25-4 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



from a little bed on which they were rai- 

 fed iP^o a place of the garden, full 80 

 yards diftant, and almoft diredly South ; 

 there being two hawthorn and three hol- 

 ly hedges, all pretty thick and tall, be- 

 tween them and their feed-bed j and no 

 other fpinage in the garden, nor fo near 

 them by far ; All the three proved fertile 

 plants^ and ripened plenty of feeds. I 

 fowed them ; they grew and profpered as 

 well as any fpinage-feed poflibly could 

 do. This, I own, made me, at firft, call 

 in queftion the fexes of plants, which I 

 formerly too implicitly believed. 



2. Th e fame year, a few plants of the 

 common hemp, which 1 had raifed for a 

 fpecimen from the feed, being accidental- 

 ly deftroyed when very young ; and find- 

 ing afterwards, abouc the end of June, a 

 pretty ftrong but late plant of hemp, 

 growing in the inclofure to the call of Ho- 

 lyrood-houie, commonly called the Bowl- 

 ing green, by itfelf : I caufed great care 

 to be taken of it, there not being that 

 year any hemp raifed within a mile of it, 

 that I could find. This plant grew luxu- 

 riantly? 



