o 



p 



u 



depth of foil next the furface, which Is proper for ! ftrument ufed in this operation is a plough, yc* 



the growth of vegetables. Where clay is next the 

 ftaple, {provided it is not of the blue or iron-mould 

 fort, there will not be the fame danger of going a 

 little deeper than the ftaple, as in either of the be- 

 fore-mentioned lorts of land ; for if the clay be of a 

 fat nature, when it hath been well expofedto air, and 

 often laboured, it will be capable of affording a 

 large fhare of nourifliment to the crops. 

 If between each ploughing of the land a harrow 

 with long teeth is made ufe of to tear and break the 

 • clods, it will be of great fervice to the land ; for the 

 . more it is ftirred by different inftruments, the better 

 . will the parts be feparated and pulverized; fo that 

 the common method, as pradlifed by the farmers, when 

 they fallow their land, is far from anfwering the in- 

 . tention, for they plough up the ground, leaving it in 

 great clods for fome months, and frequently, during 

 this time, Thiftles and all bad weeds are fuffered to 

 grow upon the land, to exhauft the goodnefs of it ; 

 and perhaps, juft before the feeds are fown, they 

 give it two more ploughings. This is what the far- 

 mers call good hufbandry-, but if inftead of this me- 

 thod they would labour the ground often with the 

 plough, a harrow, and heavy roller, to break and 

 feparate the parts, and never fuffer any weeds to grow 

 •upon the land during its lying fallow, I am fure they 

 . would find their account in it ; firft, by the growth 

 and increafe of their crops, and afterward by a faving 

 .. in the weeding ; for if no weeds are fuffered to grow 

 to Ihed their feeds, during the time of fallowing the 

 land, there will but few come up when the ground is 

 fov/n, in comparifon with what would otherwife be in 

 the common huft)andry. 



■ In many of the old gardens near London, which are 

 .. occupied by the kitchen-gardeners, when the upper 

 ; furface of the ground is exhaufted by the continual 



crops which they get from it, it is a corhmon method 



to trench the ground two or three fpades depth, and 



t: turn the bottom foil upward; and by this the land is 



■> frelh, and produces very good crops for fome years 



'.after, -^; And in invitation of this many of tKb farming 



' ^' gardeners, who make ufe of tft'e plough, have two 



of three men following the plough in the furrows, who , 



, return up a fpit in the, bpctom of each furrow; and 



*: where the foil is good, they throw it on the furface, 



but if otherwife, they level it in the bottom, and this 



loofening of the ground renders it capable of admitting 



the roots of the plants. " . 



. The ploughing already mentioned is intended to pre- 



■ pare the land for the reception of the feeds which 

 . are propofed to be fown, and as was before obferved, 



the oftener and better this is performed, the more the 

 land will produce. Bur, befide this, there will be a 

 -j neceffity for ftirring the ground to dettroy the weeds, 

 " after the crop is growing; for if the weeds are fuf- 

 fered to grow.with the crop, they w:illdraw away moft 

 of the nouriftiment, and greatly leflen their produce. 

 Therefore in gardens this work is generally performed 

 by hand, with an inflrument called a hoe, unlefs 

 ^ when the ground is very ftiff, and fubje£t to bind ; in 

 - which cafe it will be "proper to make ufe of forks to 

 ; break and loofen the earth between the crops, and 

 f the oftener this is repeated, the better will the crops 

 .^. fucceed. and this hufbandry I have feen attended with 

 ". great advantage. But in the large open fields of 

 Y Beans, Peas, and other large-growing plants which 

 ; are planted in rows, the ground between may be fre- 

 ,;, /jquently ftirred with a fmall fwing-plough, which will 

 deftroy the weeds, pulverize the ground, and give 

 ^ nourilhment to the crop; for as all land is apt to 

 < ; bind, or the parts coalefce by lying unftirred, the more 

 ; , and oftener it is ftirred, the better it wijl be kept 

 ; loofe, and thereby rendered proper for the growth of 

 plants^ This fort of ploughing is termed hprfe- 

 ^o^ipgi and there being a particular treatife upon this 

 . fort of hufbandry written by Mr. Jethro Tull, of 

 Shelbourn, inBerkfhirey in which the inftruments are 

 figured anddefcribed, I fhall refer thofe, who are 

 defirous to pradife this hufbandry, to the book it- 

 .^ felf, and fhall only take notice,' that although the in- 



> ^ 



*->-j 





it is termed hoeing, as it is intended to deftroy the 

 weeds, and to ftir the ground but a fmall depth, to 

 diftinguifh it from the common ploughing to pre- 

 pare the land for the crop. 



PLUMBAGO. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 140. tab. 58. 

 Lin. Gen. Plant. 196. Leadwort. 



The Characters are. 

 The flotver has a tubulous^ five-ccrncred^ permanent em- 

 palement of one leaf which is indented at the top into five 

 parts ; it hath one petal which is funnel-Jhaped^ aiid a 

 cylindrical tube which is narrow at the top. The brim is 

 cut into five parts which are oval and fpreading-, it has 

 five awl-fiaped ftamina fituated in the tube^ fitting upon 

 the valves of the ne£larium^ which includes the gennen. 

 The fmall oval germen fuftains a fingle ftyle the length of 

 the tube^ crowned by a Jlender five-pointed ftigma. The 

 germen afterward becomes a Jingle oval feed included in 

 the empalement. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fcftion of 

 LinnsEus's fifth clafs, which includes the plants whofe 

 flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 

 The Species are, 



1. Vhvu^hGo {Eur op.€a) foliis amplexicaulibus. Hort. 

 Cliif. 53. Leadwort with leaves embracing the ftalks. 

 Plumbago quorundam. Cluf Hift. 123, Lead-jsort or 

 Toothwort. , . . 



2. Plumbago {Zeylanica) foliis petiolatis ovatis glabris, 

 caule geniculis giblofis. Lin, Sp. 215. Hort. Clitf. 53. 

 Leadwort with leaves having foot-ftalks. Plumbago 



' Americana, betas folio aa.pliori. Plum. Cat. Jmeri- 

 can Leadwort with a larger Beet l^af • 



Thefe are all the forts which I have obferved in the 

 . -_ Englifti gardens. The firft fort grows naturally in 



- the fouth of France, in Italy, and Spain ; it hath a 



,y, perennial root, which ftrikes deep into the ground, 



^Ifrom^ which arife many fiender ftalks about three feec 



,. and a half high, which kre' channelled, and garnifhed 



. with oval fpcar-lhaped leaves about three inches long 



and two bro^di whole bale embrace the ftalks ; they 



are fmooth, entire, andofagrayifh colour. The upper 



. part of the ftalks fend out many fide branches which 



.are flender, and garnifhed with fmall leaves. Thefe, 



- .and alfo the principal ftalks, are ferhiiriated by tufts 



of either blue or white flowers, which are fmall, funnel- 



.'■ Ihapcd, and have pretty long tubes, and are fucceeded 



by oblong, rough, hairy feeds. This plant feldom 



■ flowers till toward the end of Odtober in England, and 

 unlefs the autumn proves warm, does not flower here, 

 fo never produces ripe feeds. There is a variety of this 

 with white flowers and pale ftalks, which is fuppofed 

 to have rifen from the feeds of the former. - ;■ 

 The ftalksof this decay in the winter, and new ones 

 come up the following fpring ; they are propagated 

 here by parting of their roots, which fend out heads 

 in plenty. Thefe may be divided at any time when 

 the weather is mild, from the time the ftalks decay, 



' till the roots begin to ftioot in the fpring ; itfhould 



■ haye a light foil and a w^arm fituation, otherwife it 

 will not flower here. ' The roots fhbuld be allowed 



..^^ 



/ room to fpread, and the ftalks require fupport, and if 

 the plants are kept clean froni weeds, and the ground 



'-between them dug every winter, it is all the culture 

 they require. , - .. v,.. ,;•:,- ' - '-_■ 



- It is called Dentillaria^ or Toothwort by many au- 

 , thors, who recommend its virtues in curing thetooth- 

 ach, beine: of a hot cauftic nature like rellitory of 

 Spam. ^ • - / \\ - .' '. *^^ - ■ 



The fecond fort grows naturally in both Indies • this 

 is a perennial plant, with a ftrong fibrous root, from 

 which arife many flender ftalks, which grow near four 

 feet high, garniflied withfmooth, oval, fpear-fliaped 



leaves about three 



mches long. 



and one and a half 



broad near their bafe, ending in acute points, which 

 are placed alternate, ftanding upon Ihort foot-ftalks. 

 The tipper part of the ftalks divide into fmall 



• branches, garnilhed with fmall oval leaves, and ter- 



• minate in fpikes of flowers, which have long flender 

 tubes, cut into five fegments at the brim, which fpread' 



I ■ 



thefe are fucceeded by oblong feeds covered 



The upper part of 



the 



open ; 



with the prickly empalement* 



- h 



