l68 ON REARING SILK-WORMS IX SCOTLAND. June 8, 

 The larch tree is not a native of this country ; — it was 

 introduced into it, even almoft within our own me- 

 mory ; — yet it is now known to be much more har- 

 dy, and to thrive better in a variety of foils than the 

 Scotch fir itfelf, and many of our other indigenous trees : 

 Yet the Duke of Atl'.ol, wlio brought the feeds of this 

 tree from the bleak hills of Carniola, thought it neceffa- 

 ly to preferve it in his grec;\ houfe for many winters ; 

 and it was only neccffity that obliged him, at laft, to 

 allow it to take its chance without doors, as it had be- 

 come too large to be contained within the houfe. 

 Then he had the fatisfaftiou to perceive that it not on- 

 ly continued alive abroad, but profpered there much 

 better than it did while cooped up in the green- 

 boufe. 



But if the general prejudice be fo ftrong, as to make 

 us even dread that plants from a cold region will be 

 too tender to piofper in the open air here, it is much 

 more natural to be doubtful of tlie fuccefs of thofe that 

 come from climates that are much hotter than our own ; 

 though experience has demonllrated, that, even in this 

 refpeft, we may often judge erroneoufly — The fwect- 

 fcented pea, fo commonly cultivated in our gardens, is a 

 native of the ifland of Ceylon, in the torrid Zone ; — yet 

 that pea not only lives in the open air in this .country, 

 iut is even the hardielt annual pea with which we are 

 acquainted ; as it is the only fort that bears our win- 

 ter's cold, without any flielter. — No inference, there- 

 fore, that can be abfolutely depended upon, can be 

 drawn, as to the hardincfs of any vegetable, merely from 

 ccnfioering the nature of t!ie climate, where it was ' 

 £r(l accidentally difcovered. 



I Ihall fuon have occalion to (liew, that wherever 

 the mulberry tree can be made to thrive, the lilk-worm 

 may be reared, and that cold regions are, in fome re- 

 fpefts, more favourable for the infect itfelf, than hot 

 climates ; — yet prejudice is fo much more powerful in 

 influencing mankind than reafon, that it has required 



