302 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



furrounded with a tall and thick quick- 

 fet hawthorn-hedge, I cut down two or 

 three more tulips, which flood at fome 

 diftance from them, fo as to leave none 

 within that inclofure, fave the two I men- 

 tioned ; out of thefe, gently opening the 

 petala, I plucked all the flamina with 

 their apices ftill intire. The confequen- 

 ces of this too rude caftration, was a cen- 

 fiderable extravafation of the juices, in 

 the bottom of the flower, and a fudden 

 decay of the ovarium or fruit, which ne- 

 ver increafed, but turned yellow, flirunk, 

 and withered. In order to difcover whe- 

 ther this abortion was owing to the 

 wounds, or to the want of the dufl of the 

 apices, I fufFered thefe two tulips to re- 

 main in the place where they were : And 

 next feafon, with the fame precaution that 

 no other tulips fliould flower within the 

 inclofure, I opened the petala, and took 

 out carefully, not the flamina, but only 

 all the apices ; which prevented any fen- 

 fible bleeding of the parts. This more 

 gentle caO ration they bore perfedly well; 

 the ovarium fufFered nothing in either of 



them. 



