting Pulp and vinous Taſte. But it muſt give place to the Newington Nectarines.] Newington Nestarine, which is now generally reckoned the moſt valuable and the beſt of Nectarines in all its Qualities, for Bearing, high Flavour, and Richneſs of Juice. It takes its Name from the Reſemblance the Flowers have to thoſe of the Newington Peach, and is ripe about the ſame Time. Dutch Tawney.] There is alſo a Dutch Tawney Nectarine much admired for its Size and high Flavour, if ſuffered to hang on the Tree till ’tis revelled the latter End of Sep- tember. All theſe are yet ſucceeded by ſome others both Peaches and Pavies; but becauſe theſe late forts are difficult and uncertain, I chuſe not to tire the Gardener, or burthen this Ca- talogue with any more but this one ſort of Pavie, which for its excellent Qualities, ought always to be admitted, viz. Katherine.] The Katherine, which though it ripens not till the Middle of Oɛtober, is then a moſt excellent Fruit, and juſtly valued by all who know it. I need not ſay it re- quires the beft Wall you can give it, becauſe it ripens late: But with that Advantage we have ſeldom ſuch Seaſons even in the North, but that it makes an inviting Part of an En- tertainment when the reſt are gone. The Fruit is large and very beautiful, only fome- times it is bigger on one side than the other, which makes the flatter Part a little in- ſipid, even whilſt the rounder Side is good and well taſted. It has one other good Pro- perty, that it will keep ſeveral Days good after it is gathered, if laid up dry. CH A P. XVII. sen Aprecots. A LTHO' the French deſpiſe the Aprecot, as mealy and inſipid, and fit only for Compotes; yet in England, with good Management, we find it an excellent Fruit, and therefore ule it with the ſame Care and Art as we do the Peach; only they will do on Walls Eaſt or Weſt, that have leſs Sun. There are not a great many ſorts of this Fruit. Maſculine Aprecot.] The Maſculine or early Aprecot is that which makes its firſt Ap- pearance near a Month before any of the reſt, even in the Middle of June. But according to the Obſervation before laid down, being a Præcoce, it is much worſe than any of the reſt; and indeed finds a Place againſt a Wall only for its early ripening. A ſingle Tree is enough for the Curioſity; for it is tender, and yet ſmall , mealy and inſipid, when per- ſwaded to bear; wherein yet it will often fail, by reaſon of its early Blowing, and the Frofts in February and March overtaking its tender Bloſſoms. Orange.] The Orange Aprecot appears next, and is ripe fome Years the firſt Week in July. It has a good vinous Flavour, if not ſuffered to be too ripe; but it cares not to part from the Stone, which with ſome is reckoned a Fault. However it is no bad Bearer, and uſhers in Turkey.] The Turkey Aprecot, univerſally eſteemed for its Hardneſs, conſtant Bearing, Largeneſs, and high Taite, if gathered and eaten as ſoon as ever it will part from the Stone. For indeed as it is the Fault, ſhall I ſay, or Misfortune, of every ſort of Aprecot; that if it be neglected and ſuffered to hang on the Tree too long, it will be flat, mealy and in- fipid : But yet this is leaſt ſubject to that Inconvenience, provided the Avarice of the Gar- dener fuffer not too many to remain after May-Day, which as it is the Root of all Evil , -fo Agriculture and Gardening. 22 I ments. The chief and beſt take in order as follow. ſo it is the Foundation of this. This is ſo hardy and kind, that ſome Years I have had a Succeſſion of them from North-Eaſt, and North-Weſt Walls extremely good. There is alſo a Roman and a large Dutch; but, Breda.] I ſhall only add to this Catalogue; the Breda or Bruxels Aprecot, famous and much valued for its bearing on Dwarfs or Eſpaliers. And it is obſerved when they are managed with Art in that manner, they afford a pretty, vinous and high-taſted Fruit in Au- guſt: They will crack like a large round yellow Plum, and are ſpeckled with little red Spots: They eat much better from the Tree than any of the forts before mentioned; inſomuch that I have often wondered it is not more planted and encouraged; ſeeing the Tree is contented with the Place and Stature of a Plum : But it muſt be ſet in a warm well-ſhelter'd Place; the Want of which, perhaps hath occaſioned many Diſappoint- CHA P. XVIII. Of Plums. HERE are vaſt Varieties of this Fruit, and many good ones, one or other continuing in Seaſon no leſs than four Months. The beſt forts are a pleaſing and delicious Fruit, though perhaps not ſo wholeſome eaten in any Quantities. Haſtive, and Mirabel.] The Haftive and Mirabel are two Precoces, and are only valued accordingly as they ripen in June and July. Of which Number is alſo the Black Da- mask. Drab d'Or.] The Drab d Or is a ſmall round yellow Plum, whoſe Coat is ſpeckled with red. It has a delicate ſugar'd Taſte. Will do well on a Dwarf; but will bear better againſt a Wall, where it will ripen the latter End of July. Maitre Claud.] The Maitre Claud is a large whitiſh Plum, having a brisk tho' ſweet Juice, and comes from the Stone; will do on Dwarf or Wall, is reckoned amongſt the beſt Plums, and is thought to deſerve an Eaſt or Weft Wall. Blue Perdrigan.] The Blue Perdrigan is juſtly valued as the very beſt of Plums, and becauſe it is not very apt to bear well, being tender in the Bloſſom, it juftly deſerves a good Wall. It is in vain to plant it either Dwarf or Standard; but on a South Wall and warm Soil, it will reward the Owner with the moſt delicious, high-taſted Fruit of this Seaſon of Auguſt. Royal Plum.] The Royal Plum is ripe alſo in Auguſt, will bear on a Dwarf, but more certainly againſt a Wall . It is large and round, and of a lively red Colour, eſpe- cially on the ſunny Side. It hath a ſweet and fleſhy Pulp, and is; I think, in all its Qualities, inferiour to none. Rich Corbon.] Rich Corbon is a round middle ſized Plum, hath a firm Fleſh, and a moſt exceeding brisk vinous Juice. It doth not part from the Stone; but it is one of the beſt Plums, and would be more eſteemed if it was a better Bearer, which Fault is yet mended againſt a good Wall, and in a warm Soil. White Perdrigan.] The White Perdrigan is little inferiour to the Blue, ſomething bigger and a better Bearer, even againft an Eaſt or Weſ Walland is the more to be valued and encouraged, becauſe it ſucceeds the other. Imperatrice.] The Imperatrice in Shape and Colour is like the Blue Perdrigan; but comes later. It ſticks faſt to the Stone, and hath a delicious Flavour, tho' it is ſo bold as to hang upon the Tree againſt a Wall till the Beginning of October, and if carefully ga- thered and laid ſingle upon dry Shelves, will keep a great while in the Houſe. I need not ſay there are ſeveral other good Plums, well known; and therefore want no other Recommendation or Deſcription, but giving them a Place in the Catalogue of good Plums, ſuch as will bear well on Dwarfs, Standards, or Northren Walls: Such as theſe, L11 The 222 BOA New Syſtem of 19A c whereon. The Red Bonum magnum, futbusj The Damaſcene, a noteboot The White Bonum magnum, The Violet, The Orleans, The Green Gage, so I The Fotheringham, or Sheen, The Morocco, The Muſcle, The Aprecot-Plum, das The Queen Mother, The Damſen, White and Black. w N. B. The Pulp of all Plums is yellow. 300 von CHA P. XIX. Of Cherries. HIS is a Fruit ſo well known every where, that it needs no Deſcription or Recommendation: But becauſe there are ſeveral ſorts of them, it may be ne- ceſſary juſt to mention thoſe which are generally eſteemed beſt, and good Bearers. The firſt ripe is, The May-Cherry, which being a Præcoce is valued only for its earlineſs : For it is ſmall, and apt to be taſtleſs and inſipid. If it is ſet againſt a South Wall, it will be ripe the very beginning of May. The May-Duke appears next, and with a good Wall will be ripe the middle or latter end of May. But it never appears with its true Beauty and Taſte, but on a Standard ; to have all the good Qualities of a Cherry and none of the bad ones. It hath a ſmall Stone, a delicious full Pulp, and is moreover almoſt a never failing Bearer. So that were it not defireable to have a Succeſſion, there ſhould no other Cherry but this bé planted. But for that reaſon it is adviſeable to have alſo, The Orleans, which is a very good Cherry, and bears well, either Wall or Standard : And ſo alſo is the Bleeding-Heart, White-Heart, and Carnation : But all of them have large Stones and little Pulp : And the three laft are very uncertain Bearers without the advantage of an Eaſt or West Wall. Merella Cherries are excellent Bearers, and are good, when throughly ripe the latter end of Auguſt, either eaten raw, or put into Brandy, and made into Compotes. They are beſt èatén off from Standards; but they grow large, and well deſerve a Place againſt a North Wall. Every one knows the common Flemiſh Cherry to be good from Standards, and are pretty conſtant Bearers; but when they are ſet againſt a Wall, tho' they grow larger, they are made four and ſpoilt for eating raw. The Black Cherry which grows to Timber and large Trees, every one alſo knows to be ſweet and good. It is raiſed from Seed and common Foundation for all other Cherries to be grafted upon. There are found of them in ſome Places, particularly at the Reverend Mr. Butler's, at Stanhope in the Biſhoprick of Durham, a fort having a very large Fruit, little inferiour to the Bleeding-Heart, and a much better Bearer. There is alſo the Amber, the Black-Heart; the Cluſter and the Morocco ; but they are not much encouraged, becauſe they are bad Bearers. T СНА Р. Agriculture and Gardening. 223 CH A P. XX. of Kernel-Fruit, ſuch as Apples, Pears, &c. How to diſpoſe them; whether for Walls, Dwarfs, or Standards, their Deſcription, Order, and Time of Ripening. Of the Pear. I Have already directed the Government and Pruning this valuable Fruit, and I am now led to the Deſcription and Properties of the ſeveral Sorts of Pears. And this is the more neceſſary to be done, becauſe no fort of Fruit hath been generally more miſtaken and leſs underſtood, to the great Diſappointment and Grief of thoſe who have been miſled in planting and placing them. There are almoſt infinite Varieties of Pears; and it muſt be owned, that though we may and do exceed the French in the Art of ma- naging and pruning the Trees; yet we are beholden to them for fome of the beſt forts, thoſe eſpecially that require a good Wall. In this Deſcription I ſhall ſelect all or moſt of the beſt in the order as they ripen : Only ſuch as ripen in July, being Precoces and valuable only that account, I ſhall ſatisfy my ſelf juſt to name them, and proceed to the more va- luable which follow in Auguft. }{ July PEARS are, The Primate or Petit Haſtive, The Muſcat Robert, The Little Muſcat, The Great Blanquet, Live The Couſe Madam, The Long-tailed Blanquet. To anſwer the End of having theſe early, they may be fet againſt Wall, which will haften their ripening, but not make them better. Auguft PE ARS are, Jargonel.] The Jargonel. This is, I think, the firſt Summer-Pear that can be called Good: And indeed a large, beautiful and well-tafted Pear it is. It has moreover the Pro- perty of bearing very well; and becauſe it is large and apt to fall from the Tree, it ſhould not be ſuffered to continue on the Tree till it is full ripe. It well deſerves an Eaſt or Weſt Wall to keep it. Hamden's Bergamot.] Hamden's Bergamot is of a flat Shape, tinged with Red on the ſunny lide, and hath a rich Juice, and bears beft on a half Dwarf. Orange Bergamot.] The Orange Bergamot is a Pear generally admired for its ſhort Pulp and its rich, lugared, perfumed Juice. It is an excellent Bearer, either againſt a Wall or on a Dwarf. The firſt makes it bigger and earlier, but not better. Katherine.] The Katherine is an old Engliſh Pear, undeſervedly neglected of late Years, but it is not only moſt beautiful to behold, but grateful to the T'afte, having a very high uncommon Flavour pleaſing to moſt, though diſpleaſing to ſome. It is in greateſt Perfe- ction on a Dwarf. Ambroſca.] Ambroſca is a very beautiful good ſized Pear, inferior to none of this Month ; for if it is eaten before it is too ripe, it hath a rich Taite. Its only Fault is, that it often forgets its Benefactor. Petit Ruſelet.] Petit Ruſſelet is another excellent Pear of this Month; of a greeniſh yellow on one ſide, and red on the other. It hath a ſhort and ſweet Pulp, and not diſ- agreeably perfumed. Is beſt on a Dwarf. Musk Bon Chrétien.] Musk-Summer Bon Chrétien is the firſt of that Name that appears, and is valued chiefly for its high Perfume, pleaſing to Some, and the averſion of Others. PEARS 224 ni A New Syſtem of 19 A a havina noble, ſhort, high and juicy Taſte Pears which ripen in September are, Summer Bon Chrétien.] The Summer Bon Chrétien of great Antiquity, well anſwering the Name of a good Chriſtian, Sound at Heart to the laſt, its Heart or Core being obſerved to continue incorrupted even when the Pulp is decayed. This is a true Bonum magnum, be large as to weigh fifteen or fixteen Ounces. It is a great Pity 'tis not always a good Bearer. But I venture to ſay a great part of its Barrennefs is owning to miſmanagement. For it is commonly placed amongſt the reſt of the Wall-Fruit, where it hath neither El- bow-room, nor Height to extend its ſlender and bearing Branches : Whereas (as I have formerly obſerved) this Tree frequently bears even at the Extremity of the laſt Year's Shoot, and therefore it ſhould have room both ſide-ways and upwards ; and then I have found it to bear well enough, if the Knife has not been too buſy in ſhortning, but em- ploy'd only to cut out the great Wood. Verte-Longue.] The Verte-Longue diſcovers its Shape and Colour by its Name. It hath a wonderful ſoft and melting Pulp, and an exceeding thin Skin. Bears very well on an Eaſt or Weſt Wall, and acquires a very high vinous Taſte, if the Soil be not too moiſt. Dean-Pear.] The Dean-Péar, on the account of its Shape and Bigneſs, is often mi- ſtaken for the Summer Bon Chrétien : But although it hath a melting Pulp and musky Juicé, yet it wants the other's high Flavour. It ſhould not therefore be ſuffered to be too ripe, for then it is apt to grow mealy and inſipid. Autumn Bergamot.] The Autumn Bergamot is ſo well known, that it hardly needs any Words or Deſcription to recommecd it, for if it may not be ſaid to exceed all other Pears; yet at leaſt it muſt be faid, there are none yet known to exceed it. But as it will not laſt long, we are glad to find a Succeſſion of other good ones to imitate it. Its ex- cellent Quality is, that 'tis better tafted from a Dwarf or Standard than from a Wall. In a wet Soil and cold Situation it will not proſper, and ſo it is ſometimes ſet againſt a South Wall; which indeed makes it bigger, but takes off much from its true Flavour and inclines it to be inſipid. Buree du Roy.] Buree du Roy is another incomparable Pear the latter end of this Month. It is large and beautiful, and a never-failing Bearer ; but it ought to have a Wall of a good Aſpect, and not thruſt againſt the North, as is the two common Practice ; for though it will bear ſo placed, yet the Fruit is inſipid and watry. Whereas uſed with Care and Ci- vility, it is a Fruit of a noble Size, delicious melting Pulp, and vinous Juice, and there- fore claims equal Merit with the very beſt. It thrives well in a loamy Soil or mixt Clay; but in a light Sand without ſome agreeable Mixtures, it will not be perſuaded to grow to ز any bignels. ÞEARS ripe in October. The laſt three or four mentioned Pears continue a good part of this Month alſo; when there are ſome others preſent themſelves. As, Monſieur John.] The Monſieur John, both the Golden and the Grey, are good Pears againſt Eaſt or Weſt Walls : The firſt is an old Pear, and hath a fine lugared Juice, and the other hath ſomething a firmer Pulp, and will keep a little longer. Crelane.] The Crelane is a fine large round Pear, and deſerves a good aſpected Wall. It is ſpeckled almoſt all over with red Spots. Its Skin is rough, but its Pulp extremely tender and full of Juice, attended with an agreeable Sharpneſs. It is firſt grey, but turns gellow as it ripens. Swan's. Egg.] The Swan's Egg, conſidered in all its good Qualities, is one of the beſt Pears, and ought much to be encouraged. It bears well, either on Standards or Dwarfs. But many who are Lovers of this Fruit are apt to ſpoil it with Kindneſs, when they plant it againſt a South Wall; where like many others it grows indeed larger, but is made thereby mealy and inſipid. On a Dwarf or rather half Dwarf, it arrives to great Perfe- ction moſt Years, and ſeldom fails of a full Crop. It hath a moſt agreeable melting Juice, with a high vinous Taſte; and which is a conſiderable Part of its good Character, having a thick Skin, it will ſometimes keep in Perfection (after it is ripe) near two Months; for I have my ſelf eaten chem very good at Chriſtmas. Marchioneſs.] The Marchioneſs is large, and ſhap'd like the Winter Bon Crétien : ”Tis ruſſet when gathered, but it grows yellow as it ripens, Is very melting, and of a ſweet musky Agriculture and Gardening. 225 musky Juice; ſo that it claims a Place amongſt the beſt Pears, deſerving an Eaſt or West Wall. Callio-Roſat.] Callio-Roſat is much admired by many. Is of the colour, ſhape, and bigneſs of the Monſieur John. Hath a very ſhort Stalk, and is ſet hollow like an Apple ; will do well on Eaſt or Weſt Walls, or on Dwarfs. The Lanfac, the Beſi de la mot, the Green Sugar Pear, the Beſideri, and the Swiſs Berga- mot, are all in Seaſon this Month. PEARS ripe in November. Virgulee.] The Virgulee is an old Pear and much eſteemed, having a very melting Juice. It is green when gathered about Michaelmas, but it grows yellow as it ripens. There is a particular Misfortue attends this Pear; for it is apt to taſte of whatſoever it is laid upon, eſpecially in a cloſe Place, for which reaſon it bears Carriage not well . Oaken Shelves to lay them on to ripen in the Houſe, are beſt. It deſerves a South-Eaſt or South-Weſt Wall. St. Germain.] The St. Germain is another admirable Pear; greeniſh and ſpotted when taken from the Tree, but grows yellow as it ripens. It is full of Juice of a lemoniſh Tartneſs, very pleaſing to moſt. The Tree is a good Bearer on a Soil that is not too light and dry: But it deſerves the beſt aſpected Wall. It will keep good till the latter end of December. Winter-Thorn.], Epinè d' Hyver, or Winter-Thorn, is a handſome pyramidical Pear, green upon the Tree, but yellow when ripe, with a fattin Skin. Its Juice is greatly perfumed, and very melting, if it have the advantage of a good Wall. Spaniſh Bon Crétien.] The Spaniſh Bon Crétien is a very good Pear on a South Wall, and it is thought to deſerve that advantage for its handſome Bulk, ſhort Pulp and ſugar'd Juice; to ſay nothing, that it anſwers its Name and Character. Lewis Bon.] The Lewis Bon is ſhaped much like the St. Jermin Pear, hath a ſmooth Skin, greeniſh and ſpeckled, and a Juice very rich and ſweet, eſpecially on a dry Soil. It ſhould have the advantage of a Wall, for its Fruit is apt to fall off. PEARS ripe in December, January and February. Beſides that, moſt of the Pears before mentioned for November, will alſo keep and be very good for the whole Month of December or longer; there are alſo ſome of the very beſt Pears yet to come, that preſent themſelves to the Taſte of the Curious with no ſmail Merit. As, La Challery.] The La Chaſſery is a middle fized Pear of the Shape of an Egg, greeniſh, and ſometimes fpeckled, having, long Stalks ; its Pulp is very melting, and its Juice lugared and a little perfumed, ſo as to be agreeable. It loves a dry Soil, and expects a good South Wall to free it from being watry. Ambret.] The Ambret hath many of the Properties of the La Chaſſery, and is much of the ſame ſhape and bigneſs, but more inclining to be grey and ſpeckled, and is ſomething longer before it bears. It is eſteemed an excellent Fruit, melting and ſugar’d, and deſerving of a good Wall. Colmar.] The Colmar now preſents itſelf to us almoſt Faultleſs and in Perfection. For though it is one of the laſt good Pears, and continues when moſt others are gone, even in the coldeſt Seaſons of Winter, yet there is (as it were) a Recapitulation of all the good Qualities of other Pears centered in this. It is ſhaped much like the W. Bon Crétien, and is often miſtaken for it : But it is quite another Pear. It hath a large Crown ſunk very hollow; is greeniſh from the Tree ; but hath fome Bluſhes of red and yellow when it comes to be ripe. It is a large Pear, of a tender Pulp, with a very ſweet and ſugared Juice: And the Tree makes a very handſome Figure when it is laden with Fruit; but that muſt not be expected till after five or fix Years planting. It is ripe when it yields to the Thumb, and not before. By what I have ſaid it will eaſily be perceived, that it deſerves a good warm Soil, and a warm ſouthern Expoſition. W. Bon Crétien.] This is a Pear of great Antiquity, and hath obtained a Credit and Reputation anſwerable to its Name. Some are apt to think there are ſeveral ſorts of them ; but they are all one and the fame Fruit ; only the difference of Soils, Expoſitions, Seaſons of the Years, and Condition of the Tree may make great Alterations both in Shape and Goodneſs. In Perfection it is fine Fruit, and oft weighs more than a Pound. But it may hardly be ſaid to be agreeable to our Climate, even let againſt the beſt Walls; and M mm for 226 A New Syſtem of down a Catalogue of ſuch as are unqueſtionably good, not excluſive of many for want of Sun generally proves watry and inſipid. They are beſt grafted on a Quince- Stock, and ſet againſt the South Wall, where they may have Liberty to run. They are excellent indeed to bake : But it is generally thought a South Wall may be better employd than to produce baking Pears. The following Pears are not to be deſpiſed, but are admitted into the beſt Gardens, viz. St. Andrew, Martin Sec, Petit Orin, and the Carmelite ; but they all require a South Wall. The baking Pears moſt in Repute, and which will do well either on half Dwarfs. North-Eaſt or North-Weft Walls, are the Cadiliac, the Pound Pear, the Black Pear oj Worceſter, the Engliſh Wardon, Parkinſon's Warden, and a Pear called the Lord Mayor's Shew, whoſe Fruit is ſtrip'd with yellow and green, and is a free Bearer. N. B. Moſt Pears are known by their Leaves, CHA P. XXI. A Catalogue of the beſt Apples. F this ſort of Fruit likewiſe there is almoſt infinite Variety, every County in England having its peculiar Favourite. However, that a Lover of Planting may not be under too great Perplexity in his Choice of the beſt forts, I will here féc others that may be called fo too. 1 O The Genneting. A Præcoce, 2 The Kirton Pippin, The Summer Queening, The Stone Pippin, The Golden Pippin, The Non-Pereil , the very beſt for all Uſes, The Golden Renating, whether the Table or Kitchin, or for The Golden, or Aromatick Ruſſet, Cyder, and bears moſt plentifully, beſt The Golden Monday, or Pear-Rufet, when grafted on a Quince or Crab, The Queen's Pearmain, The Holland Pippin, The Summer Pearmain, The Paradiſe Apple, The Winter Pearmain, The John Apple, or Deux Ans, The Kentiſh Codlin, The Margila The Kentiſh Pippin, J | The Bell voir. Pippin. ho Vines uſually planted in England, and will ripen with us are, The July Grape, a Precoce, and there า The Blue and fore not very good, The White Sweet Water, The White Frontiniac, though an excellent The Black Cluſter, Grape, ſeldom ripens in England. The White Muſcadine, The Grizley } Frontiniacs, CHAP 2 Agriculture and Gardening. 227 B CH A P. XXII. Of the Gooſeberry, Currant, Philbud, Rasberry, and Strawberry. Efore I mention the ſeveral ſorts of Gooſeberries and their Uſes, it may not be amiſs to direct the beſt Method of propagating and encreaſing them as well as Currants : And this is the more neceſſary to be done, becauſe all the Authors that have hitherto treated on this Subject, have (at leaſt as far as I can find) plainly miſsd it, or elſe have led the Planter into the common Miſchief and Inconvenience attending this uſeful Shrub. The three uſual Ways of propagating the Gooſeberry and Currant, are either by low- ing their Seeds; but here, as in almoſt all other Caſes, Nature is apt to degenerate, and you can never be ſure of the fort you would have this way. Or elle by Cuttings; or laſtly, by Off-Sets or Suckers. By the two laſt Ways the End is effectually attained ; but then in the common Method of Practice, the Trees are peſtered afterwards with ſuch numerous Suckers, that without great Care, and continual Amputation, they will ne- ver be kept uniform upon one Stem ; whereby alſo they are weakened and hindered in per- forming their proper Office. To cure then this Inconvenience, I have by Experience found, that if from a Cutting or Off-ſet of a Gooſeberry or Currant, you take off with a ſharp Knife all the ſwelling Buds, as far as you intend it to be thruſt into the Earth, or to be covered, the Tree will never afterwards put forth Suckers, but ſtand regularly upon one Stem, and form (as it ſhould) a round Head, which is always obſerved to afford the largeſt and beſt Fruit. Thé reaſon of taking of the Buds is founded on this Obſervation ; That from thoſe Buds Nature forms the Suckers or Off-Sets, and not the Root, as is generally thought. For the Root is formed in the ſmooth Places between the Bark and the Wood, as is plainly ſeen in thoſe Cuttings which are deprived of their Buds, which take root very readily, tho’ they do not put forth Suckers. This Obſervation is of great Uſe alſo to thoſe who make uſe of Suckers as a Foundation for Stone and Kernel-Fruit, as in the caſe of Plums and Pears, whereon are inoculated Peaches, Aprecots, and the beſt Pears : For if prudent Care be taken to dif-eye the Suckers as far as they are covered in the Ground, (though I have not had experimental Proof of this, yet) by Analogy of Reaſon, this ſhould be an effectual Remedy to prevent a multi- tude of Suckers ſo troubleſome in Borders, and injurious to the Fruit-Trees: The Cuttings of Codlins ſhould alſo be thus managed. Gooſeberry.] The following Kinds of Gooſeberries are chiefly worth our Notice, and ſhould be encouraged, viz. The White Datch, excellent for eating ; the Large Amber, beſt for baking when green; the Walnut Gooſeberry, remarkable for its largeneis, and is firſt ready for Tarts ; the Red or Black, Hairy or Bearded Gooſeberry, is a very pleaſant and much valued Fruit, both for eating raw or baked, and preſerving: It would be endleſs to mention all the ſeveral ſorts which are raiſed every day from Seeds : But it may not be amiſs to ſay there is a Champaign Gooſeberry, a Precope, no otherwiſe valued, but that it comes ten days ſooner than the reſt. Currant.] The three remarkable ſorts of Currants, very different from each other, are the Large White Dutch Currant, which is an admirable Bearer; and if ſet againſt a Wall, in the intermediate Spaces between young Fruit-Trees, will produce Fruit ſometimes as big as Grapes, and not much leſs pleaſant. The common Red Currant is a good Bearer, and will hold its Fruit till Michacimas; if preſerved with Mats from Birds. And the Black Currant; the Flavour of which, though it is diſpleaſing to moſt, yet for Variety's fake, and ſome medicinal Uſes ſhould not be wanting. The phyſical Taſte is much loſt, when uſed either in Tarts, or put into Brandy inſtead of Black Cherries. Both the Gooſeberry and the Currant ſhould be kept upon one Stem, with a roundiſh Head a little open in the middle ; ftill obſerving to take away every Year fome of the oldeſt Wood, as alſo all the large white Wood of the laſt Year's growth: For it is the Wood of two or three Years old, and the ſmall white Wood from them, that bears the beſt and largeſt Fruit. Pbilbud.] The Philbud is an improved kind of Hazel, and bears a Fruit much admired by moſt, eſpecially as an Amuſement over a Glaſs of Wine after a good Dinner. The Scarlet fort is moff valued, and is reckoned to have the thinneſt Shell and the higheſt Fla- You are never ſure of a good ſort from the Seed; therefore they are generally, raiſed vour. 228 A New Syſtem of j raiſed from Suckers or Off-Sets; which (to prevent their unreaſonable multiplying at the Root) fhould be uſed as the Gooſeberry in the Method of their Propagation. Rasberry.] The Rasberry is a Fruit of a prevailing uncommon Flavour, pleaſant and ac- ceptable to moſt. They grow wild in the Woods about Durham in great abundance. I could never diſcover more than two ſorts of them, the White and the Red. The firſt wants, I think, fomething of the true Flavour of the laſt, and therefore is not ſo much eſteemed or encouraged. They will proſper almoſt in any Soil, but love the Shade where, though the Fruit will not be ſo early, yet there it is largeſt and beſt. They are propagated, either in Autumn or Spring, from Off-ſets of the laſt Year, pruned to about a Foot and a half. Little or no Fruit can be expected the firſt Summer, not a great deal the ſecond, but the third Year will produce a full Crop from the Shoots of the preceding Year. Moſt Authors have directed the keeping them clean from Weeds : But as this is a Plant which loves Coolneſs and Moiſture, I have found that the leffer Weeds are rather an Help than an Hindrance, and therefore they may be left to themſelves after they are pruned to three Foot high in March, provided they be kept clear only from Docks, Net- tles, E3c. all the dead Stalks being removed in the Spring. Strawberry.] The Strawberry next juſtly challengerh our Obſervation and Regard. Of which we have chiefly four forts, all of them much coveted and eagerly ſought after, as they preſent themſelves at ſuch an carly Seaſon of the Year, when Novelty excites an im- patient longing Appetite after Fruit in general, hitherto ſo long denyd, and in vain ex- pected. The firſt and moſt early ripe is the Virginia or Scarlet-Strawberry, which if it have the Benefit of a good Expoſure and a light Soil, will be ripe the middle of May. However, Strawberries of all ſorts naturally delight in an heavier Soil inclining to Clay ; which if it be help'd with a Shower of Pidgeon Dung in the Spring, will produce a wonderful Crop, and very large Fruit. The Hautboy or great White Strawberry, is an admirable Bearer in a proper loamy Soil or mixt Clay ; hath a very agreeable Flavour, and ſometimes arrives to the bigneſs of a ſmall Walnut. This Plant is not ſo well underſtood as it ought ; otherwiſe it would be more propagated than it is : But the Soil and the Sort hath diſcouraged many. The firſt, if it be too light may be caſily mended with Clay or Marle. But the other wants to be explained; for I have never yet ſeen that Author who makes the proper Dictinction be- twixt the true and the baſtard Kind. The true ſort is never to be known and diſtinguiſhed from the other, but at the Time of bloſſoming; when it may be obſerved, that the little Fibres that proceed from the middle of the Flower are ſhort, lying cloſe and ſnug to the white Petals or Leaves : Whereas the other baſtard Kind hath its Fibres ſtaring and ſtarting out much longer. This Kind never bearing any Fruit, ſhould always, as ſoon as diſcover- ed, be rooted up immediately, that the true one may be put in his Place. In many Places I have obſerved more than half of this baſtard fort to get Place in a Strawberry-Bed, and the Maſters never underſtood the Reaſon of their Dilappointment till I explained it, and gave them better Hopes. However, to make this Difference better underſtood, and the Truth appear, I have annex'd the Figure of both as nearly as can well be expreſſed. The Baſtard Sort. The True Sort. The third ſort is the little Wood-Strawberry, which is alſo of two kinds, the Red and the Yellow; both equally good and conſtant Bearers, and make an agreeable mixture at the Deſert. The Slips of the firſt degenerate, and therefore ſhould be fetch'd from the Woods, and planted anew once in three or four Years: But every Year freſh Earth or Pidgeon Dung ought to be thrown amongſt them in the Spring, which will help to refreſh and cover their Roots, which are apt to be thrown out of the ground by the Froits. And a Midſummer, if the Fruit is deſired to be large and fair, the Runners ſhould be carefully taken off, ſo as to leave all the Plants ſingle. The Wood-Strawberry will ſometimes bear twice a Year, in June and in Oftober, if the Seaſon be favourable, and warm Rains come, But the moſt certain way to make them bear Agriculture and Gardening. 229 bear in Autumn is to cut down the Leaves and Flower-Stems, juſt before the Bloſſoms open in May, and they will ſhoot out afreſh and bear ripe Fruit in October. If ſome of the Atrongeſt Roots be ſet in Pots and put on a gentle hot Bed in January, they may with Care be fo ordered as to produce Fruit in March : But Fruit in all thele artificial Ways is always flat and inſipid. Berberry.] The Berberry is a Plant that ſhould not be neglected or forgotten; for it is a pleaſant Shrub, bearing beautiful Branches of yellow Flowers in the Spring, and no leſs pretty Cluſters of red Berries towards the Autumn. The Fruit has an agreeable Aci- dity when it is ripe, tho' it is ſeldom uſed any other way but in Sauces. We are told of a fort without Stones, which becauſe I have never ſeen, I cannot recommend; but ſuch muſt be more valuable in Sauces. They are propagated by Cuttings and Suckers, and therefore to prevent their ſpreading ſo much at the Root, they ſhould be ſerved like the Suckeis of Gooſeberries, as is before directed. Having thus gone through all the Particulars and Articles of Fruit uſually planted in a Fruit-Garden, directing at the ſame time their management and manner of Cultivation, thewing their Natures, Properties and Uſe; I ſhall now proceed to ſay ſomething of the ſeveral Diſeaſes Fruit-Trees are ſubject to, pointing out at the ſame time, the moſt probable Cures and Remedies for them. To which I fall add afterwards a Chapter of Blights, and the moſt probable Occaſions of them, that thereby we may be help?d to look out for a Remedy and Defence. CH A P. XXIII. Of the Diſeaſes of Fruit-Trees. F Ruit-Trees are ſubject to many Infirmities, which weaken and deſtroy them ; fo that we may properly ſay they are liable to Diſeaſes and Dittempers like other Animals. Yellow Leaves out of ſeaſon, or bliſtered with red Spots, new Shoots growing black or drying on their Extremities in Autumn, Fruits remaining ſmall or dropping off unſeaſonably, are ſo many Symptoms of Weakneſs and Decay, either in the Head, Stem or Root. I have been tempted to think further, from ſome Obſervations I have made, that there are ſome certain Diſeaſes in Trees ſomething analogous to thoſe in Human Bodies. Among which there are ſome that may be cured with the Aſſiſtance of Remedies, and others which hitherto appear incurable, ſince whatever can be done to them hath ſtill proved in- effectual. I have had Pear-Trees directly in the Meaſles, the Leaves of the whole Tree being all over ſpotted with red; which Spots in the Autumn became bliſtered, hollow, and full of Imall Holes, which I ſuppoſe to be the Paffage for Inſects to go and lay their Eggs, of which I could diſcover innumerable Quantities by the help of my Microſcope. It is very hard to ſay what ſhould be the cauſe of this Diſeaſe ; but I have obſerved it more than once in ſeveral Gardens beſides my own: And it is remarkable too, that though the Tree continued in a ſtate of Vigour, yet the Leaves and ſometimes the ſmall Twigs became every Year more and more meazled and bliſtered, till it became a frightful Sight: The Fruit fell off before it was half ripe, and that put me upon a Reſolution to cut off the Head of the Tree to form new Wood; but I quickly found the Diſeaſe continued, and in that ſtate I left it at Yelvertoft. I am apt to think the Foundation of this Diſeaſe was in the Root, for I ſaw nothing of it, till the Pear-Tree Roots might be ſuppoſed to reach an ill-natured untractable Clay, which lay within a Foot of the Surface. There may be alſo ſomething in Mr. Bradley's Conjecture, that the Bliſters were occaſioned by the Hail-ſtorm bruiſing the Leaves and giving occaſion thereby for ſuch Inſects as floated and circulated with the Juices in the Veſſels of the Tree to lodge there as a Neft for Eggs. For (as he further rightly ob- ſerves) “ All Inſects, as they are of different Kinds, have reſpectively proper Places where they lay their Eggs to be enlivened; and thoſe Places I always obſerve are actually in a "S ſtate of Putrefačtion : So that it ſeems as if the putrid Juices of Bodies, either Animal or Vegetable, were eſſential to give Life to the Eggs of Inſects, and nourish their Nnn 66 “ Young 6 I 230 A New Syſtem of " I believe (faith he further) it will not be difficult to conceive how the Eggs of ſome có ſmall Inſects may paſs in Crowds thro' the Veſſels of Plants, when we conſider their ex- “ ceeding ſmalnels : For many kinds which I have examined with Microſcopes do not ſingly “ fill more Space than one Tenth Part of the Orifice of a Wood-Vefjel, ſo that they might o paſs through ſuch Pipes without Interruption. And the Pores and Veſſels of the Roots are ſtill larger than thoſe in the Trunk, and as capable of receiving them as they are of “ taking in their proper Nouriſhment from the Earth. I am of Opinion, that moſt “ Kinds of Plants have continually the Eggs of ſome ſort of Inſect or other circulating 66 with their Sap, which cannot be enlivened as long as the Plants are in health, and the “ Sap full of Spirits ; but only when they meet with ſome wounded or decay'd Part, co where the Juices begin to corrupt. But whatever Accident might be the Occaſion of this Diſtemper, the Remedy (as far as I can find) is ſtill a Secreet. And I am apt to think there can be no Cure, except the Foundation be removed, i. e, to plant another Tree and in a better Soil. For I try'd Mr. Bradley's Conjecture, and made uſe of Quickſilver ſeveral ways, both by boring in the Stem, and by plaiſtering ſome of the main Branches, firſt peeling off the outward Rind : But (as I take it) there not being Heat enough in the Sap of a Tree to ſet the Mercury in motion, as there is in the Blood of an Animal, the Mercury had no manner of Effect, and made no ſort of alteration. Another Diſeaſe I have obſerved ſome Fruit-Trees to be ſubject to is, The Dead Palſey; as when the Circulation of the Sap is of a ſudden ſtop'd by Blaſt or Canker, or other Ac- cident, one Side or Part of a Tree preſently languiſhes and dies, and ſometimes the whole, when it ſeizes the Stem or Part where it was inoculated. There is no Remedy for this , but only to cut out the affeEted Part, and to recover if poſſible, the Beauty of the Tree from the Part unaffected. Again, Gum, or a continual Running of viſcous Matter from fome one Part of a Tree, eſpecially a Peach, is another incurable Diſtemper. When it appears only on a Branch there is hopes, cutting only that Branch two or three Inches below the Part ſo diſtem- pered; by that means the Gangreen may be hindered from extending further. If it dif- cover itſelf about the Bud or Graft, or all over the Stem, the beſt way is to loſe no more Time about it, but to provide another for its Place. Too great Richneſs of the Soil, or dunging the Borders, is often the occaſion of this Diftemper. Many Fruit-Trees are obſerved to labour under a gradual Decay of Conſumption, withi- out any viſible Tokens or Reaſons of their Weakneſs. This is ſometimes occaſioned by bad, withered, wounded Roots at firſt Planting; and if ſo, it commonly ends in Death. But if it be occaſioned by Inſects ſeizing and gnawing the Roots within the Ground, fuch as Cock-Chafers and Worms, which afterwards prove Breezes or Gad-flies; in ſuch caſe it is proper to ſearch narrowly the Roots of the Tree in order to remove and deſtroy them; putting in at the ſame time as much freſh untried Earth as is poflible: And this will give new Life and Vigour to the Tree. A multitude of Piſs-Ants are likewiſe often the occa- ſion of languiſhing Conſumption in Fruit-Trees, by eating away all the Fibres and even all the outward Coat of the larger Roots. Theſe after they are well and frequently diſturbed by digging about the Roots, and tempted to get together in Bodies, by raw Fleſh or dew Worms cut in pieces ſtrew'd about the Borders, may be eaſily deſtroyed by ſcalding Wa- ter, diſcreetly ordered, ſo as not to injure the Trees. Another Diſtemper which moſt Fruit-Trees are ſubject to, is the Yellow-Jaundice : But this, being almoſt wholly owing to a wet Soil, and an indiſcreet planting them too low, if the Diſeaſe hath not continued too long, is capable of a Remedy. To be buried alive is the worſt Way of loſing Life. The Practice is too frequent in Vegetables, and is diſco- vered to be a Misfortune, when the Leaves and ſometimes the ſmaller Branches turn Yel- low, long before the Seaſon. If the Diſtemper is not remedied in time, it may be too late for a Cure, and Death will follow. But if after three or four Years planting, a dili- gent Care be uſed to raiſe the Tree conſiderably, all may be ſet to Rights. This may be done by firſt removing a good Part of the Earth from about the Root, and then by the help of two Men with Spades oppoſite to each other, the Tree may be gently and gra- dually raiſed to its proper Height, even till ſome of the bigger Roots appear two or three Inches above Ground, and then, having ſome untried Earth ready at hand, ler a third Per- ſon carefully thruſt as much of it as poſſible (whilſt the Spades remain in the Way of Lea- vers) into all the Vacuities with the hand, that the Tree may not fink again. By which Method it will quickly be ſeen what was its Diſtemper, and the occaſion of it, even by the following Verdure of the Leaves, and the thriving of the Tree. The Agriculture and Gardening. 231 The Canker is another Diſtemper, which moſt Kernel-Fruit are ſubject to; and ſome forts of Apples and Pears more than others. The chief Occaſion of it is, either a hungry Gravel, or Sand lying near the Surface, or a cold moiſt ſtubborn Clay; into either of which, when the Roots come to enter and find a Paſſage, many of the uppermoſt Branches will diſcover their Diſlike by a cankerous Humour, which ſometimes ſeizes them only half way, but moſt commonly quite round the ſmall Branches, ſo that they die immediately. Nay, this Diſtemper many times ſeizes the very Stem and Body of the Tree; whereby it becomes wounded, mangled, and defaced. But yet ſo long as the Canker doth not quite ſurround any one Part of the Stem of an Apple-Tree, and leaves but a narrow Path for the Aſcenſion of the Sap, it is remarkable that ſuch a Tree is moſt prolific; and ſo long as it continues, though in its weak State, and with a broken Conſtitution, never fails to bear a good and plentiful Crop; agreeably to the Maxim I have all along laid down, That every convenient Check of the Sap in its free Circulation, which way ſoever performed, though it ſtops and hinders the luxuriant Growth of Wood, yet always tends to the Production of Fruit, and more or leſs diſpoſes every Fruit-Tree to bear. Where this Diltemper attacks the Stem or Branches of the Tree quite round, all above the Sore muſt neceſſarily die : But when it affects it only in Part (as commonly it doth) in ſuch a Caſe a Stop may be put to it, by cutting to the Quick as far as the Canker reaches, and applying Cow-dung tempered with Clay to the Wound, tying it round with Baſs-Mat or Woollen-Yarn: By this Means the Sore will ſoon skin over and recover : But the beſt way in future Planting is to remove (if poſſible) the Cauſe : That is to ſay, take away the Gravel, Sand, or Clay, and fill up the Place (not with Dung but) with a mixt Soil or untry'd Earth; and plant high, even on the Top of the Surface. Another Diſtemper ſtill which ſome of the beſt and tendereſt Pears are ſubject to, is a Louſineſs all over the Branches in their outward Coat or Bark. The whole Bark will look like ſo much Net-work, diverſified and broken into innumerable Figures, in the Chops and Craks whereof are lodged infinite Numbers of little Animals inviſible to the naked Eye. And I have this Reaſon to believe theſe Animals paſs and repaſs in a continual Cir- culation, even in the Sap-Veſſels ; becauſe the Fruit itſelf I have more than once obſerved to be gradually covered, as it increaſed in Bignels, with this ſort of Net-work, ſomething like that of the Melon, only full of Eggs and Animals. The Tree will live and bear Fruit ſeveral Years after it is thus attack'd : But it will gradually decline in its Vigour, and the Fruit will at length become ſmall and inſipid. The Evil is in the Root and the Soil; and therefore to remove the greateſt part of both might be a very probable Remedy, and ſhould be attempted where the Fruit is much valued and ſet by; otherwiſe I ſhould think the beſt way is to loſe no more Time, but provide another for his Place. Theſe are the chief of what may properly be called Diſeaſes of Trees : As for Diſaſters and Accidents attending them, thoſe will be more properly conſidered in the next Chapter, where I ſhall attempt an Explanation of Blights, and endeavour to enforce their Reme- dies. CHA P. XXIV. w Of Blights. M OST Fruit-Trees are ſubject one way or other to be attack’d, either in their Leaves, Bloſſoms, or tender Branches by many outward Accidents ; and the unkind Seaſons, which we, who live in an Iſland too often experience, fre- quently ſubject them, (even when they are leaſt able to bear it, in the Spring) to the Injuries of Froſts and Blajts; whereby the Bloſſoms and tender Fruit are ſhrivelled, mortified, and blighted; and ſometimes the very Tree itſelf will diſcover ſome melancholly Signs of a Chaſtiſement from above, ſo as immediately to ſhrink, wither, and die. Theſe Things are the real Grief of the diligent Gardener, when he ſees all the Fruit of his Labour and Care blafted at once, and his forward Expectations brought to nothing even in one Night, from the Infelicity of cold Dews, black Winds, Storms of Snow and Hail fucceeded by Froſts; ravaging, and as it were ſcorching every thing tender that ſtands in their way unguarded. I: 232 A New Syſtem of at once. It is obſervable that they who live on the Continent (even in the ſame Degrees of La- titude) do not feel theſe Severities in the Spring as we do, having a more equal regular Warmth from the Sun and more certain Seaſons : Tho' it is more than probable, thac many of the Diſaſters we feel from Blights, are brought to us in the Eggs of Infects float- ing in the Air by Eaſterly Winds, fo frequent in the Spring; as the ingenious Mr. Brad- ley hath with a good Shew of Reaſon conjectured. However (as a Salomen Miferis) they who live on the Continent are not without their Complaints neither. They are ſubject (eſpecially in the moſt Southern Parts) to violent and ſudden Hurricanes, frequent Thunder and Lightning, attended with ſuch exceſſive Weights of Rain and Hail burſting out of the Clouds, that they ſometimes ſee with Grief enough every thing round about them deſtroyed And yet, before either of us complain too much, we ſhould look inwards as well as upwards, and confider well whether we deſerve a better World than this, and for what End we came hither. In the mean time our loving God hath given us Reaſon and Foreſight, whereby not only to cure the inward Diſeaſes of our Bodies, and alleviate their Malignity by preventing Remedies ; but alſo to guard againſt outward Misfortunes of all forts, and even thoſe which ſo ſenſibly affect our tenderelt Fruits and Plantations, proceed- ing from the evil Influence of a malignant Air. In one of my former ſmall Treatiſes on this Subject I have, I think, plainly, though briefly hinted at the Nature of Blights, and the ordinary Methods whereby Fruit-Trees are found to be attacked, in order to attempt a Remedy; and I am ſo well ſatisfied, that I have rightly touched both the Diſeaſe and the Remedy, that I ſhall only here further open and explain both, as further Experience and Obſervation ſhall naturally lead me to do. In all low and conſequently the beſt Situation for a Fruit-Garden, I have obſerved, that all or moſt of the worit Froſts and Blights both in Spring and Autumn fall perpendiculcrly, i. e. as perpendicularly as the Motion of the Air will ſuffer them: For the condenſed Vapours falling from the upper Region do there commonly form themſelves at Night to- ward the Surface of the Earth in a ſort of Dew or Miſt, conſiſting of watry Drops more or leſs condenſed. And becauſe every thing moiſt or wet is moſt ſubject to be affected by the Coldneſs of the Air; therefore the more any thing lieth upon, and expoſed to this perpendicular Deſcent of Vapours, the more will it be ſubject to be frozen, or (which is the ſame thing if it be tender) blighted. Both Reaſon and Experience confirm this Truth to us: As in the Caſe of a Fruit-Tree planted againſt a flope Wall for the Advantage of receiving more of the Sun's Rays; this we always find to be firſt and moſt ſubject to be blaſted both in Spring and Autumn. And again: I have frequently obſerved the Leaves and tender Shoots of a tall Ath-Tree in May to be frozen, and as it were finged in all the bottom and middle Parts, whilſt the upper part of the Tree, that was exalted above the Influence of theſe blaſting Miſts were left free and untouched; both which Inſtances ſhew, that the loweſt and beſt Situations, though naturally defended from the Violence of Winds, yet are ſubject to theſe Blights proceeding from hovering Dews, or Vapours frozen in the Night. To remedy this Misfortune I have propoſed the building Walls with horizontal Shelters at convenient Diſtances in Rows, with proper Gaps for leading on the Branches; and this effectually anſwers the Purpoſe as far as their Influence extends. But becauſe fome Inconvenience hath been found through Miſtakes in placing theſe Shelters, I have ſince choſe rather to recommend occaſional Shelters of three or four Rows of Deal Boards, which are to be ſupported by ſquare Bits of Oak left projeɛting about ten or twelve Inches in the Structure of the Wall. The Boards need not be laid on, except during the two dange- rous Months of March and April, and ſome part of May : But it should always be remem- bered, that the Boards be placed a little dipping forward that the Rain may be thrown off from the Wall and the Trees. Some curious Perſons have a Contrivance of putting narrow Slips of Lead betwist every two Rows of Brick, letting the Lead project during the Time of Danger, and af- terwards bending it back, whereon to reſt the Fruit to accelerate its ripening Others procure matted Straw on long narrow Hurdles about four or five Foot deep: And having already at convenient Diſtances faſtened and placed long Poles reaching from the top of the Wall to the outſide of the Border in a Slope; againſt theſe, by the Help of two Men, they lean the matted Hurdles, making the upper Edge reach the top of the Wall, and faſtening the bottom, left it ſlip down, with a Scotch in the Poles. And although the greateſt Part of the Wall at the bottom lie open ; yet it is obſerved that this way effectu- ally lecures the ſetting off the Fruit ; after which both Hurdles and Poles are entirely re- moved. This we are told was Mr. Speaker Smith's Way at his Seat in Hampſhire, and was (he thought) improving the Method of horizontal Shelters. Although Agriculture and Gardening. 233 Although this may be thought a very troubleſome Method, to ſet on and remove theſe Hurdles every Night and Morning; yet every improving Thought is to be encouraged; and I ſhall always acknowledge my ſelf obliged to ſuch ingenious Contrivers, as attempt probable Remedies for the Misfortunes of a bad and uncertain Climate. However this will be readily diſcerned and acknowledged, that which foever of the Ways before mentioned be choſen, they all centre and reſt in this true and undoubted Maxim long ſince laid down by my felf , that the chief Deſtruction of Fruit in the Spring, is owing either to cold Storms of Snow and Hail falling perpendicularly in the Day, or to the cold Vapours and Dews falling from the upper Region in the Night: Therefore the beſt Shelter and Guard againſt theſe, muſt rationally be ſuppoſed to be ſuch as are placed horizontally; and ſo as to loſe as little as poſſible of the Sun's Rays and Heat. But that I may avoid Repetitions, as much as poſſible, and yet give the Reader a clear and diſtinct Idea of this Matter, I will here inſert a Copy of a Letter I wrote to the Right Honourable the Earl of Warrington, who propoſed ſome Queries, and deſired my Advice in this Matter. yet 66 CG 66 And My LORD Had the Honour of your Lordſhip’s Letter, dated January 3. which came not to I my Hands till a Week after. I take this firſt Opportunity therefore to give your “Lordſhip my Thoughts of what you are pleaſed to propoſe relating to horizontal Shel- ters. I perceive that which gave the firſt Thought of making one projecting Shelter " on the Top of the Wall to ſerve for all, was the Obſervation of an Yew-Tree project - ing over an Aprècot. And indeed the Effect and Conſequence of that Shelter was exactly agreeable both to Philoſophy and Experience. But then it is to be conſidered, that that being no Part of the Wall, but elevated ſomething above it, it robb’d none of the • Wall of the Benefit of the Sun's Rays, and yet gave it all the Advantage of a Shelter 66 by a conſiderable Projection: Whereas a Wall of only nine or ten Foot high, if it ſhould have a coping to project twelve Inches, would not be above half iheltered : yet ſo much of that half as the Projection comes to, would be in a manner loft by being deprived of the Sun's Rays. For though I ſay the chief Cauſe of our Blaſts is 6 from cold perpendicular Dews in the Night; yet by that Expreſſion is meant only Dews “ falling perpendicularly, i. e. as perpendicularly as floating Vapours in the Air will be fuf- "fered to fall; which yet are eaſily put out of an exact perpendicular Deſcent by the C leaſt Breath or Motion of the Air. This is I think made very intelligible by the eaſy “ Figure below. To give therefore ſome real advantage to Brick Walls already built í « ſhould adviſe, either to plant Rows of Ever-Greens, ſuch as Yews, Firs, &c. on the “ North Side, ſuffering them to grow into a Hedge after they are got four or five Foot “ above the Wall, and then to be clipt in the figure of a triangular Priſme; or to fix pretty frequently bits of Glaſs three or four Inches wide into the Joints of the Brick: " Or laſtly, to fix half a dozen Rows of thin Lead of the fame Breadth (with Notches 6 in them for the Branches to paſs) which may be turned up and down as occaſion ſerves, either to give reflected Heat, or to ſhelter the Bloſſoms in the Spring. If I “ ſhould be ſo happy as to give any uſeful Hints for the Improvement of Vegetable Na- ture, or to have made any Obſervations that ſhall pleaſe ſuch ingenious Enquirers as your Lordſhip, it will add much to the Satisfaction I have all along had in theſe forts of Pleaſure, and in the Retirement I enjoy. Your Lordſhip therefore may readily com- mand any Affiſtance in the Power of him, who is tho' unknown, CC GG Bank (Your Lordſhip's Yelvertoft, Jan. 14. 1715 moſt obedient humble Servant, 99 กาย รวญ,041 นาง นารได้ 3 โนนม่าน 2015 J. LAURENCE. ооо 234 A New Syſtem of d C b ng is a Brick Wall ten Foot high. a b, is an horizontal Shelter one Foot projecting. a c; a Line repreſenting the Shadow of the Sun at a middle Altitude for the Six Sum- mer Months. a d, the Line of the cold Dew falling nearly perpendicular. Therefore, b cg equal to one Foot, loſes moſt of the Advantage of the Sun. Ć dy equal to four Foot, that part of the Wall which enjoys the Influence of the Sun and Shelter. d ng equal to five Foot; that part of the Wall which loſes all the Advantage of the Shelter. As to thoſe ſtrong black Winds, which come from the Eaſt, or North-Eaſt, and are fup. poſed to convey along with them the minute Eggs of deſtroying Inſects; theſe, as they commonly blow more horizontally, ſo their Influence cannot be ſuppoſed fo immediately to reach or affect the beſt and tendereſt Fruit planted on the Southern Aſpects. Dwarfs, Standards, Eſpaliers, and the North or North-Eaſt Walls will indeed lie open and be ex- poſed to their Ravage and Fury, if they happen to blow in the Time of their full Bloom : But as thoſe black Winds, fometimes attended with Froft, do generally ceaſe blowing, be- fore the Glory of the Dwarfs and Standards appears, their Influence is the leſs hurtful . But to prevent their Danger, the Practice of the common People in ſome Countries ſeems to be rightly founded, and ſhould be encouraged, viz. When theſe Winds blow fo late as to raiſe their fears, they provide large heaps of Weeds, Chaff, or other combuſtible Matter, on the Wind Side of their Orchards, and ſet thein on Fire; that the Smoak may fuffocate the Inſects or poiſon their Eggs, as they paſs along with the Air. By th means it hath been taken notice of by ſome curious Perſons, that large Orchards have been preſerved, whilſt the neighbouring Parts have ſuffered great Blights, and the Loſs of all their Fruit. From all the Obſervations I have made, I gather, That the later theſe Eaſterly Winds blow, the more harm they do; and I am the more confirmed in the Opinion of their carrying and conveying the Eggs of Inſects along with them from the Continent, from an Obſervation I made and I cannot but wonder it was made by no body elſe) of a ge- neral Blight, which the Horſe-Bean ſuffered in the Year 1719. throughout moft Parts of England, of which I ſent an Account to Mr. Bradley: And he hath accordingly given a Figure both of the Bean and the Infeet which was bred in it in his Phil. Works of Na- ture, &c. But becauſe it is left there without any Obſervations upon it, I ſhall obſerve as followeth. That the little Infeet (as was thought it did by moſt to whom I firſt thew'd the Bean) did not make its way into, but out of the little Hole in the Side of the Bean. And I had a plain and viſible Demonſtration of this, by obſerving the gradual Progreſs the Inſect made with its Horns or Teeth, before the Hole was perforated. I laid by ſeveral Beans in my Window, that I could plainly perceive had Inſects in them, (for indeed there were few that Year without them) and though there was no Orifice when I laid them by; yet in two or three Days after, I plainly ſaw the Inſect ſtrugg; ling to get out of the Hole itſelf had made, and in an Hour after it took Wing and This was in the Month of Oktober; and it w.s very remarkable that Year, that theſe Inſects were fo numerous and ſo troubleſome in the Air in a warm Day, that it was no ſmall Uneaſineſs to a Traveller, to avoid their beating in his Face, or fly- ing into his Eyes. The Solution of this odd Phenomenon cannot be difficult on the aforegoing Suppoſition ; that Eaſterly Winds bring over the Eggs of Inſects, and when they are lodged in pro- per Places for their Maturity, lye there and hatch : I cannot ſee any other poſſible way to account for a living Creature's coming from the Heart of an entire Bean, and making its way out by force, but by ſuppoſing its Egg to be lodged in the Bloſſom, and afterwards encompared flew away. Agriculture and Gardening 235 encompaſſed with the Bean itſelf, as a proper Matrix to bring it to perfeâion by gradual Warmth. * N. B. Some of the Beans had two or three Inſetts in them and as many Holes. There ſeems to be good reaſon to believe, (tho' I have made no Obſervation) that this is the Caſe of the common Nut-Gall . fo frequently obſerved to have one or more little round Holes in them; through which it is very probable fome Inſect or other made its way, after it found itſelf brought to Maturity and had ſtrength to ſhift for itſelf, I cannot forbear taking notice here of an ingenious Query a learned Friend has put relating to Blights, in a Letter to my ſelf, viz, from the known and demonſtrated Ob- fervation of the different Weight and Preſſure of the Atmoſphere at different Times, whether or no the Air in the Tubes or Veſſels of the tendereſt Bloſſoms, which by its elaſtick Power will dilate itfelf as the incumbent Preſſure is leſſened, may not poſſibly ſometimes break, or rather contribute to break their ſlender Sides ; and by that means render the Bloſſom unable to perform its Office of ſupplying the Infant Fruit with pro- per Juices, which may be ſuppoſed one reaſon of Blafts. I lay contribute to break, becauſe I believe 'tis not alone ſufficient; but with the ſharp Particles of Winds may eaſily deſtroy the Hopes of the Year. Many or indeed moſt Blaſts evidently ariſe from Injuries done to the Stile in the middle of the Bloſſom, which being made brittle by the Froſt, the Winds eaſily break the Icy Juice in two, whoſe ſharp Angles cut the Veſſels; and ſo they become no loriger uſeful, either to convey impregnating Matter to the Embrio , or to defend it from further Inju- ries. Thus far the Fact is certain, that the Stile in the middle of the Bloſſom erecting itſelf ſomething higher than the reſt, is always the firſt part affected with Blights, and when that is diſcovered to be riveled, or to turn colour before its Time, ſuch Fruit is to be given over as loft. But it is eaſier to find out the Cauſe of the Diſeaſe than the Cure; and if I thought horizontal Shelters variouſly apply’d, would do nothing, I ſhould foon give over all other Remedies. C H A P. XXV. An Exhortation and Addreſs to the Nurſery-Men, throughout the ſeveral Parts of Great-Britain. Y GENTLEMEN, OU are not perhaps ſufficiently ſenſible how much of the future Pleaſure and Profit of all ſuch as take delight in a Garden is owing to your Art, Honeſty, Contrivance and Care; and therefore to you I addreſs my ſelf, hoping you have Ingenuity enough to receive an Exhortation with Temper, tho' it comes from a Clergyman. And that what I have to ſay may be better underſtood, and make the deeper Impreſſion, I ſhall methodize it in the following Manner. 1. I would fain hope you will all agree with me, that it is both your Wifdom and your greateſt Intereſt to act always upon the Principle of Honeſty and fair Dealing; and that in all your Correſpondence with the Gentlemen, thro' the Kingdom you make a Conſci- ence of fending Trees, Shrubs, and Seeds that are right and good. I ſpeak this here, not as a Divine and a Lover of Honeſty; or as if I thought Nurſery-Men and Gardeners more than others wanted that Caution; I would hope rather the contrary; but the Light I would ſet this matter in is this : Knavery and Deceit in a Nurſery-Man, wherever that happens, affects not the correſponding Gentleman ſo much in the Value or Loſs of Trees; as in the Loſs of Time, and the Diſappointment he is thrown under. No Value or * Query, Whether this may not give a probable solution of the odd produktion of Worms in human Bodies, viz. That their Eggs ar Embrio's floating in the Air, are fuck'd in by the Breath, and in the Bowels brought to Maturity, Conſideration 236 20. A New Syſtem of tion. Conſideration almoſt can be ſet againſt the Loſs of three or four Years of the beſt part of a Man's Life; becauſe that can never be recalled, which makes the Injury irreparable, and the Deceit barbarous. Where there is Ingenuity, Honour and Honeſty, this which I have ſaid is ſufficient; and where there is neither, more would ſignify no- thing. But before I cloſe this Head, I cannot but mention the Hardſhip' a worthy Gentle inan of my Acquaintance in Northamptonſhire underwent from the knaviſh Uſage of his Nurſery-Man ; who in a pleaſant Irony told him. “It is true, you Gentlemen charge us (and very often juftly) with ſending you down bad Trees, and wrong. Sorts; but 65 though you may think us Knaves, you muſt not ſay we are Fools ; for we have three “ Hits for it. Firſt, if the Tree I ſend you down be a wrong Sort, or on a bad Stock, " the Tree may die before it comes to bear, and then the Fault is laid upon the Planter, or other Accidents and outward Injuries, and ſo I hear no more of that, but another << is ſent for in its room, perhaps of the ſame kind. Secondly, The Gentleman, whoſends «for the Tree, may chance to die before it comes to bear, and then the next Heir " blames the Choice, and ſends for another. Or laſtly, I may die my ſelf, and then the « Proverb takes place, De mortuis nil niſi bonum. In ſhort, this merry Fellow cheated the Gentleman in almoſt every one of his Fruit- Trees, either as to their Goodneſs or Sorts; and though after three or four Years he planted them all over again, yet I think he lived not to taſte much of his new Planta- 2. Another piece of Advice I would give you, is to keep an exact Oeconomy in your Nurſeries, ſo as to regiſter and methodize your Sorts in a moſt exact manner, keeping a Counter-part of the Nurſery in a Plan, in ſuch a manner drawn, that you cannot miſtake the Sorts when a Demand comes for them. The want of this I am very certain is the occaſion of many of the Reproaches caſt upon the Nurſery-Men : When as it was noc Knavery, but Ignorance, and want of Method that occafioned the Misfortune and Diſap- pointment. But the Complaint ſometimes is, that the Trees, though of right Sorts, yeti are unthriving and ſhort-lived: To prevent which, you ſhould always take care to make uſe of right Stocks, eſpecially for Peaches; that you inoculate them on ſome of the larger Plums, Bonum magnums, Muſcles and Pear-plums, and that the tenderer Sorts of them be put upon Aprecots; the Gentlemen will not think much to give ſomething extraordinary for ſuch double Care, which would bring you Credit befides. Indeed the Paradiſe-ſtock for Apples, and the Quince for Pears, are not and cannot be expected to laſt ſo long as Free-Stocks; and there are few who know any thing of them, who fend for them with any other View or Expectation, but to have them bear ſoon and on low Dwarfs. But to have Peach-Trees languiſhing for ſeveral Years, and, it may be, die before the Time, for being put on wrong and knotty Stocks; this Uſage Gentlemen are wont highly to reſent ; they expect, I am ſure they deſerve better from you. But, 3. Give me leave once more to addreſs my ſelf to you in another Article, which I am ſuré will turn greatly to your Advantage, and wherein you will be highly ſerviceable to your Country. The common Adage of Ars longa, vita brevis, frequently and naturally re- curs to a Man's Thoughts; and the oftener, as he grows older. Now to make this me- lancholly Reflection fit eaſier on the Mind, the Way would be (if it could be hit on) to ſhorten Art and to lengthen Life. And give me leave to ſay, this, with reſpect to the Subject we are now upon, is effectually anſwered by what I am going to propoſe: That you would always take care to have a ſufficient Number and Stock of Fruit- Trees, of between four and ſix Years old ; ready trained up, and ſpread; fit to be tranſ- planted to any Diſtances not very remote, that when a Demand comes for a whole Plantation from a Gentleman, that has loſt and would gain ſo many Years of his Life, you may be able to anſwer him. This is no airy Suppoſition that I am making, but a strong Reality; for alas ! it may eaſily be obſerved that the Love of a Garden doth not often leize a Man, till the other leſs innocent Gaieties of Life are palt; and then, when Reaſon hath ſo far got the better of his Paſſions, as to ſhew him the Way how to fill up the Parentheſis of Life with ſome profitable Amuſements, how eagerly may ſuch an one be ſuppoſed to embrace an Offer and Method of recalling four or five Years of his paſt Life, or (which is the ſame thing) putting his Plantation in the fame State in one Year, as would take four or five in the ordinary way to effect ? This thing my ſelf, as well as fome others, have occaſionally mentioned; but without preſling it, and without ſetting it in that true Light which the Importance of the thing requires. By what the World has experienced of late Years of your Ingenuity, Diligence and Agriculture and Gardening. 237 and Care, in improving and cultivating Vegetables, you are moſt of ye fufficiently capable of improving and putting in Practice theſe Hints : But you will eaſily excuſe me, if I throw in ſome fuch Thoughts and Directions of my own, which you may either chuſe or refuſe. Some have recommended Frames of Wood or Tubs, wherein to plant Fruit-Trees; which may be taken to pieces at pleaſure, when the Trees are removed to their proper Places. But however this may look in the Theory, the Method is ſo cumberſome, that I cannot find that it hath been ordinarily pur in Practice, at leaſt in any Quantities. Some are ſanguine enough to think you need be under no Uneaſineſs about removing large Trees, eyen during the bot Summer-Months, if the Roots be but immediately anointed with ſome of Mr. Whitmil's prepared Gums. It is good indeed to know all that Nature will do, and every thing that an Exigency or Neceſſity may require ; but I could never yet ſee, why any one ſhould chule to put Nature to the Stretch in the hot Months, when there is ſo large a Share of the other parts of the Year, when it may be done with the utmoſt Eaſe and Safety The Method which I would propoſe and recommend for common Practice, is to have always à fufficient Number of Dwarf Fruit-Trees planted in good ſtrong Baskets ; which, if they are put into the Ground with the Trees whilſt they are green, will laſt two or three Years, and ſo may be ſhifted into new ones, as Occaſion or Neceſſity re- quires ; for tho' the Trees will extend their Roots through the Baskets; yet when they are removed into other and bigger, they may be ſhortened, which will make their Roots more matted and the Trees fitter to be removed. And thus they may be trained up for four or five Years in the Nurſery, pruned according to Art, and their Branches extended and ty'd to upright occaſional Sticks in the Faſhion they are to ſtand, when ſet againſt the Wall. Or if it ſhall be thought that Baskets will rot ffoner, and not anſwer Expectation in Carriage, the Trees may grow in the naked Ground in the Nurſery ordered as above; and if the diſtance is not great (for I would have Nurſeries in every Market-Town) taken up with Care and a little Art, they may be ſafely tranſplanted eight or ten Miles, with all or moſt of their Roots and Branches, without Earth. The Method of doing it, I would adviſe to be thus ; As ſoon as ever the Tree is out of the Ground, ſecure the Roots as well as poſſible from the Air and Wind; and to do this effectually is the whole My- ſtery of Gums, or vegetative Mummies ; and yet every thing of a viſcous Nature, that is not corroſive, is a ſufficient Preparation without any more ado; ſuch as Soap, Tallow, Wax, Greaſe, or perhaps all of them mixt together is beſt to ſupple the Roots with all over ; then let them be bundled up in Straw well matted for Carriage. And the Holes being ready pre- pared to receive them, let the whole Matter, fine Earth and Water together, be brought to the Conſiſtence of a Pap or Hafty-Pudding, round about and quite covering all the Roots; over which may be laid Moſs, Fern, or Weeds, to prevent the too great Force of the Sun; which yet will dry and crack the Surface, that muſt for that Reaſon be ſome- times looſened and covered with freſh Mould. I ſhould adviſe theſe forts of Removals to be made either in October, not too near the beginning of Winter, or in February, not too near the beginning of Summer; and then if there be any Degree of Care and Judgment uſed, you need not doubt of Succeſs ; but may depend upon ſeeing (bating, Accidents and unkind Seaſons) a reaſonable Quantity of Fruit the very firſt Summer, and Plenty afterwards. Foreſt-Trees and Ever-Greens of all Kinds, may ſafely be removed with the ſame Care and Caution. Gentlemen, I have had ſufficient Experience of what I here fay to be right, and I ex- hort you to practiſe this, or ſome other analogous Method; as well for your own Intereſt, as for the good of your Country and the Delight of thoſe Gentlemen, Lovers of Garden- ing, who I am ſatisfied will not fail to reward your Induſtry, and every ingenious Contri- vance of your own to promote their Pleaſure and Profit. Рpp CHAP 238 A New Syſtem of 1A I CH A P. XXVI. Of the Differences of Climates, with the Conveniencies and Inconve- niencies of Soils, Situations and Degrees of Latitude. N the Buſineſs of Gardening, and for the Cultivation of late and tender Fruits and exotick Plants, there ſeems to be nothing more wanting, or more neceſſary to be ex- plained, and ſet in a true Light, than the Knowledge of the real Difference of the Degrees of Heat and Cold, and the true Cauſes of that real Difference. For the Judgment that moſt People form of theſe things commonly ariſes from weak and inſuffi- cient Reaſons, or they lay a greater Streſs upon the Cauſe than can be ſupported by the Effect's drawn from Experience. For the Purpoſes there is nothing more common than to hear People ſay, and to ſee Authors write, that if you once go two or three Degrees North of London, you muſt expect no good Fruit , eſpecially of the better and later forts; and Sir William Temple himſelf, in his Garden of Epicurus, was ſo weak as to ſay, " That when you get paſt « Northamptonſhire 'ris to little purpoſe to plant any of the beſt Fruits as Peaches or « Grapes :" And at the fame Time commends his Friend in Staffordſhire, that he planted nothing but good Plums as the beſt Fruit he could attain, even by the help of South Walls, and a good Soil . And I have a Letter now by me from an ingenious Friend, which gives me an account what pains he has taken in a Statisal Way, to find what Influence the Sun hath on the Roots of Trees and Plants at different Seaſons of the Year, by the means of Thermometers. CC j « Six of theſe he tells me he has provided, whoſe Stems are of different Lengths, from a eighteen Inches, to four Foot. The Scales of theſe he divided into ninety Degrees be- ginning to number from the freezing Point. The fhorteſt of theſe he hung in the u open Air with a South Aſpect in the middle of his Garden: The Ball of the ſecond « he placed two Inches under Ground; that of the third four Inches; the fourth eight 56 Inches; the fifth fixteen Inches; and the fixth twenty four Inches under Ground. " Their Stems, which ſtood above Ground, were ſecured from Injuries and Weather by 46 long Boxes on which the Scales of Degrees were fixed. I keep (faith he) a Diary fr of theſe, whereby I know exactly the Sun's Warmth in the open Air, and at thoſe lën 6 veral Depths under Ground, at all Times of the Year. If now the like Obſerva- tions were made fo much further North as you are, ’tis probable that by comparing « both rogether many uſeful Obſervations might ariſe in the Way of Husbandry and Gar- dening. Though you live in a fruitful Soil for Corn and Graſs , and the hardy Kinds s of Plánts; yet I believe you, who have ſuch a Taſte for Gardening, muſt have but too much Occaſion to lament your being removed ſo much further from the benign Influ- ence of the great univerſal Genius of Vegetation. This ingenious Gentleman ſeems to be of the common Opinion, and to have entertained Prejudices againſt our Country; But this I ſay, that I who have lived all the former part of my Life in the Middle and Southern Parts of England, and have been no incurious Ob- ſerver of Vegetables and Tạfter of Fruits, can with Truth aver, that I never eat more nor better Fruit even of the later Kinds (except Grapes) than fince I came into the Bin moprick of Durham And the Want even of Grapes is owing to ſuch Cauſes as may eaſi- ly be remedied : For it is but lately, that the Gentlemen have had Courage enough to plant many; and where any Vines are found, they are either of the lateſt and worſt Kinds, or the Soil and Situation are not favourable ; and which is ſtill worſt of all, very few Gardeners know how to prune them. And then again, as to the Times of ripening, where the Soil is good and warm, and the Situation well ſheltered, as it ought, I ſee very little Difference between sı' and 55 The firſt Year I came hither, I had a ripe Aprecot, of the early Kind, ſent me the laſt day of May, and on the ſame day a Diſh of young Carrots, reaſonably large, ſown in the Spring; and in the Year 1724. when my Lord Biſhop came to Aukland the firſt Week in July, he had an handſome Preſent of large Turkey Aprecots full ripe ſent him from Lum- ley-Caſtle, the Seat of the Right Honourable the Earl of Scarborough. There is little Judg- ment to be made of Climates and Soils from any of the artificial Ways of raiſing Fruits, which Agriculture and Gardening. 239 Quarter, whilſt at the fame 'Time face ſtanding on a Hill expoled to which are practiſed Idund about. London, to the Surpriſe and Wonder of many; who do nat conſider, that in a ſheltered Place all thoſe Curioſities may be as eaſily had in a any Part of England, and would turn to as good account, were the Markets like thoſe of London (where every Novelty quickly meets with a Purchaſer) ready to take them off. Neither can I ſee fat preſent of what Uſe the ingenious Mr. Hales's Obſervations, made from Thermometers, can-be, nor what certain Judgment can be formed from thence relating to the Difference of the Sun's Heat for ripening Fruits in different Climates. I have formerly publiſhed Tables of the true and real Quantity of the Sun's Heát in ſeveral dif- ferent Latitudes, I have given the ſame corrected above, and thereby demonſtrated of what Quantity the Mathematick Difference is in three or four Degrees . The greateſt and moſt conſiderable Difference of Heat and Warmth for ripening Fruit ariſes from the Nature and Circumſtances of Soil and Situation ; from a Place lying on the South or North ſide of a Hill; from its being on the top of a cold Hill or in a Vale; from its being ſheltered or not ſheltered from Winds; from its flying on a cold Clay, or on a warm Sand or Gravel. Theſe are the Circumſtances chiefly to be regarded. For inſtance; It is plain to a Demonſtration, that a Garden lying on an eaſy Slope on the South ſide of an Hill, receives more of the Sun's Rays than the fame Quantity of Ground lying on a Plane, and indeed hath more real advantage of Heat from the Sun than ſeveral Degrees of Southern Latitude would give it, cæteris paribus. And the Argument is ſtronger Itill if the Ground flope to the North. The ſame thing is to be ſaid with reſpect to cold Clays and warm Gravels; the being guarded or not guarded from Winds. I remember ſeveral Years ſince I was at a Place called Margaret Overton in Rutland (which is about the middle of Englanil) in the latter end of Auguſt; and then the Merella-Cherries againſt a I eat excellent Peaches and Nečtarines ; and from what I have found ſince I came into the Biſhoprick of Durham, I might have had the ſame Cherries on the farne Expoſition full ripe above a Month fooner. I could name ſeveral Inftances in this Country where the fame Difference may be ob- ſerved, and from the ſame Cauſes. At a Garden of the Right Honourable the Earl of Scarborough at Lumley-Caftle, before mentioned ; at Cheſter, the Seat of my worthy Friend, John Hedworth, Eſquire; at Branſpeth, the Seat of William Bellaſis, Eſquire ; at Beamiſla, the Seat of William Daviſon, Eſquire ; at Hilton-Caſtle, the Seat of John Hilton, Efquire which laſt is not above two Miles from Weremouth; and yet the Situation of that, and the reſt before mentioned (beſides feveral other's, eſpecially all along the River Were not men- tioned) is ſo favourable, and the Soil fo warm and good, that there is not leſs Difference than three or four Weeks in the ripening of Fruits, &c. between thoſe and mine ; altho' I lay in fome fort of Claim to an Experience and Knowledge in the managing my Trees : And yet there are ſtill feveral Places in this Country, and in the ſame Latitude colder and leſs favourable to Fruits than my own; by reaſon they have neither a good Soil nor any Shelter from Winds; the firſt of which Negatives is not my hard Fortune, though the I cannot but here take Notice (as an Inſtance of the favourable Situation of Branſpeth) of the uncominon Extent of ſome well bearing Fruit-Trees there to be found in my Friend, Mr. Bellaſis's Garden, viz. There is an Aprecot-Tree there, whoſe Height is thirty Foot, and its extended Breadth is no leſs than forty four Foot. There are alſo three large Pear- Trees planted againſt the Caſtle Walls; the one is a Bergamot (which every one knows is of the tenderer fort) its Height is forty one Foot, and its Breadth forty three. Another is the Windfor-Pear, whoſe Height is thirty three Foot, and its Breadth thirty., The laſt is a good Pear, and what they call in this Country the Biſhop's Pear, whoſe Height is thirty three Foot, and its extended Breadth no leſs than fifty five Foot. I have been the more particular on this Head; becauſe great Impreſſions have been made on the Minds of unexperienced and injudicious Perſons, who have received great Préjudices againit the Doctrine (clear as it is) which I have here laid down; and will ſtill be apt to fancy with my ingenious Correſpondent, that nothing better than a Currant and a Goosberry or a Plumb can be had on the wrong ſide the Trent. And when ſuch Perſons come here amongſt us, and taſte our Fruits, they are apt to taſte them with preconceived Opinions of their little Worth, and Northern Reliſh. However, I am not willing to let this Diſcourſe end or reſt here neither, becauſe the whole of this Matter is not yet ſet in a right Light. And indeed I have not met with any Author that has hit upon the true Reaſon of the Difference of Climates, and of the Want or Plenty of late Fruits. London laſt is. 240 gni A New Syſtem of 9A London itſelf, and the Country for ten Miles round, hath indeed ſomething to boaſt of with reſpect to Climate, on the account of the vaſt Numbers of People and Fires, which influence and warm the Air all round. But ſetting that Conſideration aſide, Great-Britain itſelf "muit be deemed and look'd upon as what it is, an Iſland, and an Iſland that is ſubject to many outward Misfortunes and Inclemencies of the Air, which the Continent is much more free from. All our Northern Iſlands we know (and we experience our own) to be ſubject to frequent Winds brought to us from every Sea all round. We alſo experience much greater Uncertainty of Weather, more Clouds and leſs Sun-line, than they who live on the Continent, as every one knows, who hath experienced the Difference by ſeeing and obſerving both. So that although there is a Remove from an Iſland to a Continent; from an Iſand ſubject to continual Clouds, cold Winds, and great Uncertainty of Weather, to a Continent, whoſe Air is generally ſerenes and whoſe Springs eſpecially are warm and favourable to the Fruits of the Earth. Whereas it is a quite different Thing when you semove three or four Degrees from one Part to another of an Iſland, every Part of which is equally ſubject to Clouds and Winds : "Tis to little Purpoſe here to talk of wanting in the North of England, the Sun's Meridian Altitude, or the benign Influence of the univerſal Genius of Vegetation ; when, alas ! the whole Iſland wants it. Every one who has been abroad in France or Spain, &c. and hath obſerved the Serenity, and more equal Tempera- ture of their Air, know that they have ſeldom many entire cloudy days together, as we have ſometimes ſeveral Weeks, and that if we have one ſerene day of Sun-fhine they have ten ; which occafioned that merry Reflection of the Venetian Ambaſſador in King Charles's Time, who, when he was ask'd by his Friend going away to Venice, if he had any Com- mands, gave his Service to the Sun; having, during his Reſidence of three Weeks, been never able to ſee him or make his Complements to him. Upon the whole; it is on all hands confeſſed, that there is a Difference of the Sun's Summer Heat in different Latitudes, although not near ſo much as People are wont to imagine in three or four Degrees; but then that Difference is much leſs to be diſcerned in an iſland than in the Continent, for the Reaſons given above. The Sun is a Bleſſing to Ve- getation when and where-ever it ſhines ; in the Continent this Bleſſing they enjoy in Pro- portion to their Situation and Climate; we that live in an Iſland, though we have Mathe- matical Reaſons to expect a ſufficient Influence of the Sun to ripen our Fruits, have the Misfortune of almoſt continual Clouds which intercept the Sun; ſo that its Influence, ſuch as it is, we want, we have it not; which is the Complaint of the whole Iſland, and ſhould ſilence all Triumphs of one Part over another on account of Latitudes; whenas the beſt and truef Reaſon of Difference between good and bad, between fruitful and unfruit- ful Places, is (as I have above obſerved) to be taken chiefly from the Nature of the Soil and Situation. In ſhort, you cannot much more expect ſucceſs in gardening on the elevated Plains of Salisbury or Honflow-Heath in si' than you can in the Weſtern Fells or open Waſtes in ss', in the Biſhoprick of Durham. Both are left naked and expoſed to the Rage of mercileſs Winds; though (as I have in another Place obſerved). I think they are more raging in the North, by reaſon of the Narrowneſs of that Neck of the Iſland between the cwo Seas. As a Corrollery from the whole Doctrine here laid down, we ſee the true Reaſon between the Summer Heats at Moſcow and thoſe at Newcaſtle, both lying in the fame Latitude of 55' The firſt lieth in the middle of a large contient, where the Air is generally ſerene, and the Sun powerful, according to its Meridian Altitude, inſomuch that Melons there are raiſed with little Care and to great Perfection; whilſt in the ſame Latitude in the North of our Iſland (except in the beſt and moſt ſheltered Places) few of thoſe, or of the lateſt Fruits, with the utmoſt Care, are found to be good and well-flavoured. From hence alſo we are taught the true Reaſon of that Goodneſs and Earlineſs of Fruit in our Iſland which we experience in ſome Summers; ſo much more than in others; that is to ſay, when our Summers prove (as ſometimes they do) ſerene, dry, and hot; when we enjoy the Bleſſing of the Sun without any great Interpoſitions of Clouds, (the Effects of which are Colds and Wet) then we find the Excellence, as well as Plenty, of all our late * Fruits ; ſuch as may even vie with thoſe of France. As for Example, in thoſe two re- markable Years 1718. and 1719. both the Springs and the Summers were ſo warm and hot was bea * Mr. Evelyn obſerves that the Peach was at firſt accounted ſo tender and delicate a Fruit, that lieved to thrive only in Perſia; and even in the Days of Galen it grew no nearer us than Egypt, of all the Roman Provinces, but was not Seen in the City till more than Thirty Tears before Pliny's Time. Even the Damask Rofe it self Agriculture and Gardening. 241 hot on the account of ſerene Sun-ſhiny Weather, that I remember in Northamptonſhire we had the White Muſcadine Grapes in great Plenty and Perfection by the middle of Auguſt, and all other late Fruits in Proportion. Whereas, in moſt of the Years ſince, we have had throughout the whole Iſland ſuch unkind, unſeaſonable Springs ; ſuch cloudy, rainy, cold Summers; that hardly any of our late Fruits (except where the circumſtances of Soil and Situation have been extraordinary) have come to their proper Maturity and Flavour ; as it hath been more particularly remark- able the laſt Year 1725. when, as far as I can hear, there hath been no ſuch thing as a ripe Bunch of Grapes throughout the Iſland, at leaſt in the natural or unartificial Way. Self (Saith my Lord Bacon) is little more than a Hundred Years old in England. And (as my Author goes on) it was Six Hundred and Eighty Years after the Foundation of Rome, e'er Italy had taſted a Cherry of their own; which being then brought thither out of Pontus (as the Philberts were) did afterwards travel ad ultimos Britan- Evil. Difc. of Forreſt-Trees, p. 115. nos. Q 99 A New 243 Bu bir od jon botones por la It brings to Do N E W SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE A N D GARDENING. BOOK IV. Of the Kitchen-Garden. SUONSIDERING how many have wrote upon this Subject, and how well it is at preſent improved and underſtood, every one almoſt that wears a blue Apron, thinking himſelf already thoroughly inſtructed, it might hardly be expected that I ſhould enter into this, which is now no longer a Secret ; yet foraſmuch as every Day's Experience adds fome Degree of Light to a practical Art, I flatter my ſelf that ſomething acceptable even in the Article the Kitchen-Garden may occaſionally be delivered, that may either ſtrike the Fancy or inform the Judgment of the Curious. However, I ſhall take Care, ſo far at leaſt, not to impoſe upon the Publick, as to dwell on trifling Things, or to enlarge on Things already well underſtood. CHAP 244 A New Syſtem of C H A P. I. of Melons, Cucumbers, Pumpions, Gourds, &c. T HE ſeveral kinds of Melons being reckoned the beſt Fruit in the Kitchen-Gar- den; and now every Day, as they are better known and eaſier raiſed, are much covered by moſt curious Palates, "I ſhall begin with a plain Deſcription of the beſt Sorts, with ſome caſie Inſtructions how to raiſe them; without confound- ing the Reader with all the different Methods, which ſome by way of Singularity affect to practiſe. There are ſome of the large Melons that are good; but the biggeſt are not generally the beſt. However, it is with this Fruit as with moſt others; that which pleaſes one Palate diſpleaſes another. It is proper to procure ſome of the Seeds of the beſt and moſt ap- proved Sorts, both of the ſmooth, the wrought, and the ribd Kind, from France; that when you have found the Sorts that pleaſe, and will ripen well and kindly, you may ſtick to thoſe, by carefully preſerving their Seed; which Seed however ſhould not be made uſe of till it be at leaſt three Years old : For new Seed is apt to throw out large and ſtrong Vines, but is ſeldom prolific; whereas the Seeds of Melons and Cucumbers, which have been kept eighit or ten Years, generally produce Vines that are cloſe-jointed, and more ſub- ject to produce Fruit. I have known the Seeds of Melons kept fourteen or fifteen Years, and have grown and anſwered very well. But becauſe a well chofen Meloniere, and a Succeſſion of regular Hot-Beds are two things abſolutely neceſſary for the Production of good Melons, it will be neceſſary to give diſtinct Directions concerning them, For without the Firſt, viz. a well-choſen Melionere, all future Diligence in other Particulars would be in vain. Chuſe out therefore a Place in chen-Garden the moſt ſecured from pernicious Winds, about twelve or fourteen Yards ſquare, and this you are to encloſe with a Reed-Hedge eight or ten Foot high, well ſup- ported with ſufficient Stakes or Poſts fixed in the Ground, left the Winds overturn them: But becauſe Reed-Hedges are not of above ſeven or eight Years Continuance, it will be very convenient for more laſting Uſe to plant Hedges within the Encloſure, that may be growing up to anſwer the aforeſaid Purpoſe. Yew and Holly are the beſt, and with a little Patience become impenetrable Defences againſt the Winds all the Year, but Elm and Hornbean do very well. After this Care is over, the next thing to be done, is to provide a Succeſſion of regu- lar Hot-Beds; for without the Aſſiſtance of theſe, our Climate ſeldom proves ſo kind as to afford ripe Melons, at leaſt in any Quantity. Though I remember about twenty Years ago I once tried, and put a Melon-ſeed into the naked Ground on May-Day, and from that I had an exceeding good Melon, the fourth of September following. And indeed would our Summers prove but favourable enough, we might then expect that true Reliſh of the Melon, which the Southern Countries juſtly boaſt of; where they naturally grow like Turneps. For, as I have elſewhere * obferved, pure wholeſome Mould-gives-a-ſweet Tafte to all Sorts of Plants; whereas Dung, though it helps Vegetation, yet contains many noxious heterogeneous indigeſted Juices, which give ſtrong and unſavoury Taſtes to every thing fowed upon or planted in it. However, ſince ſo delicious a Fruit as the Melon cannot ordinarily be had without the Aſiſtance of the Hot-Bed, it is well worth while for thoſe who can afford Hands and At- tendance to be well provided in this Article; and although the Buſineſs of the Hot-Bed is now generally pretty well underſtood, yet I ſhall lay down theſe following plain and Thort Directions. It is well known that only the Dung of Horſes, Aſſes and Mules is fit for the Purpoſe of a Hor-Bed, the Dung of Oxen, Cows, and Hogs, retaining little or no Heat when laid together in Heaps. A convenient Quantity therefore of the former, of the laſt three Weeks making in the Stable, ſhould be reſerved and laid in a Place by itſelf. In the firſt * Gent. Recreat, p. 89. Week Agriculture and Gardening. 245 Week in February, mark out a Place in the Meloniere a Foot more extended every Way than the Frame you intended to ſet upon the Hot-Bed (ſuppoſe eight Foot long and four Foot wide) facing the South; then take out the Earth fix Inches deep from this oblong Square, and let the Dung, be brought by one Man in a Barrow, whilſt another ſhapes the Bed; not in Hills and Hollows, but regularly and evenly, treading it all the while, till at laſt it be four Foot high from the Foundation, when four or five Inches depth of Earth is laid upon it. Artificial Earths or thorough rotten Dung are generally uſed; but the richeſt (not Sandy but loamy) untried Earth that can be got I prefer. The Bed thus prepared (if the Dung is moſt of it new and freſh) will not have loſt its ſcorching Heat in lefs than eight Days; and therefore nothing muſt be fowed in it till that is over. IC is thought by moſt adviſeable to have a thin Coat of Sea-coal Alhes laid upon the Bed before the fine Earth be introduced; becauſe that is found to retain the Heat, eſpe- cially if the Mould itſelf be preſſed down hard with the Hand as it ſhould, and after that remain five Inches deep: For want of which the Roots of the Plants frequently reach the Dung, which is Poiſon to them. But foraſmuch as no Hot-Bed can be ſuppoſed, without fome Help, to maintain its Heat long enough to bring what we plant upon it to Perfection; therefore when it be- gins to grow cool, the common Practice is to cut away the Sides of it ſlopewiſe, adding freſh Dung to recover its loft Heat. This is called Backing or Lining of a Bed. And this the diligent Gardeners will repeat five or fix Times in a Seaſon, as they fee Occaſion, rather than make freſh Beds, which occaſions a Remove of the Plants and is conſequently a Check to them. However, this leads me to repeat a Contrivance of ſome Gardeners, which I have formerly * mentioned : And may perhaps deſerve ſtill to be improved. “ Inſtead of making the Glaſs Frames, as is uſual, open at the Bottom, they may be 66 made with ſtrong Wires croſſing one another, ſo as to be able to ſupport a Bed of “ Earth four Inches deep for the ſeveral Plants to grow in. And thus the whole may be “ lifted by four Men from one Hot-Bed to another, as Occaſion ſerves. This Method " hath theſe two conſiderable Advantages attending it. Firſt, this ſaves the Trouble and prevents the Danger of tranſplanting, which often proves fatal, but always a Check to « the Growth of theſe tender Plants. Secondly, here is no Intermiſſion in the Growth “ of the Plants, nor any artificial Heat of the Bed waſted, which in the ordinary Mc- “ thods cannot be avoided; for there you muſt wait feven or eight Days till the great 6 Heat be abated, left the tender Roots of the Plants be ſcorched: Whereas in the Caſe 66 before us, you may allot juſt what Degree of Heat you pleaſe; for when the Heat « is too violent, the Frame may be placed ſomething hollow from the Bed; when it " abates, it may wholly reſt upon it: And when the Bed grows too cold the Frame may « be carried to another. Beſide theſe, there are other Sorts of Beds made of long Dung fit to receive the Plants raiſed in the other; theſe are called Deaf-Beds, being made almoſt wholly within the Ground, and therefore will give only a ſweating Warmth to the new-removed Plants for a little Time till they have juſt taken root, and can ſhift for themſelves, only with the Help of Bell-Glaſſes. Theſe Beds ſhould not be made till the middle of April, that the Summer may a dvance Time enough to forward and perfect the Fruit. If there ſhould at any Time happen to be a Defect or Want of good Dung from the Stable, there are ſome other Materials which will cauſe a ſufficient artificial Heat, viz. Straw ſteeped in Pond-Water two or three Days, Graſs, Weeds, and Cole-Afhes, Grains of Malt, Tanners Bark, damaged Bran made wet: Any of theſe thrown together in a Heap, and well watered will ferment, and give a regular Heat and Warmth, proper for accele- rating the Growth of tender Plants. After the ſcorching Heat of the Bed is over (which may be diſcerned by a Finger thruſt in) then is the Time to put in the Seeds, Melons at one end, and Cucumbers at the other; if the Bed be in good Temper they will come up and be fit to plant out four Inches apart about a Week after fowing; where they are to remain till the ſecond or third Joint appears, when the prime Leader is to be pinch'd off from each Plant ; and up- on their careful Remove into a freſh Bed, they will quickly put out three other Runners, which commonly produce Fruit plentifully. About the latter end of April the Melon Plants thus raiſed will be fit to plant upon Ridges four Foot wide in Holes, two or three Plants in a Hole, and the Holes are to be four Foot aſunder. Some provide an Inſtrument of Tin, ſomething of the Shape of a Genf, Rareat, p. 93. RI Spoong 246 A New Syſtem of Spoon, wherewith to remove the Plants from one Bed to another without much diſturb- ing the Roots; and a Dexterity in doing this is of great Advantage to the Plants. Sprinkle the Plants with Pond-Water, and cover them with Glaſſes : Immediately upon which, Mats or Straw ſhould be laid round the Glaſſes to keep the Plants from withering. For though the Sun be the Life of Vegetation ; yet to every thing weak, or newly removed, it often proves fatal, by its overpowering Glory. Cucumbers are to be managed much after the fame Sort, only they require no pruning, and more watering. About the latter end of May they will be puſhing ſtrongly forward, and then is the Time when the Earth on the Ridges; eſpecially round about the Plants, is to be trod hard down, the harder the better, to keep the Roots cool, and the Sun's Rays from penetrating too far. As ſoon as the dry Eaſterly Winds ceaſe, the Glaſſes ſhould be tilted up about an Inch in the middle of the Day to give them Air for two or three Hours, that by De- grees they may be hardened to the Weather. Whether thoſe called falſe Bloſſoms are the Male Flowers abſolutely neceſſary to impreg- nate the others; and therefore ſhould be let alone, I am not able to ſay; having not had fufficient Experience thereof, and withal not being thoroughly ſatisfied with Mr. Brada ley's Hypotheſis (probable as it ſeems to be) of the Generation of Plants. However, I think it is the fureſt Way to let the falle Bloſſoms alone: For the Notion the common Garde- ners entertain; that they weaken the Plant, is trifling. Nature ſeems to deſign them for fome Ofice; by their dying away fo ſoon after their firſt Appearance; as if having done their Duty, they were to retire. I am alſo inclined to think with Mr. Bradley, that the common Practice of handling ſo much and diſpoſing the Vines in an exact Order doth a great deal of Harm: The Veſſels in theſe Plants are extreamly tender, and ſubject to be bruiſed by the leaſt bending from their Place of natural Growth; and accordingly it is obſerved that both Melons and Cucumbers diſcover their firſt Fruit in Places and Corners leaſt diſturbed or thought on. The Claſpers which Nature has furniſhed theſe Kinds of Plants with, are by no Means deſigned for their climbing, as hath been conjectu- red by ſome : They are manifeſtly reptile Plants. The Tenderneſs and Weakneſs of their Vines plainly demonſtrate they are not well formed, and little able to ſupport the Weight of their Fruit, or defend themſelves by ſuch weak Claſpers from Winds and Storms; which of all things affect them moſt. Therefore what Nature ſeems to deſign by their Claſpers is, that they may lay hold of every little Weed growing round them, that thereby the ſe- veral Branches for Fruit may be held and preſerved in their natural Order and Diſpoſition without moving to and fro. And this inclination of Nature we ſhould ever follow. After the greateſt Part of May is over you may take off the Glaſſes, and uncover the Melons from ten in the Morning till four in the Afternoon, thereby to acquaint them with the Air, and by Degrees to fortify them againſt unſeaſonable Weather. But great Care muſt be had to guard them againſt ſuddain Storms of Hail and Rain : For too much Wet, eſpecially at their Roots, occaſions them to rot. But if the Weather prove ex- ceeding hot and dry, you may water them in a Circle at ſome little Diſtance from the Root with Pond-Water impregnated with Deers, Sheeps, or Pidgeons Dung. When the plants are become ſtrong, and throw out ſeveral Runners, let the beſt and ſtrongeſt remain after being pinch'd off at the third or fourth Knot: But the weak Shoots, and ſuch as grow flat muſt be entirely removed. When you perceive two or three Melons knotting and ſetting for Fruit upon one Shoot, ſtop that Vine, pinching it off at a Bud or two beyond the laſt Fruit; which when it is once as big as your Fift, you thould lay upon a Tile, whereby to reflect the Sun's Heat, and to accelerate its ripes ning: And after that, watering ſhould be diſcontinued, except in exceſſive Droughts, and then the Water ſhould be adminiſtred only in the Alleys. To know when a Melon is fit to be gathered, the Stalk will ſeem as if it would part from the Fruit; it will begin to gild and grow yellow underneath, and you will be falu- ted with a moſt agreeable Odour ; but ſuch as frequent the Meloniere judge it by the Eyes obſerving only the Change of their Colour and the intercoſtal Yellowneſs, which is a ſufficient Indication of their Maturity. From the Time of a Melon's being fully ſet, to the Time of its ripening you inay reckon forty Days; and thoſe which are full of Em- broidery and Net-work are commonly fourteen or fifteen Days faſhoning e're they be ripe. In gathering a Melon a-la-mode, the Stalk ſhould be furniſhed with two or three Leaves for Ornament;, neither ſhould the Stalk be ſuffered to break off, leaſt the Melon lan- guiſh and loſe the Richneſs of its Flavour. If the Melon is to be conveyed to any diſtant Place, it fhould be gathered three or four Days before 'tis full ripe, if that could be gueſſed. But if they are to be uſed immediately thoroughly ripe, put them into a Bucket of Wa- Agriculture and Gardening. 247 ter newly drawn out of the Well, juſt as you would treat a Bottle of Wine; ſince com- ing immediately from the Meloniere, they are Sun-heated, wanting that Quickneſs and agreeable Flavour which the cold Water gives. In the Choice of a perfect good Melon, let it be neither two green nor over-ripe; let it be well nouriſhed with a thick ſhort Stalk proceeding from a vigorous Plant, firm to the Touch, dry, and of a Vermilion colour within. And its true Flavour is of that pitchy Mixture wherewith Seamen dreſs their Cordage. The Superſtition of the Antients derived to ſome of our Moderns with Reſpect to the Moon, and the Approach of Fe- males is very ſilly and ridiculous. But from weak Minds, Superfiition is hard to be rooted out. Cucumbers are ſown and raiſed much after the fame Method with Melons. There are ſeveral Sorts of them; but the prickly Sort is accounted the beſt. They muſt be plentia fully watered both on the Hot-Bed and Ridges, if you would have them produce Plenty of Fruit. They are in Perfection a little before they begin to turn Yellow. The first ripe both of theſe and of the Melon ought to be choſen for Şeed : But the Cucumber deſigned for Seed ſhould be ſuffered to grow till the Froſts come. Cucumbers deſigned for pickling require no more Care than to chufe a Piece of natural Ground pretty rich and well expoſed to the Sun; wherein make Holes in the Form of Baſons about four Foor diſtant from each other; and the firſt Day, if the Weather be ſettled, or the firſt Week in May fow the Seeds in them, not ſparingly; for it is better to have Plants to ſpare, than to want, which often happens by being too covetous. All the ſeveral Sorts of Pumpeons and Gourds ſhould have fome Aſſiſtance from the Hat- Bed, that they may come to their Maturity before the Froſts overtake them; in the be- ginning of May they may fafely be removed to fome very rich Bank, where they may have room to extend their Vines; where if they be well watered, eſpecially during their Fruiting, plenty of Fruit may be expected, and of a prodigious Size, fometimes weigh- ing eighteen or twenty Pound; whatſoever is wrote upon the Fruit with the Point of a Pin, when it is ſmall, will be vaſtly enlarged as the Fruit encreaſeth, and appear prettily, viſible in Ribs. So the Lover in his Gaiety ſilently addreſs’d himſelf to his Miftreſs, when he wrote upon the young Gourd, The Rhind of every Plant her Name fiall know, And as the Plant extends my Love fall grow. They ſhould be gathered about the latter End of Auguſt, and carefully laid to dry in the Sun; but the Froſt quite ſpoils them. Some mix them with the ſharpeſt kinds of Apples for the Kitchen ; and others in a time of Scarcity, eſpecially after it is boiled, mix the Pulp of it with their Dough for Bread. Before I leave the Meloniere, it may not be amiſs to ſay a Word or two of Mufibrooms raiſed in an artificial Way. They are doubtleſs produced from ſome Putrefaction in the Earth. We are told of near an hundred different kinds, beſides thoſe very minute Sorts diſcerned only with the Microſcope in the Mouldineſs of Fruits and Liquors; which laſt Kinds are ſo quick of Growth, that (as Mr. Bradley obſerves) in leſs than twelve Hours time they are perfected, and ſhedding their Seeds, ſeveral Hundreds of the fame Kinds im- mediately Vegetate, whence it is that Mouldineſs ſo foon overſpreads thoſe Bodies it once infects. There are Troufles found at Ruſhden in Northamptonſhire, and Morelles in ſome Parts of Wiltſhire ; but there is but one Kind of Muſhroom properly ſo called, which is edible, and thoſe are found in moſt Places in England; eſpecially after a wet Seaſon in Autumn. But the artificial Way to have them molt Parts of the Summer in a Garden is, by pre- paring a Bed of long Dung from the Stable, putting ſome ſhort old Dung on the top, four Fingers thick: When the great Heat is qualified, ſcatter all the Parings and Offals of ſuch Muſhrooms as have been dreſſed in the Kitchen, together with the Water wherewith they were waſhed. The fame Bed will ſerve two or three Years, and will affiſt you in making another. Inſtead of Horſe-dung fome haye of late uſed old Thatch, which is obſerved to turn muſty and to grow mouldy ſooner than Horſe-dung, and conſe- quently to produce Muſhrooms quicker and in greater Plenty. The old Melon-Beds, if well watered in the Spring, ſeldom fail to produce Plenty. CHAP 248 A New Syſtem of CH A P. II. of Artichokes, Chardons, and Aſparagus. T Artichoke.] HE Artichoke, tho' of the Thiſtle Kind, is one of the moſt excellent Fruits of the Kitchen-Garden, and recommended not only for ito Goodneſs in all the various Ways of cooking it, but alſo for its con- tinuing near three Months in Seaſon. Of theſe there are ſeveral Sorts, chiefly the red, the violet and the green, which laſt for its Largeneſs is generally moſt admired and fought after. They are propagated by Slips from the old Roots in the Beginning of April ; whích Slips Mould be planted in as rich Soil as poſſible (untried is beſt) at four Foot aſunder in Rows and in the Quincunx Order. When you take off the Slips, only three or four Heads ſhould be be left on the old Root, which ſhould not be all at once uncovered, but gra- dually at ſeveral Times, left the cold Winds and ſharp Mornings pinch them too much. They need little Culture before Winter, but to be kept clean from Weeds; and the young Plants muſt be carefully and frequently watered if the Weather prove dry: In November the Tenderneſs of this Plant expects Relief, which is either by putting long Dung round every one; or elſe to make Trenches betwixt every two Ranges, covering them within a little of their top with the Mould. This laſt Method is the moſt expeditious, and ex- cept in very long and ſevere Winters is found ſufficient. The new-planted Sets ſhould not be ſuffered to bear the ſame Year; for thereby the Roots are often endangered, and every fifth Year there ſhould be a Renewal; for it is a Plant that ſoon impoveriſheth the Soil, and then the Fruit becomes ſmall. The old Roots, which are not accounted of, are commonly made uſe of to make what the French call Artichoke Chards; for which Purpoſe they tie them and cover them up at their whole Length, with Straw or old Dung, which whitens the cotteny Sides of their Leaves and makes them fit for Uſe after boiling. Spaniſh Chardon.] The Spaniſh Chardons are propagated only by Seed ſown in May (and not ſooner) in prepared Trenches or Pits a Foot wide, and about fix Inches deep of fine Mould. After they are come up, they muſt be well watered: And towards the End of Oetober, when we would blanch them, we muſt tie them and cover them up with dry Litter, well twiſted about them, ſo that the Air cannot get at them. In about fifteen Days they will be whitened and fit for Uſe, boiled as the Artichoke Chards before mentioned. The French and Spaniards uſe the Flowers of theſe Chardons inſtead of Rennet; for being dried in the Air, they quickly and readily turn and curdle the Milk. Aſparagus.] Aſparagus is fo neceffary a Part of the Furniture of a Garden, and ſo early a Dainty in the Spring, that its Management and Culture juſtly deſerve a particular En- largement. It is raiſed from Seed ſown in the Spring on ſome well prepared Ground; and after it has ſtood two Years in the Seed-Bed, the Plants are then fit to be removed into a regular Bed; where if rightly prepared and managed, they will continue good and ſtrong for fifteen or twenty Years ; eſpecially if the Soil be naturally rich and ſandy. There ought to be great Care taken to gather the Seed from ſome of the ſtrongeſt Plants, for therein conſiſts a great deal of the expected Succeſs of having a large Kind. It is not deſireable to have the Plants either too big or too little; but when you have them ready for the Purpoſe, whether of one or two Years Growth, mark out a Piece of Ground, ſuppoſe eight Yards long, and four Yards wide. Take from hence entirely the Mould for twelve Inches deep, filling it up again with the beſt untried Earth that can be got to the ſame Level it had before. Then ſome Time in November or (if that cannot be) in February, and not later, fet four Rows of Plants in each Bed at twelve Inches aſunder in the Quincunx Order, allow- ing two Foot betwixt each, Bed for a Path; as may be plainly ſeen and underſtood by the Figure following. But inſtead of making Holes (as the uſual Way is) to put the Plants in, lay them only upon the Surface, ſpreading their Roots, as near as may be, at equal Diſtances, and putting a handful of fine Mould upon cach' to keep them in their Places. This done, lay on ſome of the beſt and fineſt of the untried Earth at leaſt three Inches thick, which will cover and plant them all at once. Your Agriculture and Gardening. 249 Your Bed thus made and planted will riſe three Inches above the natural Surface; but that three Inches will ſubſide and be loſt in a Year or two; and therefore new Earth of about an Inch deep ſhould be laid on every Autumn, together with a Sprinkling of Pid- geon or Hen-dung on the top of the Bed. And this is all the Covering that Åſparagus requires or wants to defend it from the Winter Colds. I take November to be a better Month to plant Aſparagus in, than either February or March. For no Winter hurts it, if the aforementioned Care be uſed; and then it will be the better diſpoſed to take root in the Spring before the dry Weather overtakes it, which often proves fatal to thoſe Beds which are planted late. N. B. The Aſparagus ſhould not be cut for Uſe till the third Year after Planting, and then alſo but ſparingly. Its delicious Taſte is mightily heightened by preſerving their Ver- dure and agreeable Tenderneſs; which is beſt done by letting the Water boil before you put them in An ASPARAGUS Bed eight Yards long and four Yards wide, containing one Hundred and Twenty Plants in the Quincunx Order. ز Thoſe who are curious and covetous to have Aſparagus during the whole Winter Sea- fon, muſt ſow and make Plantations every Year for a Succeſſion ; becauſe ſuch Plants as are forced in the Hot-Bed ſerve only for that Seaſon, and afterwards die and are caſt away. The Method of raiſing it in that artificial Way is this. Make a large Hot-Bed riſing about two Foot high : Cover it with untried Earth fix Inches thick, and limit the Edges with Straw-bands. Upon this plant your Aſparagus Roots, taken from the Nurſery of three or four Years old, as cloſe together as may be, without much regarding to prune their extended Roots. This done, cover the Plants two Inches thick with the ſame Earth, ſtaying a Week before the Frames are put over it; when two Inches more of Earth muſt be laid upon the whole Bed. In about ten Days the Buds will begin to ap- pear ; but it is always to be remembered, that the more Air the Seaſon will ſuffer them to have, the better and greener the Aſparagus will be. A Bed thus ordered will laſt good four or five Weeks; eſpecially if, as the Bed begins to cool, fome freſh Horſe-Litter from the Stable be laid upon the Glaſſes every Night, which will much contribute to the Forcing the Buds and the Continuance of the Heat. Thoſe who are Lovers of this Article continue this Work from November to the latter End of March, when the natural Beds begin to diſcover a much better Dainty. I cannot avoid here taking Notice of and reproving the vulgar Method of cutting the Heads ſo much within the Ground to no good 'Purpoſe, and yet to the hazard of wound- ing the Tops of others juſt beginning to ſprout. All that Part of the Shoot which is within the Ground is of no Account; for it is neither pleaſant to the Eye nor grateful to the Taſte. The beſt way therefore is to cut none but ſuch as are of a proper Length above the Ground; and then the whole or at leaſt the greateſt Part will prove tender, green and well taſted. The aforementioned common Practice now reproved, together with the Way of loading in ſo much Dung is the Reaſon that the London Aſparagus has nei- ther Taſte nor Beauty. Every Year about Martlemas the Stems ſhould be cut down even with the Surface, reſerving the Seed which grows upon the ſtrongeſt: But if Novelty excites a Deſire of Caſting them again in Autumn, where there are plenty of Beds, you may cut the Stems down the latter End of Auguſt, and about a Month after, eſpecially if Rains come, you SES will 250 A New Syſtem of SA will find a fufficient Quantity putting up to gratify Curioſity. This indeed ſomething weakens the Beds; but where there is Plenty, that will not be thought an Objection. Aſparagus requires at leaſt two Dreſſings; one in November, and the other in the be- ginning of March, when the upper Surface ſhould be carefully ſtirred and raked ; and what can be ſpared out of the Alleys ſhould be thrown upon the Ridges, the better to cover the Roots, which are apt to riſe upwards. It is common to ſow a Crop of Onions on the firſt Year’s planting, and the Practice cannot be blamed, Onions ſtriking little Root down-wards. CH A P. III. of eſculent Roots uſeful in the Kitchen. u NDER this Head are commonly reckoned the Carrot, Radiſh, Parſnip, Tuka nep, Beet, Scorzonera, Horſe-Radiſh, Potatoes, Jeruſalem Artichokes, Onion, Leek and Skirret. Garrot.] The Carrot is of two Sorts, the yellow and the red; the latter of which is much to be preferred. They both delight in a rich fandy Soil without Dung, which makes their Roots forked. Thoſe that are deſigned for Winter Uſe and the early part of the Spring, are fown in Auguſt; but the Summer Crop ſhould be ſown in Frbruary: After the Ground is well dug and prepared, low them on the Surface in a ſtill Day; and becauſe the Seed is light and feathered, the beſt Method is to tread them in all overs and after that gently to rake the Bed, by which means they will lie and grow the more regularly: But they muſt be carefully weeded when they are got into four Leaves. Radiſh.] The Radiſh is commonly fown promiſcuouſly among other Roots in March. It likewife covers a Sand or light Ground well wrought with the Spade. The earlieſt Crop ſhould lie expoſed to the South ; but what are intended for the Summer Months ſhould be lown under a North-Wall. Parſnip.] The Parſnip affords a large ſweet Root, very pleaſing to ſome and diſpleaſing to others. It is ſown and managed as the Carrot; but is not rightly fit for Uſe till the Froſts have entered the Ground. Radiſhes and Spinage are wont to be fown amongſt them; becauſe they will be ready to draw before the Parſnips begin to ſpread. And this is eſteem'd a profitable piece of Skill in a Gardener, to underſtand how to double his Crop with ſuch things as will not ſpoil one another. They need not be taken out of the Ground till Chriſtmas, and then it will be proper to lay them in Sand. Turnep.] The Turnep is eſteemed an excellent, wholſome and uſeful Root. For beſides the Profit which it brings to the Farmer in feeding his Cows and Sheep (of which I ſpeak in another Place) it's an agreeable mixture at the Table, as a Sauce for moſt kinds of Meat for the three laſt Months in the Year. There are many Sorts of them, but the two belt and moſt remarkable are the long and the round rooted. They are beſt taſted in a fandy or gravelly Soil. Thoſe which are ſown in the Spring are apt to taſte ſtrong, and are ſeldom tender and white: But when they are fown in July (though they may alſo be ſowna till the latter End of Auguſt) they will be in Perfection and ready for the Table by Mi- chaelmas. They muſt be carefully houghed and ſized at two different Times, which the Gardeners about London have a dextrous and expeditious Way of doing with an Hough about ſix Inches wide. The Seed ſhould be raiſed from ſome of the beſt and faireſt Roots tranſplanted. Beet.] Beets are raiſed from Seeds ſown in March in a light or fandy Soil; and to make them long and fair without being forked, they ſhould be tranſplanted into regular Beds at proper Diſtances; but obſerve not to cut off the Tops. Before the Froſts came on, draw them out of Ground, and under ſome Shelter, bury their Roots in Sand to the Neck of the Plant, ranging them one by another ſomewhat ſhelving; from whence they may be drawn for uſe in the Winter as Occaſion ſerves. Scorzonera.] Scorzonera or Spaniſh Salſifie is a very pleaſant Root, not much known till of late Years; of which there are two Sorts, the Violet and the Yellow, which differ both Agriculture and Gardening. 251 both in Leaf and Flower. They are both equally good and eſteemed very delicious : This Plant has the Preheminence above all other Roots, in that it doth not become ſtringy by lying in the Ground, tho’ for ſeveral Years. And yet by their Continuance in the Earth they grow daily bigger, and are fit to eat at all Seaſons, after the brown cruſty Part of the Rind is ſcrap'd off, and are ſoak’d a while in fair Water before they are boiled, to take off that little Birterneſs, which they would elſe retain. The Seed ſhould be gathered as ſoon as ever the Heads grow downy; otherwiſe the Seed will be apt to be driven away with the Wind. The Time of Sowing it is in April, in ſome well prepared and deep Soil. Radiſb.] There are three ſorts of Radiſhes. The Horſe-Radiſh, which continues many Years and will encreaſe much by tranſplanting the Roots of any Pieces thereof at Mi- chaelmas. It is a Root uſeful, tafteful and wholfome; and therefore ſhould be particularly taken Care of and encouraged for the Uſe of the Kitchen. The ſmall annual Radiſh is a Root much valued by molt for eating raw and mixt with the Sallads. Thoſe who are Admirers of it ſay it is called Radiſh or Radix, by Way of Eminence or Excellence, the Rout. The tenderer and ſhorter it is, the better; and therefore thoſe which are raiſed in Hot-Beds are preferred, not only for their Earlineſs, but alſo for their better Reliſh. By regular and ſucceſſive ſowing, they may be had from March to O&tober ; but hot Weather always makes them eat tough; and therefore are moſt coveted in the Spring. The black Radiſh is worth little; but if any admire it, it is to be managed as the ſmall one. Potatoe.] Potatoes are generally thought an inſipid Root; but when they are cultiva- ted in a good mixt Soil, they are not without their Admirers : The ſmaller Roots or Knots are commonly preſerved for a fucceeding Crop, which in March are ſet at about eight Inches apart. About Michaelmas is the Time when they are firſt begun to be uſed, and they are commonly taken out of the Ground only as Occaſion ferves during the Winter. Jeruſalem Artichoke.] The Jeruſalem Artichoke is a Plant eaſily propagated, and hardly deitroyed. It has a much larger Root than the Potatoe, and is apt to eat watry and in- fipid. Is to be managed much as the Potatoe. Onion.] Onions are almoſt univerſally eſteemed in Sauces: By ſome in leſs, by others in greater Quantities. The two kinds moſt coveted are the Spaniſh and Strasburgh Onion. The firſt is large and ſweet-tafted; the other is ſtronger and moſt laſting. Both require to be fown the Middle of February in rich Garden Soil , or on an Aſparagus Bed of the firſt Year’s planting. They are to be firſt thinned for Sallads, and afterwards kept clean from Weeds: And becauſe during the great Heats of the Summer, many of them will be apt to run upward into Spindle, if not to Seed; the beſt way to prevent that, and to make them bottom well, is either to tread them flat with the Feet, or to flat them dif- creetly with the Back of a Spade. If the Summer prove any thing favourable they will be ripe in Auguſt, when they ſhould be pulled up in dry Weather to remain on the Beds to dry throughly before they be houſed, otherwiſe they will quickly rot: After which they ſhould be ſpread thin on the Floor of ſome covered Place, and with this Care many of them will remain good till April. The beſt and largeſt ought to be reſerved for Seed to be planted out in February; and after they are two Foot high, muſt be ſecured with Sticks from the Fury of the Winds. Let no wet get to the Seed-Veſſels after they are cut off, and are laid to dry in the Sun; for the leaſt Moiſture makes them ſprout, and then they are good for nothing. In the Beginning of Auguſt a Winter Crop called Scal- lions may be ſown in ſome well ſheltered Place; and theſe will be of uſe, when the others are gone, in the Spring Leeks.] Leeks are fown in February or March as the Onion, and in July are to be tran- {planted in Rows as deep as may be, that you may expect the more of the white Stalk; and ſtill as they grow you are to trench up the Ground to them to augment their blanch- ing. Some alſo when they have done graving lay them in the Rill one upon another, leaving only the very Extremities of their Leaves out of the Ground; for what is covered will become white, and ſo the whole Plant becomes both bigger and better. Garlick and Eſcalots, Chives and Racamboles, are eaſily propagated from the Cloves or Off-ſets in March, and will be fit for Uſe as ſoon as the Blade turns yellow. Skirret.] The Skirret, though an excellent Root, is very much neglected ; poffibly be- cauſe it is not yet ſo well underſtood. It may be raiſed either from Seed fown in March, like other Roots, or the Off-ſets from the Roots may be tranſplanted in that Month. A ftrong rich Soil much contributes to make the Roots large, eſpecially if they be well watered. СНАР, 252 A New Syſtem of nga CH A P. IV. Of Colly flowers, and the ſeveral Kinds of Cabbage. T Colliflower.] HE Colliflower is univerſally liked and admired, as the ſweeteſt and moſt agreeable Sauce to all boiled and roaſted Meats. And if the Plant is managed with Skill, it is a Delicacy may be had from the latter End of May till the Severities of the Froſt take place. The Seed of this Plant uſed to be fetch'd from France and Spain; but of late Years, by Means of Glaſſes and Shelters, we bring the Seed to great Perfection in England: But it ſhould be ſaved from ſuch Flowers as were large and white. The earlieſt Flowers in the Spring are obtained from Seed ſown in the Middle of July, or the very Beginning of Auguſt. At both which Seaſons it is proper to ſow Seed for an early Crop, becauſe a dry, or a very wet Seaſon after Sowing makes a great Alteration with Reſpect to the Plants run- ning or not running to Seed too ſoon in the Spring. N. B. The Seed of two Year old is beſt. About Michaelmas they will be fit to tranſplant. And this Remove ſhould be to a well ſheltered Place under a South-Wall , ſetting them four or five Inches apart, with a View of removing the greateſt Part of them into proper Beds in the Spring, when the Danger of the Froſts are over. But it ſhould be well taken Notice of, that under the aforeſaid South-Wall, there ſhould be left Plants at about two Foot aſunder, which ſhould ſuffer no Remove; becauſe theſe will be forwarder by at leaſt a Fortnight, and may be ex- pected to pome the latter End of May; eſpecially if they have been forwarded by Glaſſes in the early Part of the Spring. But that there may be a proper and regular Succeſſion of thoſe which are raiſed in Autumn, it is a very good Rule, and ought to be taken No- tice of, that a provident Gardener will take care to tranſplant fome late in the Spring under fome North-Wall, or ſheltered Place, where they may not have too much Sun, and where, by the Help of Water, (of which they are great Lovers) they will prove good, even in the great Heats of Summer, which otherwiſe would make them grow hard, tough, and inſipid. Every one knows when the Bloſfom begins to appear, it is proper to break ſome of the great Leaves to lay over it; becauſe either Rain, or the Heat of the Sun, or both, occaſion the Flower to turn yellow. The Method and Practice of raiſing theſe Plants in the Hot-Bed at Spring ſo well known, excellently anſwers the Deſire of a Succeſſion, and often ſupplies the Loſs of thoſe Plants, which have been deſtroyed by the Severity of the Winter ; for if they are raiſed here with Care and Skill, they will produce almoſt as early Flowers as thoſe ſown in Au- tumn. However, it is proper to ſow in the Spring, not only in the Hot-Bed, but alſo in the naked Ground upon fome fine-fifted untried Earth about the Beginning of April, for theſe Plants will begin to pome by that Time the Froſts come on; and then ſuch Plants ſhould be taken up with as much Earth as poſſible about their Roots, and ſet up- right in Rows together, in Sand in ſome Cellar or Green-Houſe or other ſheltered Place: And here the Flowers will enlarge themſelves, and be fit for Uſe a great Part of the Winter. Brocauli.] The Brocauli is an Italian Plant, brought lately from Rome by the preſent Earl of Burlington, who has given it a Reputation among thoſe who love Novelties, and have Giftum Eruditum. Although it is of the Cauli Kind; yet it requires a particular Ma- nagement, and therefore particular Directions. Many, ignorant of the Plant, will be low- ing it in the Spring; but it ſhould not be ſown till about Midſummer, and not much after neither ; but that it may attain Strength to get over the Winter, which it will pretty well bear, and be fit for the Kitchen in February, March and April following. It is an hardy Plant, and muſt be managed as the Cabbage, Savoy, or Colewort. When it is near its Perfection as before, you'll ſee an Head in the Middle almoſt like a Colliflower, which is highly eſteemed, and excellent to eat after it is boiled as the Savoy; but of a much higher, ſweeter, and finer Taſte: But beſides this Method of gathering and earing it, there is alſo another Way of managing and eating it at great Mens Tables : For after the Head is cut off, or that it offers for Seed, both in the Head and Branches from the Stem, thoſe Sprouts ſhould be cut off at about ſix Inches long, and being ſtripp'd of their Leaves till you come toward the Top, they ſhould be tied in Bunches, and ſo boiled like Aſparagus ; and as you cut the firſt Sprouts, more will ſucceed and put forth, which muſt be ſerved like Agriculture and Gardening 253 like the firſt. N. B. The outer Coat or Skin ſhould be peeled off, and they boil in about four or five Minutes. Cabbage.] There are various forts of Cabbages, all of them uſeful in the Kitchen. The white fort comes the earlieſt; and therefore is beſt for Summer Uſe; if it be ſown the latter Énd of July, and ſtand the Winter, it hath been found to ripen in May, and will be very large ; inſomuch that the Head of one of theſe planted in a rich loamy Earth, hath weighed above forty Pounds. The Dutch Cabbage is very ſweet, and ſoon ripe, and fo is the Ruſſia, which is the leaſt and moſt humble of them all; but is hardy and pleaſant Food. The Savoy, if ſown in March, and not eat till Chriſtmas, is excellent. But above all there is a large-ſided Cabbage, which is in great Eſteem for its Tenderneſs, Melting, and delicate Taſte: But it will not bear the Severity of Cold, and therefore thould not be fown till the Beginning of May; and if it be tranſplanted and well watered in July, it will head in Autumn, and reward you with a very valuable Sauce; for it is ſpeedily boiled, and even the groſelt Part of them melts in your Mouth. It is obſerved that Broth made of them and eaten faſting, will gently looſen the Body, and which is a ſingular Quality attending them, they will never offend you. The beſt Way is to plant every fort in Beds by themſelves, to diſtinguiſh the Species, ſetting them up to the very Neck in good untried Earth, at two Foot aſunder in Rows: And I cannot but here repeat the Excellence of untried Earth for the Purpoſe of improving the Cabbage; for in all or moſt of the forts, it takes away that ſtrong Taſte and Smell fo very offenlive to moſt, and ſubſtitutes a Sweetneſs and Flavour that pleaſes every one. But yet it muſt be owned, that the very beſt forts are apt to offend the Stomach with Wind, and therefore are reckoned by the Learned to be generally unwholeſome ; eſpecially if eaten in any Quantity. The Seed of ſuch as are intended to ſtand the Winter ſhould be ſown, as Collifowers, the Beginning of Auguſt, and be managed much after the fame Manner; only it may be remembred that theſe will generally bear more Cold, and are hardier than the Colliflower. It is very proper to hough up the Earth about each Plant in April and May, which will not only be a Means to clean the Ground, but to make the Cabbages to head the better. Be careful alſo to take away all the dead Leaves, as well that all may look handſome, as to avoid the ill Scents that proceed from their Corruption, which breeds and invites Snails, Frogs, and Toads, and ſuch like Vermine, which greatly endamage the Plants. When you head a Cabbage it is adviſeable to cut ſlopewiſe, that the Rains may not ſo eaſily penetrate the Stalk to its Deſtruction; for from every Stalk may be expected ſuch green and tender Sprouts, as will be reckoned a Delicacy in the Spring, much preferable even to the Head itſelf; which the Italians call Brocauly, and the French, Des Broques, eaten in Lent in Peaſe-Pottage and Intermeſſes at the beſt Tables. And indeed for ordinary boiled Şallads, they are then moſt acceptable, being the only Greens, except Spinage which the Cook has Recourſe to. If you intend to reſerve the Seed let it be of the beſt fort, and from the faireſt of the Kind. For which Purpoſe, after the Cabbage is ſtripp'd off its under Leaves, make a Hole in ſome dry Place in the Garden, wherein plant the Cabbage with half its Head above Ground and half under, moulding up the Earth ſo as to cover the whole. From hence in March or April the Flower-Stems will begin to break, and as they encreaſe they muſt be ſtak’d, till the Pods afford you plenty of Seed in Auguſt . Mr. Evelyn obſerves, that it is ſcarce an Hundred Years ſince Cabbages were firſt brought from Holland; and further faith, that Sir Anthony Anley of St. Giles in Dorſetſhire was the firit who planted them in England. Both theſe and the Colliflower are ſubject to be much infeited with Variety of Inſects; but yet it is to be obſerved, that the more of the Winter Cold which they ſuſtain, the leſs they are apt to be hurt by Inſects of all the ſeveral Kinds. istenen T_t t CH A P. 254 A New Syſtem of CH A P. V. Of Beans, Peaſe, Kidney-Beans, and other Pulſe. B Beans.] E A N S are of ſeveral forts. The Spaniſh Bean is uſually fown for an early Crop; becauſe it endures the Winter Colds; but it is by no means ſo good and well taſted as the common broad Bean. The firit Sowing is uſually about the Middle of November, in fome Place well ſheltered from the Winds; for it matters not whether they have much of the Sun or not; the uncertain Alterations of Thawing and Freezing, which they commonly undergo under a hot Wall, rather tending to their Deſtruction. Tall Hedges, or Trees at a Diſtance on the Eaſt, North and Welt, are the beſt and moſt approved Defence. But yet after all, a hard Winter often proves their Ruin. And it is remarkable, that although you ſet Beans the beginning of November, and they happen to ſtand the Winter, and ſet again the ſame fort at Candlemas, which is three Months difference in Time, there will ordinarily be found to be no more than a Week or ten days difference in the Time of ripening. So that the Spring Crop being what is to be depended on, and coming not much later than the other, the chief Care of the Gardiner is to have a fufficient Quantity, and gradual Crops of theſe of the large broad Kind: And he will have his Expectations well anſwered as to Forward- neſs and Plenty; if eſpecially he take Care to ſteep the Seeds a day or two in Water taken from a Dungliil . For this hath been found to make them flouriſh exceedingly, and much advanceth their Growth and Time of ripening : Beſides, they'll not remain ſo long in the Earth before they come up, and ſo the Danger of being eaten by Worms, Inſects, and Mice is leſſened, if not prevented. They are uſually fown after the Hough, or with a Stick in Lines two Rows together, with the diſtance of two Foot betwixt every ſuch double Row; and Care ſhould be taken to hough the Earth well up to their Roots before they bloſſom, which will greatly help their ſetting for Fruit. If it ſhould happen fo that the ſeveral Crops of Beans bloſſom too near the fame Time, it would be very adviſeable to cut down one of them within two Inches of the Ground, and will have a late and plentiful Crop in September. In ga- thering green Beans for the Table, they ſhould not be ſtripp’d, as is uſual, with the Hand, but rather cut off with a knife to prevent great Damage often done to the Stalk. Although the Aſhes of the Bean-ſtalks burnt are greatly deſired by the good Houſe- wives; yet it is more deſireable to have the Haum dug in amongſt the Soil; for after it is rotted there, it will greatly improve it. Or if you would learn the Art of making Land im- prove itſelf (which is an Art may be learn’d in the Field and Garden too) ſow Beans with- out any View of gathering their Fruit, and when they are in full bloſſom, dig them in al- together, Earth and Beans, without accounting it any Lofs; for this Practice will improve your Land beyond Imagination, and doubly repay your Loſs. Peale.] The ſeveral ſorts of Peafe are vaftly many, and they all require a leſs heavy or ſtiff Soil than Beans ; for they will do well either in ſandy or gravelly Land, provided it be not extremely poor. There is an early Hot-fpur, called the Henly-Gray, which is uſu- ally fown the beginning of November ; being very hardy and will endure moft Winters under a good Defence; but the Pea itſelf is worth nothing, but that it comes early. The white Hot-spur, or Nine-Weeks Pea, (ſo called, becauſe if town on May-Day, it will be fit to eat in nine Weeks, ſome ſay in fix after) is the very beſt of the Hot-Spurs, having many good Qualities; is pretty hardy, an excellent Bearer, comes early, and boils very green and Tweet. The Dwarf white Pea is proper to be ſown in windy and expoſed Places, being a Reptile. The Dutch Admiral, and the Marrow Pea, which are moſt excellent, ſhould not be fown till March or April; but they require to be well ſupported, as affecting a Supe- riority; and then they reward the Owner with Plenty. Thele laſt ſhould be ſown much thinner than the reſt, and the diſtance of one Row from another wider. Four Foot di- ſtance ſhould be allowed for theſe, and two or three for the other forts, taking Care fre- quently to hough the Alleys, and to cheriſh the Roots with new Earth. Some fow two Rows together, and then leave a diſtance of between two and three Foot for Alleys, ſtill keeping lowing for a Succeſſion of Crops till Midſummer, that ſo uſeful and acceptable a Diſh may not be wanted at the Table, even in the beginning of Oktober. Peaſe are generally eſteemed the ſweeteſt and moſt pleaſant of all Legums or Pulſes; tho? eaten in Quantities they are not accounted the moſt wholeſome Food, cauſing Wind in the Bowels and great Eructations ; but more in fome Conſtitutions than in others. The com- mon Agriculture and Gardening. 255 Part S mon ſorts have been long acquainted with our Engliſh Air and Soil. But of late almoſt eve- ry Year we have new forts, ſuppoſed to be ſweeter and more delicate, introduced into our Gardens ; but whether they are really better or their Reception be chiefly owing to a Love of Novelty, I will not pretend to ſay. We are told of no leſs than five ſorts of Rouncivals , the grey, the white, the blue, the green, and the maple : Three forts of Sugar- Peaſe, the large white and the ſmall white, and the grey : And we have the Egg-Pea, the Wing-Pea, and the Sickle-Pea. But I ſhall not promiſe that many of theſe, with different Names, are not the ſame. However, it is plain from Experience, that moſt of theſe new forts of late introduced amongſt us are tenderer than the Hat-ſpurs, and therefore ſhould not be fown till March or April. Ground laid in deep Furrows, running from Eaft to Weſt, and Peaſe fown on the de- clining of each Furrow facing the South, will defend them from the Winds and Froſts in Winter, better than if they were ſown on a Level. And it may not be amiſs alſo to add here, that Peaſe, by the help of their Tendrils climbing on Sticks, will bear more; but lying on the Ground, will ripen ſooner. So alſo a light Soil, if it be rich, will pro- duce fairer Peaſe; but in a lean Soil , the Peaſe will be more early and ſpend better ; eſpe- cially ſuch as are uſed when dry. Kidney-Beans.] Although Kidney-Beans is an antient Food, and was held in great Eſteem among the old Italians ; yet it is not a Century ſince it was accounted an extraordinary Rarity in England. It is now indeed a known and much admired Food, either eaten by itſelf, or as a boiled Sallad to all ſorts of Meat, both boiled or roaſted ; lafting in Seaſon from the beginning of July till after Michaelmas ; and it comes in ſooner ftill, if forwarded by Hot-Beds, as the Method about London is. There are reckoned to be above fifty forts of Harricots, or Kidney-Beans ; but the two moſt remarkable and approved forts are the Dwarf-kind, or Batterſea-Bean, which never runs high, and will do well without Staking; and another white Kind, which will grow near fix Foot high by the help of Sticks; for all the forts of them are Convolvulus's; but in their twiſting turn contrary to the Sun, or as a Screw inverted, whereas Corn bind, Hops, &c. turn with the Sun, or as a Screw in its natural Poſture for Uſe. Eagerneſs to have this Delicacy early tempts many to low them in the beginning of April : But yet it is to very little Purpoſe to low before the beginning of May, becauſe thoſe ſown a Month ſooner will not have above two days advantage in their ripening; and then they are ſubject to great Hazards of Wet and Froſt. They delight in a warm light Soil, and ſhould be ſowed like Peaſe in Drils, and at the fame diſtance. It is with theſe as with the ſeveral ſorts of Peaſe, if ſupported by Sticks they will bear more and longer ; but if ſuffered to lie on the Ground (the Alleys kept clean) they will bear ſooner. It is very proper to have a Succeſſion of Crops, and to ſow some every three Weeks till the middle of July; only it ſhould be remembered, that in the very hot Seaſon, that the Drills, when opened, ſhould be well watered before the Seed is put in, the better to make them {prout and take root: For though they are impatient of too much Wet; yet nei- ther will they grow, if they lie altogether dry. The painted or ſtreak'd Bean is of all others the hardeit and ſooneſt ripe, by at leaſt ten days; and though ſome think it is not ſo good, yet I could never diſcern much difference, having nothing but a ſweet and pleaſant Reliſh. The Scarlet fort indeed eats fomething Itrong, though uſed in Pickles is incomparably the beſt, tendereſt and greeneſt; and if boiled in two Waters, eats very ſweet in the common Way. There is a very large and long Podded white Bean, which is yet no otherways better than the ſmall white one (which is by all eſteemed to be tender, ſweet and delicate) than as it is larger. We are told of another good fort brought from the Iſland, Bona Viſia, which are by ſome eſteemed excellent eaten dry. Our Summers do not in the natural Way bring them to Perfection, but doubtleſs if they were raiſed in an Hot-Bed, they would come to Ma- turity, and might be eaten in Perfection in the green Shell. There is alſo what is called the Wing-Pea, which when it is very young is dreſſed and eaten like the Kidney-Bean. The Bloiſoms are of a beautiful Colour, and make a goodly Shew in a Garden ; for they any Soil without difficulty, if they be fown in April. grow in CHAP 256 A New Syſtem of oing A CH A P. VI. of ſuch Herbs and Plants as are commonly uſed in Sallads, with the beſt Methods of Cultivating and Mixing them. B ESIDES the great Variety of Legums and eſculent Plants, which we have al- ready named, the greateſt Part whereof may be eaten by themſelves; there are likewiſe many excellent Herbs and uſeful Plants exceedingly grateful to the Palates of ſuch as can reliſh the Beauty and wholeſome Diet of Sallads mixt with Diſcre- tion and Art. Mr. Evelyn bath wrote a ſmall Tract called Acetaria; wherein he hath with a great deal of Learning and Skill deſcribed the ſeveral Virtues of Sallad-Herbs, their Uſefulneſs and Salubrity to Mankind, when rightly choſen, ordered, and dreſſed; I ſhall therefore with- out any difficulty take from thence what is to my preſent Purpoſe, and what hath been found by Experience to be right and true; defiring the Reader to have a little Patience, whilſt upon this Occaſion I ſay ſomething of the great Blefling of Health and long Life, that would attend Mankind, if the Uſe of Sallads were made more our ordinary and fa- miliar Food; and not brought to the Table only for Shew, or by Way of Introdu- ction to the Luxury of various Meats and Fleſh, ftudiouſly heightned to the Taſte by artificial and unwholeſome Sauces, to the Ruin of Mens Conftitutions, and the faſtening upon them all ſorts of ſcorbutick and lingering Diſeaſes : For theſe are known to debauch the Stomach, and ſharpen it to devour Things of difficult Concoction with thoſe of more eafy Digeſtion, and of contrary Subſtances, more than it can well diſpoſe of. For the Ob- ſervation of the Naturaliſt (Plin. Nat. Hift.) is moſt certainly true, Hominis Cibus utiliſimus Simplex ; which is alſo confirmed by what we find as to other Animals, which are fo fel- dom afíicted with Mens Diſłempers derived from the Cauſes above mentioned. For the Stomach eaſily concocts plain fimple Food, but finds it hard to overcome Meats of diffe- rent Subſtances ; whence we ſo often obſerve temperate Perſons of a regular Diet very healthy; ſuch as the laborious Husbandman, who is ordinarily more robuſt and longer lived than others of an uncertain extravagant Diet. So true was Oſellus's Memorandum in the Poet, Hor. Stat. 1. ii. varie Res Ut noceant homini, credas, memoy illius Eſce Que ſimplex olim tibi ſederit. To the Purpoſe of what we are now ſpeaking, it may be obſerved, that our bountiful and loving God, when he particularly ordained Herbs and Fruit for the Food of Men, (Gen. ix.) ſpeaks not one word concerning Fleſh for about one Thouſand fix Hundred Years till after the Flood. And when the Moſaick Law afterwards made Diſtinctions and Prohibitions about the legal Impurity or Uncleanneſs of Animals, it is very obſervable alſo that Plants, Fruits, and Herbs, of what Kind loever, were left free and indifferent for eve- ry one to chuſe what he liked beſt . As if it was thought unbecoming the Dignity of Man’s Nature, before Sin entered or grew enormouſly prevalent, that any Creature ſhould be put to Death to ſuſtain that Life, which might have been upheld by the moſt de- licious Herbs and Fruit, even in Paradiſe itſelf. Many of the Fathers (Tertullian, Jerom, &c.) themſelves were tempted to think, thať the Permiſſion of eating Fleſh to Noah and his Sons, was granted them no otherwile than Repudiation of Wives was to the Jews, viz. for the Hardneſs of their Hearts, and to fa- tisfy a murmuring Generation. But what faith Seneca, (Epift. 108.) This ſhould ſeem no hard Task to refrain from eating Fleſh, if Men abhor'd (as they ought) Cruelty and In- temperance: For Herbs and Sallads are phyſical and natural Advancers of Health and other Bleſſings : And therefore Abſtinence from Fleſh deprives Men of nothing but what Lyons, Vultures, Beaſts, and Birds of Prey fatiate and gorge themſelves withal. That whole Epi- ſtle of Seneca's is very fine and elegant; ſhewing how many ſlaviſh, hurtful, and imperti- nent Cuſtoms he had freed himſelf from with Pleaſure and Satisfaction to his own Mind. Let this be apply'd not only to Sarkofagiſts; but alſo to the exceſſive Drinkers of foreign Spirits and hot Liquors! 3 In Agriculture and Gardening. 257 cures. In what I have here advanced, I am far from thinking Conſcience any otherwiſe con- cerned than to preſerve Moderation and Temperance. There is no ſuch thing under the Goſpel as the Diſtinction of Meats, pure and impure, though Reaſon ſhould teach us to have ſome Regard to the cruel Butcheries of many harmlels Creatures too often put to rack and mercileſs Torment to gratify the wanton and vitiated Palates of extravagant Epi- What I would be underſtood to mean, and to lay ſome Streſs upon, being led by Reaſon and the Authority of wiſe and good Men, is, that if Perſons would ſtudy to live long and happily, they ſhould live leſs on Fleſh, and more on wholeſome Vegetables. I ſay nothing here of Blood. There are indeed two Objections that lie againſt this Doctrine here advanced : Firſt, That there are few Conftitutions could be either long or happily ſupported by ſo crude and lean a Diet. To which it may be ſufficient to anſwer, that that Objection chiefly bears upon too ſudden and indiſcreet a change of Diet, or too unskilful a Mixture and Prepara- tion of Herbs and Sallads ; (of which laſt more anon.) Indeed, when Perſons from their Infancy are inured to Graſs-Diet, and trained up to feed on the Fleſh of Beaſts, Birds, or Fiſhes, it may be difficult, if not dangerous, to make a ſudden change in the middle or the latter end of Life, to live wholly on Vegetables : But I doubt not in the leaſt, but that in any Part of Life a diſcreet Change and Choice would remove the Objection and eſta- bliſh the Doctrine of Longevity, from the more frequent Uſe of Herbs, Fruits, and Plants. Secondly, It is alſo objected again, That all or moſt of Vegetables (as well as many other Things) have ſince the Flood, and as the World grew older, grown more crude, more impaired, and deveſted of thoſe nouriſhing Virtues, wherewith they were at firſt endued ; ånd which, according to the Opinion of many, was the cauſe of the Longevity of the An- tediluvian Patriarchs. To which I anſwer, That I have nothing to ſay againſt the Do- Etrine of Longevity from the Uſe of Herbs, Plants and Fruit ; but that theſe have loſt any of their original Virtues, much leſs that from being the moſt wholeſome Diet, are now become noxious or dangerous, this is begging the Queſtion. On the contrary, it is more than probable from the preſent Conſtitution of Nature, the Order of Things, both with- out and within us, the Laws of God to encourage Temperance, and his ſevere Threatnings to puniſh Exceſs and Intemperance, that there is not the leaſt Decay in Nature, where equal Induſtry and equal Skill is apply'd. The moſt learned Dr. Sherlock, in his ingenious and polite Sermons bids fair to have made it probable, that the Flood better'd, and not ſpoild the Earth, to have repealed and not executed the Curſe on Adam. Our learned and excellent Botaniſt, Mr. Ray, is tranſported in deſcribing the Virtues and Excellencies of Vegetables for Man's Uſe. Plantarum uſus latiſimè patet, &c. ct Uſe of Herbs and Plants (faith he) is in every Part of Life of ſuch Importance, that we cannot be ſaid without them to ſubſiſt either plentifully or handſomely, or indeed to “ live at all as we ought to live. Whatſoever Food is neceſſary for Life, whatſoever con- “ tributes to our Delight, is brought out of that plentiful Store. And then how much more innocent, elegant and healthful is a Table covered with theſe, than with the " Butchery and Slaughter of Animals ? Doubtleſs, Man by his Nature is not a carnivorous « Creature, nor is he furniſhed with Weapons for Rapine and Prey, with pointed Teeth “ and crooked Claws; but with Hands to gather Fruits, and Teeth to chew them. Nei- “ther do we read that Fleſh for Food was permitted him at all before the Flood, &c. Indeed, the ſurpriſing Goodneſs of the wiſe Author of Nature is diſcovered in the vari- ous Natures and different Properties of Plants; on purpoſe to exerciſe the Skill of Man in mixing, and his Delight in taſting the Elegancies of Garden Products. A gentle Heat in ſome to warm and cheriſh; Coolneſs in others to temper and refreſh ; an oily Juice to nou- riſh and feed the Body; poinant Acids to quicken the Appetite, and all to court the Obe- dience of the Palate ; to renew and ſupport our natural Strength; to delight and recreate us with their harmleſs Flavour and Perfumes. In ſhort, the infinite Variety and Plenty, with which God hath ſtored this Globe (more with Plants and Vegetables than with any other Proviſion whatſoever) ſeems kindly and loudly to invite all her living Inhabitants, not of Savage but of gentle Nature, to come and partake of her delicate and hoſpitable Fare. Accordingly we read of ſome of the greateſt Princes that took the Spade and the Plough- ftaff in the fame Hand they held the Sceptre, and the nobleſt * Families thought it no Dif- honour to derive their Námes from Plants and Sallad Herbs. However, to ſhew how the beſt and moſt innocent Things may be perverted, they changed thoſe frugal harmleſs Feaſts of their Anceſtors into Prodigality and Waſte; inſomuch that we read of Edicts and Laws (6 The * Valeriana, Lactucinii, Achilleia, Lyſimachia ; Fabius, Cicero, Lentulus, Piſo, &c. à Fabis, Cicere, Lente, Pilis bene ferendis di&ti. Plin. Nat. Hift. U u u enacted 258 A New Syſtem of enacted to reſtrain even the Pride and Luxury of Sallads; (Cic. Ep. Lib. 7.) and all that was but green was ſo much engroſſed, that Pliny tells us (Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 19.) (mer- rily I ſuppoſe), a poor Man could hardly find a Thiſtle to dreſs for his Supper, or nothing but what his hungry Aſs would not touch for fear of pricking his Lips. But by Way of Caution I again add, I would not be underſtood, as if becauſe Sallads are innocent and wholeſome Food, that therefore Men jould be turned to Graſs again, and be adviſed to neglect the Bounty of Heaven, as well as forget their own Health and Comfort ; I would only be thought a little (by former Practices and Examples) to re- proach the Effeminacy and Luxury of the preſent Age; and at the ſame Time paint the Beauty and the Bleſſing of Temperance, and the vertuous Conſequences thereof, ſhewing at the fame Time that Nature is ſatisfied with a little; and that if Appetite a benè moratus venter be kept within the Bounds of a moderate and inartificial Diet, the Remains of For- tune may be with Pleaſure reſerved to the nobler Parts of Life. Having thus far in general prepared my Way by ſhewing the uſefulneſs of Sallad Herbs and their Salubrity to Mankind, I ſhall proceed to deſcribe their particular Natures and Uſe, with the apteſt Methods of raiſing and cultivating them. In order to which I ſhall begin with Lettuce.] The Lettuce, of which there are great Varieties ; and thoſe are generally moſt eſteemed which head like a Cabbage, hard and round. There are many of late Year's have affected to introduce ſeveral new Kinds : But there are only three or four forts, that any one need deſire to cultivare, viz. the Imperial, the Sileſia, the Roman, and the Dutch brown Lettuce. The Imperial and Silefia Lettuce, if they be fown in Auguſt, and in O&tober, tranſplanted under ſome warm Shelter, will be very large, and fit to cut early in the Spring, for they endure the Winter pretty well; or if they be ſown in the Spring, they will be fit to cut by Midſummer. The Dutch brown Lettuce is by many admired for its early cab- baging in the Spring; for it will alſo ſtand the Winter ; but the Roman Lettuce, though a very good one, expects to be more tenderly treated, and to have the advantage of the Summer ; for it is impatient of the Froſts. Lettuce being the moſt precious Ingredient in a Sallad, or rather by ſome thought a Sallad by itſelf, the Admirers of it (eaten either be- fore or after it cabbages) continue a Succeſſion, by fowing it all the Summer Months. Such of the ſeveral ſorts as produce the largeſt Heads in the Spring, ſhould be ſuffered to run for Seed; and for that purpoſe ſhould be ſtak'd left the Winds throw them down, or too much weaken them at the Roots. The Seeds are fit to gather as ſoon as they begin to fhew their Down, when the whole Plant ſhould be ſet under Cover to dry, till you find the Seed is fit to be thraſhed out. N. B. The beſt Seed and Kinds will degenerate in two or three Years if they are con- tinued to be planted in the fame Garden; and therefore the beſt Way once in two Years, is to make a Change with ſome of your Neighbours that have a different Soil. Lettuce is ſuppoſed to have a Somniferous Quality eaten by itſelf in any Quantity. And Hypocrates acknowledges that thoſe of his Country were there poiſonous, though with us, who have leſs Sun, the Efficacy of its Juice is laver'd and weakened into Wholeſomneſs and made agreeable. It ever was and ſtill continues the Principal of the whole Tribe of Sallads, having, beſides its other Properties, a cool and refreſhing Nature. It was in ſuch high Eſteem among the Antients that divers of the Valerian Family (as before was hinted) thought fit to dignify and diſtinguiſh their Names with that of Lactucinii. Mr. Evelyn faith, that though it is of a Nature colder and moiſter than fome other Herbs; yet it is leſs aſtringent, and ſo harmleſs, that it may be ſafely eaten raw in Fevers ; for it allays Heats, extinguiſhes Thirſt, excites Appetite, kindly nouriſhes; and above all, repreſſes Vapours, and promotes Sleep. Accordingly, the excellent Emperor Tacitus, fo fa- mous for his Frugalities, was yet wont to ſay of Lettuce, when he eat it, that he did Som- num ſe mercari. In ſhort, we meet with nothing amongſt all the crude Materials for Sal- lading, either fo proper to mix with others, or ſo wholeſome to be eaten alone ; always ſuppoſing to be added the uſual Oxolæum of Vinegar, Oil, and Pepper. Endive.] Endive, when it is blanched, is much uſed in Winter Sallads, and the curled fort is at preſent molt in Vogue ; but the largeſt, whiteſt, and tendereſt Leaves are thought beſt when they are boiled. But I am of Mr. Bradley's Mind, that it is hardly worth while to plant it, having little Taſte or Flavour. But as it has its Admirers, they are ad- viſed to ſow the Seeds the latter end of April in a light rich Soil, and about July plant it deep in Rows about fix Inches aſunder ; and as it grows, tie up fome Plants one after ano- ther, to whiten for Uſe. Purſlain.] Purſlain is another inſipid Herb; but being very cooling, is much admired by fome, and generally entertained in all Sallads mingled with hotter Herbs; though ſome learned Agriculture and Gardening. 259 learned Phyſicians have accuſed it of being apt to corrupt in the Stomach, and of being hurtful to the Teeth. There are two forts of it, the green and the golden ; the laſt is moſt tender. They are both raiſed from a ſmall black Seed fown in ſome warm Place in April, and will be made better and earlier by the Help of Glaſſes. Sellery.] Sellery, when it is well blanched, and ſet in a Place and Soil proper for it, is one of the moſt generally approved Winter Sallads, it being of a hot Nature, and moſt prevailing rich Flavour. It is a generous fort of Macedonian Parſley, and hath not been long from Italy introduced amongſt us: But now it moſt deſervedly obtains a Place not only in raw Sallads, but alſo in Soops and Pottages : For its high and grateful Taſte, it always makes an uſeful and an acceptable Appearance; and never is more graceful, than when it erects itſelf in the middle of the grand Sallad at Prætor's Feafts, and great Mens Tables. The Seed is to be ſown in March, and (to have it early) in a Hot-Bed too. A- bout fix Weeks after, the Plants are to be removed in Beds of rich Earth, four Inches alunder ; where they are to be well watered to make them tender and white, after they are well blanched, for therein conſiſts their Goodneſs. But for the better purpoſe of blanching them, it is to be remembered, that they are to be ſet in Trenches, that the Earth may rea- dier cloſe upon them, and keep them moiſt; and moreover that each Plant be tied with Bands before they are earth'd up. Sellery, thus order'd and earth’d up to the top of its Leaves, whitens in three weeks or a Month. But when it is once whitened it rots as it ſtands; and for that reaſon it is not to be earth'd or cover'd with Dung, but in ſuch Pro- portion as ſuits the preſent Occaſion. The ſevere Froſts ſpoil the Sellery, and therefore care Mould be had to cover or skreen them. It may be neceſſary to give a Caution of a ſmall red Worm, which often lurks in the Stalks, that it may be removed. Fennel.] Fennel, but eſpecially the Italian ſort, is a very neceſſary Plant in a Garden; and if it be managed as Sellery, is an uſeful and very much admired Article in a Sallad. The common fort may be made pretty good with blanching, but not comparable to the Italian, which hath been but of late Years introduced amongſt us. It ſhould not be ſown till the latter end of April, or the beginning of May, left it run to Seed, and the Plant become hard and ſtubborn; for after it is blanched as Sellery, the youngeſt and tendereſt Shoots of it are the beſt; which will eat ſweet and delicate, having the uſual Sauce of Oil, Salt, and Vinegar: For it is aromatick, hot, and dry; wherefore it expels Wind, and recreates the Brain. The Italians eat the blanch'd Stalk peeld when young, which they call Cartucci, all Winter long, being an hardy Plant, and not eaſily ſpoild with the Froit. There is a ſmall green Worm which ſometimes lodges in the Stem of this Plant, as the red one doth in Sellery. I have been informed, that the Honourable Sir Spencer Compton, preſent Speaker of the Houſe of Commons, as well as my Lord Burlington, have at Chiſwick arrived to great Per- fection in the Cultivation of this Plant, which is called by the Italians the Fenocuo ; for by dextrous Removes into very rich Soils, they can in one Summer ſwell the Plant to be larger than one's Arm, and mellow its Taſte into a ſpicy Sweetneſs, furpaſſing even the Flavour of Sellery, and have valt Quantities ſucceeding each other through the whole Year. My Friend, Mr. Parker, tells me they fow it in a Drill three Inches deep, as thin as pof- ſible; and when the plants are reaſonably ſtrong, they ſingle them to a Foot diſtance, dif- poſing thoſe which are removed in the ſame Order in the richeſt Earth that can be made. In dry Weather they draw as much Earth to the Plants, as Neceſſity and Occaſion re- quire, in the Method you do Sellery; obſerving that the larger and whiter it is, the better and higher taſted : But it is to be remembered alſo, that thoſe Plants which are blanched in the place where they were fown, without a Remove, are always better and bigger than thoſe which are tranſplanted, which is a Reaſon for its being fown thin. Sorrel.] Sorrel, of which there are divers Kinds; but that called the French Sorrel with à round Leaf now generally prevails. It is by Nature cold, abſterſive, and acid; and therefore ſharpens the Appetite, afſwages Heat, and ſtrengthens the Heart. It is a great Antiſcorbutick, and being mixt with ſome of the foregoing, imparts a grateful Acidity and Quickneſs to the reſt ; luch as fupplies the want of Orange and Lemon; and for that rea- ſon ſhould never be excluded from the Sallad. It will grow almoſt in any Soil, and the round ſort is beft, multiplied by running Branches, which will eaſily take root in the Earth, and ſo being removed in May, will grow in Tufts. Spinage.] There are but two ſorts of Spinage, properly ſo called; the Seed of one is round, the other prickly ; but as to the Plant there is little or no difference, with reſpect to Shape or Taſte, eaten either boiled or raw. If it is eaten as a Sallad with other Herbs, it muſt be gathered whilft it is very young, and then, though it is fomething inſipid, yet it is tender. But doubtleſs the beſt Way of eating Spinage is to boil it with no other Wa- ter 260 A New Syſtem of 1 ter but its own Moiſture; and then it becomes better reliſhed, and an admirable Sauce for all ſorts of boiled Fleſh. 'Tis laxative and emollient, therefore good for the aged; and ſo inoffenſive, that a ſick Man may eat it. The Plant by Original is a Spaniard; but it is now well naturalized, and may be raiſed in almoſt all parts of the Year. It loves a rich Soil and deſerves it ; for if it is ſown in the beginning of Auguſt in a Place ſheltered and well expoſed to the Sun, it will be fit for Uſe almoit all the Winter. And then what is fown in the Spring, February, March, April, and May, will anſwer, by a conſtant Suc- cefſion, the Uſes of the Kirchin. Cherville.] The Musk, or Spaniſh Aromatick Cherville is a mighty uſeful Plant in Sallads, where the tender Tops are never to be wanting, as long as they may be had; being ex- ceedingly wholeſome and chearing the Spirits. Phyſicians commend boiling their Roots, and their being eaten cold, for aged Perſons. It is multiplied only by Seed, which is longiſh and black. There is an ordinary fort which is an Annual, and ſhould be fown monthly for the ſake of their tender Leaves ; but the ſweet Cherville will remain many Years with- out being ſpoiled by the Froſt. Creffes.] The Garden Creſſes ſhould be ſown monthly, becauſe they laſt good and ten- der but a little while, and being ſown very thick, a ſufficient Quantity with a Knife is foon gathered, even when it is not more than half an Inch above Ground; but when it is deſired for early Sallads, recourſe muſt be had to the hot Bed, where you may have it almoſt all the Year. It bears Seed plentifully, and of a Colour different from moſt others, being red. But the Indian Creſs, Naſturtium Indicum, is what is now moſt coveted in Sal- lads; for not only their Leaves, but Capuchin-Capers and Flowers are very agreeably mixt with colder Plants. This is called by ſome the yellow Larkſpur from the Colour and Shape of its Flower. If they are ſown in April they will grow very well in ordinary Garden- Mould, and will increaſe wonderfully both in Stalk and Flower. The Seeds of this Plant may be made uſe of for Muſtard; for being well dried and beaten to a fine Powder, and afterwards mixt with Onion and Vinegar, it yields a quick Pungency, and anſwers the Pur- poſes of good Muſtard. The Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds of this Plant are moderately hot and aromatick, do greatly revive the Spirits, and add a very agreeable Flavour mixt with other Herbs; but above all, are of ſingular Effect againſt the Scurvy. There is alſo the Naſturtiam Hybernicum commended much by ſome ; and every one knows the Uſe and Ex- cellence of the common Water-Creſs, which is wont to grow at the Head of Springs. They are all of the fame Nature, though of different Degrees; are beſt for raw and cold Stomachs, though they are ſuppoſed to afford but little Nouriſhment. Garlick.] Garlick, which by reaſon of its ſtrong ſmell and rankneſs, is often baniſhed the Sallad, is yet both by Spaniards and Italians, and the more Southern People, familiarly eaten almoſt with every thing, and eſteemed of ſuch ſingular Virtue to help Concoction, that 'tis thought a Charm againſt all Poiſon and Infection; called from thence the Coun- tryman's Theriacle. It may be proper enough for ſuch Ruſticks as live in Marſhes and Fenns; but to be ſure 'tis not for nice Palates, further than to permit a gentle Rub on the Plate with one of the Cloves; which yet moſt think better ſupply'd by the milder Ro- combole. If it is boiled, as they ſometimes eat it in Spain, its Rancour is tamed, and it becomes nouriſhing rather than medicinal. But, Onion, Leek, &c.] The Onion, Leek, and Cives, are without much Difficulty admitted into the Sallad, being not near fo hot and rank as Garlick; eſpecially the Tops eaten young and tender. In Italy they frequently make a Sallad of theſe only, ſeaſoned with Oil and Pepper : And a laborious Countryman, with Bread and Salt, and a little Parſley, will make a contented Meal with a roaſted Onion. The Onion is indeed beſt eaten boiled in two or three. Waters, giving then a kind and mild Reliſh, raiſing Appetite and itrengthening the Stomach ; but they are ſuppoſed to offend the Eyes and Head, if they are eaten in Exceſs. How this uſeful Bulb was deified in Egypt we are told in * Juvenal;, and Herodotas talks of vaft Sums of Money ſpent in this Root, diſtributed among the Workmen whilſt they were building the Pyramids. And ſurely it muſt be a longing Degree of Love for this Plant, that the Iſraelites ſhould grow uneaſy under a Theocrafy and View of a promiſed Land flowing with Milk and Honey, wiſhing to return to Bondage and Slavery, only led with Hopes of enjoying again their beloved Leeks and Onions, and Garlick of Egypt. Capſicum Indicum.] Capſicum Indicum, or Indian Pepper, is ſuperlatively hot and burning ; and yet by the Africans is eaten with Salt and Vinegar by itſelf. But although ſuch Ex- periments may be dangerous here; yet its terribly-biting Quality may by Art and Mixture * O Sanctas gentes, quibus hæc naſcuntur in hortis Numina! Juy. Sat, 15. bc Agriculture and Gardening. 261 be rendered not only safe , but very greeable in Sallads. Mr. Evelyn adviſes to take the ſcarlec Pods, and dry them well in a Pan, and when they are become fufficiently hard, cuc them into ſmall Pieces, and ſtamp them in a Mortar to Duft. To each Ounce whereof put a Pound of Wheat-Flower, fermented with a little Leaven. Knead, or make them into Cakes or Loaves cut longwiſe in the ſhape of Naples Biskets : Theſe rebake a ſecond Time, till they are Stone-hard ; pound them again as before, and ſearce it through a fine Sieve. Thus prepared, it becomes a proper Sealoning inſtead of vulgar Pepper. Sage.] Sage is of a hot and dry Nature, excellent for the Head, Memory, and Eyes, and in all paraletical Caſes. There are three or four forts; the red, the green, and Tea-Sage : and another of a Wormwood Flavour. They are all raiſed of Slips taken from the Root the latter end of April, or the beginning of May. 'Tis a Plant endued with ſo many whole- ſome Properties, that the conſtant uſe of it is ſaid to render. Men almoſt immortal. We cannot therefore but allow the tender Summities of the young Leaves in May and June, and afterwards the Flowers, a Place in the cold Sallad, ſparingly uſed. Tarragon.] Tarragon is of Spaniſh Extraction, hot and ſpicy; therefore the Tops and young Shoots are always to find a place in our Sallads, eſpecially where there is much Lettuce . It loves a warm Expoſition, and is increaſed by Slips taken from the Root, and planted in April . It endures the drieſt Summer and the hardeſt Winter. Mint.] The Nature of Mint is dry, warm, and very fragrant; being a little preſſed, is friendly to a weak Stomach, and powerful againſt all nervous Crudities. The tender Tops of it enter very agreeably into our Sallads, and are of great Uſe in Soops and ſome Sauces And every one knows the Water drawn from it in a Still is excellent to expel Wind. It is eaſily propagated by parting the Roots in the Spring ; ſhould be removed once in three Years, and will grow almoſt any where. Baulm.] Baulm is much of the fåine Nature and Uſe, and is cultivated from the Roots. Borrage.] Borrage hath a pleaſant Flavour, is agreeably hot, and a Purifier of the Blood. The tender Leaves, but eſpecially the Flowers, may be eaten in Compoſition. Above all, the Sprigs mixt with Wine, Water and Lemon, are of known Virtue in Summer to cheer the Spirits, and to relieve the hard Student. Buglofs.] Bugloſs is much of the ſame Nature, but ſomething more aftringent. They åre both encreaſed only from the Seed, which preſently falls as ſoon as it begins to be ripe, and therefore muſt be narrowly watched. Cornſallad.] Cornſallad is of a Nature looſening and refreſhing, and is one of the beſt Winter-Sallads ; its Tops and Leaves being tender and very agreeable. The French call it Salade de Preter, becauſe it is uſually eaten by itſelf in Lent. It uſuaily fows itſelf; for ſome have obſerved that the Seed will not laſt gond above fix Hours, if kept from the Ground. Mallow.] I cannot omit mentioning the Mallow amongſt the Sallad-Race, becauſe, tho' it is at preſent diſcarded, it was in high eſteem amongſt the Antients. Pythagoras held Malvæ fòlium Sanctifimum. The Garden Sort is much approved by Dioſcorides and Galen ; but both were held by the Romans in diliciis . Malvæ ſalubres Corpori, (faith Horace, Epod. II.) It bears beautiful and fair Flowers the ſecond Year after ſowing; but as this Plant flowers late in the Year, the firſt Seeds are to be gathered with Care. Dandelion.] Dandelion, or Dens Leonis, though it be an Herb which may be found in almoſt every plough'd Field, yet when it is blanch'd as Sellery, is eſteemed by many an ex- cellent Sallad mixt with other Herbs. Some macerate it in ſeveral Waters to extract the Bitterneſs . It is ſomewhat opening, a great Antiſcorbutick, and therefore very whole- fome. Elder.] The Flowers of Elder, infuſed in Vinegar, are grateful both to the Stomach and Taſte; and though the Leaves be ſomewhat rank, and ſo not admitted into the Sal- lad ; yet the whole Shrub is of moſt ſovereign Virtue. The Spring-Buds and tender Leaves, by thoſe who value and would preſerve their Health, are uſed in Pottage as a wholeſome Breakfaſt. Parſley.] Some few Tops of young and tender Parſley are ſometimes admitted into a raw Sallad. There are two ſorts of it, the common and the curled. It is of a pretty hot and dry Nature; yet not hurtful to the Eyes, as is commonly thought, but opens Ob- structions, and is very diuretick. This Plant is otherwiſe uſeful in the Kitchen, for Stuf- fings and Sauces. Burnet.] Burnet is another uſeful Plant, and much valued by the French and Italians, even in their Sallads, for its cheering and exhilerating Quality, believing that if Pimpera mel (their Name for Burnet) be wanting, there cannot be a good Sallad. Every one knows a Sprig of it in Wine gives an agreeable Flavour acceptable to moft. Χ Χ Χ Sampier.) 262 A New Syſtem of A Sampier.] Sampier, growing on the Sea-Rocks, hath many valuable Properties; for it is not only one of the beſt Pickles ; but when young and tender, is an incomparable In- gredient in a Sallad. For its aromatick Virtue and operative Force againſt Vapours, as well as that it ſharpens the Appetite, is preferable to moſt of our hotter Herbs, and Sal- lad Ingredients. Mr. Evelyn wonders that it is not propagated in Kirchen-Gardens, where it might be had all the Year round; as it is in France; from whence he faith he received the Seeds, and it proſpered better than what he had from our own Coſts. It did not in- deed prickle ſo well as what grew on the Rocks; but in all other reſpects for compoſing Sallads, it had nothing like it. Scurvy-graſs.] Scurvy-graſs, but eſpecially that of the Sea; is a great Antifcorbutick, is alſo ſharp, biting and hot. It is generally put into Ale, and uſed as a Diet-drink; it is of the Nature of the Naſturtium, and prevalent againſt the Scurvy. However, a few of the tender Leaves may be admitted into our cold Sallads. Small Herbs.] Beſides all theſe, there are what the Gardeners are wont to call ſmall Herbis ſuch as should always be cur whilſt they are in the Seed-Leaf, viz. Muſtard, Radiſh; Turnepa Rape, Spinage, and Lettuce . Theſe are all reckoned a great Delicacy, eſpecially when they appear carly in the Turn of the Year, when every Thing green ſtrikes the Eye, and is taited with Eagerneſs and Pleaſure. Wherefore to ſatisfy a longing Curioſity, theſe ſmall Herbs are raiſed under Glaſſes and Frames ; that by their Help they may be defended from Froks, and be made to preſent themſelves at the Table all the firſt and early Months. They are commonly pulled up by the Roots out of the Hot-Bed, not only to make Way for others of a different Nature, but alſo to gain as great a Length of the Stalk as poſfi- ble, which, while it is ſo young, is as good and tender as the Leaves themſelves. There might be ſeveral other forts of Herbs and Plants reckoned up as fit for Sallads, which though neglected here, and perhaps deſpiſed, yet find Entertainment ſtill in Foreign Countries. Mr. Evelyn tells us, that the large Heliotrope, or Sun-Flower, before it comes to explain itſelf, when dreſſed as the Artichoke, is eaten for a Dainty. Even the pale whi- ter Popy is eaten by the Genoeſe, and the Tops of Wormwood with Oil alone, by the Spa- niards : Galen tells us he was wont to cat green Rue by itſelf with only Salt and Oil, as not only exceedingly grateful, but wholeſome, and of great Virtue againſt Infection. Nay, Pliny reports it to be of ſuch Effect for the Preſervation of Sight, that the Painters of his Time uſed to devour a great Quantity of it. Neither ſhould it be thought ſtrange that the common Burdock comes now and then to the best Tables in April; before any Burs appear. For being ſtripp’d, and the Bitterneſs foaked out, and being treated and blanch'd as the Chardoon, is eaten in Poiverade, and reckoned a Delicacy. Silphium.] But I ſhall chuſe to conclude the whole of what has been ſpoken on this Head with a large and particular Account of the Silphium of the Antients; which, if we could procure right and genuine, by the Account we have of its rare Virtues, might reas dily gain the Precedency of every Thing that has gone before, and uſed even as a choice In- gredient in our Sallads and Sauces. siapuov, ſo called by the Greeks ; and by the Latins, Silphium, Lafer, and Laferpitium, and by the Engliſh, Afa, or Aſja fætida, is an extracted Juice from the Roots of a Perſian Plant like a Carrot, growing wild in the Mountains, and by the Heat of the Sun and Time, reduced to the Conſiſtency of a gummy Subſtance, and ſo brought over to us out of Perſia, and chiefly from Gamroon by our Eaſt-India Merchants. Its Smell (as will appear more hereafter) is very offenſive; eſpecially at, or ſoon after its firſt gather- ing, and to thoſe who are not uſed to it : But when it comes to be mellowed by Age, and uſed diſcreetly in ſmall and due Quantities, learned Palates have only judg’d it to have an high reſinous Smell and Taſte, and to afford a grateful Flavour, agreeable to what Theo- phraftus faith of the Plant and Country, that it doth afford on du monde xej évoquer, * abundance of Juice, and that well perfumed. It is true, t Ariſtophanes in one or two Places, mentions it as a thing inameni odoris but that muſt be either that he had ſeen none in his Time, but what was extracted from the Stalk or Leaves, the worſt and moſt corrupt fort ; or elſe, that as a Comedian he ſpeaks of its unſavoury Effects, and gives it the fame Character that he would have done Garlick or Rocombole. I was always of Opinion that our Afa, when we have it genuine, is the ſame with the antient Silphium, ſo much cry'd up for its rare Virtues and excellent Qualities by the An- tients : But becauſe I had a Mind to ſupport my private Opinion by a better Authority * Theophr. Hift. Plant, l. 4. chap. 3. # Ariſtoph. Equit. p. 239, 240. than Agriculture and Gardening. 263 say, . than my own, I wrote the following Letter to to Di. Bentley, deliring he would pleaſe to give me his Sentiments of this Matter, which he was pleaſed to do (as the Reader will ? ſee) in a very obliging manner. Reverend SIR, I Have made bold to order my Son to wait upon you with this; becauſe, though I am a Stranger to you, your Character makes you an Encourager of Learning in all its Parts. I have already publiſhed fomething about Gardening, which the World has kindly received, and being now about to publiſh a new Syſtem of Vegetables, I am at a Loſs to come at any Certainty about the famous Silphium of the Antients; that is to whether we have or know any thing of it at this Day, and in what Part of the • World it grows. Mr. Evelyn has conjectured that our Afa foetida (when we have ic “ not adulterated) is the true Silphium : And I am much inclined to be of his Mind; be- i cauſe all our Books writing about Drugs, agree that it is the Juice of the Laſer-Plant, “ the old Latin Name of Silphium, and the aforeſaid Author thinks that the odoriferous • Benzoin is nothing elſe but the Extract of the Leaves and Stalks of the Laferpitium. o What I now delire to know of you, Sir, is; whether in your great Reading and com- • prehenſive Learning you have met with any thing, either to confirm or to contradict 66 this Notion. I need not ſay to you how full Pliny iš in his Deſcription and Commendation of this noble Plant, recommending it both for the Table, and medicinally uſed; giving allo “ Rules by which the genuine might be known from the adulterated. Ariſtophanes more « than once mentions it, and ſpeaks of the Bátls díapiov as a thing of the higheſt Value; nay, even his comical Deſcription of the Effects thereof in his "Intors may ſerve to fhew us ſomething of its Nature and Uſe. Athenæus alſo ſpeaks of it as one of the greateſt “ Delicacies in Condiments; and all the old Phyſicians mention it with Reſpect, viz. Dioſ- the Name of Succus Cyrenacicus, which Quinſey his Commentator (ignorant of the Plant) 66 could not underſtand. You know Herodotus mentions a ſort of Weazel, that is ſuppo- 6 ſed to breed and lie under this Plant; accordingly, we have the Figure of it in a Medal “ of Battus at this Day. I ſhould be glad to know your Sentiments, and whether it will 66 help us to diſcover its Nature and Properties. " I have not yet been able to learn from whence our Aſa comes; but as it is, it gives a noble Flavour diſcreetly uſed in Sauces. I ſhould not think it impoſſible, if the true “ Silphium Plant could be found, but we might bring it over with Care, and naturalize it " with us, as we do moſt other the tendereſt Exotics, and then we might be fure to have genuine what the Antients ſo highly extol. For I confeſs my Zeal in this Matter car- ries me to think no Pains or Care can be too much to compaſs what was always ac- 6 counted ſuperlatively excellent to a Proverb. You will be ſo good as to pardon this “ Freedoin, and to believe that whatſoever you ſhall think fit to communicate to me € about this Matter, ſhall be made uſe of with all Honour and Fidelity, by; SC (6 SIR To Dr. Bentley, Nov. 1724 Your moſt obedient humble Servant, J. LAURENGĖ. To which the learned Doctor was pleaſed in a little Time to fend me the following kind and obliging Anſwer. T Reverend SIR, HAT the modern Ajſa corrupted from Laſer, das dğoop, is the antient Silphium I have been long convinced; but our Merchants import commonly the worſt rotten * Stuff, which has deſervedly given it the Epithet of Fætida. I once met with a Quan- tity ſo good, that I convinced Dr. Mead and other Phyſicians, that it was genuine Sil- 55 phium : Beſides all other Marks to which it anſwered, I appeal’d to that deciſive one rufo (Dioſcorides equêço) & cum frangitur 65 candido intus. I carried a Piece to Dr. Mead's, &c. and thewed them firſt, that the Out- 6 lide was Pink-colour, Emiguega, then with a Knife I cut a thin Slice off and it was white, and that new white Surface in two hours Time turned Pink again; and ſo it 66 would 66 in Pliny. in 5 264 Å New Syſtem of 19A CS 66 of would do toties quoties. This convinced every one; for what other Drug will turn Co- 6s lour ſo upon breaking or cutting? "The African Silphium was loſt before Pliny's Time, and he relates the Cauſe of it. « What was in Ufe in his Time came all from Parthia or Media, and was the very fame 66 with that of Africk, and ſometimes (as Strabo faith) was better than that. The Reaſon « of it is, that it was a Manufacture, the Juice being mixt with fine Meal, to give it a “ Conſiſtence and to keep it from ſticking like Tar, or corrupting. So no wonder the “ Cyrenéan generally excelled; becauſe they had better Markets to vend it in, which en- couraged them to be cleanly about it. “ It doth not appear that the Creature you call a Weazel fed upon the Plant of Sil- o phium: Herodotus's Words gandă cu tỘ Eragio givóuevas do not warrant that. Herodotus (if you compare Chap. 192. with Chap. 169.) calls Eíaçox not the Plant, but the Country « where Silphium grew; which, according to Theophraſtus and Pliny, was four Thou- 66 ſand Stadia, i. e. five Hundred Miles ſquare. In that Country, therefore this Weazel was frequently; not that ſhe eat the Plant. Rather than ſuffer that, the Cyreneans « would have uſed them as the Britains formerly did Wolves. Beſides, one of theſe " Weazels was brought alive from Africk to London within this five Years; and yet no " Account informs us, that ever Silphium grew in Africk ſince the Time of Pliny. c. All the Aſa now uſed in Europe is brought by the Eaſt-India Conipanies, and they “ have it in the Indies from Perfia. It now grows where it always did, in the barren deſolate Mountains of Perſia, called by the Writers of Alexander's Expedition, Caucaſus or Paropamilus. This you will ſee in Strabo and Arrian. If you can get a Book pub- 6 liſhed about ten Years ago by one Kempfer a Germany that practiſed Phyſick in all the 6 Orient for ſeveral Years, you will ſee a particular Chapter about Åſa. He went from « Il pahan on purpoſe to ſee the Country Peaſants fetch their Harveſt of Silphium out of 6 thoſe Mountains. He gives you a Picture of the whole Plant, Root, Stalk and Leaves ; 6 and it agrees with the Greek Account of the Cyrenean Silphium ; except ſuch ſmall Dif- « ferences as may be allowed between a Man that ſaw it himſelf, and Theophraſtus and 65 Dioſcorides, &c. who never had ſeen it. The Root is like in Bulk to a large Carrot- " Root: They cut the Top of it with a Knife, hollowing it toward the Center ; the next Morning the ones Silphium is ouzed out like a Cream; this is ſcrap'd off and put << into a Pot; then they cut the Root again the Thickneſs of a Crown lower, and the next Morning freſh Cream is produced. This is repeated three or four Times, and ſo 56 the Root is left and periſhes. “ Now they gather nothing but the Juice the laos; Antiently they uſed Stalks and « Roots, exhauſted of the emais, pounded or grafted, as we now do Sugar or Pepper. The “ Perſians as well as Africans uſed this, Time out of Mind. You may ſee in Polycenes « lib. 4. that Alexander, after he had ſubdued Perfia, found in the Regiſters a Liſt of the “ daily ſtated Allowance for Dinner and Supper for the Perſian King's Palace; amongſt es which are owă Olapír dúo y.vañ, ongie Temarlov sa@udy, two Pounds of the Juice of Silphium, “ of the dry'd Stalks and Roots, above an Hundred Pound Weight. The poor Athenians " in Ariſtophanes's Time ſeem to have had no better than Keuads, the Stalk, which was " the worit and cheapeſt. « Benzoin is not (as ſuppoſed) an Extract of Silphium, but from a quite different Plant ; as you may ſee in Jacobus Bendries de Medicina Indorum, who ſaw both Plants. I have « feen ſeveral Inſtances where the Afa (when perfectly good to Pliny's Proof) has done as great Things in Medicine, as ever the Antients mention : In Sauce it daily grows more 6s into Uſe among the Quality. I am afraid your Wiſh of tranſplanting it hither will “ have no Effect; for all Accounts, old and new, declare it uncapable of removing, or S of Culture; yet query in Hortus Malabaricus, if the Dutch Gardeners have cultivated it. 6 I am with all Reſpect, Yours, R. BENTLEY. This kind Letter of the Doctor's gave me conſiderable Light, and put me upon further Enquiries, particularly how to procure Kempfer's Book; which at length after ſome Time and Difficulties I obtained in London. And becauſe the whole Chapter about Aſa is very curious and particular, for the Benefit and Entertainment of every Reader, I will give it here entire render'd into Engliſh. Which is as followeth, iw do you garantitotoo The The Plant of Aſa Fetida 9.00 The Fored by 1989, The backſide of in The Seed The Roots D ering intes y las 26 May 25 27 Jun 30 Iun. 10.22 13 13 12 14 23 25 27 Jul 4 22 24 20 Jul. 3 Agriculture and Gardening 265 The Hiſtory of the As A FOETID Å of DISG U U N. The Hingiſeb is an umbelliferous Plant, a-kin to Lovage, with branched Leaves like Piony! á full and large Stalk; an edged, leafy winged Seed, naked and ſingle, like that of Branc- Urfin or Parſnip; and a Root yielding Aſa Fætida. Its Root lives for many Years; is large, heavy, naked; black on the Outſide, which on a clayey Soil is ſmooth, in a Gravel, rough, and as it were wrinkled; for the moſt Part, ſingle like a Parſnip; but oftentimes branch'd into two or three at a ſmall Diſtance from the Top; ſoine of which grow per- pendicularly down, others run obliquely and irregularly juſt as they are bent and twined by what they meet in their way. The Top of the Root throws itſelf out of the Ground, and is ſet round and thick, like the Peucedon, with rough Fibres ſtanding up like Briſtles of a reddish brown Colour. It hath a far juicy Rind, that eaſily comes off as one pulls up the Plants and on the concave Part of it is ſmooth and moiſt. The Subſtance of the Root is heavy, folid, and white, like a Turnép, full of Fat, very white and very fætid Juice, with a horrid ungrateful Smell, of the Garlick Kind, which is called by the Perſians and Indians, Hing; and by the Europeans, Afa Fætida. The Leaves ſpring out from the Top of the Root in the latter End of Autumn; fix or ſeven in Number, and always more or fewer in Proportion to the Greatneſs of the Root; all Winter they flouriſh greatly, and wither away about the Middle of the Spring. The Leaf is branched out into ſeveral Parts, even about a Cubit long, ſhaped for the moſt Part like the Piony, and of the Subſtance, Colour, and Smoothneſs of Lovage: It hath a Smell not ſo ſtrong as that of the Root, and a rank Taſte joined with a Bitterneſs and aromatick Keenneſs. It conſiſts of Stalk and Branches. The Stalk is a Span or more long, not ſo thick as a Man's Finger, with Ridges winding round, like a Screw; ſtringy and of a Graſs Colour, channelled towards the Bottom by Reaſon of the Leaves incloſing one another, in the upper Parts round. Each Branch hath upon it five; more rarely ſeven Wings placed on the oppoſite Sides, but not directly over againſt one another, ſomewhat more than an Hand's Breadth long, running obliquely upwards; the lower one is longer than the others. The Wings are divi- ded of each Side into ſeveral Lobes of uncertain Number and unequal Bigneſs, oblong and fomewhat oval; in fome Plants very narrow and long, diſtinct, and at a good diſtance from one another quite to the Ribs; and thus being few and ſeperate from each other, every one looks like a Leaf by itſelf; in others they are broader, ſhorter, and more grown to- gether, with oval or circular Indentures in them, according as Nature hath been pleaſed to divert herſelf in forming them, which ſhe does with ſuch Variety, that the Difference of the Leaves ſhall make the Plants appear as if they were not of the fame Species. The Lobes run obliquely upwards, are narrow at the Bottom, and lie along by the sides of the Rib of a Sea-green Colour, ſmooth, juiceleſs, ſtiff, and brittle, a little hollow on the lower Side: They have one ſmall String running from the Rib unequally along them, very rarely accompanied with others on each Side of it. The Bigneſs of the Lobes is uncertain; but one may reckon them at a Medium about three Inches long and one broad. Before the Root dies (which generally happens in the latter End of Summer) there riſes, with a Number of Leaves round it, a ſingle, ftrait, round, furrowed, ſmooth, herbaceous Stalk or Stem, which grows up to the Height of ſix or nine Foot or more; at the Bottom it is larger than the Graſp of a Man's Hand; it grows leſs by Degrees, and is divided into a ſmall Number of Branches, and they again ſubdivide into Umbrellas, like the reſt of the ferulaceous Plants. It is ſurrounded with very finall Leaves, which grow alternately about the Diſtance of a Hand's Breadth from one another; which, with their broad, membra- nous and ſwelling Baſes, cling about the Stalk unequally and crofs-ways to each other; and when they fall off leave Marks behind them, which make a falſe Appearance of its being divided into Joints. It is exceeding full of a very white fungous Pith, not broken by Joints, but with a few ſhort Fibres amongſt it running irregularly length-ways. The Um- brellas are upon a Stem of a Foot, others of a Span long, or yet ſhorter, and ſhoot out into ſeveral radii diſpoſed circularly'; each of which making a Kind of ſmaller Umbrella, ends in a few little radii of about two Inches long; and on theſe grow the Seeds naked and upright upon thort and very ſmall Stalks. The Seed is plain and edged (or leafy Fo- liaceum) of a rediſh brown, oval, nor unlike the Seed of Sphondylium or the Garden Par- ſnip; but ſomewhat larger and blacker than the latter, a little hairy and rough, marked with three Furrows, one of which runs through the Middle, and the others wind along the Edges, and all reach from End to End. It hath a ſmall Scent of Garlick and a ſtrong ſmart bitter Taſte. In the Middle of the outward Shell or Husk is contained the true Seed, which is black, flat, and oyal, ending in a ſharp Point. The Flowers I did not ſee, buc Хуу 266 A New Syſtem of but they ſay they are very ſmall ones, and of a whitiſh pale Colour, and I do not que- ſtion but they conſiſt of five Petula or Leaves. $ 2. The Plant of Afa Fætida, is called by Avicenna, Andsjudaan and Haltüt, which Word Dioſcorides renders oxpiov; and Mathiolus, Laſerpitium. In its own Country both the Root and the Juice it affords, are called Hingiſeh, and in India, Hing. But in common Speech the Word Hingiſeh is uſed for the Plant, and Hüng for the Juice; and in theſe Senſes I have ufed theſe Words in my prefent Deſcription. Whence the Name Aſa is derived or corrupted; I enquire not. The Germans from its ſtrong and offenſive Smell give it the Name of the Devil's Dung. I give you here a genuine Hiſtory of this Plant (which by the Conjectures of Botanilts hath been referred to ſeveral different Species, and by the famous Criticks, Scaliger and Salmafius, ſet forth by its proper Marks and Names ) from my own Inſpection and Obſervation of it, having for that Purpoſe taken a tedious and fatiguing Journey from the City of Gamroon to the Country where it grows. Perſia only is its native Country, not Media, Lybia, Syria, or Cyrene : Wherefore all the ſeveral Diſtinctions that are to be found in Authors, between the Juice of this or that Country's Growth are inſignificant. I was informed by two Chineſe Dealers in Spices, that this Plant grows in their Country near the * Walls, and hath a Juice gathered from it; but I am not ſatisfied of the Truth of this, becauſe I do not find any Mention made of this Plant in the Chineſe Herbal, for the importing the Gum by the Way of the Wall may have given Occaſion to ſuch a Mistake among the Ignorant. There are at this Time but two Tracts of Land in Perfia which produce this Plant, viz. the Fields and Mountains near Heraat, à Market Town in the Province of Choraſaan, and a Range of Mountains in the Province of Laar, which reach from the River Cuur to the City of Congo along the Bay of Perſia; at the Diſtance of two, or in other Places, three or more Parafangs from the Shore. But it is not in every Part of either of theſe Tracts, that the Plant yields any Plenty of Juice. But about Heraat that only which grows in the wild Champion Country, and in the Province of Laar, that only which is found upon the Mountains near the Town or Territory of Diſguun. What grows on either Side of theſe Places, either yields a ſmall Quantity of Juice, and is therefore not worth the Pains of gathering; or, if it will yield any, there is no body to gather it. For on this Side of Diſguun, the In- habitants of the Country, who are Arabians, Husbandmen brought over from the oppo- ſite Shore, and Strangers to every other Way of Life but as Shepherds, never attempt to gather any of it, but concern themſelves only for the Supplies of a low and humble Life, which they lead in poor Tents, and become ſupine and thoughtleſs of every Thing be- yond their own wretched Subfiſtence, and the Care of their little Flocks. Beyond this Place, 1. e. Diſguun the Plant is ſaid to have loſt almoſt all its offenſive Smell, and grown ſo fweet, that the 7 Goats are fond of the Leaves, and feed themſelves exceeding fat with them. To make them do ſo, i. e. grow fat, the Day before they graze there, they are fed once with Mountain Salt (the only Sort they have there) and for the firſt fourteen Days after they begin to feed on it, they are never ſuffered to drink. The Plant grows indifferently in Thickets and craggy Places, and indeed wherever the Wind ſcatters the Seeds ; but moſt plentifully (and often at no more than a Foot's diſtance between the ſeveral Plants) in Places flatted and funk into a Plain, as being fitter for retaining (and upon Account of the better Condition of the Soil) nouriſhing the Seed. It ſeldom grows in a moiſt or rich Soil; but more frequently in a ftony rocky dry Soil with a ſmali Mixture of Clay; and if the upper Part of the Land furniſhes not Moiſture enough, it ſupplies itſelf with it from below, by ſtriking the deeper Root. The People of Heraat, account that which is called Hingiſeh, and grows (they fay) upon the Mountains and in the Woods of Diſguun, a different Species from that which they call Husjeh, growing in their own Fields. The former (they tell you) affords but a ſmall Quantity of Juice, and even that thin and woak; whereas theirs at Heraat yields abundance of Ouze more fat, unctuous, and færid, and there- fore much the better Sort. To try the Truth of this, and to obſerve in what Reſpects they differ’d, I carefully compar'd' a Plant of the Growth of Heraat (which whilft I dwelt at Gamioon I procurd from Choraſmia, and had loft a great part of its Strength) with one of Diſguun, and I profeſs I found no Difference in the Shape. I then ſhew'd the Plant of Diſguun to the Carriers of the Afa of Heraat (who yearly brought it to Gam- roon) not telling them of which Growth it was, and they immediately declar'd it to be their own, the Husjeh Plant, the Parent of the true and genuine Aſa : Whence I gather, that the Difference between the Plants of Diſguun and Heraat, ariſes only from the Differ:- * i, e, The Walls that divide China frona Tartary. See Pliny and Thephrus. ence Agriculture and Gardening. 267 ence of Soil in thoſe two Places. That of the Fields of Choraſmia is perhaps a fatter Soil, and therefore furniſhes the Root with a larger Quantity of Juice, than the bar- ren Ridges of the Mountains of Laar can afford it; to ſay nothing of the Juices of the Plants of each Province, which compar'd together afford not the leaſt Suſpicion that they are of a different Species; but are exactly alike, except in Caſes where a Difference is made either by Adulteration, or by the Seaſon or Manner in which they were gathered, as will appear more fully by what follows. The People of Diſguun diſtinguiſh between the Male and Female Plants ; thoſe of the former Sex, they ſay, yield no Juice, but ſhoot up into a Stalk which produces Seed, and by that Means they die at the Root; the latter, afford the Juice, and have no Stalk; however this is a falſe Diſtinction, and made through Want of due Attention; for there is no Root ever found but what will yield Juice, if it be cut before it runs to Seed like Fennel; for it will, if left to itſelf, ſooner or later ſhoot out a Stalk; after which being deprived of its vital Moiſture it withers and dies, which is common to it, with moſt other Plants of the umbeliferous Kind. The Root is ſaid to live a valt while, even to vie with the Life of a Man for Duration; wherefore 'tis no Wonder if the Roots ſometimes be found of a monſtrous Size. If the Nature of the Soil be ſuch, that it riſes not to a Head in the former Part of its Life (as it ſometimes ſo happens) they affirm the Stem will grow to fix Foot in Length, and to the Thickneſs of an ordinary Man's Wafte. In its middle Age 'tis as thick as a Man's Leg or Arm, and the Thickneſs got by one Year's Growth is that of one's Thumb; always anſwered with à proportionable Length. The Fibres around the Head are ſometimes a Mark of Age, and I am apt to think they are the Remains of the Stalks of the Leaves which have fallen off, and were too nervous and firm for the Teeth of Time to deſtroy. $ 3. All Afa Fætida flows from the Root when ’tis cut, and none either flows of itſelf, or can by any Art be preſſed out of the Stalk; that Diſtinction therefore of the famous Wormius, between the Afa of the Root and that of the Stalk, comes to nothing. A Root under four Years Growth yields very little Juice, and is never cut; but as it grows older and larger it yields proportionably more Liquor. If it be taken out of the Earth and not cut till the next Day, yet a milky Juice will flow from it; ſuch a Quantity of Juice it abounds with, that it becomes uncommonly heavy. If it be cut through croſs-wiſe, its whole upper Surface will be overſpread with this milky Juice, which ſprings up in a continued Line winding irregularly, as may be ſeen in the Figure an- nexed. If we obſerve the Root carefully, we ſhall not find it all of the fame Subſtance, but in ſome Parts of a fibrous harder Subſtance, the Fibres running length-wiſe in an irregular Manner; and in others of a ſofter, more ſpungy and homogenious one; the latter feems deſign’d for retaining the Liquor and digeſting it in its Veſſels, the former for the Circu- lation and Conveyance of it to nouriſh the Stem: And I add alſo, that it contributes to the making the Root firmer and more durable, which is of itſelf brittle and fragile. When the Root is dry'd from all its Moiſture, it loſes all its ſofter Parts, and the fibrous ones only remaining, are contracted into a ſtringy Pith; but the rough Bark loſes little of its Dimenſions. The Liquor, when it firſt flows from out the Veſſels of the Root, is very white, liquid and fat, exactly like the Cream of ſweet Milk, and therefore not in the leaſt clammy; but by being kept in the Air or Sun it changes its Colour to a light brown, and grows firmer and glutinous. Its Scent is the Teſt of its Excellency; the ſtronger it is, the better the Aſa. When it firſt comes from the Root it is of a pro- digious ſtrong Scent, above what it is when grown firmer by Age, and arrives in Europe ; indeed there is no Compariſon between them; I dare affirm that one Drachm of Afa freſh from the Root will caſt a ſtronger Smell, than a Hundred Pounds of ſuch as is dried by long keeping, and is uſally fold by our Druggiſts. When I returned from the Mountains I carried home with me a pretty many Roots (into a very large Houſe with a Court in the midſt of it) but they filled cvery Room in it with ſo noiſome a Scent, that I was forced immediately to Aling them away. When the Cafila (a Word they uſe for a Drove of Laden Cattle, and their Drivers) arrives with Aſa from Choraſmic, this ſort of Ware is always unloaded in a Field at a good Diſtance from the City; but notwithſtanding this, if the Wind blows from that Quarter, the whole Air of the Place is infected with its Stench. It muſt be carried into India in a Veſſel by itſelf, not with any other Wares that are liable to be corrupted; for Experience teaches, that it will infect and ſpoil them every one, and does the ſame by all Liquors; eſpecially thoſe that are ſuppoſed to be drank. The Vefſel in which I croſſed over into Arabia, had one ſingle Sack of Heraat Aſa hang- ing at her Stern, which made us horribly uneaſy with its offenſive Smell; and the Maſter of the Ship was apprehenſive, that even in that little Way, it would do harm to the Roſe Water, Schiras Wine, and the Eatables on board, Dioſcorides .68 A New Syſtem of Dioſcorides, B. 3. Chap: 78. has given us a long Liſt of the Medicinal Virtues of Afa, and Gazzias Arom. Hift. B. 1. C. 3. has ſaid a great deal of its Excellency that Way. The Perſian Phyſicians, by Reaſon of the Nicety of that people, hardly ever uſe it. The Peaſants of the Province of Laar became acquainted with its Efficacy in curing Cholick Pains, the Dropſy, and eſpecially the Tympany, from the Advice of the Banjans. A Ci- tizen of Diſguun himſelf told me, that he was afflicted with it (the Tympany) and that by ſwallowing a Bolus, or large Pill of Aſa, every Morning for ſix Weeks together, he was perfectly recovered. During this courſe of Afa, the Wind diſcharged itſelf ſo 'fre- quently upwards and downwards, and was of fo abominable a Scent, that he was forced to baniſh himſelf from all Society and Converſation. The Seed of the Plant has the ſame Effect, but in a leſs Degree, and therefore the Indians fetch it hence for Phyſical Uſes. Wounds are ſaid to be heal'd to a Miracle by the Application of Afa freſh gathered. If this Plant be laid in any Furrows where Water drains, and from thence runs into any Gar- dens or Groves of Palm or Date-Trees, that Water will kill all the Worms at the Root of any Plant whatſoever. The * Indians (eſpecially the Banjans) uſe Aſa commonly in their Sauces. The famous Renodous could hardly be brought to believe this Account of it given him by Gazzia; For (ſays he) if this be true, furcly either Afa Fætida does not ſtink in India, or the Indian Palates are made of Braſs. I my ſelf have taſted Cakes that have been mixt with this Liquor, which have had a far more tolerable Reliſh than I expected from them 'Tis a common Thing among Banjans to rub the Rims of their Cups with this Liquor', to raiſe an Appetite in thoſe who were out of Order. There is a very great Scuffe between the Men of Heraat and Diſguun, whoſe Aſa is to be preferred; each thinks to advance the Worth of their own Commodity by decrying the Value of the others. At Heraat, the Aſa of the Mountains of Diſguun is decried, as lean, dry and of a baſtard Kind; whilſt their own is declar'd to be fat, ſóft, and of the higheſt Scent. The Men of Diſguun reply in Behalf of the Aſa, that the Farneſs of the Heraat Aſa is not na- tural but forced, by their mixing it at its firſt gathering with the Cream of Camels or Goats; by this Means they think it does not harden ſo ſoon, nor will it keep ſo long of itſelf, as when it is thus ſophiſticated; thus (ſay they) the Buyer is cheated into a Belief, that what is really the Farneſs of the Mixture, is the genuine Richneſs of the Aſa. Envy and the Love of Gain engendered this Quarrel; but there is no Reaſon thence to con- clude the Aſa's of theſe two Places to be of a different Species ; wherefore without Re- gard to this or any other Diſtinctions made by Druggiſts, I ſhall only diſtinguiſh be- tween the Plants themſelves and the Afa they produce, as they grew in Fields or Moun- tains; at Heraat or Diſguun, or if you had rather uſe the Names of the Provinces they grew in, of Choraſmia or Laar ; the one is for the moſt Part fatter and ſofter, and brought over wrapt in Sheep and Goats Skins, the other is drier and comes in Bags made of the Leaves of the wild Palm-Tree. As all my Obſervations were made upon the latter, ſo I here give you an Account of the Manner of gathering it, which is the ſame, with that of gathering the Heraat Aſa, except in a very few Circumſtances. § 4. The Harveſt of Hingiſeb or Aſa is gathered by ſome of the Inhabitants of the neighbouring Villages, but chiefly by the major Part of the People of Diſguun, who are in all about three Hundred; and is compleated in four Seaſons, or, which is the fame, in going four Times from the City to the Hills where the Hingiſeh grows, which are ſome two, three, or four Parafangs diſtant from it. I will relate to you the Order of the ſeveral Times or Seaſons, in which the Harveſt was reaped by the People of Diſguun, that Year I viſited theſe Mountains, viz. Anno 1687. The Order indeed is always the ſame, tho' perhaps the Day on which they begin their Harveſt, or the Diſtances between the ſeveral Seaſons of it, be not always exactly the ſame. Firſt Seafon. 1. Before ever they began their work, they made Enquiry what the foreign Demands for Aſa were, that they might not ſpend their Time and Labour in vain; as ſoon then as they are aſſured of a Vent for it, they flock to the Mountains about the Middle of April, becauſe that is the proper Seaſon to prepare the Root for yielding its Moiſture; of which the Paleneſs , drooping and withering of the Leaves, is a certain Sign. If the Peaſants of the neighbouring Villages determine to gather any, they repair thither in the fame Month. When they arrive, they diſperſe themſelves and keep at a great Diſtance Mat. Med. Lib. 1. viii, chap. 8. from Agriculture and Gardening. 269 from one another, ſo that they who have agreed to make one common Stock of what they gather, whether they are a ſingle Family or a Number of Families related to each other, or the People of one particular Street thus agreed, pitch ſeverally upon a certain Tract of the Mountain and gather there. Here each Man chearfully falls to Work on the Plants he finds; and firſt, with a Spade takes away the Earth a little Diſtance around the Root, which is commonly a firm Sand or Gravel , to about a Span's Depth, ſo that the Root appears naked a good Height out of the Ground. Secondly, he takes the Stalks of the Leaves croſs-wiſe in his Hand and twiſts them off from the Root, which in that Seaſon of the Year is eaſily done; then takes off the rough Crown of Fibres from its Head, which appears underneath bald and wrinkled. Thirdly, with his Spade or Hand he breaks the Clods of Earth be dug up, and covers the Root again with them to the Top; and then upon the Earth he lays the Leaves he has pulld off, or any other that chances to be near him, with a Stone upon them, left the Wind, which is here often exceeding violent, ſhould carry them away, and he at his Return not know where to find the Root. N. B. The Reaſon of thus covering the Root is to defend it from the Sun's Heat; for were it expoſed to it, it would in twenty four Hours putrify and yield no Profit to the Labourer. After tlfey have thus prepared many Thouſand Roots for gathering, (four or five Men uſually prepare two Thouſand) they leave the Mountains and return Home, having in about three Days Time finiſhed the Labour of the firſt Seaſon which they call Kuſtian, i. e. to kill, as if this were an act [or the Seaſon] of Slaughter ; becauſe in this Seaſon the plants are condemned hereafter to dye, by being drain’d of their vital Juice. Second Seafon. After forty Days ſpent at Home (this Year they ſtaid longer than they uſually did) the whole Rout of Gatherers leave the City in the Evening, and in the Morning the twenty fifth of May arrive at the Mountains, they then divide themſelves, and each Body goes to its allotted Tract of Ground, to collect the Liquor from the Roots prepard in the Manner deſcrib'd above, which being here got together for the Nouriſhment of the Leaves, now all ſtagnates at the Top. The Inſtruments they had, were a ſharp Knife for cutting the Root, a ſort of Slice or Spattle made of Iron, broad at the End, to ſcrape the Juice from off the Root, a Diſs or Cup fixed upon their Side to put the Juice into as they ſcraped it off, and two Baskets hanging by a Yoke from the Shoulders, in which they carry off the whole Quantity of Juice they gather. The Reader ought firſt to be told, that every Company divides its Portion of Land, and conſequently the Roots therein into two Parts, and all in the Company work in each Part every other Day; becauſe after the Root has afforded a good deal of Moiſture, it requires Time both to yield freſh Liquor and to thicken what it has already yielded; that this may appear to the Eye, let the Reader view the Figure annex’d, which repreſents ſuch a Part of a Mountain where the Hingiſeh grows, as much as is uſually ſufficient for one Company of Reapers. In this Fi- gure, A is one Part, B another ; I have drawn but one Root in each Part, becauſe a fingle Root will ſerve to explain what I ſhall ſay, as well as a Multitude. Having ſaid this, I proceed; In A, each Man takes a Root, and removes the Bundles of Leaves and throws by the Earth which covers the Top of it: He then cuts off the rough Top of it croſs-wiſe and leaves the upper Surface concave, whither the Li- quor flows, without any danger of running over, till after two Days 'tis ſcraped off. Then as in the former Seaſon he again covers che Root from the Injuries of the Sun's Heat, and takes care to lay the Leaves over the Surface arch-wiſe, that they may not by preſſing upon it wipe off the Juice. When their Task is finiſhed for that Day, the next Day the twenty fixth of May, is ſpent from Day-break in the like Labour, in the other Part B: On the twenty ſeventh they re-viſit the Part A, and after having taken away the Shelter of Leaves, they ſcrape off the Liquor they find at the Top of the Root and put it into the Diſh that hangs by their Side. Then they take away a little more of the Earth about the upper Part of the Root, and with their Knife cút off the dry Surface about the Thickneſs of an Oat Straw ; for 'tis enough, if juſt the outward Superficies be cut off which ſtopt the Pores up, which (when that is removed) diſcharge themſelves of their Liquor; and indeed they have experienced that the thinner the Parings are, the freer and more plentifully the Root flows again. The fame Perſwaſion they have of the Preferableneſs of one Manner of cutting it which they require ſhould be performed by ſtriking the Knife through, and not the common Way of drawing it backward and forward; which they ſay doth not make it bleed fo plentifully as the other ; but let them anſwer for it that believe it, Z Z Z N. B. 270 A New Syſtem of N. B. The Reapers frequently empty the Diſhes which hang by their Sides, and then put the Juice into larger Veſſels, or pour it into Leaves upon the Ground, that the Sun's heat may ſtiffen it; by which Means alſo it loſes its natural Whiteneſs, for its Subſtance being ſoft and differently ſituated, admits the Sun's Rays in a greater Quantity in ſome Parts than in others; I add alſo that its Colour may be affected by what it is laid upon when freſh gathered. Thus after the Root is covered again the Work is done : On the twenty eighth the fame Buſineſs is done and in the fame Method in B. On the twenty ninth they return to the Part A; and when they have gathered the Liquor from the Root a ſecond Time, they take away the Earth, cut it, and cover it again as before. On the thirtieth the Liquor in the Roots in the Part B, is gathered a ſecond Time and the Roots cut, &c. This is the Work of the ſecond Seaſon, in which the Roots are thrice cut, and the Liquor that pours out of them twice gathered. Then each Man puts his whole Collection into the Baskets, which hang on each side of him from à Yoke laid a-croſs his Shoulders; and Each Company of four or five Men carry off about ten or twelve Maan of Diſguun, 3. e. about fifty German Pounds. N. B. This Afá of the firſt gathering is not eſteemed the bèft, but rather å méanes- Sort. carries it away. Third Seaſon. After ten Days Time (eight will do) allow'd for the Roots to ſupply themſelves with freſh Liquor ; on June ro. at Day-break they return to the Part A, and go on with their Harveſt. Having remov'd the Shade of Leaves, and the Earth from about the Root as before, they ſcrape off the Liquor from the Top of it, and then cut it again and cover up the freſh Wound as before. On the eleventh they do the ſame in the Part B. N. B. This Liquor, which in ten Days Time flows from the Roots in a larger Quan- tity, and is of a due Conſiſtency, is called by a peculiar Name, viz. Piſpaas, the other goes by the common Name of Sjür, i. e. Milk, from its Whiteneſs and want of Conſi- Atency. The Piſpaas is commonly eſteemed much better and is a great deal dearer than the Sjür, whether on Account of its Scarcity, or its greater Conſiſtency, I know not; this I am fure of, that the Sjür, though 'tis thinner, is not of a worſe Subſtance than the Pif- paas; for if it be longer expoſed to the Air it grows full as firm, and cannot be diſtin- guiſhed from it. I am apt therefore to think that a Miſtake in the Matter might ariſe from hence, viz. the People of Diſguun never before ſold the Afa Sjür pure and genuine, but always mixt it with ſome nalty Stuff or other, which was eaſily done when it was freſh gathered, becauſe it was ſo liquid and thin; whereas the Piſpaas being much more conſiſtent and firm will not mix with any other Thing, and is therefore ſold neat and pure. All Aſa is of itſelf ſimple and unmixed, therefore all heterogeneous Matter in Afa comes by Adulteration. The Reapers themſelves confeſſed to me, that they uſed to mix with the Sjür Afa, not Meal or any Sort of ſagapenous Gum, as moſt Writers have thought, but a pure Clay which was juſt at Hand on the Mountains, where they gather it. Moſt, they faid, put an equal Quantity of this to their Afa; others twice as much; or in Pro- portion to their Deſire of Profit; ftill putting in the more, the thinner the Ala was. This made the Price of this Afa very low; and after the Cheat was diſcovered the Afa of this fort was deſpiſed; and indeed they who thus adulterated it ſuffered enough for it ; for no Body now would buy any Diſguun Afa for fear of this Impoſition. But that having now learned more Prudence, they no longer uſe any Kind of foreign Mixture, but put the Afa's of each Sort, and gathering promiſcuoſly together, and carry it in Bundles to Congo and Ormus, whence ’tis exported. And that if there is yer any Mixture in it, it is through the Negligence of the Gatherers, in not covering the Roots carefully after they have cut them: Though indeed all their Care cannot prevent Dirt and Duſt from falling from the Leaves that ſhade the Roots, or from being blown upon them by the Wind, which will in ſome Meaſure foul the Liquor. On the twelfth Day in A, and on the thirteenth in B, they gather the Juice Sjür and cut and cover the Root again; on the fourteenth they do the ſame again in A, and on the fifteenth again in B. So the Roots after having yielded once the thicker Aſa Piſpaas, and twice the thinner Sjür, are left under their Covers. Fourth Agriculture and Gardening. 270 Fourth Seafon. After three Days ſtay at Home, on the Third of July they viſit the Roots again ; having been taught by Experience, that in a longer Intermiffion, after they have been ſo often drained of their Moiſture, and brought nearer and nearer Death, they will be apt to patrify, and whatever Liquor they have then in them, would be loft by deferring the ga- thering of it any longer. The firſt Day is ſpent in gathering the Aſa Piſpaas in 4, in the manner before deſcribed. The fourth Day is ſpent in B in the fame Work. On the fifth Day they gather Aſa Sjür in A, and on the ſixth in B. On the ſeventh Day the finiſhing Stroke is ſtruck in A; they get what Juice they find there, and cut the Roots no further, but leave them uncovered, whereby the Air and Sun preſently kill them. On the eighth Day they finiſh the Work in B, and leave the Roots, in the ſame manner, to take their Fate. Thus is the Harveſt of Hingiſel or Aſa compleated. This is the common Way of reaping hitherto uſed in the Mountains near Diſguun, viz. . in three Excurſions to the Hills they gather the Sjür Afa eight Times, and the Piſpaas three Times, from each Root. But 'tis to be remembered that the larger Roots, i. e. fuch as are above twenty Years old, and are found in the furtheſt Parts of the Mountains, whi- ther they cannot climb without great Difficulty, are not ſo ſoon done withal ; but they will yield the Afa Piſpaas four or five Times, and the Aſa Sjür ſo much oftener in Pro- portion. So that theſe Roots are not compleatly drained of their Juice till September. However, in theſe Mountains few Roots are found above ten Years old, and none ever ex- ceed twenty. For the great Price that Aſa hath bore for many Years together, made the Reapers gather all the Roots that ever they could find, ſo that there has not of late been Time enough allow'd for any to arrive at ſo great an Age and Bulk. The Roots being drain'd of their Moiſture and left uncovered, do every one of them putrify: Though one of the Reapers affirmed to me upon his own Experience, that if they were covered with Earth they would grow again ; but in this point none of the reſt agreed with him. After ſuch a particular Deſcription of the Plant as this, and the manner of gathering the Juice, there will be little need of adding any thing more on thoſe Heads from antient Writers ; few of whom had ever ſeen the Silphium Plant, and moſt of them took what they delivered on the Authority of Fame and Credit of others: Whereas here we have the Authority of a Man who lived and converſed in its Native Country, and amongſt the People who themſelves gathered and prepared it, till it became a Gum fit to be ſent over into Foreign Parts. Kempfer, who was himſelf a Phyſician, ſeems either to take it for granted that every one knew its Excellencies and ſovereign Virtues, or elſe cared not to explain what he thought ſhould be kept a Myſtery in the re medicâ ; otherwiſe he would have given us more par- ticular Accounts of the Opinions, which both Antients and Moderns have entertained of the Virtues of the Silphium, and its wonderful and ſurpriſing Effects, both inwardly taken, and outwardly apply'd. To ſupply which Defect, without multiplying Authorities and Teſtimonies from Diofco- rides, Theophraſtus, &c. I ſhall refer the Reader to the Quotations in the Margin from * Galen and † Pliny, as being the Sum of what the ll others have ſaid; and content my ſelf * Omnes Silphii partes flatulentæ magis ſunt Efſcatiæ, & proinde concoctu difficiles : Foris tamen impoſitæ Corpori efficaciores, & omnium potiffimum liquor admodum tralientem facultatem obtinens; attamen Excre- [centias imminuendi & liquandi vim quandam propter jam dictam temperiem habentem. Liquor Cyrenaicus quidem omnes & caliditate & tenuicate exuperat & proinde etiam omnium maximè diſcutit. Galen. † Uſus Silphii in Medicinâ. Nam folia id expurgandas Vulvas pellendofque emortuos partus decoquuntur in Vino albo odorato, ut bibatur menſura acetabuli à Balneis. Radix prodeft arteriis exaſperatis, & collectionibus ſanguinis illinitur : Sed in cibis concoquitur ægrè. Inflationes facit & ructus; Urinæ quoque noxia. Sugillatis cum vino & oleo amiciffima, & cum cera Stumis. Verrucæ fedis crebriore ejus ſuffitu cadunt. Laſer ejus (in- ter eximia Naturæ dona numeratum) per ſe algores excalfacit . Potum nervorum vitia extenuat. Fæminis da- tur in vino; 8c lanis mollibus admovetur vulvæ ad menſes ciendos; pedum clavos circum fcarificatos ferro mix- tum ceræ extrahit; Urinam ciet ciceris magnitudine dilutum. Andreas fpondet copiofius fumptum, nec Infla- tiones facere & Concoctioni plurimum conferre ſenibus & fæminis: Item hyeme quàm æſtate utilius ; verunta- inen aquam bibentibus, cavendumque ne qua intus fit exulceratio. Ab ægritudine recreationi efficax in cibo ; tempeſtivè enim datum cauterii vim obtinet : Aſſuetis etiam utilius quàm expertibus. Ad extera corporum in- dubitatas Confefliones habet. Venena telorum & ſerpentium extinguit potum; ex aque vulneribus his circumli- nitur ; Scorpionum tantùm plagis ex oleo; Ulceribus verò non matureſcentibus cum farina hordeacea vel fico ficca; Carbunculis cum ruta vel cum melle vel per ſe viſco fuperlitum ut hæreat; fic & ad Canis morſus. Ex- creſcentibus circa ſedem cum tegmine punici mali ex aceto decoctum. Clavis pedum, qui vulgò morticini ap- pellantur, nitro mixto, antè ſubactum. Carnes replet cum vino & croco aut pipere aut murium fimo & acero. Perniones ex vino foyet, & ex oleo codum imponitur. Sic &s callo. Clayis pedum fuperrafis praecipuæ utili- tasis A New Syſtem of one Cambaiæ, qui à carnium eſu abſtinent, Arama 272 ſelf to obſerve further here, that this Plant was formerly ſo highly eſteemed for its delicate and rich Flavour in Sauces and Sallads, and ſo priſed for its ſovereign Uſes in Phyſick, that it was dedicated to Apollo, and ordered to be hung up in his Temple at Delphi: And * Pliny himſelf tells us of one ſingle Plant brought to the Emperor Nero, as an extraordi- nary Preſent; and withal, that this Gum was then ſo greatly valued, that the Romans treaſured up a conſiderable Quantity of it, till Julius Ceſar came and robb’d the Treaſury, and with the Gold and Silver took this alſo away as a Thing of rare and extraordinary Worth. Nay, we are t told that the Cyreneans honoured the very Figure of it, by ſtamping it on the Reverſe of their Coin; and that when they had the Excellence and ſuperfative Virtue of any Thing, they would ſay proverbially it was as good as Βάτου Σίλφιον. Could we have it brought to us without thoſe foul Mixtures of #arth, Clay or Meal, too often out of Coverouſneſs incorporated with it, I doubt not at all, notwithſtanding the Prejudices entertained againſt it, but it would ſoon recover its antient and eſtabliſhed Reputation, which muſt have been founded upon ſome real and intrinſick Worth; ſince beſides its medicinal Virtues occaſionally made uſe of, as far as appears, they conſtantly mixt it with all their Sauces and Spoon-Meat, as a wonderful Reſtorer of loft Appetite, à Sweetener of the Blood, and a Strengthener of the Stomach and maſculine Vigour. Notwithſtanding what the learned Doctor above hath faid with relation to this plant, that it refuſeth Art; and that all Ağcounts, both Antient and Modern, declare it uncapable of removing, or of Culture, I am yet ſtill far from being diſcouraged in my Hopes of getting ſome Time or other the noble Silphium amongſt us alive : For I am perſuaded, if ſome cu- rious Perſons of the Eaſt-India Company would but fearch and bring, we might ſoon be poſſeſſed of a better Treaſure than is perhaps known at preſent in the whole re medică. As to its Culture, when we have once got it, (either in the Seed or Root) I have no Difficulty in my Mind about that, notwithſtanding what is generally thought to be the Opinion of both Antients and Moderns. A few Years ſince, who would have thought (for it was thought impoſſible) that we could have brought the Fruit of the Pine- Apple to Perfection in England? And have we not now Oranges, Lemons, Pomgranates, Coffee, Capers, and what not, familiar amongſt us? Beſide, a ſmall Quantity, one day's Allowance for the tatis contra aquas malas, peſtilentes tractus, vel dies. In tuſſi , uva, fellis veteri fuffuſione, hydropiſi, raucitati- bus. Confeſtim enim purgat fauces vocemque reddit. Podagras in Spongia dilutum poſca lenit. Pleuriticis in Sorbitione vinum poturis datur; contractionibus opiſthotonicis, ciceris magnitudine cerâ circumlitum. In An- gina gargarizatur Anhelatoribus, & in tuſfi vetuſtâ cum porro ex aceto datur: æque ex aceto his qui coagulum faétis forbuerint. Præcordiorum vitiis fyntecticis comitialibus in vino, in aqua mulla linguæ paralyli. Coxendi- cibus & Lumborum doloribus cum decocto melle illiniter. Non cenſuerim, quod Authores fuadent, cavernis dentium in dolore inditum cerâ includi, magno Experimento hominis, qui ſe eâ de causâ præcipitavit ex alto; quippe tauros inflammat naribus illitis, ſerpentes avidiflimas vini admixtum rumpit; ideo nec inungi fuaferim cum Attico melle, licet præcipiant. Quas habeat utilitatis admixtum aliis immenſum eſt referre, & nos ſimplicia tractamus, quoniam in his naturam eſſe apparet, in illis conjecturam fæpius fallacim, nulli fatis cuſtodita in mix- turis concordia naturæ ac repugnantia. Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 22. cap. 23. # Vide Theophraſt. & Diofcoridem, qui paſſim Vircutes eaſdem & quidem majores Silphio afcribunt. And among the more Modern, ſee the following Account given of it by Fuchſius a German Phyſician, who tells us the Plart grew commonly in his Country. Laſerpitium noftrum ex traditione recentiorum unicè Venenis adverſatur: . Item Peſtilentiæ populariter graffentis arcet contagia. Lentitiam pituitoforum humorum incidit ac diſcutit; qua- propter tuſli quam frigus attulit, medetur. Craſta, quæ in thoraca coeunt, diſcuti. Coloris corporis bonitatem iis, qui eo vefcuntur, efficit. Concretum in corpore lac & fanguinem reſolvit. Stomachum eſu corroborat. Pi- tuitam ventriculi dejicit, & elangueſcentum appetentiam invitat. Menſes & urinam ciet. Rabioſi Canis morſu aut Serpentis ietu liberat, ſi contrita folia vulneri indantur. Hypochondriorum vitiis auxiliatur, item Lumbo- rum doloribus. Carbunculos cum polenta tritum & impofitum fanat. Cum vino potum rigores diſcutit . Herba ipfa in vino & aqua cocta vulnera interna glutinat. Et, in fumma, omnia quæ Angelica vocata Herba, & ma- jori efficacia, poteſt. Ut hinc etiam conſtet Oſteritium à noftris nominatum eaſdem habere quas veterum Laſera pitium, inefficaciores tamen, facultates. Quare, cùm metus fit ne Laſerpitium adulterinum, aut faltem nori optimum ad nos afferatur, præftat noftro uti , quod ſcilicet exiguâ admodum pecuniâ comparari poffit, & viribus fatis efficax ſit; nam eadem quæ Dioſcorides & Plinius Laſerpitio aſſignat, recentiorum teſtimonio præftare valet. N. B. Laſerpitium Germanicum in horto divi Germani Pratenfis Pariſienſis eft mulcum. Fuchſii Hift. Stirpium, cap. 292. Anno 1549. Nullum Medicamentum fimplex per totam Indiam majore eſt in uſu quam Aſa Foetida, tum in Medicamentis , tum in condiendis cibis (ut poft Garciam teſtatur Bontius) ut propter hanc cauſam una fit cum Opio ex præcipuis Mercibus quæ per Indiam diſtrahunter. Solent Baneanes & omnes Gentiles provincia bete, nec alio condimento utuntur omnibus in cibis. Multa in hanc rem vide apud Garciam. Utuntur eâ medi- camenti loco ad Appetitum proftratum excitandum, Ventriculum roborandum, Aatus diſcutiendos, Venerem ir- ritandam. Apud nos in Europâ præcipuus ejus uſus eſt internus in Suffocatione uterinâ, peripneumoniâ & vul- neribus. Extrinfcecus in tumido Liene & Uteri Suffocatione paneritio (cum allio ovi alb. fufcepto) N. Siquis Epilepſiæ obnoxius ſenſerit fuffitum ex Afa Foetida, & Corny Caprino paroxyſmo actutum corripitur. Idem Raif Hift. Plant. I. 32. Tom. 2. * Plin. Nat. Hiſt. Lib. 19. Cap. 3. † Spanheim, de Uſu & Præſt. Numiſ, Differt, 4, Perſian Agriculture and Gardening. 273 Perſian King's Table, is ſufficient to do Wonders in Phyſick. And we may well be con- gent with that till ſuch Time as innocent Luxury, or a more elegant Way of living calls for a farther Demand, and makes the Effect of a laborious Diligence become almost necef- ſary for the Health and Pleaſure of Mankind. We know the Art of removing Exotics and tender Plants was almoſt unknown in Pliny's Time; and I remember the Roman Soldiers and others were poſſeſs’d with a Notion that Grapes would not remove from Italy into the South Parts of France : But that the Greeks and Romans could not, or durft not attempt to remove a Vine, is no Argument that we cannot do it even with Eaſe and Pleaſure. , 'Tis a late Invention of the Dutch to carry Acorns to the Cape of Good Hope. And though forty Years ago none would have believed that the Engliſh Oak would have covered the African Mountains ; yet now (it ſeems) they fouriſh there, as it were thé Infant-Strength of ſome future Empire growing up to Manhood. Beſides again. Hath not Nature formed and deſigned the Silphium Plant for Propaga- tion and Increaſe, by throwing up a tall Stalk, whereon is formed a ferulaceous Head full of Seeds, flat and oval ? And is it not from theſe Seeds, ſcattered about by the Winds, that the Infant-Plants themſelves ariſe and are increaſed, when they happen to fall into a ſuitable Soil and Situation, as a proper Matrix to nouriſh and give them Life? 'Tis then but following Nature, and imitating her Directions, and the Work is done. Indeed, * Theophraſtus and + Pliny both ſpeak of the Silphium, as a Plant that refuſeth Culture, and of a wild untractable Nature; but even this they mention as a Thing of hear-ſay, not to be depended upon : For that there were || others that deny'd this, and af- firmed the contrary even in thoſe Days, ſaying it was made much better by Tillage. But whatſoever the Antients mean by its refuſing Culture, and being of a wild Nature, there is no mavner of Queſtion to be made, but that it is to be railed from the Seed, as every Thing which bears Seed may, and as itſelf is raiſed in its Native Country, by the Seed's being carried about by the Wind. And indeed by repeated Accounts we have had from modern * Authors, it hath actually been raiſed from the Seed, brought into many Parts of Europe, and is at this Day growing in Italy, Germany, and in France ; tho' the ſame Au- thors own that it is not of ſo powerful a Nature ; which in all Probability is owing to nothing but the want of Sun: And yet this Defect is to be eaſily ſupply'd by Art; as we ſee it is every Day done to very good Purpoſe, with reſpect to all other tender Exotics. The chief Reaſon why this Endeavour of raiſing the Plant at home ſhould be purſued, is, that we might at all Times have the Command of the green Leaves and Stalks, which are ſo highly extolled as fovereign Remedies, outwardly apply'd, by way of Poltiće, in all violent Pains; ſuch as Gout, Sciatica, and Rheumatiſm. And then again ; If we would conſult the Palates of thoſe, who underſtand good Eat- ing, and would furniſh them with Meats of the moſt ſweet and delicious Flavour, I ſee nothing to binder, but that if any Quantity of Seed could be procured, we might low whole Fields of it, as we do Clover, with a View only of fattening and improving our Sheep; nay, and rendering them ſound and wholeſome when they are found to be other- wife. That theſe are the Properties of the Silphium Plants in their Native Country, and that this is the common Practice of the Farmers there, we have the undoubted Authorities of Theophraſtus and † Pliny, who both report the ſtrange Effects it hath on Cattle, eſpe- cially Sheep, making them preſently fat, and the Mutton to have a wonderful pleaſant Taſte; and withal, it generally reſtores thoſe that are weak and unfound. The Objection that naturally offers is, that our Climate is too cold for it, and there- fore that it would be loſt Labour. But this Objection in its utmoſt Strength, can only affect our Winters, and not our Summers : And then if the Seed, like that of Barley, Oats, and Peaſe, be ſown in the Spring, with a View only of having it eaten up in the Sum- mer with Sheep, in order to have a greater Delicacy than can be had off Bag Shot-Heath ; who would not lay aſide his Clover, and introduce the Silphium? At leaſt, who would not try in ſmall Quantities, as an Eſlay for Treaſures and future Riches ? Neither is it certain that our Winters will kill the Plant. We have Inſtances of many Plants from foreign * "'ISON de To Odyes táv'èpfa?opévny, &c. Theophr. l. 6. C. 3. + Rem feram ac contumacem, & fi cole- retur in deſerta fugientem, Plin. I. 19. c. 3. See Theophr. Chap. above. * Fuchfius, cap. de Laſerpitio. Lovel, Garcias, Ray, &c. + Aμα και αν το δει το μάσσεζον τέτο αφίησιν και καθαίρει τα πρόβαλα παχύνει Gpódes, re ta spéci Januasd wolé zñ ridorñ. Theophr. lib. 6. cap. 3. Hujus folia Mafpetum vocabant; veſci pecora ſolita primoque purgari, mox pingueſcere, carne mirabilem in modum, jucunda. Again; Si quando in- cidit pecus in fpem naſcentis, hoc deprehenditur figno, ove cum comederit dormiente protinùs, Capra Sternu- tante. Pecora ægra fanari, aut protinus mori, quod paucis accidere, Plin. Nat. Hiſt. Lib, 19. cap. 3. pallim. A a a a Parts 274 A New Syſtem of Parts in the ſame Latitude with Perſia or Cyrene, that are found to bear our Winters pretty well, even beyond Expectation; or if ſome of them are killed to the Ground, we find with Pleaſure they have generally a Reſurrection from the Root, if large or extend- ed. And then if a Field of Silphium, eaten to the Ground in Summer with fat Sheep, fhall afterwards afford a Succeſſion of annual Crops, and be as laſting as Saintfoin, and of infinitely greater Virtues, what an Improvement in Husbandry would here be introduced amongſt us, beſides a Treaſury of one of the beſt Medicines both for Man and Beaſt ? Theſe things I offer, not as airy Suppoſitions, but as probable Speculations ; being fan- guine enough to hope that one Time or other, by the Means of ſome enterpriſing Ge- nius, the Aſa or Silphium Plant, ſo highly extolled both by Antients and Moderns for its wonderful Virtues, may be introduced alive amongſt us, that we may every day more and more experience that Bleſſing and Bounty which the great Author of Nature intended for the univerſal Comfort and Pleaſure of Mankind. I hope I need not make any Apology for being thus particular on a Plant ſo uſeful, and ſo little underſtood. And although it is at preſent an Exotic (with which I am not now concerned) yer becauſe it is fo uſeful an Ingredient in a Sallad, and being not out of Hopes to naturalize it amongſt us, I was willing to do it that Juſtice, and give it that Precedence, which its Virtue and ſingulair Nature might juſtly require. Thus I have particularly deſcribed the Nature and Virtue of every fingle Plant fit for the Compoſition of a Sallad, that every one may mix and fort them ſo as may be moſt agreeable to his own Palate. The great Art in the proper Mixture lieth in rightly con- ſidering the peculiar Reliſh of the ſeveral Sallad Herbs, viz. which are moſt hot and biting; as Creſjes, Muſtard, Sellery, Scurvygraſs, Terragon, &c. and then which are more cool and inſipid ; as Spinage, Corn Sallad, Lettuce, Endive and purſlain, and the like. For after this Knowledge is once attained from the foregoing Deſcriptions, it will be no difficult Matter to compofe a well reliſhed Sallad, where the biting Taſte of one Kind may not overpower the Sweetneſs of the reſt; diſcreetly making uſe of ſome of the more infipid forts to qualify the Heat and Pungency of others; ſtill ſuppoſing that the diſcreet Gatherer hath a re- gard to the Seaſon of the Year, and then every Sallad may be made, not only agreeable to the Taſte, but ſafe and wholeſome to the Body. That ſeems therefore to be an extravagant Fancy which fome have entertained, That a Fool is as fit to be a Gatherer of a Sallad as a wiſer Man. And the Miſtake is founded upon this Imagination, as if any thing that is but green, young and tender, is a fit Ingredient for a Sallad in the Spring Whereas, Experience thews how many fatal Miſtakes have been committed by thoſe who took the deadly Hemlocks and Aconits for Parſley and Par- ſnips ; Dogs Mercury inſtead of Spinage ; Cow-weed for Chervil, and Thrapſia for Fennel. Theſe Miſtakes have ſometimes proved immediate Death, and they muſt alway prove hurtful to the Brain, and unwholeſome to the Body. So highly neceſſary is it, that a diſcreet and skilful Choice be made, not from Names, but from the Nature of Plants in our own Cli- mate rightly underſtood : And it is certainly the Intereſt of Mankind, that all Perſons ſhould be cautioned of being too bold in adventuring upon any unknown or uncertain Herbs and Plants, to the Prejudice of their Health, or the Ruin of their Conſtitution. I have already obſerved how neceffary it is, that in the mixing of a Sallad, every fort ſhould come in to bear its Part, without being overpowered by another of a ſtronger Taſte, that the Native Virtue and true Reliſh of any may not be wholly loſt; that there may be ſomething the ſame Analogy in Taſte, as there is in muſical Notes; nothing harſh or grating, but that the Whole may prove an agreeable Compoſition. Thus Damoxenus intro- duceth a comical Cook, who, when he was ask'd what Harmony there was in Meats ; an- ſwer'd, The very ſame that a Diateſſaron, Diapente, and Diapafon have one to another in a Confort of Mufick. Athenæus makes a very diverting Scene of it; * and the Application ſeems to be very juſt. * Athen. Lib. 23. Horace ſeems to have much the ſame Notion. Stat. Lib. 2, Nec ſibi cænarum quivis temerè arroget artem, Non prius exactâ tenui ratione faporum. And our elegant Milton introduces Eve dreſſing a Sallad, in Paradiſe Loſt, What Choice to chuſe for Delicacy beſt, What Order ſo contrived as not to mix Taſtes not well joined, inelegant, but bring Tafte after Tafte upheld by kindlieft Changes From > Agriculture and Gardening. 275 From what hath been ſaid, it fufficiently appears that Wiſdom and Judgment are necef- fary Qualifications for a Compoſer of a Sallad. And to be an exact Critick indeed, he ſhould be skilled in the Degrecs, Terms, and various Species of Taltes, according to a Scheme ſet down in the Tables of the learned Dr. Grew, (Lcēt. 6. Chap. 2, 3.) to which the Curious are directed. But Mr. Evelyn, ſomething more to our preſent Purpoſe, be- ſides giving us a Table of Herbs proper for every Month in the Year, with their Pre- portions, hath laid down Nine Rules for preparatory Ingredients, which I ſhall but juſt mention, and refer the Reader (if he wants them) to his fuller Inſtructions and Tables, (Evelyn, Acer. p. 06, &c.) (1.) Preparatory to the dreſſing, let your herby Ingredients be exquiſitely culld and cleanſed of all Worm-eaten, ſpotted or vitiated Leaves, and theſe rather diſcreetly Sprinkled, than overmuch fobb’d with Spring-Water ; after which, ſwing them gently in a clean Napkin, till they are fit to receive the Intinetus following: viz. (2.) Good Oil, an Ingre- dient ſo indiſpenſably and highly neceſſary, as to have obtained the Name, Cibarium (with us Sallad-Oil) that it be not high coloured nor yellow; but rather of a pallid Olive Green, without Smell, and no otherwiſe affecting the Tongue, but as it is ſmooth, light and pleaſant. (3.) That the Vinegar and other liquid Acids be perfectly clear and without Corruption, drawn and diſtilled from Wine, and ſome think ſtill improved, if infuſed with Clove-Gilliflowers, Elder, Roſes, or Naſturtium. (4.) That the Salt be of the brighteſt grey Salt, dried and contuſed, as being then the leaſt corroſive. Some indeed are apt to affect Sugar, but what we find to be moſt eſteemed by learned Palates, is the grateful fa- line acid Point. Some recommend the eſſential Salts and Spirits of the moſt fanative Vege- tables, as the moſt healing, cooling, generous, and refreſhing Cordial. But ſince the Learned differ in this Point, and queſtion whether all the fixed Salts made the common Way be any whit better than our common Salt, it may fuffice that the Sallad-Salt be the beſt ordinary ſort, bright, dry and without Clammineſs. (:) That the Muſtard (another noble Ingredient) be of the beſt Tewksbury. N. B. The Muſtard growing, and there by a peculiar Art freed from the bitter brown Husk and made into fine Powder, at and about Durham, much to be preferred, it being from all Parts ſent for and much admired. They preſerve the Flower and Duft of the bruiſed Seed, which reſembles Brazil-Snuff, in a well Itop'd Glaſs, to temper it with Water and have it freſh when they pleaſe, it being fit to eat a few Minutes after 'tis mixt with Water. But what is yet by fome eſteemed beyond all theſe, is compoſed of the dried Seed of the Indian Naſturtium reduced to Powder, and mixt with a little Leaven, and ſo from Time to Time made freſh ; as indeed, all other Muſtard ſhould be. (6.) That the Pepper, black or white, be not bruiſed to too ſmall a Duſt, which is reckoned prejudicial. The Root of the minor Pimpinella, or ſmall Burnet Saxifrage, being dried, is by ſome extolled beyond all other Peppers, and more wholeſome. The German Houſewives have a way of mingling Saffron with Honey made up into Balls, which when dried, they afterwards reduce to Powder, and ſprinkle it over their Sallads for a noble Cordial. The Spaniards and Italians alſo make great Uſe of this Flower, mingling its golden Tincture with almoſt every Thing they eat : But we are apt to think it too prevalent in our Sallads. G.) That there be the Yolks of new laid Eggs boiled mo- derately hard to be mingled with the Muſtard, Oil, and Vinegar. (8.) (According to the Super-curious) that the Knife with which the Sallad Herbs are cut, eſpecially Oranges, Lemons, be of Silver, and by no means of Steel, which all Acids are apt to corrode, and retain a metalic Reliſh of. (Laftly) That the Sallad Diſhes be either China or Delf Ware, Pewter, or even Silver, not at all ſo well agreeing with Oil and Vinegar, which leave their ſeveral Tinctures. The liquid Vehicles may be mixt firſt in a ſeparate Plate ; and then with a Fork and Spoon kept continually ſtirred, all the Furniture may be equally moiſten- ed. But fome, who are Husbands of their Oil, pour on at firſt the Oil alone, as more apt to communicate and diffuſe its Slipperineſs, than when it is mingled with Acids. The Sallad-dreffer being now furniſhed with proper Ingredients, and ſufficiently inſtruct- ed in the Virtues, Nature and Property of every Herb, I may well fuppoſe him in Time to become an accompliſhed Artiſt, having always Wiſdom and Diſcretion (pro hic & nunc) to know what to chuſe and what to refuſe : But if he wants further Afiftance, let him have recourſe to Mr. Evelyn's Table and Lift, calculated for all Seaſons, СНАР. 276 A New Syſtem of Ć H À P. VII. Of Pot and Aromatick Herbis. T HERE are yet ſome Aromatick Herbs commonly uſed in the Kitchen, which may well deſerve our Notice. For though their Culture be not difficult, their Nature, Property and Uſe, may not poſſibly be ſo well underſtood. I fall begin with two very uſeful and excellent Plants. Roſemary and La- vender, both great Cephalicks, and ſovereignly uſeful for the Memory, Sight, and Nerves. They are both beautiful and laſting Ever-greens ; love a dry, warm and fandy Soil; for too much wet in Winter is apt to deſtroy them. They are eaſily raiſed from Slips of the laſt Year, planted in April. Of Roſemary, there are ſeveral forts, the Common, the broad Leav’d, the gilt with yellow, and the Silver ſtrip'd : Beſide theſe, there is the double flow'red, whoſe Leaves are bigger, its Stalks ftiffer, and bearing many double pale blue Flowers. The ſtrip'd ſorts are moſt tender ; but the common and broad-leaved are hardy enough to reſiſt our ordinary Winters, and to be cut into any Form, provided they be not too much expo- ſed to North Winds. Lavender, to ſay nothing of its great Uſe in diſtilling, makes a fine Edging in large Gardens, provided it be frequently cut: But for the ſake of its Flowers, which are much uſed by the Apothecaries, there ought to be a Plantation of it apart; for were the Edgings ſuffered to flower, a great part of their Beauty would be loft. There is another Plant called Lavender Cotton, propagated like the other, and makes alſo a very beautiful Edging for large Walks. Thyme.] Thyme is another Aromatick Herb, very uſeful both in the Garden and the Kitchen; for it ſhould be always at the Cook's right Hand, and every one knows it makes the prettieſt Borders along the ſides of Gravel-Walks, and will laſt ſeveral Years, if it be frequently and ſeaſonably, after Rain, clip'd as it ought. But becauſe it is eaſily raiſed both from Seed and Cuttings, it ſhould be renewed once in four or five Years, ſtill remem- bering at every new Plantation to renew the Soil. There are ſeveral ſorts of it, and ſome of them prettily and differently variegated, which add to their Beauty in Borders . There is a Maftick Thyme much admired for its Smell in Poſeys; as alſo the Marum Syriacum, which gives a very refreſhing Pungency to the Noſe, when rub'd betwixt the Thumb and the Finger, and this gives it a Place in Pots, even in the Ladies Chambers. Whe- ther the Smell of it cauſes an Averſion or Frenzy in Cats, cannot certainly be deter- mined; but they alway (if they can come at it) rub and tear it, till they quite deſtroy it ; and therefore not only to prevent this Miſchief, but to preſerve it from the Severity of the Winter, it ſhould be ſet in Pots and guarded with Wire-Lattice. Some uphold the Pots with Iron-Hoops driven into a South Wall. Hyfop.] Hyſop is alſo a Plant both for diſtilling and Borders, and may be raiſed either from Seed or Slips in March and April. There is a ſort of it prettily variegated, which adds to its Beauty ſet for Borders. Rhue.] We have two ſorts of Rhue, the one variegated with a Cream colour, the other of a pale green. Both are excellent for Borders, if well clip’d. It is eaſily propagated by Slips in a wet Seaſon. Its ſtrong Smell is ſuppoſed to be a good Guard againſt Infection; but perhaps it may be dangerous to truſt too much to its Power and Influence. Tanſy.] Tanſy is encreated by parting the Roots in the Spring; and hath been formerly in much Eſteem for Kitchen-Uſe; but being of a hot and domineering Reliſh, it is buc little uſed, except in a Dainty which itſelf gives a Name to. There is a fort of it which is prettily Itrip'd. But Mr. Bradley is ſo in Love with this Plant, that he thinks there ought always to be ſome of it kept dry in the Winter; particularly for the Uſe of thoſe who fear the Gout in the Stomach: And becauſe I would always help to propagate Good Nature ; his Noſtrum in the Uſe of Tanſy is this. 66 Boil half a handful of this Herb in 66 half a Pint of ſtrong white Wine ; ſo drink the Decoction as hot as poſſible.” This he faith, he always found would remove the Pain in a quarter of an hour. Savory.] There is a Summer and a Winter-Savory. The firſt is an annual Plant raiſed by Seed; the other is perpetual, encreaſed by Seeds or Slips, and will endure a hard Win- This is another Kitchen-Herb grown out of date by reaſon of its too rank Flavour. Marjoram.] We have alſo two ſorts of Marjoram; the one called Winter-ſweet or Pot- Marjoram, which is ſometimes prettily ſtrip'd with yellow, and will laſt three or four Years, well enduring the Winter cold; the other is the annual Sweet-Marjoram, raiſed either in a Hot- ter. Agriculture and Gardening. 277 Hot-Bed, or in a fine warm Soil in April; this is accounted a very agreeable Perfume in a Poſey of Flowers, and is not leſs uſeful in the Kitchen all the Year, even when dry’d in the Winter. The firſt is eaſily propagated from Slips in the Spring, or in any moiſt Seaſon. Penny-Royal and Camomile.] Penny-Royal and Camomile are both uſeful Plants, chiefly in phyſical Preparations : But as there is a conſtant Demand for them, they ſhould not be wanting in the Garden, where they will grow almoſt in any Soil; but chiefly in moiſt and Thady Places, and are propagated from Slips. Angelica.] Angelica is a large Plant, running up with a Stalk five or fix Foot high, and is raiſed from Seeds ſown in a moiſt and rich Ground. In July and Auguſt it puts forth large Tufts of beautiful Flowers ; but where the Seeds are left to ripen, there the Plant commonly dies . But if it is frequently cut, it will laſt good for ſeveral Years, and is of great Uſe, eſpecially to Confectioners. Carduus.] The Carduus ſown in Gardens, for its Virtue in phyſical Uſes, hath obtained the Name of Benedi&tus, or the Bleſſed Thiſtle . The Demand for it is ſo frequent for Vo- miting, &c. that it ſhould be annually fowed, either in the Autumn or Spring. The firſt Seaſon produceth the beſt and largeſt Plants. Clary, Wormwood, and Dill, are ſo well known, and ſo eaſily raiſed, that it is ſufficient only to mention them as uſeful in a Garden. However, it may not be amiſs to ſay, that both the Buſh and the Sweet Bafil are pretty beautiful odoriferous Plants much admired by the Ladies, and therefore ſhould be propagated for the ſake of their Beauty when ſet in Pots in their Chambers, and for the Sweetneſs of their Leaves. They ſhould both be fown in Hot-Beds to accelerate their Growth, and complete their ſize, and afterwards tranſ lanta ed into Pots, or other Parts of the Garden, where Sweetneſs and Ornainent is moſt re- quired. CH A P. VIII. of the Nature, Properties, and great Advantages of Untried Earth, both in the Fruit and the Kitchen Garden. H Aving hitherto treated fully and particularly both of the Fruit and Kitchen-Gar- den; thewing the beſt Methods of raiſing, planting, and propagating of Fruit- Trees, and of fowing and encreaſing all ſorts of Legumes, Herbs and Plants, I might fill be thought defective, if I did not recommend ſome one particular ſort of Earth, or Compoſt, wherein to plant and low Trees and Herbs, as what might prove of moſt general Advantage to the Planter and Sower, and anſwer the deſired End and Purpoſe of Health and Salubrity to Trees, and a true Reliſh and Wholeſomneſs to Herbs and Fruit. This I have already, in a former Treatiſe (Gentleman's Recreation) advie ſed and recommended by the Name of Untried Earth, and withal directed where to find it. But foraſmuch as what I have there ſaid is thought too general, and the World is not yet ſufficiently apprized of its Excellence and Virtue, but are ſtill loading in Dung amongſt their Fruit-Trees and Plants, to the great Hurt and Corruption of both, and to the vi- tiating the natural Juices of Fruits and Herbs, with the unwholſome and indigeſted Steams ariſing from Dung of all kinds, I ſhall think my ſelf obliged to ſay ſomething more par- ticularly about the Nature and Virtues of Untried Earth. By Untried Earth, I would be underſtood to mean all ſuch warm, mellow, rich Soil, as lieth next and underneath the Surface of ſome Meadow, Paſture, or Wafte, where Cattle have been of long Time wont to lie at their Eaſe, and where neither Plough nor Spade have ever, or at leaſt not within the Memory of Man, been uſed : And this, if it be right- ly and diſcreetly choſen, commonly holds good from ſix to ten or twelve Inches deep af- ter the Turf is pared off, and ſometimes a great deal more. Some have made it a Diffi- culty, as if this was hard to be found in any Quantity. Whereas I have never yet come into that Lordſhip or Country, (whether open Field or encloſed) but I could always find out a ſufficient Quantity to ſupply the Wants of the curious ; for the incurious are moſt and many. In many places there is a large green Turf or open Waſte in the middle of a Pariſh; and this ſeldom fails to be good, being enriched from Time to Time with the Dung of Cattle, Geeſe, and other Fowl, and furniſhed with large Quantities of earthy B bbb Particles 278 A New Syſtem of Particles fit for Vegetation, becauſe not drawn forth by the Roots of various Vegeta- bles. In moſt Places there is ſome River, Rivulet, or Brook, which runs through Flats, Mea- dows, or Low Grounds : And theſe are commonly every Winter overfiowed, and there- fore receive abundance of rich new earthy Matter driven down from the Upper Grounds ; and ſo obtain a conſtant Addition of Richesand never have any exhauſted, but what the Roots of Graſs exhauit, which ſeldom run deeper than two Inches. Sometimes even in the Highways there are great Opens of old Sward; under which is found excellent Untried Earth, fit for the Purpoſes we are ſpeaking of. And I think all, both open Fields and Encloſures, muſt have conſiderable Quantities of old Soil never turn- ed up, which either by Right or Favour may be made uſe of, without in the leaſt inju- ring the Soil, the pared Turf being laid down in the Place again. Where-ever I have come I have never yer found much Difficulty to procure, one way or other, enough of this Earth to ſerve the Purpoſes both of my ſelf and Friends. The greateſt Difficulty hath been where the Country abounds with Clay lying very near the Surface, and the Soil to be improv'd is Clay too : But even in this Caſe, and amongſt the worſt of Clays at Yel- vertoft, I always found, one where or other, ſome mixt loamy Soil, made good and rich by conſtant Superinductions of Sands driven down by Floods. Having thus told you what Untried Earth is, and where to find it, I would fain make fome fuch Impreſſion upon the Mind and Judgment, and Reaſon, (where likewiſe all Im- preſſions relating to Morality are only to be made) that when an old Way, introduced by Cuſtom and Habit, is prov'd to be wrong and falſe, a new and better may take place, more agreeable to good Senſe and later Experience. To this Purpoſe I would firſt obſerve to you from my own Experience, that from the Uſe of Untried Earth I have ſeen moft ſur- priſing Productions, even beyond any artificial Amendments, both in the Fruit and Kitchen- Garden. And although this may ſeem romantick and ſtrange to them who have not tried it; yet ſure I am, and I lay an Emphaſis upon it, that no fort of Compoſition made with Art, can be brought (to equal I was going to ſay, but for certain) to exceed in all reſpects this Untried Earth. For if the choicelt and tendereſt Fruit-Trees be planted in this Earth, they preſently diſcover an uncommon Healthfulneſs and Vigour. If any of the tendereſt forts of Annuals be ſown in this Earth, if it be diſcreetly choſen, you may ſoon perceive by their flourishing Looks and Colour, that they like the Soil . Nay, even Melons and Cucun- bers, (a bold Word to ſpeak, you'll fay) need no other Compoſt or Riches to bring them to their Maturity and Richneſs of Taite. Our want of Sun indeed puts us under a Ne- ceffity of accelerating their Growth by adding artificial Heats from long Dung; but that Confideration comes not into any part of our preſent Reaſoning; becauſe the Roots of Plants are not ſuppoſed to get (and it is granted they do not get) any Subſtance or Vi- gour from thence, but Heat alone; whereby the earthy Particles are put in Motion and made to aſcend frever and faſter than they would otherwiſe do; which cauſes ſuch Plants to ripen within the compaſs of our Summers, which otherwiſe they could not poſſibly do for want of Heat. But indeed the Excellence and Richneſs of this Earth is moft and beſt ſeen in the Ver- dure, Fruitfulneſs, and large Production of ſuch Plants as ripen with the Sun, and need no artificial Heat; ſuch as Aſparagus, Artichokes, &c. Theſe arrive not only to equal ſize, and make Heads as large as thoſe planted in artificial Earths ; but do acquire an even, re- gular and pleaſant Flavour from the well digeſted Matter or earthy Particles in which they grow, and which actually aſcend in their Veſſels towards their Encreaſe. In ſhort, in all luch Caſes as ſerve to make a Garden fruitful and profitable, I prefer Untried Earth to the beſt of even rotten Dungs, or the common artificial Compoſts, with which our Books of Gardening, as well as the Gardens themſelves, are ſo commonly ſtuffed and filled. And that for theſe following Reaſons : 1. This Virgin Earth is not infected with the Seeds of fuch Weeds as are ordinarily car- ried about in the Air from Place to Place, becauſe being covered with a Thick-fet Turf, noxious Weeds can find no Place to fix themſelves; and ſo they die and perith ſoon after their Fall; whereas all artificial Compoſts, that are made with Dung and laid in Heaps to- gether to rot and mellow, are ſubject to receive the Infection of the aforeſaid Weeds; and accordingly Experience ſheweth that ſuch Compoſts and Manures, eſpecially in light Soils, bring ſuch intolerable Poiſons, and ſuch a multitude of new Weeds along with them as no Care or Art can quickly root out again. 2. Becauſe Virgin Earth affords better and wholeſomer Productions than can reaſonably be expected from Soils made with Art and Dung; which tho’ they are filled with nitrous and ſulphurious Matter, fit to ſet the earthy Particles in Motion for the Growth and Increaſe of Agriculture and Gardening. 279 66 of Plants and Trees; yet they alſo ſend up many mixt heterogeneous indigeſted Juices, which give unfavoury and ſometimes unwholſome Taftes to Leaves and Fruit: Whereas, Earth taken from under an old Turf, hath all the Richneſs of Nitre and Sulphur requiſite for the Purpoſe of Vegetation, and at the fame Time its earthy Particles fo well mixt and incorporated, all its Juices ſo well mellowed and refined by Age, that they only want to be ſtirred and expoſed to the kind Influence of the Air, Rain, and Dew, to be made to exert themſelves, by paſſing through the Vefſels of Plants and Trees, for their Increaſe and. the wholeſome Productions of Nature. And this I ſhould think may fuffice to regulate the Culture of Plants as a Thing of no ſmall Importance; becauſe as a Tree, fo alſo the Soil is known by its Fruit diſcovered by the Taſte. The difference of the Goodneſs of fuch Plants and Sallading as are raiſed and brought us from freſh Land out of the Country, compared with thofe which the Avarice of the Gardeners, or rather the Luxury of the Age tempts them even to force and reſuſcitate, is moſt diſcernible in the untimely and taſt- leiš Articles of Aſparagus at Chriſtmas. “ It is certain (faith Sir * Thomas Brown) that about populous Cities, where Grounds are over-forced for Fruit and early Sallading, nothing is more unwholefome. Men in the < Country look ſo much more freſh and healthy, and commonly are longer lived than thoſe who live in the Middle and Skirts of vaſt and crowded Cities, invironed with rot- GC ten Dung, loachfome and common Lay-ſtalls, whoſe noiſome Steams wafted by the Wind, " poiſon and infect the ambient Air and vital Spirits with thoſe pernicious Exhalations and “ Materials, of which they make the Hot-Beds for the raiſing thofe Precoces and forward Plants, which gratify wanton Palates. For thoſe being corrupt in the Original, cannot 66 but produce malignant and ill Effects to thoſe who feed upon them.” It was alſo + Mr. Evelyn's Opinion long fince that there is nothing ſo proper for Sallad Herbs and Plants, as the genial and natural Mould impregnate with well digeſted Juices, without any Mixture of Garbage, Carrion, and other filthy Ordure; perhaps not half conſumed. I queſtion not but that every Body would prefer Corn and all ſorts of Grain raiſed from Marle, Lime, and ll Chalk, ſweet and natural Soils for Amendments, before that which is produced from the Dung-bill only. Even Experience fhews that the Rankneſs of Dung is frequently the cauſe of Blafts and Smuttineſs in Corn; as if the Author of Nature would thereby teach us to take heed of all unnatural and ſordid Mixtures. It is the Obſervation of thoſe who have been converſant in Vineyards, that Vines forced with Dung and growing in the Vales, pro- duce Wines much more heady and unpalatable; than thoſe which grow on the ſides of Hills and are leſs forced. Monſieur Quinteney hath rightly obſerved, that the Senſe of ſmelling is a proper Judge of the Goodneſs and Salubrity of Earth; and I would add alſo (ſetting aſide too great Nicery) that the Senſe of Taſte is no leſs a Diſcerner of that Matter; and this Realon is to be aſſigned for both; becauſe an ill Smell proceeding from Corruption or undue Mix- tures will give an ill Taſte: And the Fruit or Product will taſte accordingly. But ſtill I 3. That though artificial Compoſts, if they have had fufficient Time to mellow and to loſe the Unfavourineſs of Dung, may be ſuppoſed to obtain moſt of the good Qualities of Untried Earth; yet here is a Treaſure eaſier purchaſed, always ready at Hand, and imme- diately fit for Ule. Theſe are Conſiderations by no means to be paſſed over ſlightly: For were there no other Advantage but this; that Untried Earth anſwers all the Purpoſes of Dung, what a vaſt deal of Manure, unneceſſarily loaded into a Garden, would be ſaved for the more uſeful and profitable Purpoſes of Meadows, Paſtures, and Arable Land ? If then I can make this rational Doctrine take place, as it ought; eſpecially when confirmed by Experience, I ſhall expect the Thanks of the Farmer and the Gardener : Both the one and the other receiving great Advantages thereby. The one ſeeing his Barns filled with Plenty, ariſing from Treaſures formerly waſted; and the other receiving the Commenda- tions of his grateful Maſter, for furniſhing his Table with the beſt taſted Herbs and Roots, and the moſt delicious Fruits. Now I am upon this Head, it may not be amiſs to take Notice and adviſe that the Depth or Thickneſs of this Earth ſuperinduced in the Kitchen-Garden is to be diſcretional- ly proportioned to the Nature of the Plants to be ſown: Onions, Lettuce, Spinage, Peufe, &c. which take but ſhallow Hold, will require only two or three Inches thickneſs: Whereas, add; Brown's Mill. † Acet. P. 132. | Caule ſuberbano, qui ficcis crevit in Agris, Dulsior Hor, Sat, Carrots, 280 A New Syſtem of Carrots, Parſnips, Scorzonera and Skirrets; which go deeper into the Ground, may require ten or twelve. The firſt Coat of Earth, diſcreetly ſtirred only with a Hough, will laſt good four or five Years, without any Amendment; and the laſt, becauſe thicker and deeper, will continue good fix or ſeven Years, ſtirred always with the Spade. N. B. The Turf, which is pared off from the Untried Earth, if it is not required to be laid down again, may be laid on Heaps to rot for two or three Years ; which, being now and then ſtirred, will prove excellent Soil for Amendments, and particularly good for a Su- perinduction to the Aſparagus Bed; which being a Plant whoſe Pores and Veſſels are very large, is very apt to admit every Nouriſhment of the groſſeft Nature, and conſequently to receive a Reliſh and Tincture from all indigefted Dungs and undue Mixtures. From the Whole of what I have ſaid upon this Head of Untried Earth, I think this Corrollary of its Virtue and Excellence may fairly be deduced by Way of Analogy ; that as it is found by long and conſtant Experience, that the animal Life in all Creatures is beſt preſerved and continued by the ſimple and unmixt Products of Nature, and more particu- larly with reſpect to Mankind; that ſuch Men as have but (as we ſay) from Hand to Mouth, and are conſtrained by Neceſſity to live upon ſimple Diets and the natural Food of their own Country, are for the moſt part healthier and longer lived, than thoſe who indulge themſelves by Exceſs, and by a wanton Luxury ſtudy to imbibe all that Art and Riches can procure,' ſhortning their Days by the intemperate Uſe of mixt and unnatural Foods : So in like manner, Vegetables of all ſorts, but eſpecially Trees, from which are ex- pected the annual Rewards of Fruit, as they will preſent their Fruit more beautiful and bet- ter taſted, fo may well be ſuppoſed to be alſo more laſting and durable, being fed by ſimple and unnatural Diets. A NEW 281 UN A N E W SYSTEM O F AGRICULTURE A N D G A R D E N IN G. B OOK V. The Flower-Garden. AM now arrived to that Part of my Treatiſe of Vegetables which is not leſs (if not more) pleaſant and delightful than what has gone before. The Flower-Garden indeed in the groffer Senſe of the Word and in or- dinary Acceptation, is not profitable, but the contrary. But if whar tends to the Delight and Pleaſure of Mankind; if what ſerves to transfer the Mind from the Beauty of the Thing formed to the glorious and wiſe Former and Contriver of all Things; if what gives an Opportunity to fill up the Paren- theſis of Life (for ſome ſuch there muſt be) with innocent Amuſement and Satisfaction ; if all or any of this may be called Benefit and Gain to a reaſonable Creature, then the CCCC Flower 282 A New Syſtem of ing them. Flower-Garden may well be ſaid to be profitable, as it is univerſally allowed to be plesa ſant. I would here I confefs rather chuſe, if the Fair Sex would give me Leave (and it ſhall be done with a great deal of Honour) to addreſs my ſelf to them. Multiplicity of Bu- fineſs and the neceſſary Affairs of Life do not ordinarily engroſs their Time, nor diſtract their Thoughts; theſe Severities are the Load and Complaint of our own Sex: And al- tho' the Men are hereby much diverted from the Amuſements they would otherwiſe chuſe, yet the women are not generally under ſuch Avocations, but have more Leiſure to follow innocent Delights, and ſuitable Recreations. Thus if Inclination and Leiſure could but once agree and unite, I flatter my ſelf the Ladies would ſoon think that their vacant Hours in the Culture of the Flower-Garden, would be more innocently ſpent and with greater Satisfaction, than the common Talk over a Tea-Table, where Envy and Detraction ſo commonly preſide. Whereas, when Opportunity and Weather invite them amongſt their Flowers, there they may dreſs, and admire, and cultivate Beauties like themſelves, without envying or being envied. There they may diſpoſe the great Variety of Colours, which Nature has given to ſeveral Flowers, and what Order and Mixture they pleaſe ; and whilſt they are admi- ring the Author of Nature for affording theſe elegant Glories, they may at the fame Time pleaſe themſelves and others with their own Fancy and Skill in mixing and explain- I ſpeak not this exclufively', as if I thought none but the Ladies ſhould meddle with Flowers. The Study and Culture of the Flower-Garden hath been the Entertainment and Recreation of wiſe and good Men in all the Ages of the World, and they have always thought, from the Example of Solomon himſelf, that the more they unfold Nature's Beauty and Variety in every Part, the more extenſive was the Pleaſure, and the greater the Admiration of its Author. It was indeed ſome Time before I came to take much Pleaſure in the Flower-Gar- den, having been for ſeveral Years ſo wholly engaged in rectifying Miſtakes, and making ſome intelligible Improvements in the more profitable Part of the Fruit-Garden : But I quickly found after I had once planted and diſpoſed my Garden in the Order and Method agreeable to my own Fancy, there was always a conſiderable Part of the beſt Seaſon in the Summer left, when there was almoſt nothing to be done by Way of Diverſion, (at leaſt not much manual Operation by Way of Exerciſe) except I could begin to think of loving and cultivating the Flowers as well as the Fruits : Still preſerving the Maxim which I had always laid down to my ſelf, and have ſince recommended to others, not to enlarge the Bounds of either Gardens too far, but rather ſtrive to have multum in parvo. After I have ſaid thus much by Way of Introduction to what I have to ſay further about Flowers, their Culture and Propagation, I ſhall only here inform the Reader of the general Method I intend to purſue in treating of this Subject, which, becauſe it hath been pretty much exhauſted of late, and begins now to be generally well underſtood, I ſhall not dwell long upon, intending chiefly to explain what others have left in the Dark, and to fay as little as poſſible upon that which every one underſtands. Firſt, I ſhall ſpeak of what appears to me to be the moſt proper Situation and Diſpoſition of a Flower-Garden. Se- condly, I ſhall treat of ſuch Soils or Compoſitions of Earths as are found to be in the general moſt agreeable to Flowers. Thirdly, I ſhall treat of all the ſeveral Kinds of Flow- ers, great and ſmall, uſually known and growing with us in England; whether Annuals from Seeds, or Perannuals, propagated from bulbous Roots, or Slips, or. Layers. sorted sicer Test 2010 СНАР. sli I u also in chad k b bha Agriculture and Gardening 283 C Η Α Ρ. Ι. Concerning the Situation and Diſpoſition of the Flower-Garden. W away, and die. HERE. Election can take Place, one ſhould always chuſe to have the Flower-Garden near the dwelling Houſe; becauſe ſuch Beauty and Orna- ment, the more they are under conſtant Infpe&tion, the eaſier and better they entertain thoſe two finer Senſes, Seeing and Smelling. But then it is not with Flowers as it is with Fruit, the more Sun they have, the better; and therefore again, where Choice is to be had, I ſhould prefer an Eaſtern Expoſition, or if that cannot be had, a Weſtern, rather than to let it lye open and entirely expoſed to the Sun's hot- teſt and meridian Rays, whereby they are apt too ſoon to hang their Heads, to wither There are indeed ſome ſorts (as will be taken Notice of in its proper Place) that want the hotteſt Expoſition to bring them to Maturity and Glory : But theſe are Foreigners, and naturalized here with Care and Art, and even nurſed in a Hot-Bed. Theſe therefore may either be ſet in Pots, and placed or moved occaſionally as Fancy directs; or elſe may be planted by themſelves under ſome Southern Borders near the Houſe (but not to be dropp'd upon) where their Beauty may not be loſt or overlook’d. But then as to moſt of our own Natives, ſuch as Tulips, Ranunculus's, Emonies, &c. with theſe, it is certain, too much Sun is almoſt as bad as too little. But there is a much worſe Enemy to a Flower-Garden than this, which I am now to ſpeak to and caution againſt in the Choice of a Situation; and that is, the Wind, that reſtleſs Enemy to all Vegetables; the Fury whereof, if not guarded againſt , is like ſome turbulent Spirits in the World, ever diſturbing the Peace and Quiet of every Thing within their Reach. Walls are ſome Defence, where they are tall, and the Garden little; but otherwiſe they do but occaſion great Reverberations, Whirles, and Currents of Wind, fo that they often do more harm than good. I ſhould therefore chuſe to have the Flower- Garden encompaſſed with Hedges of Eugh, Holly, or White-Thorn (the firſt is abundantly the beſt) which after frequent Clippings, are not only more ornamental than the belt Walls, but by far more uſeful, and are better Defences againſt the mercileſs Rage we are ſpeaking of, Áoth with Reſpect to the Flowers themſelves, or the Female Lovers. In ſpeaking of the Situation and Diſpoſition of a Flower-Garden, there ſhould be allo ſomething faid of the Form thereof; which though it muſt and will always vary according to Perfons different Fancies; yet Fancy ought to be regulated by the general Principles of Beauty, and ought to throw the whole into Variety amidſt Uniformity. And left the Fancy ſhould not be humourſome enough, Mr. Bradley has told us of a Method to diver- fify and enlarge it almoſt infinitely. If the Rules of Proportion are but well obſerved, the more plain and ſimple the Figure, the more beautiful it will appear, the more agreeable, the more natural and unaffected. Moſt of the ſtudied Plans do diſcover too much of the tawdry in them, and are comonly too confuſed to give any diſtinct Pleaſure to the Eye, except it be whilſt they are only ex- hibited on Paper. But care muſt be taken to contrive it ſo that it may be eaſily feen, that the curious Artiſt may find Admittance to the Beds in every Part, either by the large or by leffer Gravel-Walks or Paths; fo as by the Reach of the Arm every Operation may be perform- ed with Eaſe. And I think I need but juſt ſay, the Center in the middle of the Circle ſhould be filled with ſome curious Ever-green Plant cut pyramidically, and fluited either perpendicularly or in a ſpiral Line. But I muſt not enter into farther Particulars ; for after all, the Floriſt will and muſt be left to his own Fancy. N. B. All tall Flowers ſhould be excluded this Plan; for they will do better diſperſed in Borders ellewhere, where they may have room to extend their Leaves and Branches. 20 DE y brew Barros na bonatne wibns bewellery Yoga oras na RT se pada 19. des og aldrig ben CHA P. 284 À New Syſtem of C H A P. II. Of ſuch Soils and Compoſitions of Earths as are found to be in the general moſt agreeable to Flowers. I HAVE long obſerved that a hot Soil and ſcorching Sand, though never fo rich, is as bad for moſt of our fineſt Flowers as too much Sun, and that in the general a moderate Degree of Coolneſs and Moiſture in a Soil is beſt. For which Reaſon, if a proper Untried Earth can be found with thoſe two Qualities, no Compoſition of Art can exceed it; and therefore this in the firſt Place ſhould be diligently fought for, and diſcreetly choſen as a Treaſure in the Flower, as well as the Fruit-Garden, for the ſame Reaſons as are aſſigned in the Chapter of Untried Earth. (See Page 277.) But foraſmuch as it may be difficult, and ſometimes impoflible to procuré this Earth in fufficient Quantities, and to entire Satisfaction, with reſpect to Richneſs and other re- quiſite Qualities, I ſhall lay down ſome fort Rules and Helps, which every ingenious Per- ſon may eaſily enlarge or improve, as Situation and Circumſtances may require. It will eaſily be perceived by what I have already faid, that Horſe-dung, from its Nature and Qualities (eſpecially if not quite rotted to Earth) is Poiſon, and greatly hurtful to moſt Flowers : And if it is reduced to Earth, its Lightneſs and hot Nature muſt be qualify’d with other Compoſitions : But the beſt Way of all is to baniſh it. Strong Clays on the Surface are alſo on the other Side very undefireable, as they chill, and ſtarve, and bind the tender Fibres of Flowers; ſo that they cannot extend themſelves to fétch proper Nouriſh- ment for their Increaſe, and to ſupport their Health. But it is ſeldom feen, but that on the ſtrongeſt natural Clays there will be five or ſix Inches of good loamý Earth on the Top; and that is ſufficient, if Care be taken to carry off the wet by Drains into the lower Grounds at a Diſtance. The contrary to cold Clays, and equally undefireable, is hot and dry Sand. Each of theſe muſt have different Remedies. To the cold Clays muſt be mixt or ſuperinduced large Quantities of ſuch Untried Earth as is found to be rich, light, and ſandy; or if this cannot eaſily be met with, rich and light enough, let a third Part of Horſe-dung throughly rotted to Mould be added. To the naturally hot and dry Sands muſt be added and mixt rotten Hogs or Gow-dung, which hath the two Properties of being cool and moiſt. Moreover, on theſe light Soils I have found Chalks and mellow Clays out of the Bottoms of Ponds to be excellent Superinducti- ons, and fit to bring the hotteſt and lighteſt Sands to a proper Conſiſtency for Flowers : But above all, where Marle can be had, that is of a Nature diffoluble, I have found that to be by much the beſt Ingredient to be mixt with light Soils for a Flower-Garden. Marle is fat, cooling, and heavy, and if a third Part of it be mixt with two other thirds of light mellow Untried Earth there is (I think) no other artificial Compoſt of Earths and Dungs can excel, nay not equal it, in all its excellent Properties for accelerating the Growth of Flowers, and explaining their utmoſt Glory and Beauty; eſpecially if fome Pains be taken with the Marle" to lift it fine, and mix it well with the Earth. Some have thought that for Carnations, and obtaining the largeſt Flowers, even the Soil taken out of the Bottom of Ditches, where Land-Floods have driven the Earth in Heaps, is beſt: And this undoubtedly is very good, when it is diſcreetly choſen; becauſe ſuch drift Earth is many Times compoſed of ſome of the richeſt Ingredients and Soils that fall from the upper Grounds; which at laſt and at beſt are but an Imitation of what I have be- fore directed; and yet you can never be ſure of a due Quantity of your Ingredients thus found in Ditches, but that there may be yet too much of one and too little of another Sort : Whereas in the Caſe of Untried Earth and Marle, you make your Mixture to your Mind, of a due Proportion and proper Conſiſtency. Two thirds of the firſt and one third of the lajt, I have found to be the propereſt Proportion if the Urtried Earth be any thing light, and of a fandy Nature. However, becauſe many by their Experience have found other artificial Earths and Com- poſts excellently to anſwer their Ends, and their Expectations, what I have ſaid before is nor ſpoken excluſively of other Ingredients, for the Purpoſe of moſt, much leſs of ſome particular Flowers. For the Bottoms of old Wood-Piles, well rotted Saw-Duft and Leaves ; the Mould found in the Cavities of old Willow Trees, rotted Thatch, rotted Cow-dung, Turf-aſhes, Lime, and the Dung of Hogs and Poultry mellowed and ſweetened by Age. Theſe are all good and excellent, and very agreeable to moft Flowers, if they are mixt with Agriculture and Gardening. 285 with Diſcretion and Knowledge, 2. e. if the hot and light Kinds are duly and proportion- ably mixt with the heavy and cold. Only I ſtill add, that the Difficulty of mixing theſe rightly is greater and more hazardous than in the Caſe above: Though it ought to be taken notice of, that the Dung of Hogs and Cows alone well reduced to Mouid, have done Wonders in explaining fome Flowers. Thus becauſe it is impoflible to lay down one general Rule for a Preparation of Soil, that may ſuit all Floweis, I ſhall think my ſelf obliged to take Novice, as I go along, where any particular Compoſts or Mixtures will be neceſſary for the Benefit and Pro- ſperity of ſuch particular Flowers. Whether the Flower-Garden is to be formed out of a natural Soil grown over with Turf or whether from confuſed Rubbiſh, or worn out Ground, it is neceſſary that it be frequently turned over during the whole Summer, that it may be perfectly cleaned from Stones, Roots ảnd Weeds: For bý thus turning and tumbling the Earth backward and forward, not only what grew upon the Surface will be deſtroy'd and mellow'd, but the Seeds of Weeds (ſome of which will lye ten or fifteen Years in the Earth, and afterwards grow) by being made to Vegetate and Sprout, when they are diſturbed, will perish by the Heat of the Sun. Thus the Soil being with Care and Diligence brought to a proper, clean, and mellow Condition, and the Superinductions rightly adjuſted and mixed, the beſt Seaſon and Time for putting it into a Figure and Form for Buſineſs, is about Michaelmas, and all the Month of October, which is the propereſt Time for ſetting bulbous Roots, ſuch as Ranunculus's Emonies, Tulips, &c. and for ſowing many ſorts of Flower-Seeds, as will be obſerved here- after. But although I have given a Specimen of a Figure for a Parterre, (and there are many other Varieties to pleaſe the Fancy) yet it may not be amiſs to obſerve here; to di- rect the ingenious Floriit in ſhaping his Earth in the Borders and Compartments, that the beſt and moſt graceful Figure for the Plain of the Earth, is the Shape of a Carp's Back, riſing pretty much in the Middle, and ſo of Courſe ſinking gradually to the Bor- ders or Edgings. For by thus forming as it were, a ſort of an Arch, it will ſet off the Plants it contains with an agreeable Beauty, and make the Flowers appear in every View much better and more graceful, than if they were ſet on a Flat. I cannot but here repeat what I before hinted at; that it will by no Means be proper to plant or low the talleſt Race of Flowers in the Parterre, except it be of much larger Extent, than what I have before ſuppoſed; for Sun-Flowers, for inſtance, Holly-hocks, white and Orange-Lillies, the proper in their Places, yet amongſt Reptiles and the lower Race of ſome of the moſt beautiful Kinds do not add to, but take away from the Beauty of the whole, and exhibit to the Eye a confuſed Wood all on a Heap. All Reptiles therefore and Flowers of the humbler Sizc ſhould be ſet in Compartments by themſelves judiciouſly ſorted both as to their Kinds and Stature. Thoſe that riſe about a Foot high ſhould be ſet in the Middle of the Gibbous Part of the Compartment ; ſuch as Narciſſus-Rockets, &c. Thoſe of fix or eight Inches, as Iris, Candia-Tufts, Sweet-Wil- liams; E3c. in the next Order; and Auricula's, Polianthus, Crocus, and ſuch kind of humble Flowers neareſt the Edgings. And if this Gradation of Flowers were further ſo ordered as to anſwer the ſame Times of blowing, the Beauty would ſtill be the prettier, more entire and uniform. Thus it may be plainly ſeen what I aim at and would adviſe, viz. to keep a Wilder- neſs out of the Flower-Garden, and to let the Wilderneſs of Flowers grow, where it may be a real Ornament in the Borders of the grand Squares, or Parterres, or under the North Walls at a great Diſtance, or in any by or angular Places. Tulips, Ranunculus's and Emo- nies, ſhould by all Means have Places allotted for them by themſelves; becauſe their Va- rieties are great, and nothing elſe ought to interfere; becauſe nothing elſe of the bulbous rooted Kinds can compare with their Beauty. Further, Water being ſo very neceſſary for all Flowers, eſpecially thoſe that are new planted from Layers, Slips, or Roots parted, it may be thought proper that I ſhould ſay ſomething of the beſt Kinds. Well-Water or all ſuch as are accounted hard are the worſt. Running- Water is eſteemed excellent, becauſe being in continual Motion it ſubtilizes and warms it- ſelf, acquiring fertilizing Qualities from the terreſtrial Matter mixt with it. Rain-Water hath wonderful Properties in Vegetation, from its having imbibed the nitrous Spirit of the Air. And as for Pond and Standing-Waters, they muſt be very proper for Plants, as be- ing wonderfully repleted with terreſtrial Matter, which alone is fit for the Formation and Jugment of Flowers as well as Plants : But neither to that nor to Water is owing the Va- riety of Colours (as hath been vulgarly miſtaken) but only to the Figure of their different Ducts and Paſſages. Dddd IM 286 A New Syſtem of In ſhort, the great Difficulty of all is to have a Command of Water of ariy Kind near the Flower-Garden : For the very worſt may very eaſily be made good, if it be ſuffered to ſtand ſome Time in the Sun and Air ; and more eſpecially if Sheep's Dung, or Garden Mould be infuſed in it. Before I conclude this Chapter I ſhall advertiſe the Reader, that in treating of Flowers, I ſhall uſe the ſame Method I did in creating of Plants; firſt, give a Table or Catalogue of all ſuch kinds and forts of Flowers as uſually grow in our Iſland, and then particu- larly explain their Nature and direct the beſt Methods of cultivating and increaſing them. A complete Catalogue of È LO W ERS great and ſmall, perannual of annual, uſually known or propagated in England, either in the naked Ground or Hot-Bed. 3 Perannual FLOWERS of the French Honyſuckle. Indian Pink. talleſt Size. Cardinal-Flower. Panſie aconité. Hyacinth. Campanula pyramidalis. Collumbine. Afters or Starworts. Iris. Annual FLOW È R S from Holly-hocks. Corn-flag. Seed. Perannual Sun-Flowers. Orctius. Everlaſting Pea. Frittilarie. Sun-Flowet. Canterbury Bells. Globe-Flower. Snapdragon. Fox-Gloves. Star-Flower. Lark-Heels. Lillies. Geranium or Crane's-Bill. Poppies Argemone. Martagons. Anemone. Candia-Tuft. Mulleins. Tulip. Double Marigold. Primroſe-Tree. Ranunculus. Venus Looking-Glaſs. Tuberoſe. Cyclamen. Venus Navel-Wort. Cardinal-Flower. Hellebore. Parnaſſus. Belvedere. Lady's Slipper. Muſcipula or Catch-flie. Bacchus Bole. Flos Adonis. Jonquile. Nigella. Perannual FLOWERS of the Baſtinet. „Lupines. Scarlet Beans. middle Size, whether from Lillie of the Vale. bulbous Roots or Off-fers. Dog's Tooth. Annual Stocks. Spider Wort, or Bruno's Lilly. Viola Tricolor. Moly. Batchellor's Button. Pheaſant's Eye. Apbodils. Dittany. Mallows. Piony. Paſque-Flower. Scabious. Julian. Colchicum, Royal Comfrey. Narciſſus or Daffodil. Mandrake or Golden Mouſe Ear. Fraxinelle. Valerian. Annuals to be ſown in Hot- Cyanus or Bbue-bottle. Reptiles of the loweſt Vi- Beds. Roſe-Gampion. vacious FLOWERS. Rocket. French and African Marigolds. Monks-hood, aconite a violent Auricula. Amaranthus. Poiſon, Polianthus. Convolvulous. Scarlet Lychnis. ShinDaſie. Marvel of Peru. Sweet William. Gentionella. Female Balfom. Crown Imperial. Hepatica or Liverwort. Sweet Sultan. Acanthus. Violet. Capſicum Indicum. Carnation and Pink. Crocus, and Colchicum, Indian-Creſs. Stock Gilliflower. Snow drop. Wall-Flower. Humble 5 Senſitive } Plant. С НА Р. Agriculture and Gardening. 287 CHA P. III. of perannual Flowers of the talleſt Size. I account. Begin with the Campanula Pyramidalis . Of which there are two forts, the white and the blue; the firſt is little accounted of; but the blue is greatly eſteemed, not for its Flowers taken fingly, but as making ſo handſome a Shew altogether with a Multi- tude of little blue Bell-flowers growing in a Pyramid, ſometimes five or ſix Foot high; which Height makes it neceſſary to ſupport the Stalks with Sticks. And when this Plant is ſet in a Pot ſupported with Sticks beautifully painted, it may become the Cloſet or the Chamber of the niceſt Lady. They delight in a ſandy Soil, and are ſome- times raiſed from Seed ſown in September, but moſt commonly they are raiſed from Slips parted from the Roots in March. Star-flower.] The Star-flower, or Afterwort, by ſome called allo Oculus Chriffi, bears its blue or purple Flowers in October, on ſeveral Stalks of about three Foot high, and not exceeded by many in Beauty. There is another ſort which bears alſo purple Flowers in Auguſt, but not ſo tall as the other. Beſides which, there are alſo great Varieties of leſs But it may not be improper to mention the Arabian Star-flower, which dil vers its Beauty in May; the Naples fort, the Star of Bethlehem, both yellow and white, which flower in April. Theſe are hardy Plants, and may be multiplied by Seed, but beſt by the Roots parted in Spring, every one of which will quickly grow and bear Flowers the ſame Year, in almoſt any Soil and Expoſition. Hollyhocks.] Hollyhocks are very aſpiring Flowers, riſing often with ſeveral Stalks more than ſeven or eight Foot high ; and therefore proper Places againſt Walls or the Cor- ners of Gardens (hould be aſſigned them, where they may explain their Beauty to diſtant Views; for the ſeveral ſorts of them bear Flowers of almoſt all Colours : And thoſe which are double make a beautiful Shew in Autumn. The double ones bear Seeds and from them they ſhould be raiſed; and they will bear the ſecond Year; but they may be alſo raiſed from Off-ſets, which is the fureft Way to continue or encreaſe the fort. March is the Month for both Methods. Sun-flower.] The Sun-flower or Heliotrope is of two ſorts. The firſt here ranked among the perannuals is that which ſprings from the Root every Year, and ariſes from many Stems, making a goodly Shew with a Multitude of yellow Flowers, which becauſe they are apo to turn to the Sun, have acquired the Name of Heliotropes; but this properly yet no more than what moſt other large Flowers growing tall, have. Theſe are ſo large and ſpreading, that they hardly find Admittance in ſmall Gardens ; but in large ones they are very great Ornaments artfully placed at proper Diſtances : But neither are theſe fo large as thoſe of the annual fort raiſed from Seed ſown in March, which will often grow eight or nine Foot high, with many Branches loaden with large yellow Flowers a Foot dia- meter. Theſe die and muſt be ſown every Year, but with Caution too; for they have matted Roots, and do much beggar the Ground. The Seed of theſe affording a good Quantity of Oil, tempted ſome Time ſince a Projector to ſow a whole Field, in hopes of Riches from the Oil: But he ſoon repented his Experiment, when he found he had al- moſt ſpoil'd his Land. Everlaſting Pea.] The Everlaſting Pea is raiſed from Seed ſown in March; for it hath a Root like a Carrot, and bears tranſplanting very ill. It bloſſoms not till the ſecond Year after ſowing; but then it continues its Peach-Bloom Bloſſoms for above two Months ; and if the Plant is ſupported either by Hedge or Tree, it will grow eight or nine Foot high. It is thought by fome, that if the Bloſſoms are ſteep'd in Spirit of Wine, a fine blue may be produced, not much inferior to the Ultramarine. Canterbury Bells.] The Canterbury Bells differ from the Campanula Pyramidalis in not growing ſo tall, and having their Flowers of a deeper blue. They have rough Leaves like a Nettle, and ſquare Stalks on which the Flowers grow. There are three or four forts of theſe cultivated in Gardens; one of which bears a double Flower, but every Way elſe like the common fort. There is another ſort which has a Root like a Rampion, creeping under the Surface of the Earth, and thereby encreaſes very much; and this is by ſome called the Peach-leaved Bell-flower, from the Reſemblance its Leaves have to thoſe of the Peach-Tree. Another fort bears white Flowers. Fox-Gloves.] 488 A New Syſtem of Fox-Gloves.] The Fox-Glove is a very tall Plant, riſing with its Stalk two or three Food high, and ſometimes morc, and therefore ſhould be placed in the Borders of a Parterre that is full of the larger ſort of Flowers. This being of the vivacious Kind, may be raiſed by Roots, as well as multiplied by Seed; and the beſt Time of doing both is in September. Some reckon up three or four forts of Fox-Gloves, but there are only three forts cultivated by Gardeners: The talleſt ſort is the Iron coloured, and the other two are alſo diſtinguiſhed by the Colours of their Flowers, viz. the purple and the white. To make the moſt agreeable Shew, their Stalks ſhould be tyd up to a Stick, and not crowded too near one another. They delight in the Shade, and thrive beſt in a loamy Soil. Lillies.] The Lilly by its Name diſtinguiſheth itſelf from thoſe that are leſs valuable. It is ever mentioned with Etteem by the Antients; and both facred and profane Authors, when they would make any Thing appear glorious, or make a moſt beautiful Compariſon, are wont to introduce the Lilly. But of theſe there are ſeveral Sorts, ſome more, ſome leſs beautiful, according to Perſons different Fanſies. The Orange Lilly , the white Lilly, the double bloſſom'd white Lilly, the ſtrip'd leav'd Lilly, and another Kind, which produces Bulbs upon its Flower-ſtalks, are the chief of this Kind deſerving Care and Cultivation. It hath not hitherto been made certain that any of the Lillies have brought their Seed to any Perfection, the Flower always falling without leaving any Fruit behind it. So thar the readieſt Way to encreaſe this Flower, is by Off-ſets from the Roots, which are wont to encreaſe and multiply very much; and theſe may be taken up and planted again any Time, from Auguſt till the latter End of October. To change the Colour of the Lilly, and to have it of a purple Hue, whilft it bloſſoms, ſome curious Perſons recommend the following Method. Take ten or a dozen of the Stems ; tye them cloſe together, and hang them over a Chimney, where they will put forth ſmall Roots like a Bulb or Shallot on their Stems; and when the Time comes to plant, let the Branches be well ſteep'd in the Lees of Claret until they become very red and tinged. Then plant them in this State, and pouring a large Quantity of the ſame Lees upon them, the Lillies that will be produced, will bear a Flower of a purple Co- lour. But quære. Martagons.] The Martagon is indeed but another ſort of Lilly, whoſe Leaves turn in- ward, and grow crooked, and is for that Reaſon called Lilium intortum. There are ſeve- ral ſorts of them differing in little elſe beſide the Colour of their Flowers, and all of them have this Property in common, that they thoot forth a great Number of Roots, by which they are ſo multiplied in Oelober. This is alſo to be planted among Flowers of the lar- geft Size, or rather at due Diſtances in the Middle of Borders, among Flowers of a leſs Size. Mulleins.] There are divers forts of Mulleins bearing Flowers of different colours, viz. brown, black, white, red, green, purple and yellow. This Plant is apt to gather a Multitude of Moths about it, from whence it is by ſome called Moth Mullein, and it ſeldom blof- ſoms lower than four Foot, and often fix Foot from the Ground; and although they are moſt of them wild Plants, yet the beautiful Spikes of Flowers they throw out, recommend them to the Eſteem of the Floriſt, who thinks them proper Companions with many others of taller Race. They love a ſandy Soil and the Shade, are to be multiplied by Seed fown in Autumn or March, and will bloſſom the ſecond Year after ſowing. Primroſe-Tree.] The Primroſe-Tree obtains its Name from the Reſemblance the Bloſſoms have to the common Primroſe in Shape, Colour and Smell. It riſes near three Foot high, will grow in any Soil, is to be raiſed from Seed ſown in natural Ground in the Spring in Nurſeries, and from thence ſhould be removed in proper Places in Autumn; for they bloſſom nor till the ſecond Year. They flower in June, and the Seed is ripe in Auguft. Tuberoſe.] The Tuberoſe is a ſort of Lilly or Hyacinth, riſing three or four Foot high, and about the Bigneſs of one's little Finger. On the top of this Stem grow ſeveral Flow- ers ripening one after another like thoſe of the white Lilly, but vaſtly better ſcented, and of an higher Perfume. Although this curious Flower is a Native of Italy and the Southern Parts of France; yet it is now become very common in England, eſpecially ſince the Roots are brought yearly to us from thoſe Parts at very moderate Rates. The Engliſh Roots and Off-ſets will indeed be brought to flower with Care; but then their Stems are ne- ver ſo big as thoſe that are brought to us from abroad, nor are the Flowers ſo large, numerous, and beautiful. Having therefore fixed upon fome large and found Roots, about the beginning of Fe- bruary, a Por with rich and well prepared Earth ſhould be allotted to each Root, which ſhould be only juſt covered at firſt, and no Water given to it; but let the Pot be ſet Agriculture and Gardening. 289 up to the Neek in a Hot-Bed diſcharged of its greateſt Heat, and then either covered with Frames or Bell-Glaſſes; for the leaſt Froſt deſtroys them when they firſt begin to ſpindle. After they have ſhot three or four Inches, you may begin to give them ſome Water, a little at a Time, for too much Wet rots. them. And then about the Middle of April , the Pots may be removed from the Hot-Bed, and either ſet in South Windows within Doors, or againſt a warm Wall with Bell-Glaſſes over them till the Middle of May, when they will be able to ſhift for themſelves, with no other Care but a warm and ſheltered Situation, and a little Pond-Water every Day about Noon. When they begin to ſpindle, and the Flowers Buds ſhew themſelves, they muſt be ſup- ported with handſome taper Sticks; which if they are painted yellow, and blue on the Top will add ſome Luftre to the Flower, whoſe Excellence conſiſts chiefly in its odori- ferous Perfume. What is ſomething particular in the Tuberoſe is, that the Flowers blow ſucceſſively one after another, by which Means it continues a long Time in Bloom, ef- pecially if it is kept within Doors, as it ought; for then the whole Room will be per- fumed with the Odour of the Flowers. Cardinal-Flower.] The Cardinal-Flower was brought into England from the Weſt Indies, and is much eſteemed amongſt the Floriſts. There are two ſorts of them, the one blof- ſoms about two Foot high, and bears Flowers of a pale blue, the other bears very beau- tiful Flowers of a Crimſon Colour on ſlender Stalks three Foot high. They may be raiſed from the Seed fown in a Hot-Bed; but the beſt Way of encreaſing them is from the Root, by planting them in April in Places well expoſed to the Sun. They begin to bloſſom the Beginning of Auguſt, and continue their Beauty near two Months. Belvedere.] The Belvedere is one of the taller ſort of Perannuals, riſing in ſeveral Stems three or four Foot high. However, though it will bear the Winter, and may be remo- ved in the Spring, it is beſt to raiſe it from Seed fown in the Spring; for the Root of this Plant is very ſenſible of the Air, and will dye if it be not immediately planted and watered as ſoon as it is taken up. This, and indeed all the preceding forts of Flowers are fitteſt for the large and ſpacious Borders. Comfry.] Royal Comfry is of a beautiful Green, and bears ſeveral Flowers falling down like Cat's Tails, reſembling on one side the Lark-heel, and of a deep Red. It is multi- ply'd by dividing the Roots in Spring, and ſerting it either in a Pot or ſome ſheltered Place; for the Cold much affects it. It is eſteemed a good Ornament to Borders, whe- ther ſet among Flowers of a larger or ſmaller Size. 聖​乘 ​CH A P. IV. Perannual Flowers of the middle Size, whether from Bulbous Roots or Off-ſets. T Moly.] HE Moly is called by ſome the Wild Garlick; of which there are great Varieties: viz. Homer's Moly, who gave the firſt Name to it; the Hune garian Moly, the Indian Moly, the Serpent's Moly, the yellow Moly, the purple Moly and the Silver Moly, beſides the Moly of Montpelier, which flowers late in September : For all the reſt flower from May to July, making a very agree- able Figure in a Flower-Garden, either in the naked Ground or in Pots. They ordinarily ſhoot forth Srems a Yard high, on the Top of which appear Flowers of ſeveral Colours before mentioned, whoſe Leaves fall down like the Tops of Fennel. It thrives in any Soil, and is to be propagated from its Bulbs either in Autumn or Spring. Aphodils.] The Aſphodil is by ſome called the King's-Spear, becauſe whilſt in flower, it looks like a Scepter. There are two ſorts of it, little differing from one another, fave that the one branches out much more than the other. It is better multiply'd by the Roots than by the Seed, and it deſerves a Place amongſt the larger Flowers in the open Borders or Parterre. Piony.] The two Sorts of Pionies are diſtinguiſhed by their Sexes. The Male Piony bears a Flower on the top of a Stem about three Foot high in the Shape and Colour of Ееее a red 290 A New Syſtem of 18 a ved Roſe, but much bigger and more double. The Female differs not much from the Male , only the Flowers are not ſo large. They commonly flower in May, and endure long in the Ground without much Care or Art; and, which is its Excellence, it thrives beit where tenderer Plants will not live, in the Shade, and where it is leaft expoſed to the Sun. It is propagated by feparating the Roots in Autumn or Spring. Julian.] The Julian ſhoots out ſeveral hairy Stalks and pointed green Leaves, which are garniſhed with white Flowers of a very pleaſant Smell. It may be multiply'd by the Seed ſown in October, or early in the Spring; but then many Flowers muſt not be ex- pected the firſt Year: But frorn Slips and rooted Plants you may expect Flowers the ſame Year, which are ſometimes diverſified with purple and white. This Plant is ſuppoſed to be good infuſed in Drink for the Scurvy, for inveterate Coughs, for Aſthma's and in Con- vulſions; for its Property is to provoke Sweating. It is not uncommon to find this Flower grow wild in Hedges. Narciſſus or Daffodil.] Of the Narciſſus there are great Varieties brought amongſt us by curious Floriſts of different Colours and Shapes. Some are ſingle, ſome double ; ſome white, ſome yellow; ſome large, and ſome ſmall; and amongft theſe, ſome are earlier and ſome later. On which Account there is of Neceſſity required fome different Management an Culture. The Italian Narciſſus has a yellow Cup and white Flowers and ſhould be planted in light Earth. The Narciſus of Conftantinople is obſerved to ſhoot forth twelve Flowers with white Leaves at the top of its Stalk, having other ſmaller Flowers of a yellow Co- lour in the middle. The Beauty of this Colour is very great, but it ſhould have ſome Aſſiſtance to make it open and explain itfelf well. For which Purpoſe the Tunicle which contains the Flower ſhould be dextrouſly ſlip'd with a Penknife, that the Flower may make its Way the ſooner; otherwiſe it would be in Danger of being ſuffocated by its Men- branes, which are apt to keep it as in a Priſon. Theſe are thought beſt to be removed every Year, and carried to ſome very dry Place, otherwiſe were they to be left in the Ground, they would throw out ſo many Suckers as would weaken them, and prevent their blowing There is a yellow pale Narciſſus, whoſe Leaves are commonly parted and curled, which is ſuppoſed to do better in Pots than in the open Ground, though it requires a lean Earth and a Degree of Shade to bring it to its greateſt Perfection. The White Autumnal Narciſus requires alſo a lean Earth and little Sun, and may be planted two Inches afunder. The Spaniſh Narciſſus is both double and ſingle, and requires the fame Soil and Cul- ture with the yellow ſort. The long or (as it is called) Camel neck'd Narciſſus thrives beſt in a rich Soil, not too much expofed to the Sun, becauſe it is moſt beautiful when it blows late. Theſe ſhould all be removed at leaſt once in three Years. It would be almoſt endleſs to mention all the various forts of Narciſſus, which the Cu- rious have of late diſcovered or deſcribed : But it would be the higheſt Injuſtice to the Crown and Glory, and King of them all, to ſay nothing, or but little of the Narcillus of Japan, which is by all allowed to have the Precedence and to excel in Beauty. It is not above half a Century ſince this delicate Plant was brought over to us from the Indies, when it was firſt called the Japan Lilly: But afterwards as the Merchants tra- ding from thence, and unloading at the Iſland of Guernſey the Ballaſt, in which lay acci- dentally and confuſedly many of theſe Roots, they ſoon became plentiful there, and obtained the Name of the Guernſey Lilly, from whence at this Time we have them brought to us into England; the Want of which Knowledge hath occafioned our modern Authors writing about Flowers to ſpeak of this and the Narciſſus of Japan as two different Flowers : There are indeed two or three Kinds of theſe ſomething differing from one another, and the greateſt Difference is in one which flowers the Beginning of June ; but they have been all brought from Japan to Guernſey, and from thence are derived to us. The two other forts which flower in October and November, are alſo very choice and beautiful Flowers in the Form of a Lilly of a Crimſon and White Colour. The Cover wherein the Flower is incloſed is compoſed of white Membranes, which at their firſt opening diſcover the Flower-Leaves of a Pink Colour, repreſenting a Bunch of Feathers both in the inner and outward Side fix unequal Pivots ſhoot out from the midſt of theſe Flowers, on the Top of which ſome Stamina appear like thoſe of Saffron falling down like the 'Tops of Fennel of a beautiful and agreeable red. The whole Flower looks as if it was powdered with Gold-duft, the Ground of the Petals being of a Roſe Colour. Two Agriculture and Gardening 291 Two thirds of Sea-Sand and one third of Garden-Mould ſeems beſt to imitate the Na ture of the Soil from whence they come, and they are obſerved to thrive in ſuch. They will bear our Winters under a good South Aſpect; for they delight in a hot Sun. The want of which is oftentimes the Occaſion they will not blow with us; but to make ſure of that, the only Way is to give ſuch as are in Pors the Advantage of a gentle Hot-Bed in August. The Off-lets ſhould be removed once in two or three Years, and even the will foon with Care be brought to bear. Fraxinelle.] Fraxinelle or baſtard Dittany hoots out Leaves like thoſe of the Aſh, tho' ſmaller; is a hardy Plant, every Year ſhooting from its Root, Stalks about two Foot high, on which are diſcovered Flowers not unpleaſant about Midſummer, and it is propagated by Plants or Seeds. Valerian.] Of the Valerian there are obſerved chiefly three ſorts of different colours, eſteemed chiefly for their fragrant Smell. One is diſtinguiſhed by the Name of Dodoneus or red Valerian. Another is called the Garden or white Valerian; both from the Colour of their Flowers on the Top of their Stems, and the third is called the Greek Valerian, and bears Flowers of a pale blue Colour on the Top of its Stalk; and this ſort hath fome- times variegated Leaves. Theſe are all of them apt enough to low themſelves from their Seed-Veſſels, and may be encreaſed by Off-ſets. They bloſſom in May and June. Cyanus.] The original ſort of Cyanus or Blue-bottle is wont to grow plentifully amongſt Wheat: But yet there are two or three Kinds of them, which Gardeners think worth their while to encourage and propagate; viz. the great Cyanus, and the Cyanus of Conſtan- tinople. This Flower will grow almoſt any where, and in any Soil; but the more Care and the better Soil it hath, the fairer will the double Flowers be, which are of a light blue Colour, which being the leaſt frequent amongſt Flowers, is the more to be valued and encouraged. It may be raiſed from Off-ſets in March, or from Seed ſown in Au- tumn with a View of tranſplanting them in Spring. Roſe Campion.] The Roſe Campion that hath a ſingle Flower is not ſo valuable as the double one, which is either red or red and white motled. If you raiſe it from the Seed, it muſt be from the ſingle one; for the other bears none, but it may be raiſed from Slips ſet in March in the Shade. It is a pretty beautiful Flower; for the red is very daz- ling, and the red and white is no diſagreeable Mixture. Its Stem is about a Foot high, and it blows about Midſummer. Rocket.] The ſingle flowering Rocket is of little eſteem; but the double flowering white, and the double fleſh coloured are pretty Ornaments in the Flower-Garden, equalling and reſein- bling in Beauty the double white ſtock Gilliflower. They are apt to kill themſelves with bearing too many Flowers, and therefore too many Stalks ſhould not be ſuffered; but ſome of their Heads ſhould be cut off before they flower, which is commonly in May. They are encreaſed by Slips taken from about the Roots and planted in March, and the fame Year will blow on Stalks about a Foot high. Monks-Hood.] This is a Plant that is raiſed with little Care: The Seeds thereof are large, and ſhould be fown in March under ſome Wall or againſt a Trellis or Arbour, where it will riſe three or four Foot high. Mr. Chomel and Liger aſcribes a Property to this Flower which has never been known or obſerved in England, viz. that it faſtens itſelf to every thing it lays hold on like Peaſe; but I could never obſerve that it has any Tendrils, but grows upright with a ſufficient Strength of its own. It derives its Name from the Reſemblance the Flower bears to the Hood of a Monk, having its Valves and Tip behind. Its Flowers are of a beautiful deep Blue, and a very uncommon Form; but I cannot un- derſtand why Mr. Bradley faith this Flower is rarely found in the Gardens about London, for it is one of the moſt common Ornaments, I think, in all Gardens. But he doth right to lay in a Caution againſt its poiſonous Nature, for I have ſometimes trembled to ſee Diſhes garniſhed with its Leaves and Flowers, which appear in May and June. It may alſo be propagated by parting the Roots. Scarlet Lychnis.] The Scarlet Lychnis, called alſo Flower of Conftantinople and Flower of Briſtol is a Plant well known and admired for its Beauty. The ſingle as well as the double ſort ſtrike the Eye with its pleaſant ſcarlet Flowers, which appear in their Glory in June and July on Stalks three Foot high ſometimes. The double ſort eſpecially is ſometimes graced with a Pot, or elſe is ſet in the niceſt Quarters of the Flower-Garden amongſt the taller Beauties. They love a light and rich Soil, may be encreaſed by flip- ing the Root in March, or from Seeds of the ſingle ſort ſown in Autumn. Sweet-William.] There are two or three ſorts of this pretty Flower; and indeed the forts are almoſt infinite, if you nicely obſerve the Diverſity of Stripes and Colours, and the Sportings of Nature even in Flowers on the fame Stalk, there being hardly to be found 292 Å New Syſtem of it found two exactly of the ſame fores, except they prove (as they do ſome times) Self-co- loured. The Flowers view'd ſingly are but ſmall , and yet it is obſerved, that no Flower of its Bigneſs can ſhew more Beauty within ſo ſmall a Compaſs. The ſingle ones differ only in the Colour of their Flowers; ſome are red and white prettily intermixt; others are mixt with a deep Crimſon, and bear their Bloſſoms about Midſummer, and from their Seeds great Varieties have been raiſed. There is alſo a double flowering Kind of a beautiful red; but this having no Seed, muſt be raiſed from Slips in the Spring, and planted in an Earth not too light. Crown Imperial.] The Crown Imperial is by the Vulgar called Crown and Pearl, by Way of Corruption of the Word; but they found by reaſon of that Name on the Dil covery of many round Globes at the Bottom of the Flower: like ſo many Pearls : It is one of the largeſt Kind that blows ſo early in the Spring as March. The common bears a ſingle Row of yellow Flowers; but the double is that which is moſt eſteemed, thę Flowers whereof are diſpoſed in the Form of a Crown, and appear like a Lilly of fix Leaves. One fort of this Flower is found with variegated Leaves, green and white, which (when they are ſet in Rows) make a very agreeable Shew in the Spring. They are pro- pagated either by its bulbous Roots and Off-ſets removed at Midſummer, or (which is the furtheſt Way about) by the Seed fown in Autumn. Acanthus.] By the Authority of Mr. Bradley I inſert Acanthus here, having never ſeen my ſelf. He ſaith indeed it is very rarely found in the Gardens about London, tho' it is a great Curioſity and of eaſy Culture. The Flowers appear in June upon Stalks of about two Foot high, ſhaped like the Bloſſoms of the Fox-Glove, and are of a Peach-bloom Co- lour. The Leaves of this Plant it ſeems are not without Beauty, full of Thorns like Thiſtles and prettily variegated. The Seeds muſt be ſown in March, but will not bloſſom till the ſecond or third Year. They love the Shade and a fandy Soil. Carnation.] Whether we conſider the Carnation with reſpect to the Duration and Con- tinuance of its blowing, the almoſt numberleſs Varieties it affords, the ſurprizing Mixture of Colours in many of them, and the furpaſſing Beauty and Excellence of ſome choice ones every Year of late introduced amongſt us, and the agreeable Scent in them all; if the Vine may be ſaid to be the King of Fruits ; the Carnation muit be allowed to haye thé Precedence here and to be the Queen of Flowers. There are ſome general Claſſes, under which Gardeners commonly range them, which for Diſtinction Sake I ſhall here mention, viz. the Picketees, Painted Ladies, Beazarts, Flakes, and Flames; the general Characters of which are thus : The Flowers of the Pic- ketees are of a white Ground ſported with red or purple. The Painted Ladies have their Pecals dyed on the Upper Side either with red or purple, and the nether Side of their Flower-Leaves is plain white. The Flowers of the Beazarts are variegated with four di- ſtinct Colours; the Flakes are of two Colours only, and thoſe always ſtrip'd. And the Flames have a red or flame-coloured Ground, ſtrip'd with black or purple, or ſome very dark Co- lour. But foraſmuch as there are vaſt Varieties in all theſe ſeveral ſorts of Tribes or Claſſes (the Picketees eſpecially) every one complimented with Titles of Honour and Diſtinction. And becauſe Names are precarious and arbitrary Things, carrying no certain Mark of Dif- ference, I ſhall not enter into thoſe Particularities, but chuſe rather to ſay fomething about their general Culture and Management. Every one knows that a Carnation, and every diſtinct ſort of it, is beſt and ſureſt pro- pagated from Layers; that is to ſay, from collateral Branches proceeding from the Mother- Root, and not ſpindling into a Flower . Theſe Branches llit from the Middle of the firſt Joint neareſt the Root upward, and left with a Lip, and afterwards peg'd down into find Mould, will eaſily, in about a Month or ſix Weeks, ſtrike Root from the Lip. If this Operation (which is eaſy and familiar ; I will not ſay, to the Ladies) be performed in June or July, the Flower may be taken from the Mother-Root with Safety before Winter, and ſet in a prepared Bed; or if it ſtand in its Place till Spring, it may then be remo- ved into a place where it is wanted; for I need not ſay that the beſt forts deſerve each one a Pot, which being to be moved, either within or without Doors, is often the Oc- caſion of the Preſervation of ſome of the choiceſt and tendereft ſorts. Every one alſo knows that our beſt Carnations (or Gilliflowers or July-flowers, for ſo they are alſo called) are raiſed from Seed ſown in skreen'd untried Earth, taken from ſome of the beſt Flowers; and the beſt Time wherein to do this is April. I am aware that Floriſts have every one their Noftrum of prepar'd Earth for the Seeds of theſe Flowers : But if Diſcretion do but guide the Floriſt with a View of chuſing ſuch untried Earth out of Meadows as is of a holding Nature and rich, I am ſure he cannot err. Pots are too little Agriculture and Gardening. 293 little; I ſhould rather adviſe to fow the Seed in large ſquare Boxes ſet up to the Brim in the Earth under fome well ſheltered South Wall. The next Year they may be re- moved, and the Year after may give you Hopes of ſeeing ſome new Varieties. I am not ſufficiently ſatisfied about the new Syſtem of the Generation of Plants from Impregnation, as firſt communicated to the Royal Society by Mr. S. Moreland, and after- wards explained by Mr. Balle and Mr. Bradley. The Syſtem is pretty and rational: There wants farther Experience, and ſome Objections to be removed before a Man not over- haſty can give into it. It is however upon the Foot of this Conjecture, that Mr. Bradley adviſeth the curious Floriſt, to plant of every good ſort of his double Carnations in Beds, on a Line in the Middle, and on each side of them, to ſet at leaſt two Rows of ſingle ones of choice Colours, and among them ſome Plants of the Sweet-William and of the Indian-Pink, which haye ſuch Varieties of odd Colours in them. The China-Pinks and the Sweet-Williams bearing ſingle Flowers as well as the ſingle Carnations, may have Op- portunity of communicating their Farinam into the Cells of the double ones, and ſet their Seeds; which if they do, we ſhall not only gather a larger Quantity than we could other- wiſe expect, but likewiſe be aſſured of great Varieties from them. Doubtleſs Mr. Bradley having lince this firſt Conjecture; had many years wherein to try his Experiments, and to improve Vegetables, will quickly give us a Hiſtory of his Succeſs, and a Catalogue of new Fruits as well as new Flowers. In the mean Time we muſt be contented with the old Way of trying our Fortune, by fowing the beſt Seeds on the propereſt Soils we can get; and to nouriſh and explain the Flowers obtained, either from the Secd or by Layers, by ſuch ſuitable Mixtures of Earths as have been found beſt to anſwer the Expectations of the Curious. It is by no Means ſo difficult to explain well the ſeveral Stripes of the ſmaller Picketees, and Painted-Ladies, as it is to explain fully and largely the Flowers of the biggeſt Size, which is at preſent the great Emulation that Floriſts are got into. It is not ſo much how good, but how big is your Flower ? Not but that all are agreed to commend the Bonum Magnums, and to extol them if they are good and great too. The great Myſtery of ob- taining the End of a large-ſized Flower, I take to be in the Soil, the Situation, and ſea- fonable Watrings. The proper Soil for a good and large Flower ſhould be betwixt the two Extremes of Clay and Sand, that is, of a loamy Nature, and yet moſt artificial Earths are too dry, and too rich. Some I have known that have had great Succeſs by taking out of Ditches ſuch drift Earth and Sand as have been waſhed by Rains off the neighbouring Fields; and with this alone have done Wonders. They who had rather try Mixtures, muſt be ſure to have all their Dungs well rotted and mellowed by Time, and to remember that too great Riches is as bad as Poverty. After theſe Hints about Soils, I may well enough leave the ingenious Floriſt to his own Diſcretion. The Situation for a Flower in the Winter and Spring cannot be too hot : But after the Equinox is paft, I ſhould rather chooſe to let the Carnations in Pots to have only the Be- nefit of the Morning Sun till Noon, and be as little expoſed to the mercileſs Winds as poſſible. Seaſonable Waťrings (eſpecially for ſuch as are in Pots) is the laſt Thing to be carefully minded; and too much bere is alſo as bad as too little. But as Pots are on every Side fur- rounded either by the Sun or hot Air, whereby the Earth within is quickly deprived of its Moiſture, therefore proper Seaſons muſt be watched to give them the Supply wanted; which is beſt done by Water impregnated with Sheep or Deer's Dung. After which is is a very right Practice of fome to lay ſhort green Graſs on the Surface of the Pot round about the Flower, to keep the Sun from exhaling too ſoon the Moiſture. It ſeems hardly needful to ſay, that if a Flower be expected to blow very large, no more than one Stem with its Flower ſhould be ſuffered to remain; becauſe Reaſon teaches, that one will be better fed and nouriſhed from the Root, than many; and this one muſt be well ſupported by a ſtick. About ten Days before the Flowers open themſelves, all the round podded Kinds (which are indeed the largeſt) will begin to crack their Husks on one Side or other; and then it is that the diligent Hand of the careful Floriſt is expected : For with a Glover's Needle he ſhould now ſplit or open the Husk on the oppoſite Side to the natural Fraction, and about three or four Days before the complete opening of the Flower, muſt cut off with a Pair of ſharp Sciſfars the Points on the Top of the Flower- pod, and ſupply the Vacancies or the Openings on each Side, with two ſmall Pieces of Vellom or Oil-Cloth, which he may eaſily ſlip in between the Flower-Leaves and the inſide of the Husk; by which Means the Bloſſom will diſplay its Parts equally on all Sides, and be of a regular Figure. Ffff Some 294 Á New Syſtem of 80 Some have contrived to ſupply the Defect of burſting Flowers, by applying a piece of Gold-Beater's Skin to the Outſide, which if it goes quite round, and laps a little over, will confine the Flower within its proper Bounds, and yet give it Leave to explain itſelf; eſpecially if the Extremities of the Husks be cut off with a Pair of Sciffars. Pink.] The Pink being ſo near a-kin to the Carnation, it is neceſſary that I ſay ſome- thing of it in this place. It hath great Varieties, and is chiefly propagated for Borders in large Gardens. Some are very double, and ſtrip'd with pretty Eyes of ſeveral Colours; others are ſingle and ſtrip'd with good Eyes: They are eaſily propagated both from the Seed and the Roots, which may be parted in the Spring ; but from the Seed are every Day produced new Flowerswhich are hardier and kept with leſs Care than the Carna- tions : But both are ſubject to be deſtroy'd by Ear-wigs, which may be catch'd in Hoofs of Animals put on the Tops of Sticks. The German and Poets Pinks are both highly eſteemed, and deſerve the Care of the Floriſt; the firſt for its flaming red Colour, and the other for its deeper red, which is ſometimes mixt with white. Theſe are alſo raiſed from Seed and Slips. Stock-Gilliflower.] The excellent Property of the Stock-Gilliflower is; that with Care it may be made to blow almoſt all the Year; and a more fragrant and delightful Scent hardly any Flower affords; it is apt to be much hurt, and often killed by the ſevere Froſts of the Winter: To prevent which, the beſt Way is not to fow them till after Midſummer ; for the bigger the Plant is; the lefſer it will endure the Winter. After they are two or three Inches high, they ſhould be removed at fix Inches aſunder, under a South Wall, and there abide till the Beginning of April, and then they may ſafely be removed to the Places where Beauty and Fragrancy are expected. There are ſeveral Kinds of this pretty Flower. Some, and indeed the moſt, are ſingle ; ſome crimſon, fome white, ſome purple, fome red, and fome ſtrip'd with white; and from theſe (eſpecially ſuch as have fix or ſeven Leaves) are derived by the Seed, all the ſeveral double and ſtrip'd ones of the aforeſaid Colours; for the double ones bear no Seed. Of all others the red Brompton Stock, when it comes double, eſpecially if double and ſtrip'd, is eſteemed the greateſt Beauty. I once accidentally met with in my own Garden a ſort with moſt beautiful ſtrip'd Leaves, of the purple Flower, which liv'd with me a Year in its Glory; but being weaker than the other forts, the next Winter took it off; and I have never met with another ſince. The yellow Stock is a prerey great Rarity, but there are of them both ſingle and double. But when the double ones of all the beſt Kinds are obtained, the ſurelt Way to preſerve the Kind, is to ſlip them; i. e. to take ſuch Slips from the Side of the Plantas do not put forth Flowers; then ſlit the Bark at the lower End in four Places, raiſing it up a little with the Point of a Knife, and ſo ſet it in light Mould in the Shade, watering it as Occaſion ſerves. This Plant ſeldom continues more than two or three Years; and the more it blows the ſooner it dies. Even the firſt Year of blowing, if it continues to flower late, it will go near to die, except the Winter be very favourable; to prevent which, therefore the beſt Way is to head it, that it may in Autumn put forth new Shoots for flowering the next Summer. The Brompton large Kind is the hardeſt to be preſerved, eſpecially the double fort, for that it quickly bears itſelf to Death. Mr Bradley's Advice of Inarching the double and fingle Stock-Gilliflower on the Wall- flower might eaſily be try'd, and may probably enough ſucceed as to Growth; but neither the Colour nor the Duration of the Flower can well be expected to be altered. How- ever it is good to try, that we may know every Power of Nature. I cannot forbear mentioning the Difficulties I laboured under at Yelvertoft, where I fel- dom or never could winter the double Bromfield Stock by the reaſon of the Coldneſs of the Soil and Climate, Lat. 52° 30' And yet ever ſince I came into the Biſhoprick of Durham, no Winter hath hardly hurt them; but the Warmneſs of the Soil hath preſerved them, and they blow early in the Spring with Strength and Vigour, Lat. 55. Without any Regard to the Age of the Moon, it is good to ſow the Seed at three or four fe- veral Seaſons, and the older the Seed is the better, if it will but grow; after three Years it commonly periſhes in the Ground. Wall-flower.] The Wall-flower is ſo near a-kin to the Stock-Gilliflower that little fur- ther need be added to direct its Cultivation; for what regards the one, ſerves the other, ſave that the Wall-flower is much the hardier Plant, and of longer Continuance. There are ſeveral ſorts found in the Gardens of the Curious, beſides the common yellow ſingle ſort, which chufes to grow in Clefts of Walls and other dry Places, from whence ir takes its Name. For the double yellow is ſtill better than the ſingle ; and the rarer forts ſtill are, the double yellow with variegated Leaves, the double white, the bloody Warriour, whoſe Agriculture and Gardening. 295 whoſe Flowers are yellow tinged with red, and another ſingle one, variegated with yellow and brown. They all bloſſom much about the ſame Time; viz. the three Spring Months. All the ſingle ſorts progagate themſelves faſt enough from Seed, and the double ones are eaſily encreaſed from Slips well watered. With Reſpect to this as well as the Stock-Gilli- - flower, it is good to change the Seed with ſome Friend at a Diſtance; whoſe Soil is dif- ferent ; for the ſame Seed in the ſame Soil repeated, commonly degenerates. French Honyſuckle.] The French Honyſuckle bears Spikes of purle or yellow Flowers ; bloſſoms above a Foot high, and make a goodly Shew. It is commonly raiſed from Seed in the Spring, but will not blow till the ſecond or third Year. 'Tis an hardy Plant and will live ſeveral Years. Cardinal- Flower.] The Cardinal-Flower is a Plant which hath large Leaves, whence ariſe tall Stalks growing ſmaller upwards, on the Top of which there are Flowers of five Leaves, There are two ſorts of them brought to us from the Weſt Indies. The one blows near three Foot high moſt beautiful Flowers of a Ruby colour, the only two Foot high bears Pink coloured Flowers, both bloſſoming all Auguſt and September. The Seed is very ſmall, and ſhould be fown on the Surface of fine Earth in a Hot-Bed, beaten down with the back of a Trowel. The Curious compliment this Flower with a Pot, to ihelter it in the Winter froin ſevere Froſts. It may allo be encreaſed in April by parting the Roots, or in rainy Weather in Auguft. Hyacinth.] The Hyacinth or Jacinth is of divers ſorts, fome of which are but of little eſteem, and therefore I ſhall mention only ſome of thoſe moſt regarded, which are as fol- Jow. The party coloured, the Aſh coloured, Calcedonian or Turkey Hyacinth; the blue Roſe- mary coloured ; the Oriental, the Polyanthus, the Starry Hyacinth of Peru, the Grape-flowered, the red, the roſe; the violet, the Spaniſh and Szenica Hyacinths. Theſe have alſo great Va- rieties of Colours, and ſome double and ſome ſingle. Theſe bear well enough our Winters; and all of them, except the Peruvian Hyacint), blow pretty early in the Spring, and are well ſcented. They may be either raiſed from Seeds or planted from Off-ſets in Autumn. The Bulbs that are produced from Seeds do not bear Flowers till the third Year ; nor do they always come up of the fame Colour with thoſe from whence the Seed was taken. So that the beſt way to be ſure of your forts is to plant from the Bulbs or Off-ſets. Moſt Hyacinths delight in a hot Expoſition, and a light warm Earth; and ſhould itand four Years in the place without being trané- planted. Collumbine.] The Collumbine is a Flower that may be either raiſed from the Seed or re- moved from Place to Place, for it will continue ſeveral Years. The Seed ſown in April, will bear Flowers the ſecond Year : There are ſeveral ſorts of this Flower, with reſpect both to their Form and Colour. The ſingle ones of any Colour are not much regarded; but the double ones (which alſo bear Seed) Ihould be carefully preſerved, by rooting out the ſingle ones whenever they are diſcovered. Some of theſe double ones are alſo prettily varie- gated, ſometimes partly red, partly blue or purple, partly crimſon, partly cheſnut, and partly white. The Roots will continue three or four Years; but like moſt other Flowers, they are apt to degenerate unleſs the Seed be changed. For want of an opportunity of doing this , I my ſelf outlived the beſt Collection of Collumbines I ever ſaw, whilſt in Northampton- ſhire. Iris.] The Iris or Flower-de-Luce, is of an antient Family and a numerous Tribe, is both of the bulbous and tuberous Kind, and is therefore beſt propagated from thence, though it may alſo be raiſed from the Seed in Autumn. There are ſome of them of the tuberous rooted Kind, which encreaſe exceedingly in good Ground. Theſe are propagated as the former, and are to be taken out of the Ground when the Leaves begin to dry; and after they have been kept ſome Time in the Houſe, are to be replanted in September or Oétober. Though there is not ſo great a Variety of theſe as of the bulbous ones, yet they afford many curious Flowers; the beſt of which is the Galcedonian Iris, and a more lovely beauti- ful Flower the Sun cannot ſhine upon: It is of a darkiſh Colour, but prettily marbled. Like other Beauties, 'tis ſomething tenderer than the reſt, and may well expect an agree- able Care and Management, viz. to be planted in a warm and rich Soil, and to be defend- ed from cold. There is a leſſer ſort of this not much different, only the Flower darker, and not ſo well marbled. They flower in May, ſooner or later, as the Spring is backward or forward. Some think it beſt to take up the Roots at Midſummer, and keep them dry till October, which makes them the apter to bear Flowers. As to the bulbous Kinds, (of which the Perſian Iris is the chief, whoſe Flowers are of a pale Sky colour) they require a light Soil, and to be ſet in the Shade, otherwiſe their Flowers wither away preſently : In replanting theſe bulbous rooted Irelles, care muſt be taken not to break the Roots. Gorn-flag 296 A New Syſtem of som Corn-flag:] The Corn-flag or Gladiolus, and the Varieties thereof, are of no great eſteem; yet becauſe they come in a Seaſon when there are not many other Flowers, ſome of them ihould be admitted into the Garden. Theſe three are the chief, the Conſtinopolitan, having Flowers of a deep red with two white Spots within the Mouth of every Flower; the Corn-flag, with a bright red or Carnation-coloured Flower; and the Corn-flag with the white or rather Aſh-coloured Flowers. They flower in June and July, and will grow and encreaſe almoſt any where. Orchis.] The Orchis or Bee-flower, though it grows wild in many Places, yet for Va- riety's fake is received into Gardens for the Beauty of the Flowers ; eſpecially the Bee- Flower, properly ſo called, foraſmuch as one of the Leaves of the Flower is in form and colour ſo like to a Bee, that any one unacquainted therewith, may eaſily miſtake it for a living Bee fucking a Flower. The Fly-Orchis is like the other, only the lower Leaf is like a Fly with Legs, and hath a Liſt of Afh-colour and black. There are many other Varieties of Orchis and Satyrions diſtinguiſhed by Male and Female, as the one reſembles the Face of a Man, and the other of a Woman. There is alſo the Grat and Butterfly Kinds; the white, the all red; the yellow, and divers that are ſpotted; all which are found wild in ſeveral Places; in the South and Weſt Parts of England. They flower about the middle of May, if they be but ſet in a barren Soil; for the Sun and a rich Earth deſtroy them. They ſhould indeed be dug up where they are found with a Turf about them, and ſo planted altogether after they have done blowing. Frittillary.] The Frittillary bears a Flower in April, checquered with two or three Colours, ſometimes white and red, ſometimes green and brown, and ſometimes yellow and black. The Hollanders have raiſed great Varieties from the Seed, and their way of doing it is ſomething fingular. They take away the Earth where they intend to fow them four Inches deep, then lay flat Stones or Tiles at the bottom; upon which they fift a Stratum of fine Mould of four Inches, whereon the Seed is fown very thin, which is to be covered about half an Inch with the ſame fifted Mould. By this means the Bulbs are hindered from ſtriking downwards, and thereby grow much bigger. But the moſt common Way is to multiply them by their Roots, which are ſmall and round, of two Pieces, as if joined together. The beſt Time of removing is in Autumn, before the Colds come on. The feveral kinds have their ſeveral Times of blowing, from March to the end of May. N. B. The ſmell of ſome of the Frittillaries is very offenſive, and none of them ſweet. Globe-Flower.] The Globe-Flower is introduced into Gardens out of the Meadows only when it is found double, it is much admired for its beautiful pale French yellow : It will grow almoſt any where, and may be parted at the Roots in March. Star-Flower.] The Ornithogalon or Star-Flower, is called by moſt of late, the Star of Bethlehem, of which there are great Varieties ; ſome of them very pretty Flowers, and others not worth the naming. The great white Star, and yellow Star of Bethlehem, the Ethiopian, Neapolitan and Arabian Star-Flowers are the chief that are valuable. The firſt conſiſting of fix white Leaves, which ſpread open like a Star, flowers in June. That of Naples and the giellow in April. The Arabian flowers in May; but the Ethiopian not till Auguft. But there is ſtill the Indian Star-Flower much eſteemed for a fine Plant, having at the Extremity of its Stem a pointed Ear, which diſcovers ſeveral white Flowers with a green Button in the middle. This Plant coming out of a hot Country ſhould be uſed ten- derly, and in a Pot with fine untried Earth, that it may be removed from the extreme Froits; which is a Compliment both the Arabian and Ethiopian expect, for they are alſo tender. The Roots loſe their Fibres like Tulips, and may be taken up as ſoon as the Stalks are dry, and kept out of the Ground till the beginning of O&tober : But the late Blowers, only for the ſake of propagating them, muſt be removed only for a ſmall Time. Geranium.] The Geranium or Crane’s Bill, ſo called for that the Seeds ſomewhat reſem- ble the Bill of a Crane, is of ſeveral Kinds ; ſome of them brought from Africa. Of which the largelt ſort, called Arboreſcens Geranium, is moſt remarkable, riſing near three Foot high, and ſmelling like Rhubarb, and bearing large Bunches of purple Flowers va- riegated with darker Colours, and bloſſoms from July to September. There are many ſorts of this Flower, moſt of them of little Notice, except it be the African fort, anſwering its Name, Nocte olens, remarkable for its perfumed Smell in the Night, or after Sun-ſet. It has a great Root like a Piony, with large jagged Leaves, and flowers in July. The Leaves are ſmall, of a purple Colour liſted about with yellow. It is a tender Plant, and for that reaſon ſhould be ſer in a Pot. And foraſmuch as too much Moiſture is apt to rot the Roots, it muſt be kept dry and houſed in the Winter. It may be raiſed either from the Seed or Slips Anemony.] Agriculture and Gardening. 297 there Anemony.] The Anemony is one of the favourite Flowers of the curious Lovers of the Flower-Garden, for the great Variety of Beauties which it exhibits. They are both ſingle and double. The former is little valued ; only for the ſake of the Seed which it produces (few of the double ones bearing any) Some are preſerved, whereby new forts are attained, The Colours of this pretty Flower are various, viz. red, purple, ſcarlet, Pink, Peach, white, Afm-coloured, and ſome ſiripd. The beſt and moſt perfect Anemonies, aré ſuch as have Stalks that will ſupport the Flower without much bending that have buſhy Tufts and curled Leaves of two Colours. The chief Time of their blowing is in March and April ; and if they are ſet in Beds by themſelves (free from cold Winds, their mortal Enemy) they diſcover a great deal of Glory. This Flower is propagated both from the Seed and the Roots or Phangs, which are flat, and of odd Figures. The Roots are to be taken out of the Ground in June, and laid by indeed require much the ſame Management and Culture. For a late blowing, their re- planting may be deferred till Candlemas; but theſe muſt not be expected to be ſo ſtrong and bold. They love a rich dry Soil, and no artificial Compoſition can be better than Untried Earth of that Quality : But always remember that too much Wet is very preju- dicial to the Phangs or Flaps of the new planted Anemony. As to its Propagation from Seed in the Nurſery, ſome Diligence and Curioſity is requir- ed. Boxes filled with fine rich ſifted Mould are beſt for theſe ſmall tender Seeds, which are to be carefully minded, and gathered the latter end of May, for the Wind is apt to carry them off. The Seed may be ſown in February or March, and they will ordinarily bear the ſecond Year, and produce vaſt Varieties. If the Leaves of theſe Flowers prove few, and their Stalks ſhort, you may be aſſured they diſlike the Soil, and then they ſhould be re- moved to richer and lighter, which may be done as ſoon as the Leaves turn yellow, and before they are quite dry. Tulip.] The Tulip is another Flower of great Glory, and of high Efteem amongſt the Curious. Than whoſe Culture nothing hath been more ſtudied of late Years, and nothing at preſent ſeems better underſtood. The Dutch Merchants have made themſelves famous for their Breeders of Self-Colours, from which have been produced the moſt glorious and elegant Beauties of ſeveral Colours, dazlingly fine, and agreeably mixt. Their Extravagance in purchaſing theſe Curioſities is very extraordinary, though perhaps not ſo great at pre- fent as it has been, when it is ſaid 100 l. hath been given for a ſingle Root, and a Lady's Fortune of a 1000 l. has been paid in ten of theſe Roots. Mr. Bradley has made the moſt accurate and ingenious Remarks on the Nature of Tua lips of any other who has wrote on that Subject. His Obſervation of the annual dying of every old Root, and the Reſurrection of two or three others in its ſtead, ſeems to be wholly new. We may doubtleſs depend upon his Relation of the Fact, and then his Obſer- vations and Inferences are right. (1.) That the Flower-Stem, the Leaves, the Flower and the Seed are all perfected from that very Root which is put into the Ground. (2.) That the Sap circulates through the whole; by the waſting of the old Root, and the growth of the new one, both of them correſponding immediately with the Flower-Stem. For the new Root has no Fibres to take in Nouriſhment from the Earth, and ſo to make it grows and therefore it cannot be nouriſhed any other Way than from ſome Veſſels in the Stem by the returning of the Sap. (3.) That the Change in the Stripes of the Flower are to expected from the new Root, after they are ſeparated from the old ones, and have re- ceived their Virtue of being tinged from the Soil they were planted in; (ſuch as old Lime and Stone-Rubbiſh) ſo that the alteration is not to be expected the firſt Year. The Time of the flow’ring of Tulips is March, April and May, according to their ſe- veral Kinds. But a Lover of Order and Oeconomy will always take Care to ſet the fe- veral Kinds in Beds by themſelves, whereby he may expect a Succeſſion of Beauties. The uſual Claffes into which theſe beautiful Flowers are commonly ranged, are, (1.) The A- gates, which grow upon ſhort Stems, and are veined only with two Colours. (2.) The Bagates, which riſe the talleſt, and are commonly marbled with purple and white. And (3.) The Beazarts, which have four Colours tending to yellow and red of ſeveral forts. The Names given to every one of theſe ſeveral ſorts are perfectly Arbitrary, taken either from Perſons or Cities, &c. So that it would be to no purpoſe, as well as endleſs, to re- cite them. Every one knows that they are propagated and encreaſed both by the Roots and by the Seed. The firſt Way they are multiplied exceedingly, if (as is uſual) they are removed every Year. But thoſe who have made curious Obſervations, think it better to let them continue two Years before they make a Remove, finding ſuch a Practice to make them the Gggg 298 gri A New Syſtem of TEA blow much the fairer. The Time of removing is as ſoon as the Flower is quite fallen : For to let the Seed-Head ſwell is thought to weaken the Root. After they are out of the Ground they ſhould be rubb’d clean with a dry Cloth, and then laid upon dry Shelves (where yet the Sun ſhould not reach them) till the Time of planting, which is in October, The raiſing them from Seed is tedious; but yet many have thought themſelves well re- warded for their Pains and Patience that way. The Seed of the beſt and moſt perfectly tipe Tulips is to be choſen, and then ſown in a Bed of fine untried Earth of a mixt fort : September and October are the Times of fowing, and they will begin to peep in March following. In the Seed-Bed they fhould remain two or three Years, and then ought to be removed into freſh Ground, and fet åt proper Diſtanceswaiting for their blowing about the fifth Year. Cold Winds and ſtrong Clays are great Enemies to the well blowing of Tulips. The Portugueze and Flemings are ſaid to be the firſt that brought the finer forts into Europe from Turkey and the Eaſt Indies; but at preſent the beſt are to be found in Holland. The best Way to prevent their degenerating, as well as to obtain the end of Variety of Colours, is to diverſify the Soils in which they are planted and tranſplanted. And ſome ſay ſteeping , the Seeds in ſuch Water-Colours, as you have a mind ſhould prevail, will facilitate this Work ; but of this ſome much doubt. Ranunculus.] The Ranunculus is another curious and beautiful Flower, which requires much the ſame Care and Culture with the two former ; only being ſomething tenderer re- quires a warmer Situation, and a richer Soil. The Beauty of this Flower, and its ſtrong Colours, are furpaffingly fine, even above all others that adorn the Flower-Garden; and if it were odoriferous as the Carnation, it would be deemed a Maſter-Piece in Nature. There are gicat Varieties of them brought every Year from Turkey : But there are alſo every Year raiſed from the Seed amongſt us as good, if not better. For Mr. Bradley's Extaly was very great, when he beheld the ſurprizing Productions of Nature in the ſeveral ſorts of theſe Flowers in Mr. Potter's Garden at Mitcham, where he had obſerved, that from the cleareſt White to the darkeſt Purple, (excepting only the azure Blue) there wanted none to carry them through all the Colours to the deepeſt black, all raiſed from Seed. The ſelf- coloured Scarlet (though the old fort and now common) when fet in Numbers or Rows, do wonderfully ſtrike the Eye, and dazzle it with their Luſtre, eſpecially at a Diſtance; whilſt moſt of the other ſorts expect and well enough bear a nearer View. This Flower is of a very unſociable Nature, and will not thrive mixt with or ſtanding near any other fort. Its Phangs, ſomething imitating Claws, has occaſioned it to be called a Crow's Foot. The Time of planting them is from the beginning to the end of Oɛtober, in a ſhelter'd Place, expoſed to the hotteſt Sun, and in as fat and rich a Soil as poſſible ; skreened untried Earth, and well rotted Dung, equal Quantities I have found to be very agreeable to them, eſpecially if on the top be ſtrewed ſome fine Pidgeon-Dung; which not only enriches the Soil, but keeps them warm, and thereby preſerves them from the extreme Colds in the Winter, which ſometimes deſtroys them. The Phangs muſt be ſet with the Claw downward, two Inches deep and four Inches aſunder, in exact Rows. Thoſe which are planted in Autumn will flower in April and May : But the great Admirers of this Flower reſerve fome Roots to be planted in March, and theſe will diſcover a new Glory about Midſummer; which yet will not laſt fo long, by reaſon of the Heats, nor appear fo large. If the Seaſon is dry when they diſpoſe them- felves for flowering, they ſhould be frequently waterd, and kept free from Weeds, which are great Enemies to them. Beſides their encreaſe at the Roots (which muſt every Year be taken up as ſoon as the Stalks turn yellow, and houſed like Tulips) they may likewiſe be raiſed from the Seed, which ſhould be fown in the Spring, in fine Mould, and under a hot Expoſition. The double white fort ſhould not be taken up till September, when its Phangs are to be removed and replanted immediately. Both the Flower and Stalk are found injurious, if not mortal to all ſorts of Cattle : And this Caution may be a ſufficient Warning where to beſtow them when taken up. Cyclamen.] The Cyclamen, called alſo in Engliſh, Sow-Bread, becauſe Swine feed upon it, is a large bulbous-rooted Plant, bearing ſmall Flowers, ſome fleſh Colour, ſome purple, and fome yellow, riſing not above four Inches from the Ground with large mottled Leaves. Some of them flower in the Spring, and others in Autumn: And according to the Times of their flowering, ſo ſhould their Seed be fown, which is the beſt Method of encreafing them. The Singularity of this Plant is that it firſt forms its Bulbs, and afterwards its Flowers, before the Leaves appear. Although they are commonly raiſed from Seed, yer they may be alſo propagated from the Bulbs or Roots cut in Pieces either in April or July That Agriculture and Gardening. 299 2 UGS003 That with the purple Flower is ſometimes found double; and the white Kind (which is ſweet ſcented) is fomething tenderer than the reſt. But indeed all of them are ſometimes affected with a hard Winter. Hellebore.] There are ſeveral forts of Hellebores, all of them hardy Plants, and ſome of them growing wild in the Fields and Woods. The black fort is called the Chriſtmas Flower, becauſe it is wont to blow about that Time, and continues blowing till February, having a white Flower. There is another with a greeniſh Flower, and a third with a yel- low one, not ordinarily to be met with. They may be encreaſed from Off-fets and parting their Roots, either in September or March. The Leaves themſelves are a pretty Ornament, and the large Spikes of their Flowers beautiful for their old Colours ; but they die to the Ruot in Winter.mo Ladies Slipper.] But there is a Species of this Plant called the Helleborine, or Ladies Slipper, which bears two or three Flowers one above another, in an oval form, with the upper part hollow, thereby fomething reſembling a Slipper. The Flowers are ſometimes of a pale yellow, and ſometimes brown tending to purple. There is alſo a ſmaller ſort with a white Flower, and another with purple. Pretty as they are, many of theſe are found in divers Places of Yorkſhire and Lancaſhire growing wild. They bloſſom in May and June, and thrive beſt in a Soil not over fat, nor too much expoſed to the Sun. Bacchus-Bole.] The Bacchus-Bole is not much regarded, but for Variety's fake is ſome- times admitted among the reſt. It has broad Leaves; and Flowers purple colour'd and white. Jonquil.] The Jonquil is of the Narciſjus or Daffodil Kind, and are of ſeveral forts, having bulbous Roots like Tulips, but ſhould not be removed but for the ſake of multi- plying. The ſmall Jonquil with a yellow and double Flower, bloſſoming in April , is moſt elteemed and admired for its beautiful Scent. The great Jonquil hath alſo ſweet yellow Flowers growing one above another like a Tuberoſe. There is alſo a ſort which blows in Autumn with white Flowers a little ſcented. But all the forts which blow in the Spring have yellores Flowers; or inclined to yellow. Theſe Flowers are ſomething tender, and apk to be hurt as much by the ſcorching Heat of the Sun as by the Winter-Colds. They may be encreaſed by the Seed ſown in the Spring, but the beſt and moſt expeditious Way is by the Bulbsy either in Spring or Autumn. Baſſinet.] The Baſſinet is a fort of Ranunculus, but more hardy and needs leſs Care. The ſingle and the double rellow flower in April. Theſe are called Butter-flowers, or Gold Knobs, from their beautiful yellow Colour. But there is a ſcarlet one, whoſe Leaves are a little indented. They will thrive in ordinary Garden-Mould, and make a pretty ſhew among the Flowers of the middle Size, and may be encreaſed by parting the Roots. Lilly of the Valley.] The Conval-Lilly, or Lilly of the Valley, is eſteemed to have, of all others, the ſweeteſt and moſt agreeable Perfume; not offenlive or over-bearing, even to thoſe who are made uneaſy with the Perfumes of other ſweet ſcented Flowers. Many wonder how it comes to be called a Lilly, having no Kind of Reſemblance to any of the forts of that Flower. This ſhould have been more properly placed amongſt the Reptiles, it feldom riſing above four or five Inches from the Ground with its Stem, whereon are placed ſeveral ſmall white Flowers one above another. There is a ſort of them bearing Flowers of a pink Colour and larger Leaves, but leſs perfumed, which makes them leſs valuable ; becauſe the only Beauty of this Flower is in its Perfume. They bear beſt in à Mhady Place, are eaſily propagated by parting the Roots, and they commonly flower in May. It loves not to be often removed, and ſhould be kept in Beds by themſelves : But when the Roots come to be too much matred, it is good to thin them, and to refreſh them with untried Earth. Dog's Tooth.] The Dog's Tooth is of the Satyrion Kind, as the ſpotted Leaves and Roots manifeſt, but of greater Beauty and Rarity than any of the Orchis which grow with us, and therefore deſerve a Place in the beſt Garden. There are known with us four ſorts of the Dens Caninus, diſtinguiſhed by the Colours of the Flowers which they bear, viz. the white, the purple, the red, and the yellow. It takes its Name from the Form of the Root, which is long and white like a Dog's Tooth. It explains its pretty Flowers about the Beginning of April; are propagated from the Roots in Auguſt, which yet ſhould not remain long out of the Ground, nor at firſt planting be ſubject to too much Wet, which fots them. The beſt Roots are brought to us from France and Flanders; for it is very feldom that we can bring them to encreaſe well with us in England. Spiderwort.] The Spiderwort is call’d by ſome Bruno's Lilly, becauſe it bears Flowers on a Stem about a Foot high, like Lillies in the form of a Bell; and its Root is like that of a Turnip. There are two or three forts of this Flower, viz, the Savoy, the great Ita- lian, 300 or A New Syſtem of 9A lian, and the Virginian Spiderwort. The two firſt bear white Flowers, and the laſt of a blue Colour with red Threads in the middle. It is multiplied by the Root, and flowers in June. After theſe might follow the Deſcriptions of ſome other Flowers of the perannual Kind under this Claſs; ſuch as Batchelor's Button; Dittany, Paſque-Flower, Colchicum, Mandrakė or Golden Mouſe-Ear, Satin-Flower, Golden-Rod, Double Pellitory, Double Featherfew, Double Camomile, Double Dog's Fennel, Double Ladyſmockss Scarlet Croſs, Gentian, Dames Violet ; with many others every Day introduced into Gardens from the Fields or Woods, which ſome late Authors have taken a great deal of Pains to deſcribe, and have laboured the Methods of propagating them, whilſt the Culture and Removal is eaſy, natural, and no ways dif- ficult: I ſhall therefore content my ſelf with having only juſt mentioned ſome of them. CH A P. V. Reptiles, or the loweſt vivacious Flowers. T Auricula.] HE Auricula or Bear's-Ear is juſtly valued and eſteemed by all Flo- riſts. For Nature no where diſcovers her Variety of Colours, her Shades and pretty Mixtures more than in this little Flower, which is raiſed both from the Seed, and from Slips. In the former Way have been raiſed of late Years a ſurprizing Variety of ſorts, which the Editor by Way of boaſting and triumph Names after ſome great Family or conſpicuous Perſon. In the latter Way you are ſure to preſerve and propagate the fort, with a little Care in removing and parting the Roots whilſt they are in Flower, (which I take to be much the beſt Seaſon) and then watering and ſhading them, if the Weather be dry, for three or four Days. Thoſe who are curious in preſerving and boldly explaining the beſt forts put them in Pots, the better to preſerve them both in Winter and Summer. For the Auricula is a Plant that delights in the Shade; and too much Wer is apt to rot it in the Winter, and in the Summer to take off that beautiful Powder which ſo much adorns the Flower, and graces the Eye of it, which is eſteemed the Center of its Beauty, and therefore is much regarded. Thoſe therefore who take Pleaſure to defend Beauties from outward Injuries of Sun and Weather compliment them with Sheds and Shelves of Boards one above ano- ther, facing only the Eaſtern Sun. All the ſeveral ſorts of Auricula's flower from the middle of March to the End of April; and if the Weather be not very dry, moſt of them will blow again the Beginning of September ; tho' their Flowers in Autumn are ſeldom fo fair and large as thoſe in the Spring The Rules and Preſcriptions laid down for Soils, wherein both to plant and low this curious Flower have been various, according to Peoples different Fancies : But as it is a Plant that loves Coolneſs, well rotted Cow-Dung with an equal Quantity of Untried Earth well ſifted, without any more ado, is an experienced good Compoſition both for the Flower and the Seed. Great care ſhould be taken to preſerve the Seed from ſome of the beſt Flowers ; for when the Stalks begin to grow yellow in June, and you diſcern in the top of the Seed- Veſſel a little hole, you may then be aſſured the Seed is ripe, and the Stalks fit to be cut ; which yet you muſt be ſure to keep upright, left the beſt of the Seed ſcatter. Let them then lye in a Chamber expoſed to the Sun till the Beginning of September; and then ſow the Seed in the aforeſaid Compoſition put into flat ſquare Boxes with holes at the Bot- tom to let out the Water. After the Seed is ſowed pretty thick, lift more of the fine Mould over it abour the thickneſs of a Crown Piece, and there let it remain all the Win- ter in the Sun and Air till they begin to come up, which will be about April; and then the Box muſt be removed into the Shade and often gently watered. As ſoon as they are grown to any conſiderable Bigneſs, they ſhould be removed at proper Diſtances into Beds prepared for that Purpoſe, where they are to remain till they bear Flowers. Some of them will bear the Spring following, others in Autumn. The double and ſtrip'd ſorts muſt be often ſhifted elſe they will be apt to degenerate. Polianthus) Agriculture and Gardening. 301 ing; s remarkable that Polianthus.] There are divers forts of this Flower, which appears early in the Spring, and ſome of them very pretty. There are of them both of the Cowſlip and the Primroſe Kind; of both which there are great Varieties. Some are ſingle fome double flower- ſome Hoſe in Hoſe; ſome Pentaloons ; and ſome Feathers. The Way of encreaſing, variegating, and diverſifying theſe is much the ſame as in the Article above ; for they re- quire the fame Soil and Culture as the Auricula, and they ſhould, like that, be frequently removed to freſh Places, if you would preſerve their Beauty and Colours. Daſy:] Altho’ this be in all Places and Countries the moſt common plain Flower or rather Weed; yer even theſe when they are found double and variegated, they find a Place in the belt Gardens, and make very beautiful and agreeable Edgings. There are thirty or forty ſorts of them ; but the molt remarkable are the double white; the double red; the double red and white; the Coxcomb; the Rain-bow, and the Hen and Chickens. They are as eaſily raiſed from the Seed as parted from the Roots, and that either in Spring or Au- tumn. To preſerve their Colours and Beauty, they ſhould be taken up once in three or four Years. "Too much Sun and Drought are Enemies to them, ſo that except they be ſet in the Shade, they expect the Refreſhment of Water in a dry Time. Gentionella.] This is another very pretty Reptile, and is indeed one of the moſt agree; able bordering Flowers. There are ſome Varieties of it in foreign Parts, but I have not yet met with more than one fort in England, viz. that with dark blue Flowers in the form of a Bell. And the blue is indeed of that dazling Luftre that none of the Painter's Co- Jours not even the Ultra marine can vie with it. If it likes the Soil (which ſhould be light) it is apt enough to put forth Off-ſets; which may be parted from the Root either in Spring or Autumn. Hepatica.] The Hepatica, otherwiſe called Liverwört, from its ſuppoſed ſovereign Vir- tues in Diſeaſes of the Liver, is a very pretty Flower, and the more ſo, becauſe it appears the Flower oftener appears on its naked Stalk before the Leaves. The three moſt remark- able Kinds of them, are the ſingle and double crimſon, the ſingle and double blue or purple, and the ſingle and double white Flowers. The laſt of which is the more rare and tendereſt fort. They are ſeldom raiſed from Seed, but may be eaſily propagated in a light ſandy Soil by parting the Roots in Spring and Autumn. Violet.] The Violet, tho' it grows wild under Hedges, is yet admitted into the Garden for its Fragrancy, and hereby it is ſomething improved; for there are beſides the ſingle blue and white Kinds, the double white and the double blue, and the common fort with Leaves variegated with green and white. This Flower blows in February and March, and is beſt and moſt eaſily propagated by Slips and Runners from the Mother-Plant. Crocus.] Of the Crocus or Saffron-Flower there are ſeveral ſorts, beſides thoſe which bloſſom in the Spring; of which we have the common yellow and black ſtrip'd; the plain Lemon coloured; the Orange coloured, the piain Purple, the motled Purple, and the white; which if they are planted in Beds by themſelves and diſcreetly mixt, make a moſt agreeable Shew in February and March. They proſper almoſt in any Soil, and en- creaſe wonderfully at the Root. The Saffrons and Colchicums are all of the Crocus Kind, tho' they bloſſom not till Autumn. Of the firſt I ſhall ſay nothing here, having treated of it as a Field-Plant, and cannot but wonder it is not made more ſo, conſidering the Profit it brings. But the Colchicums are pretty Flowers in Autumn, and appear not till after its large and fouriſhing Leaves die into the Ground. Some call it the Reſurrection-Flower, as being a lively Image thereof. It makes an empty flouriſh all the Summer with Leaves only, which after ſometime die and rot in the Earth; but at a certain Seaſon, riſes again with a more beautiful and glorified Body without Leaves. There are ſome different forts of them; ſome ſingle pink; ſome double pink; coloured Bloſſoms; and others checquered with pink Co- lour and white. They have large Roots like Tulips, and by them they are propagated. Snowdrop.] This Flower obtains its Name, from its early appearance, even ſometimes in December and January before the Snows are quite diſſolved; and from its beautiful white. There are of them both ſingle and double ; and they make a very agreeable Ap- pearance at the firſt of the Spring, being ſet in Rows on the Borders intermixt with the Crocus's : And like them they are multiplied by parting their Roots either in Autumn or Spring Indian Pink.] This Flower I ranged not with the other of its Name, becauſe it is a Reptile, and becauſe it is of a tender Conſtitution, requiring more and different Care. It was brought from China, and loves å warm Expoſition : And therefore for the Sake of its pretty variegated Flowers it is uſually ſet in Borders. under a South Wall; where it will diſplay its Beauty for ſeveral Years. Tho' it is good every Year to fow new ones H hh h from 302 A New Syſtem of from the Seed which it bears, leſt a ſharp Winter deſtroy the old Roots, as ſometimes it will. Panſy.] The Panſy is a Reptile of the Violet Kind; for its Stems are apt to creep on the Ground, and it bears Flowers not unlike the Violet, but they are commonly of three Colours; viz. white, a yellow, purple and blue. And when its Leaves are ſtrip'd with yellow (as ſometimes they are) it makes a very pretty Shew in Borders. It will out-live the Win- ter ; but it ſhould be fown a-new every Year. Aconite.] The Aconite, to which the Epithet of Winter is uſually put, becauſe it dif- plays its yellow Bloſſoms commonly the very Beginning of January. It is apt enough to over-run the Ground both by its Off-ſets and by its Sced, and therefore there is little need to direct any Method of Cultivation. CH A P. VI. Annual Flowers from the Seed. O Sun-Flower.] F all the Tribe of Annuals this is the largeſt and talleſt. For ić is even taller and larger than the Perannual one, which we have already deſcribed : If it be ſown in March in a rich Soil and well watered, it will riſe near eight Foot high on one ſingle Stem bearing ſeveral large yellow Flowers, ſome of which will be near a Foot diameter. Theſe are ſeldom admitted in ſmall Gardens ; but in large ones (when ſet in Rows and at pro- per Diſtances) they make a glorious Shew. Snapdragon.] There are two or three Varieties of this Flower viz. the common white, the variegated white, the yellow and the red. They are raiſed from Seed; and altho' they have no great Beauty or Smell, they ſerve to adorn Chimnies and Flower-Pots, and will grow almoſt any whe even on Walls. It is called Calves-fnout or Lyon's Heart from the form of its Flower ; which appears from May to July. The Seed which is ripe in Au- guſt, may be fown in the following Month or in March. It is a hardy Plant; but dies as ſoon as it hath producerh its Seed. Lark-Heel.] The Lark-Heel or Lark-Spur, ſo called from the Reſemblance its Flower hath to the Heel of the Lark, is a pretty Ornament in a Flower-Garden, where there is room for it to extend its Branches. Otherwiſe they ſhould be ſown in Quarters by themſelves. Some of them are very double and prettily variegated, ſome blue, ſome purple, fome white, and ſome Peach coloured. And when all the Colours are well mixt, and the Flowers double and ſtrip'd with white, nothing can make a gayer Shew at a Diſtance. And it is multiplied by Seed fown either in Autumn or Spring. But indeed it is apt enough to low itſelf in Autumn, and if the Winter prove mild, such will flower in May or Yune, and then the Spring-fowing will come a Month after. The Seed ſhould ſome- times be changed and fetch'd from a different Soil, otherwiſe they will degenerate, and become ſelf-coloured and ſingle. Poppy.] The Poppy is one of the Wonders of Nature, that ſo tall and large a Flower ſhould ariſe from one of the ſmalleſt of Seeds in one Year'; tho' it may be here obſerved that Tobacco, which hath ſtill a ſmaller Seed, doth yet produce a much ſtronger Plant. Were the Poppy as good as it is great, as ſweet as it is beautiful, and as laſting as it is hafty in Growth, nothing could be more glorious. But its ill Smell, and baſty withering makes it much leſs regarded. It may be fown either in Autumn or Spring; but indeed this like the former ſows itſelf faſt enough and diſplays its Flowers in May and June, fome red, ſome purple, ſome white, ſome ſtrip'd, and ſome very double. There is a Dutch wild Poppy that blows not ſo high as this, whoſe Flowers are red and white ſtrip'd, and bloſſom from June till Auguft. The Argemone being a fort of Poppy, by Mr. Tour- nefort called the prickly Poppy, I mention under this Head, it comes up with a Stalk about a Foot high, with long narrow notch'd Leaves: On the Extremities of the Stalk appear Flowers in the form of a Roſe. The Seed is to be lowed in Autumn, and tranſplanted in April into Borders, where they may attain their perfect Growth. Candia Agriculture and Gardening. 303 Candia -Tuft.] There are two ſorts of the Candia Tuft, differing only in the Colour of their Flower, the one white the other red. It brings its Flowers in Tufts in June and July, on a Stalk about a Foot high. It is raiſed from Seed, and may be fown either in Autumn or Spring : But it is good to ſow at both Seaſons, that there may be a better Succeſſion of their Flowers. Some Authors affect to make a Buſtle about the Methods of cultivating them, as if they were difficult and tender, and wanted Coverings, Hot-Beds, and a more than ordinary Care, and better Soil; whereas it is an hardy Flower, and will grow almoſt in any Soil. Double Marigold.] The fingle Marigold is hardly worth mentioning as a Flower, but the double one is large and beautiful enough, making a goodly Shew with its deep yellow for ſeveral Months in the Year, and in the Winter too, if it be mild and open. It ſerves for all the ſame Uſes of the Kitchen and Dairy as the ſingle one, and may be raiſed from its own Seeds ; but like moſt other beautiful double Flowers it degenerates, being conſtantly lowed in the ſame. Place and Soil. Venus Looking-glaſs and Venus Navel-wort.]. This is a very pretty Annual, when ſowii either on Edgings or Spots; for it ſtrikes the Eye agreeably enough with its pale blue, blof- ſoming about Midſummer, and riſing not above five or ſix Inches: As doth alſo Venus Navel-wort, which hath white Flowers. Parnaſſus.] The Flower of Parnaſſus hás Leaves like a Violet, and a Flower on the top of the Stalk in the Shape of a Roſe, compoſed of ſeveral unequal Leaves all of them fringed, and placed in the Shape of a Round. It loves Moiſture and a holding Soil, but is ſometimes apt to be injured with Cold, eſpecially if ſown before March. Muſcipula.] The Catch-Fly, or Muſcipula, is a Flower very apt to ſpread it felf without any Care, and indeed will ſoon over-run the Flower-Garden, if not kept within Bounds, It is however a pretty Flower, of a red or crimſon Colour, which appears in June, and continues blowing five or fix Weeks, eſpecially if they out-live the Winter, as they com- monly do. There is a glutinous Matter always ſticking upon its Stalks, which proves a Trap for little Flies, and hence it derives its Name. The Flower is ſweet, and looks well in Patches. Flos Adonis.] This Flower feldoni riſes above a Foot high, and appears with its crim- ſon Flowers about Midſummer; it is hardy, and eaſily raiſed from Seed, in Spring. Nigella.] There are ſeveral ſorts of the Nigella, otherwiſe called Fennel-Flower. The ſingle fort has large Leaves and blue Flowers; the ſmall leaved with white Flowers, and another from Candia. It is propagated from Seed commonly fown in Autumn, that the Plants may be fit to be removed from the Seed-Bed into their proper Places in the Spring. Lupine.] The Lupine, becauſe it has ſome pretty Varieties, (as the great and ſmall blue, the white and the yellow) is uſually ſown with us as a Flower ; but it is indeed nothing but a Vetch, and in the Southern Parts is fown in the Fields as ſuch, and as Pulſe for their Cattle. Pliny in his mentioning this, affords us one (amongſt a great many other) Inſtance of his Readineſs to give into Superftition and Fable, viz. that their Flowers keep their Courſe with the Sun; and that whether the Air be cloudy or clear, they ſerve inſtead of Dials for the Time of the Day: And likewiſe that they have ſome other Motions, by which, as Prognoſticks, the Husbandmen judge of the Weather. Scarlet-Bean.] The Scarlet Bean is another Kind of Pulſe introduced out of the Kitchen into the Flower-Garden. It is indeed one of the Kinds of Kidney-Beans, whoſe Pods (though ſome think them a little ranker than the white, yet) are ſingularly good uſed in Pickles. However, it is now adopted for a Flower, becauſe of its beautiful ſcarlet Colour ; and it is accordingly encouraged as ſuch to twine about Sticks ſet in Borders. Its Ex- cellence is, that it will continue blowing from May till the Froſts come on. They are uſually employed to adorn Walls and Arbours. Annual Stock.] The Annual Stock is another pretty Flower for Edgings; or to be fown in Spots : It bears Flowers of a Pink Colour, ſometimes ſtrip'd with white, about Midſum- Viola tricolor.] This is likewiſe called Hearts Eaſe; is a Dwarf, and makes a pretty Edging ; having Flowers variegated with purple, yellow and red, about June. Scabius.] I am afraid the Derivation of the Scabiusý from the Latin word, Scabies, as if it was an infallible Cure for the Itch, is not much to be depended upon; though the Botaniſts aſcribe a great many Virtues to this Plant, and fancy it will cure almoſt any ſorts of Sores. However that be, it is a very pretty Flower in Auguſt and September. It makes no great Shew at a Diſtance, though it riſes on ſmall Stalks near three Foot high; but if it be viewed near at Hand, the little white Specks mixt with the purple have an uncommon Beauty. There are chiefly two ſorts of this Flower cultivated amongſt us, viz, the Spaniſh Soabius, and the Indian Scabius, mer. 304 A New Syſtem of Scabius, which laſt is much preferred for its ſweet Scent; called therefore Musk Scabius. The Seed may be ſown either in Spring or Autumn; but the beſt Seaſon for fowing is in September, and then they will be ready to tranſplant out of the Seed-Bed in March, to be ſet in their proper Places and Diſtances. There is a fort called Mountain Scabius, with much larger Leavesă bearing Seed which ſhould be ſown in March. There are ſeveral other Flowers raiſed from Seed of leſs Note; ſuch as the Pheaſant's Eye, Royal Comfry, Mallows, Barba Jovis, &c. But I have no Inclination to weary the Reader about Trifles, and the Cultivation of Plants wherein there is no Difficulty, as ſome late Dictionary-Writers have done; making the Preſs groan, and the Patience of the Inquiſitive tired with tedious Repetitions, and long Directions how to cultivate a Daiſy, and when to low a Cowſlip. CH A P. VII. of Annuals to be ſown in Hot-Beds. O F this Race of Flowers we have introduced amongſt us from foreign Parts ſeveral pretty valuable forts, which I ſhould think deſerve a Place in the Hot- Bed altogether as well as a Cucumber. French and African Marigold.] Amongſt theſe are the French and African Marigolds, which though they may be raiſed in the natural Earth, yet by reaſon in that Way they will come late, and conſequently continue but a little while before the Froſts overtake them, it will be worth while to ſet them forward in an Hot-Bed. The French fort, called alſo the Indian Roſe, makes a very agreeable Mixture with other Flowers in Borders, with its variegated Velvet Flowers intermixt with yellow and red Co- lours. For its Duration and Beauty no Flower exceeds it; but its very diſagreeable, not to ſay ſlinking Smell, makes it ſo offenſive to many, that they quite, baniſh it from the Flower-Garden. Several Attempts have been made, firſt to remove its Smell, and then to give it an agreeable Odour; but hitherto they have not (as I can hear) proved ſucceſsful, though the Seeds have been ſteep'd in all imaginable Perfumes ; ſo hard is it quite to mend or alter corrupt Nature, according to the old Aphoriſm, Quo femel eſt imbuta recens ſervabit Odorem Tefta diu. However, I ſhould not give this over as wholly deſperate, ſeeing it is certain we can heighten the Flavour of Melons, both by ſteeping the Seeds in rich Wines, and by arti- ficial Preparations of Earth. The African fort is alſo a moſt beautiful Flower, if it proves double; and to make it ſo, the Seeds ſhould always be gathered from the double fort. This indeed hath but one Colour, but it is a moſt beautiful yellow, and the Flowers are much larger than thoſe of the French fort. And although it has no good Smell, yer neither has it ſuch an one as to be offenſive, as the other is. It bears its long black Seeds in full Pods plentifully, which ſhould be gathered at the Approach of Winter, when the Flower dieth. Both forts may be removed out of the Hot-Bed into their proper. Places, the latter End of April or the Beginning of May, for they are not very tender. Amaranthus.] The Amaranthus, otherwiſe called the Flower gentle, is chiefly of two ſorts, the greater and the leſſer. The beſt of the greater fort, is the large purple, that bears long Spikes of round hairy Tufts of a reddiſh purple Colour, and from its bending its Head toward the Ground, is called by the common People, Love lies a bleeding. Of the lefjer fort, (much the tendereſt and moſt beautiful) there are great Varieties : The Amaranthus Cocks-comb of all the ſeveral Colours, viz. red, ſcarlet, yellow, if they have Juſtice done them by Removes from one Hot-Bed to another, are moſt efteemed for their beautiful dazling Colours, for forming their Heads into the Shape of a Cock’s Comb, and for Agriculture and Gardening. 305 for their Duration, continuing in their Beauty from the Beginning of June till the firſt Froſts come on; before which their Seed ſhould be carefully gathered from thoſe that explain themſelves beſt. This fort, tho' not near ſo large as the other, will ſometimes riſe near two Foot high; and when it is ſet in the richeſt Earth, in a good Expoſition to the Sun, and ſheltered from Winds; will make a moſt beautiful Shew, eſpecially if their Colours are ſorted with Art, and placed in Rows at equal Diſtances. The Amaranthus Tricolor differs little from the former, fave that its Beauty is chiefly in the Leaves, variegated with green, red, and yellow; which Mixture of Colours every one knows is beautiful enough. There is alſo another fort of Tricolor, whoſe Leaves are buff, red, and green, but not lo agreeable as the other. Theſe are ſomething tenderer than the Cock’s-combs, and therefore hould remain longer in the Hot-Bed before they are removed, and then treated with Care and Caution; for the leaſt Cold kills them. But yet they all abundantly merit the Eſteem, and diligent Nurture of the curious Florift; for indeed no good Garden ſhould be unfurniſhed with theſe beautiful Flowers, the chief and moſt de- terving of all the Annuals. The Seed of theſe Flowers is of a bright ſhining black and ſmall, but of long Duration, continuing good ſeven or eight Years; which the curious Floriſt ſhould obſerve with Pleaſure; becauſe ſome Years will not bring their Seed to perfect Maturity, and then an old Stock is valuable. The Seed being ſmall, ſhould be ſown near the Surface in the Hot- Bed, in very rich Mould, in February; and about the middle of March, when the Plants have four Leaves, ſhould be removed into a new one after the great Heat is over ; where, they are to be nurſed with Care, letting them have as much Air and Sun as is conſiſtent with their tender Conſtitution. The Cock’s-combs may be truſted abroad under a warm Wall and in rich Earth at the latter End of May, but it is beſt to keep the Tricolors un- der Glaſles till the middle of June; and even then, if they are removed into Pots, to let the Pots ſtand under Glaſſes for four or five Days. Convolvulus.] The Bind-oveed, or Convolvulus is of two ſorts, viz. the greater and the leſs. The greater riſes up with many long winding Branches above ſix Foot high, having at the Joints Flowers like Bells of a deep blue; which never open but in the Night, and cloſe again at Sun-riſe: As doth The Convolvulus Minor, which hath ſmaller Leaves and a weaker Stalk, riſing (if fup- ported) two Foot high The Flowers are leſs than the other, but far more beautiful, being of a fair Azure blue, with a white Star in the Bottom ſhaded a little with yellow. The Indian Chinces, known ſo well to the Ladies, excellently repreſent the Colours of this pretty Flower. The firſt is hardy; and may be raiſed in the natural Soil, tho' it flowers not till Autumn: But the laſt expects the Aſſiſtance of a Hot-Bed, and then it will con- tinue a Succeſſion of its pretty Flowers from June to September, when the little black Seeds contained in the Husks ſhould be carefully gather'd and preſerv'd for future Uſe and Beauty; the whole Plant dying in the Ground at the approach of the firſt Froſt. There is a red- flowering Convolvulus brought from the Weſt-Indies : But this is a greater Stranger amongſt us, and not fo beautiful as the other.com Marvel of Peru.] This is called by ſome the Wonder of the World, becauſe of the great. Variety of its Flowers, even from the fame Root; and becauſe, like the Convolvulus, it explains not its Flowers till near Sun-ſet, and ſhuts them up again in the Morning. This Flower dies for the moſt Part every Winter, and therefore muſt be raiſed from the Seed in a Hot-Bed the beginning of April: By which means it comes to Maturity, and flowers all Auguſt and September. There are two ſorts of them, the one bearing red and yellow Flowers, and the other purple and white, the Colours intermixt with great Variety. The plain forts are of no Value; and therefore great Care ſhould be taken to gather the Seeds from thoſe only which are variegated. All our late Authors (who follow one another in a Track) ſay, that laying Horſe-Dung over the young Roots will preſerve them alive till Spring; and that if the old Roots be well dry’d, wrapt up in Woollen Rags, and ſo kept from Moiſture all the Winter, within Doors, they will ſprout again in the Spring. But I venture to ſay there is no truſting to this Method. If ſuch a Thing has been; yet it is not ordinarily to be expected. Upon the Remove from the Hot-Bed in May, give this Flower a rich Earth, a good Expoſure to the Sun, and free from Wind. Female Balſom.] This is another tender Plant, that wants the Affiftance of the Hot- Bed to bring it forward, that it may explain its Flowers before the Winter overtake it; It hath Leaves like thoſe of the Peach, and its Flowers are only of Self-colours, ſometimes crimſon, ſometimes purple, and ſometimes white, upon Stems ariſing about a Foot and half high. The firſt Froſt at the beginning of Winter is its ſure Deſtruction; and ſo it muſt be raiſed every Year from the Seeds, which reſemble Lentils. Iiii Sweet-Sultan.] 306 Å New Syſtem of Sweet-Sultan.] The Sweet-Sultan, fo called, becauſe it is ſaid the Grand Seignior affected to wear it in his Turbant, is one of the Species of Blue-Bottles, not much unlike the former, bearing Flowers in Autumn on Stems two Foot high; ſome white, fome yellow, and ſome purple. They are ſwećr-ſcented according to the Name, and will not come to any great Perfection without the Aſſiſtance of an Hot-Bed in April . Capſicum Indicum.] The Guinea Pepper is chiefly admired for its long and round Scarlet Fruit, which it diſcovers from Auguſt till the beginning of Oétober, if it be aſſiſted in the Spring by an Hot-Bed, otherwiſe the Summer will not ripen its Fruit . In hot Coun- tries they pulverize the yellow Seeds of this Plant, and uſe it as Pepper; but it is Scele- rata Sinapis . The Acerbity which the Pods give to the Tongue is very pungent; and yet ſome pickle them and uſe them in Sauce. They are impatient of the firſt and leaſt Frost, and therefore die in the Winter, but may eaſily be raiſed from its Seed in the Spring. Indian-Creſs.] The Indian-Creſs , by ſome called the jellow Larkſpur; is not only a pretty Flower, but acceptable in the Sallet Furniture. Its Flower is a beautiful yellow ftrip'd with black, and appears earlier or later, as it is ſown or not fown in an Hot-Bed: For altho' it will come up in the naked Ground, nay the Seeds will lye two or three Years in the Earth and grow at laſt; yet for the Sake both of its Uſe and Beauty it is wont to be accelerated in the Hot-Bed, that the Flowers may be obtained in May, and à Succellion of them continued till the Froſts come on. Senſitive Plant.] I mention this here not as a Flower, but as an Annual of Curioſity to be raiſed and nouriſhed with Care in a Hor-Bed; and the more it is aſſiſted that Way, the higher and bolder it will riſe, ſometimes to two or three Foot high. It is called the ſenſible or ſenſitive Plant; becauſe as ſoon as you touch it, the Leaf ſhrinks up together ; but in a ſmall time after the Hand is removed, it recovers its Life and Vigour. Many Conjectures have been made concerning the Philoſophy of it. The plaineſt Reaſon of its ſudden Contraction is from the Heat of the Hand. It being a Plant whoſe Membranes and parenchymous Parts are very tender, by any ſudden Heat, it becomes much affected, and the Circulation of its Juices are ſtopt, juſt as admitting, of a ſudden, the direct Rays of the Sun upon a tender Melon or Cucumber Plant in March by opening the Glaffes. This indeed is not ſo ſudden a Withering and Contraction of the Leaves, becauſe the Plants are not ſo tender ; but in an Hour or two's Time we ſee the fame Decay and Diſlike, fome- times to their entire Loſs of Life. The merry Conceit of making this Contraction a Teſt of Virginity, is often a Banter upon the fair Sex. I am ſenſible this chaſte Plant diſcovers its Averſion to outward Injury and Rudeneſs from the Admiſſion of ſudden Cold as well as Heat: Both Heat and Cold producing the fame Effect from the fame Cauſe, viz. Foraſmuch as both contract its Pores and Fibres : Theſe make the vaporous Juice, that maintains and preſerves the beautiful Verdure of its Leaves, retire, and ſo drives it down toward the Root. This Juice, which filled and ſwelled the circulatory Veſſels, being diſſipated, the Plant itſelf muft undergo the ſame Fate; which, toward the End of Summer, for want of proper Juices for its Nouriſhment, never fails to overtake it; its Leaves muſt wither, contract and cloſe themſelves With Reſpect to ſudden Heat, we ſee the fame thing, when we read before a Fire; the Co- ver of the Book is drawn back, for want of that Moiſture, which the Fire has diffi- pated. But that there may be nothing wanting, both for the Inſtruction and Entertainment of all curious Inquirers into Vegetable Nature, I ſhall add and conclude with one Chap- ter more, viz. up. que СНА Р. Agriculture and Gardening. 307 CHA P. VIII. of the ſeveral Hindrances and Obftru&tions to Improvement, and the general Annoyances to Vegetables, whether in the Field, the Foreſt, the Fruit-Garden, or the Flower-Garden, with their probable Remedies. tilky W ITHOUT a prudent Care and Foreſight, much both of the Pleaſure and Profit of the Gardener and Husbandman, will be loſt by accidental Annoyances and Injuries and external Accidents. And that theſe may be the better guarded againſt, and their probable Remedies rightly underſtood and timely apply'd, I ſhall diſtinctly conſider them, as they may be ſuppoſed to affect, either the Field, the Foreſt, the Fruit or the Flower-Garden, taken either ſingly or con- jointly... 1. With Reſpect to the Field. The Impediments that generally hinder the Husband- men from making the greateſt Advantage of their Ground, are either the Diſtempers of the Ground itſelf, or ſome evil Accidents that occaſionally happen thereto, or to the Vege- tables growing thereon. The Diſtempers are generally cauſed, either by the abounding of Water, which cauſes Coldneſs and a dropſical Diſpoſition; or by the abounding of a dry barren Earth or Mine- ral, which being deſtitute of Moiſture, and thoſe nitrous Particles, which ſhould cauſe a Separation of the Parts, will not afford terreſtrial Matter fit to enter the Bodies of Ve- getables for their Nouriſhment and Increaſe ; or elſe the Accidents come by blaſting Winds, rapacious Fowl, Vermin, Weeds, Fearn, Heath, Broom, and other unprofitable Vegetables, which impoveriſh and eat out the Heart of the Soil. To prevent the Diſtempers occaſioned by the abounding of Water in ruſhy and boggy Land, I have already preſcribed the Remedy of deep Trenching, even a Foot or two be- low the Spring when it is diſcovered. And if theſe Trenches be made deep enough and frequent enough, there will be a ſingular Advantage gained by having the Matter taken out of the Trenches thrown upon the Soil , whereby the reſt will be conſiderably raiſed, and the Diſtemper often cured, tho' it ſhould ſo happen that no Drain can be obtained to carry off the Water. After the Land is once laid dry, to cure its Coldneſs and untractable Nature, all ſuch Dungs and Compoſts are to be applied as are moſt fit by their Heat and Nitre to make a Separation of the Parts, as Lime, Rags, Soot, Pidgeon and Poultry Dung, &c. laid on diſcreetly, and not in too great Quantities, that they may not ſcorch or burn up the Graſs or Grain, inſtead of improving it. Sheep's Dung, Hog's Dung likewiſe, and all Soil and Litter of Cattel, by Reaſon of their Dung, Urine, and Heat of their Bodies lying thereon, have a Warmth in them, and are fit for cold Lands on that Account; and indeed by Reaſon of their Moiſture for dry Lands alſo. For it is ſometimes found that Land may be dry and cold too, as many of our Wood Lands eſpecially are, where Lime and the Aſhes of Vegetables are found to be ſo fingularly beneficial . But as there is nothing in Animal Bodies but what affords excellent Manure, ſo in theſe Caſes, Horns, Bones, Hair, Fleſh, both of Beaſts, Fiſh and Fowl, are good and very rich: And thofe that know the Virtue of them buy at Cities and Sea-Port Towns, Woollen Rags, Sheep Trotters, ſtinking Fiſh, and other Offal of Animals to be mixed with other Soils. But then again, where Moiſture is rather required than Heat, there floating (as I have before obſerved) by Land-Floods, if practicable, and the Dirt and Mud of Ponds and High- ways is moſt proper. For indeed Dryneſs is one of the greateſt Cauſes of Barrenneſs , and fandy and gravelly Soils do moſt of all ſuffer this Way; and therefore whereſoever Floating can be practiſed, the Advantage to ſuch Soils and low Lands is incredible, provided the Damage from natural Floods and Inundations at unſeaſonable Times do not ſpoil all; or that the Water artificially ſuperinduced do not remain too long, ſo as to make Bogs and breed Ruſhes. Another Remedy for light barren Land, and what I have mentioned under that Head, is Marle, the more greaſy and friable it is, the better, without Regard to the Colour, (for 308 CA New Syſtem of soit A (for there is good of all ſorts) for it gives that Tenacity which light Soils want, and hin- ders the Rains from ſinking away too ſoon, or being too foon exhaled by the Sun. Chalk alſo hath much of the Nature of Marle, but not fo Itrong nor durable. Mr. Higgens is lately come into my Pariſh, having obtained a Patent for curing Steri- lity, for he hath invented a Preparation for manuring barren Lands, which is by Lime burnt three or four times Ever, and calcined into a Powder ; a Buſhel of which he ſells for a Stiilling, and faith it will go as far as ten or twelve in the ordinary Way. It ſeems pof- fible enough to draw the Salts of Lime into a much leſs Compaſs, and to exclude all uſe- leſs mineral Matter: But then the probable Effect of ſuch Calcination will be this, That it will have only the Nature and Property of Pidgeon Dung to exert itſelf for one Year, and leave no abiding Virtue behind. And that truly ſeems to be the Caſe (by what I can hitherto judge) of all the Chymical Quackery in Husbandry; and I doubt the new inven- ted Liquor for infuſing Grain will not do ſo much. Ant-Hills.] Ant-Hills are great Annoyances to the Husbandman ; for even in wet Years the Graſs they bear, is worth little, and in dry ones they bear hardly any at all; there- fore a good Husband in three Winter Months takes out the Core or inward Parts and lays their Surface, even not lower than the other Level, that it may not hold Water. Moles.] Moles are alſo Enemies where they come, whatever the common People may fancy; for by much burrowing of the Ground, the Summer Droughts more ſenſibly affect ir than otherwiſe. There are many certain and expeditious Ways of deſtroying them by Traps well known and by a dexterous Management of a ſmall Spade; but the ſureſt Way of deitroying the Breed is to find out their Neſts in March and April, which may be diſcovered by the largeneſs of the Heaps. Mr. Speed preſcribes red Herrings burnt on the Mole-Hills, or Garlick put in their Furrows to fright them away; which yet are but im- perfect Cures. The deſtruction of Foxes, Badgers, Otters, Polecats, Hares and Rabits thoſe Enemies to the Husbandman muſt in the general be left to the Sportſmen; who yet for the moſt Part do more harm than good, and have not that regard to the Induſtry and Labour of the Husbandman as they thould, when they trample Corn and break Hedges. The Miſchief and Injury that is done among Grain, whether in Stacks or in the Barn, by Mice, and Rats where they abound, is vaſtly great : And many Contrivances there are to deceive as well as to kill them. For the firft Purpoſe, the making of Stavels with Stone Caps, and Granaries deſcribed already under that Head, is moſt effectual and ſecure; and all the Contrivances of Traps do little for the latter in Compariſon of a good Cat, if ſhe can but have acceſs to the Places where they harbour moſt. But ſurely the Method of Poiſon ſhould be refuſed, as not anſwering the End beſt, and yet the moſt dangerous. Crows, Ravens, Rooks and Jack-daws, do incredible Miſchief to the Husbandman, both in Seed-time and in Harveſt, and yet if their Neſts and Young ones were watched and deſtroy'd, their Multitudes might ſoon be leſſened. However, Mr. Blith's Invention of a Scare-Crow hath been experimentally found to be of ſingular Uſe. Kill (faith he) a Crow or two in the Place where they moſt haunt, and before the Corn is cut; there make an Hole, about a Foot deep, and two Foot over. Stick the long black Feathers of a Crow round the Edges thereof, and ſome at the Bottom. Several of theſe Holes may be made if the Ground be large, and the Carcaſſes tyed upon an upright Stick; for the Holes thus dreſſed, eſpecially if the Feathers are greaſed ſo as to make Gunpowder ſtick on them, (which is a further Improvement) will for fume Weeks affright all the Crows away. Sparrows alſo are a devouring Bird, great Breeders, and come in great Multitudes. Some ſay it is to little purpoſe to deſtroy their young ones, eſpecially the firſt Brood, for that they preſently betake themſelves to their Mate, lay and breed afreſh; whereas if the Young ones be ſuffered to fly, the old ones wait upon them and breed no more. So that the beſt Way is to take the Seaſon in March or April (or indeed any time in Winter) to deſtroy the old ones, which is moſt effectually done by the large folding Sparrow-Net, which will take many dozens at one fold; if the Place be diſcreetly baited with Chaff and the Net covered therewith fram ſight, at a Time eſpecially when Food is ſcarce. I have already directed the Remedy to prevent Smuttineſs in Wheat under that Head; which, tho’ it is a great Evil and Damage to the Husbandman is yet moſt effectually cu- red by Soaking, not Sprinkling the Seed in Brine twelve Hours, and juſt before fowing, dry it with Lime, But there are ſtill ſome other Annoyances to the Husbandman's Farm proceeding from the Vegetables growing thereon; as for Inſtance, Furze, Broom, Fern, Heath, Ruſhes, Thiſtles; Couch-Graſs, Carlo,k, and Wild Oats, &c. Das Furze.] »- Agriculture and Gardening 309 CC Furze.] I cannot find but Land of every Nature and Kind is ſubject to bear Furze, and ſometimes it will bear them ſo long that it will bear almoſt nothing elſe, at leaſt without great Charge and Pains. But it is certainly the Diſgrace of every Farmer to ſee them in any Plenty about him; and therefore he ſhould ſet himſelf in earneſt to deſtroy them Root' and Branch as an unprofitable Vegetable, except in ſuch Places where Fuel is extremely dear and ſcarce. Experience ſhews that Tillage alone and plowing up the Roots will not do ; for when the Land is laid down again, they preſently ſpring from the Roots and Fibres remaining in the Ground, and without further Care will but more and more over-run the Ground. Their ſpringing again therefore muſt be watched, and their De- ſtruction repeated by a ſharp Pick-Ax in hot Weather, and after this if you lay a fuffi- cient Quantity of Dung, Lime or Marle, they will then be effeétually deſtroyed and you'll ſee no more of them. Broom.] The moſt pernicious Plant or weedy Shrub that annoys the Farmer is Broom, which as it ſheds but few Leaves, ſo it continually ſucks out the Heart of the Land it grows upon. The Ways commonly recommended to kill it, ſuch as plowing, burn-bating, manuring with Dung, &c. prove all ineffectual : But foraſmuch as I have received fome- thing worth communicating to the Publick on this Head from my worthy Friend and Neighbour, Sir William Hufiler in Yorkſhire, I ſhall here ſet down what hath been the Reſult of his long Experience in this Matter. My Situation (faith he) being upon a Sandy Land, productive enough of Graſs, but apt to put up Broom and Fern ſo as to cumber the Ground; the Former of theſe I think "I can deſtroy, and have done fo, by cutting with a Knife, Hook, or any ſuch fitting " Inſtrument, the Stalk of ſuch Broom near a Handful above the Ground about Midſum- mer, which never ſhall produce any more till that Ground be opened again by plowing or digging; which Land ſo addicted (tho? having been freed from Broom for twenty “ Years) will be as full as ever : And no Remedy could I ever find but the above Me- of thod. I have been told that the ſame would have the like effect upon Brackens or Fern; 6 but I have experienced the contrary; and ſhould be glad to be rid of this Grievance.” And this Difficulty comes next in our Way; Fern.] For Fern is undoubtedly one of the worſt of Weeds, and hard to be deſtroyed, where it hath any thing of a deep Soil to root in, its Roots extending ſometimes eight Foot deep. The beſt Remedy is often mowing whilft in Graſs, i. e. for ſeveral Years twice a Year in May and in Auguft. And when the Land is plowed up, Lime, Marle, Aſhes or Rags ſtrewed well over it will perfect the Cure. This Evil hath one good Qua- lity attending it, that if cut when the Sap is in it and left to rot upon the Ground, is a very great Improver, and will mellow the Land ſo as to prevent its binding. And its Aſhes after burning are ſuppoſed to yield double the Quantity of Salt that any other Ve- getable will do, intomuch that in fome Places they uſe them inſtead of Soap to waſh their Linnen with. Some have ſaid that much treading the Ground with a double Quantity of Cattle is an infalible Way to kill them : But this I dare not anſwer for. Heath, Ruſhes.] Heath and Rufhes are killed more eaſily by the Plough, and the latter without it, if the Ground where they grow be well drained and kept free from ſtanding Wets in the Winter, and be well covered with Horſe-dung. Thiſtles.] Thiſtles, tho they are a certain Indication of Strength and Richneſs of Soil, yet they over-ſhadow and hurt both Graſs and Corn. The beſt Way and Time to deſtroy them is to mow them down juſt before they come to Seed, and it is very rare to find after that, that they will out-live the Winter at the Root. But from amongſt the Corn they muſt be cut down with a ſmall Hook the latter End of May or Beginning of June. Couch-Graſs.] Couch-Graſs is a pernicious Weed, keeping the Land hollow and looſe and much draining away its Riches. It is foon killed by laying it down to graſs ; buc whilft the Land is in Tillage it ſhould be frequently fallowed in dry Weather, and well harrowed, cleaning the Teeth of the Harrow at every turning. Such Land is not fit for Winter Corn; but white Oats that are fown late will over-top and help to kill it. Carlock.] Carlock, which is ſuppoſed to be bred chiefly from Cow-dung, is a moſt ſpread- ing Weed from the Seed, and will ſoon over-top a Land of Barley with its yellow Flow- It is the moſt harmleſs Weed both in its Roots and Branches which are few, and die away before the Corn flouriſhes in the Ear. Some have ventured to mow off its Tops in May, and thereby killed the greateſt Part: But where the Land is ſubject to Weeds that are encreaſed by Seed, the beſt Way is to lay it down ſome time with Graſs-feed, and feed it. ers, K k k k Wild-Oats.] 310 A New Syſtem of Wild Outs.] Wild Oats encreaſe much in open Winters, and are very hard to be de- ſtroyed. Some recommend the fowing Beans, where they are apt to grow, taking it for granted, that Sheep turned amongſt them, will eat only the Wild Oats and let the Beans alone: But that is not always to be depended on; for tho' the Tops of Beans are bitter ; yer Sheep are tempted and known to eat them while they are green and tender. A dry Summer Fallow or two is the beſt Cure. Mofs.] 2. I come now to ſay ſomething of ſuch Annoyances and Injuries as affect the Foreſt and Field-Plantations. When the Bodies or Stems of Trees are much infeſted with Moſso it is a certain Indication that the Roots reach a cold Gravel or Clay, or ſome fpewy Soil full of Wet, or Springs that cauſes Moſs and hinders their flouriſhing. To rub off the Moſs with a Hair-Cloth in wet Weather is good; but the best preventing Remedy is to plant high on the Sides of deep Drains. Rübbing] The Rubbing of Cattle is another great Injury to new Plantations; and their venemous gvawing off the young Shoots is a worſe. It is therefore better never to plant at all, than not fufficiently to guard the Trees from ſuch external Violences. Where the whole Plantation is a Grove, or Wood, or Foreſt, the whole inay be eaſily encloſed at once, and made to forbid the Entrance of ſuch Cattle at leaſt as hurt or wound the new fet Trees; or if the Trees are planted in Hedge-Rows, a Ditch on one side, and a dead Hedge on the other, will effectually ſecure them; but where Foreſt-Trees are planted in Rows for Avenues, there muſt be an effectual Defence made for every ſingle Tree, which is beſt done either of theſe two Ways : Firſt, by three upright ſturdy Poſts ſet in a Triangle about the Tree, and held together by two croſs Rows of ſtrong Laths; or, Secondly, (which is much the cheapeſt Way) by tümping ; i.e. by raiſing a Circle of good Earth two or three Foot high, and ſix Foot diameter round the Tree, leaving the Ditch, from which the Earth is taken round about, as deep aš poſſible : This effectually ſecures each Tree from being goaw'd or rubb’d by Cattle; and in ſpewy boggy Grounds is an excellent Re- medy to prevent the Roots being drowned with too much Wet. But in this Method id muſt be remembered, that the Trees muſt be planted on the Surface, and not put into a Hole before the Earth is raiſed about them. Rooks.] Thoſe who love the Noiſe of Rooks will not perhaps think them Annoyances ; but it is plain to a Demonſtration their neſtling in ſuch Flocks amongſt Timber and Fo- reſt-Trees; is a mighty Hindrance to their Growth and Thriving. Their Dung is Poiſon wherever it falls; and their Neſts, which are compoſed of the tender Branches of Trees, are conſtant Annoyances to the Tops, and much check and retard their Growth. As to what particularly reſpects the Fruit and Flower-Garden, and their Enemies, there needs not much be faid here, having in great Meaſure already ſpoken thereof under the Chapter of Blights. But I muſt firſt lay in this Caution, that there is no greater Hin- drance to the Growth and Thriving of all Vegetables, than to be ſo crowded together, that their Roots, Branches and Leaves interfere one with another. Therefore in all Ora chard and Garden Plants, whoſe Fruit and Flowers you would have fair and beautiful, and whoſe Growth you would expect conſiderable, take Care that they keep their Diſtan- ces. Apples, Pears, Plumbs, Cherries, and other Fruit-Trees are of divers 'Starures, both in Regard of one another, and of their own Kind; ſome of greater Extent than others, Pears eſpecially larger than Apples: So that it is hard to appoint one certain Diſtance for Trees in an Orchard. Eight Yards I always think little enough in the general Standard for Apples and Pears : But after all, the moſt certain Rule is, to take Care that one Tree do not ſhade another; and therefore to let the loweſt Trees) if you intend to make the moſt of your Ground) be ſet on the South Side, and the higheſt Pear-Trees on the North; for, ſhould the higher Trees ſtand South, they would call their Shade over the reſt of the Orchard. It muſt be either Ignorance or Covetouſneſs that ſhall prompt any one to crowd Fruit- Trees into a little Room: But it is eaſily demonſtrable that a proper Quantity of Trees will bear more Fruit, than double the Number in Exceſs. The Fairneſs and Largeneſs of Flowers and Fruits are very much augmented, by pre- venting the running up of a Multitude of Stalks from the ſame Root. The curious Flo- riſt obſerves this nicely in his Carnations, not ſuffering above one or two Spindles upon ſuch Roots or Stools where he intends a greater Fulneſs and Largeneſs in the Flowers. Shrubs likewiſe that bear either Fruits or Flowers are to be governed in like Manner. For every one knows that Gooſeberries and Currants degenerate to Smalneſs, or bear not at all, without this Care and Proviſion, that the Suckers be taken away. And how to prevent them I have ſhewn particularly under this Head. Thus Agriculture and Gardening. 311 Thus alſo the ſeveral Roſes, when they grow up to thick Buſhes, do not bear ſo well; but being kept to one ſingle Stem, and diſcreetly pruned (not being deprived of the Sun, they bear abundantly, the Damask eſpecially. Accordingly the weak Shoots of Vines are great Robbers, and ſhould be carefully removed both in Winter and Summer, to give Strength to the larger Branches and the Fruit. There are yet ſeveral other Annoyances to Vegetables in the Fruit and Flower-Gardeni, which I ſhall juſt mention before I conclude this Chapter. Piſmires are exceeding trouble- fome in fome Gardens, and the beſt Remedy I find, is what I have formerly preſcribed, [Gentleman's Recreation] viz. to cut Dew-Worms in Pieces (upon which they will gather) and then kill them with ſcalding Water out of a war’ring Por. Ear wigs are great Ene- mies and Deſtroyers of Carnations; but they may be catched in the hollow Hoofs of Beaſts put upon the End of a Stick ſet in the Ground. Caterpillars are beſt deſtroyed in their Eggs. There is a very bad fort that uſually lodges in the rough Stems of Gooſeberry- Buſhes all the Winter, and in the Spring fally out to deſtroy their Leaves, and the Blof- foms of Aprecots and Peaches : Theſe, when diſcovered, ſhould be ſhaken off upon Cloths Taid under the Buſhes, and pick'd off occaſionally froin the Fruit-Trees. The Decays and Rottenneſs that ſome bulbous Roots are ſubject to through too much Moiſture, is beſt cured by opening the Root, and applying a dry fandy Earth to the Part; but it is beſt prevented by laying the Borders like a Carp’s Back, gibbous, with ſuch high Ridges as may throw off the Winter Wets. Moſt Cherry-Trecs are apt to be Hide bound, the Muſcles of their Bark covering the Wood horizontally; and this Diſeaſe often makes them dwarfiſh, but the Cure is eaſy and very effectual: viz. to flit down the Bark perpendicu- larly with a knife. The CONCLUSION. A S this whole foregoing Syſtem has been in Effect no other than an Explanation and unfolding of Nature's Riches, it is very fit, and very decent, that the ſum- ming up and Recapitulation of the whole ſhould be in a devout admiring and adoring the Wiſdom, Contrivance, Curioſity and Skill of the Great Creator and Former of the vegetable Kingdom. It was the great Sin and Blemiſh of the Heathen World, that in the Contemplation of the Beauty and Ufefulneſs of the Creature, they did not raiſe their Minds to conſider the Wiſdom of the Creator. The Particulars that offer themſelves to a thinking Mind to aſſert a Providence, and to confure the Vanity of the old Epicureans, are infinite ; and it would too much enlarge the Bounds of my preſent Purpoſe, to engage too far in thewing the great Variety here is both of Trees and Plants provided for all ages, and for every Uſe and Occaſion of Life: Some foft, fome hard, ſome ſtrong, ſome tough, ſome long and tall, others ſhort and low, ſome thick and large, others ſlender and ſmall; proper either for Building or Tools, or other neceffary Utenſils : Some for Food, and ſome for Pleaſure, as hath been already deſcribed. If one were to ſurvey the curious Anatomy and Structure of the Bodies of Plants, and ſhew the admirable Proviſion made for the Conveyance of the animal Juice or Sap, the Variety and Texture of their Leaves, the Gaiety and Fragrancy of their Flowers, the wonderful Method of their Generation by Male and Female Parts *, the great care Nature has taken of the Conſervation and Safety of the Seed and Fruit, by ſeaſonable and well fenced Coverings : If to theſe Confiderations one were to add the various Ways of Nature in dilipating and fowing the Seed, and afterwards in the nice Proviſion that is made for their Support and Aid in ſtanding and growing, ſo as to miniſter to the Ends and Uſes of Life: And for ſuch Vegetables as are weak, and not able to ſupport themſelves, the won- derful Faculty they have ſo readily and naturally to make uſe of others ſtronger than them- ſelves, thereby uſing them as Crutches to their feeble Bodies ; ſome by their odd convol- ving Faculty, by twiſting themſelves like a Screw about others; ſome by catching at, and ( as it were) graſping for Help by their Cluſters and Tendrels t, equivalent to Hands: All which See Bradley. Chap. Of the Generation of Plants. † Claſpers are of a compound Nature between that of a Root and of a Trunk. Their Uſe is ſometimes for Support only, as in the Claſpers of Vines, Briony, &c. whoſe Branches being long, ſender and fragile, would fall by their own Weight and that of their fruit. But theſe Claſpers taking hold of any thing that is at hand; which they do by a. natural Circumvolution which they have. Thoſe of Briany have a rétrogade Motion about every third Circle, in the Form 312 Å New Syſtem of Ĉ which various and ſurprizing Methods, being ſo nicely accommodated to the Indigencies of thoſe helplefs Vegetables, is a manifeſt Indication of their being the Contrivance of fome great Artificer; and that the Author of Nature doth new unigar in them, and characterize out ſuch Variety of elegant Figures, that every Plant Thall ſeem to have more of Mathe- matical Art than the moſt maſterly Hand can ſhape or faſhion. Why, for Inſtance, have thoſe Plants that bear little or no Seed with us (as the Poplar and Sallow, &c.) in every Bough a Propenſity of ſending forth Roots; by the Occaſion whereof, each Branch is made an entire Tree or Plant? And why for Want of Off-ſets hath Nature made the Muſhroom propagable by the ſmalleſt of their Shreds and incon- fiderable Parts? And why is the Indian Fig, that hath no Stalk, to be propagated only by its Leaves ? Again, why have Plants ſuch an Eagerneſs to flower and ſeed, and ſuch an Impatience of being diſappointed ? For if you pull off the Bud of the Roſe, it will puſh for a Roſe again ? But indeed moſt other Flowers and Fruits have the ſame Deſire to produce their Seeds, and therefore have given Occaſion for Artiſts to make Rules of Retardation. Again, Why do the Seeds ſtick cloſe to the Pedal by which they are joined to the Stock until they are ripe and fit for Propagation, and then fall off in the moſt fit Seaſon for future Growth? Why do thoſe Plants that uſually die every Year, yet if they are diſappointed of run- ning ro Seed, continue to ſurvive many Years; even ſo long till they are permitted to run up to leave Seed behind them : But that they are appointed by the univerſal Law of Na- ture not to defert their Order, till they have ſettled a Succeſſion, or produced others of their own Kind? What ſhould be the Meaning that Nature in Vegetables for the moft Part obſerves the Quincunx Order, of one fort or other, in the Situation of the Buds and Leaves, from whence the Eruptions and future Shoots are made, but that an uniform Equilibration, and Up- rightneſs of Trees may be preſerved? For ſhould all the Boughs break out in one place, or on one side; that Side would preponderare, would bend down the Body into an un- feemly Crookedneſs, and deprive it of that Uniformity and Straitneſs, which is ſo neceſſary for its Health and VigourAnd it may be obſerved that thoſe Plants which are without theſe Regulations, are generally fuch as are made to grow upon and twiſt about other Things, and not to bear up themſelves; as the Hop, the Bind-Weed and the like. What, I ſay, ſhould be the Meaning of all this, and many more Inſtances that might be given of Art and Contrivance in the Formation of Vegetables; and of Wiſdom, in ma- king them ſubfervient to allay the Pains and Miſeries *, and to ſupply the † Wants and Neceſſities of Human Nature, but that there is one fupreme, wiſe, intelligent Agent that doth preſide over, and govern every the minuteſt Part of the Univerſe, diſpoſing all Things in Number, Weight and Meaſure; and, to all the rational Part of the Creation, affording ſuch plain Impreſſes of the divine Wiſdom and Care, as manifeſt the Providence and Su- perintendence of GOD, the great, the adorable, the infinite Creator ? To whom be aſcribed all Glory, Honour, Wurſhip, and Praiſe, Thankſgiving, and Power, εις τες αιώνας ή αιώνον, for ever. . Amen. Form of a double Claſp, ſo that if they miſs one way, they may catch the other. Sometimes the Uſe of Claſpers is alſo for a Supply, as in the Trunk Roots of Ivy, which being a plant that mounts very high, and being of a cloſer and more compact Subſtance than that of Vines, the Sap would not be sufficiently ſupplied to the upper Sprouts, unleſs theſe aſſiſted the Mother Root; but theſe ſerve alſo for Support too. Sometimes alſo they ſerve for Stabi- liment, Propagation and Shade. For the firſt of theſe ſerve the Claſpers of Cucumbers: For the ſecond, thoſe or rather the Trunk Roots of Camomile; and for all three the Trunk Roots of Strawberries. Harris Lex. in Verb. Claſpers. * Tales Plantarum Species in quacunque regione à Deo creantur quales Hominibus & Animalibus ibidem natis maximè conveniunt: Immo ex Plantarum naſcentium frequentia le ferè animadvertere poſſe, quibus morbis quælibet Regio ſubjecta fit, fcribit Solenander. Sic apud Danos, Friſos, Hollandos, quibus fcorbutus frequens, Cochlearia copioſè provenit. Ray Hift. Plant. l. 16. . 3: † 'Tis an admirable Proviſion made for ſome Countries ſubječt to Drought, that when the Waters every where fail , there are Vegetables which contain not only Moiſture enough to ſupply their own Vegetation and wants , but afford Drink alſo both to Man and other Creatures in their great Extremities. Derham, Phyſ. Theol. pag. 435. Dr. Sloane’s Deſcription of the Wild Pine is, that its Leaves are channelled fit to catch and convey Water down into their Reſervatories; that theſe Reſervatories are ſo made as to hold much Water, and cloſe at Top, when full, to hinder its Evaporation : That theſe Plants grew on the Arms of the Trees in the Woods, as alſo on the Barks of their Trunks. See Phil. Tranſ. No. 251. FINI S. ܟ݁ܽܫ.܂ ܢ انا تاند SIXTWILIYO Wikim SAL 2012.11 min TITAHIDI CHILIO IVICI'I svildan ARTES VIIN 31051 nimi MUH A MARIDHIANO 1837 D 408485 1 3 9015 08463 2903 KONVERNAL UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AVIDINDIW JO XLISUSANII جی را بیان او مر