A 



H 



joined at their hafe into four he dies, and nr^ cro'vned 

 xvitb round fumwits. "The gerrnen aftcr-jjard hecom-'s an 

 cblcn'7 pointed feed'VeJJel, opening in two valves, and filled ' 



'd feeds 



feed'Vejfel 



Thrs [■;cnus of plants is ranged in the third fcftion of 

 Linnarus'sciizhteenth clafs, entitled Polyadelphia IV 

 lyandria, thcT dowers having many ftamiaa, whicli 

 are ioincd in feveral bodies. 

 I'he Si'EciKS are, 

 I. AscYRUiM (CV/AV Andrea) fbliisovatis caule tcrctipa- 





halk^ and fii 



Peterfi 



fc f pikes from the diviftons of 



coldes ex terra mariana floribus exiguis luteis. Pluk. 

 Mant. 104. called St. Andrew' sCrofs. 



2. AscvRUM {Villofm) foliis hirfutis caule ftriflo. Lin. 

 Sp. Plant. 788. 5/. Peterfvjcrt with hairy leaves and a 



fliff fender jtalL Hypericum Virginian um frutefcens 

 pilofiiTimum. Pluk. Aim, 1S9. 



3. AscYiivM {Hypericoides) foliis oblongis, ramus anclpi- 

 tibus. Lin. Sp. no8. St. Peterfwcrt with ohlong leaves 

 anda flatted ftalk. Hypericoides frutefcens eredla iio- 

 re luteo. Plum. Nov. Gen. 51. 



The firfl fort is a low plant, whofe flalks feldom rife 

 more than fix inches high, garnilhed with fmall oval 

 leaves, placed by pairs ^ the llalks are flendcr, and 

 divide into tv/o toward the top. From between the 

 divifion o\ the branches, the loofe fpikcs of yellow 

 fiovvTcrs are produced very fmall, fo make no ap- 

 pearance ; therefore the plant is fcarce worthy of a 

 place in gardens, except for the fake of variety. The 

 root is perennial, and the plant may be propagated 

 by laying down its branches ^ it loves a moid foil and 

 a iliady fituacion. This grows naturally in North 

 America •, I was favoured with this plant by the Right 

 Hon. the Earl of Northumberland, who procured it 

 from tlicncc. 



The fecond fort grows about three feet high, with 

 upright ilalks, garnifhed with hairy oblong leaves \ 

 the liowers are produced at the ends of the flalks, 

 which are of the fhape and colour with common St. 



J 



This hath a 



perennial root, but the ilalks decay every autumn. 

 It may be propagated by parting the roots in autumn, 

 v/hen the fcalks decay, and fhould be planted in a 

 loamy foil ; this fome years will produce feeds in Eng- 

 land. It grows naturally in Virginia, 

 The third fort grows naturally in South Carolina, 

 from v-zhence I received the feeds. This plant rifes a 

 foot and a half high, with flat flalks, garnilhed witli 

 oval fmooth leaves growing oppofite ; the fcalks are 

 terminated by three or four yellow flowers, growing 

 clofe together, v/hich are larger than thofe of the com- 

 m>on St. Johnfv/ort, and the petals of the flowers are 

 hollow. This fort rarely produces feeds in England, 

 but it may be propagated by cuttings made of the 

 youn 





May 



1 



f planted in pots, and 



plunged into a very moderate hot-bed, will take root 

 in five or fix weeks, when they may be tranfplanted 

 into a warm border, where they will endure the cold 

 of our ordinary v/inters \ but in fevere frolls they are 

 frequently deftroyed, unlefs the roots are covered 

 with ran to keep out the frofl. 



Thefc plants have little beauty, fo arc feldom culti- 

 vated but in botanic gardens for the fake of variety. 



ASCYRUM BALEARICUM. 7 ^^ „ 

 ASCYRUM MAGNO FLORE. ^^'^''"''^^^'" 

 ASCYRUM VULGARE. * '^^^' 



A S H-T R E E. See Fraxinus. 



ASHES are eflecmed a good fuperficial drefTing for 

 corn and meadow land, as they give a new ferment 

 to fucli lands as are in any degree fluggifli and in- 

 aftivc, and enrich thofe which are jejune and flow, 

 being endowed witli lingular qualities to make them 

 prolific. 



All forts of aflies, indeed, contain in them a very 

 rich fertile fait, and are the befl manure of any to lay 

 upon cold wet land ^ but then they ought to be kept 

 dry, that the rain may not wafli away their fait. Ex- 



2 





A 



perlencc h^^ jlie-vn, tliat the allies of any fort of ve- 

 getabk arc A^ery advantageous to land, by tlic im- 

 provemcnt tliat has been made in moft place^i in EiiL;- 

 land, by burning bean-fi:alks, fern, furze, hcach, 

 fedgc, ilraw, flubblc, &c. 



Coal aihes, or fuch as ai'e niaJe of Ncwcartle, Scot'ch, 

 and other pit-coal, are much recommended by fome ; 

 but the flrit are moll approved of, becaufc they con- 

 tain a greater quantity of nitrous and fulphureous 

 matter than' the oihers, though the refl: are oood. 

 There is no drefflng fo good for grafs ground as the 

 fea-coal alhes, el]:)ecially for cold wet land, and where 

 it is fubjecc to ruflies or mofs -, for thefe will deflroy 

 both, andoccafion the grafs to be much finer : but 

 tliis drefllng fliould be kid on the land early in win- 

 ter, othervvife tiiey v/ill do harm the firfl: fummer ; 

 for when thev are laid on the ground in the fpring, 

 they will cauir the grafs to burn as foon as the warmtla 

 comes on ^ whereas thofe that were put on early 

 enough to receive the winter's rain, will be walhed 

 into the ground before tiie warm feafon, whereby 

 the grafs will have the benefit of it the firil year. 

 Where the land is poor and four, producing rufnes 

 and mofs only, there fliould be at Icaft twenty loads 

 of aflies laid upon each acre •, for a flight dreffing 

 will not anfv/er the defign of killing weeds and mofs, 

 nor will it be fufficient to enrich land v/hich is cold 

 and fluggifti, therefore It will be better to lay a good 

 dreffing at firfl, than to do it at feveral intervals ; for 

 one fubftantial dreffing will continue the land lonorer 

 in heart than three flight ones, befides the advantage 

 before-mentioned. 

 But thefe ought to be applied fuperficially, and not 

 too near the roots of plants ; and if fo, there are few 

 plants but will receive benefit by them, by their ni- 

 trous and fulphureous qualities being wafhed down by 

 the rain, which will open by the ilrength of water, 

 and caufe it to heave, in fome degree, as lime will 

 do when water is thrown upon it. 

 Wood-alhes are commended as the principal of fu- 

 perficial dreffings for land, in that they contain a ve- 

 getative kind of fait. 



Kiln-afiies, i. e. fuch as are made of draw, furze, 

 &c. are, by fome, accounted as good as any of the 

 fpirltuous improvements of lands that are lightifh -, 

 but for fuch as are heavy, they are looked upon as 

 fcarce folid and ponderous enough. Thefe aflies the 

 makfters in the wefl: country fift over their corn and 

 grafs, which are fuppofed, by their heat, to caufe a 

 fermentation, a hoUowncfs and loofenefs in the 

 mould ; by which means the rains enter it the more 

 eafily, and difpofe the earth forgiving up an afllixmp- 

 tion of its vegetative augment. 

 But thefe being liglit, ought never to be fl-rewed nor 

 fifted in windy weather, becaufe they v/ould be blown 

 av/ay ; and if it could be fo ordered as to be done jufl 

 before fnow or rain, it would be the better. 

 Soap-aflies (i. e. after the foap-boilers have done v/ich 

 them) are very proper for lands that are very cold 

 and four, and to kill weeds of all forts : and Sir 

 Hugh Plat mentions one at Ware, who having a piece 

 of land over-run with broom and furze, manured it 

 with foap-aflies, and liad an incredible crop of wheat 

 for fix years fuccefllvely. 



Pot-aflies, after the pot-afli men have done with 

 them, are eflicemed good for mofl forts of land ; but 

 as they have been wet, and mofl: of the fait drawn off 

 by the lee, they ought to be laid on much thicker 

 than other aflies. 



Turf-aflies are very good for all forts of land, but 

 efpecially for clay lands, but will be much better if 

 mixed with lime. 



¥ 



But all thefc aflies ought to be kept dry, from the 

 time they are made till they are ufcd, eife the rains 

 will both wafl-i away their goodnefs, and alfo make 

 them clod, efpecially fome of the lafl: mentioned, 

 which v/ill prevent their fpreading. 

 And befides, one load of alhes that has been kept 

 dry, will go as far as two that have been expofcd 

 to the rain : and coal-afties, if moiflened v/ith 



cham- 



