CENTURY V. 



stance, seasonably, to the roots of trees, doth set 

 them forwards. But to do it unto herbs, without 

 mixture of water or earth, it may be these helps are 

 too hot. 



405. The former means of helping germination, 

 are either by the goodness and strength of the nou 

 rishment, or by the comforting and exciting the 

 spirits in the plant, to draw the nourishment better. 

 And of this latter kind, concerning the comforting of 

 the spirits of the plant, are also the experiments that 

 follow ; though they be not applications to the root 

 or seed. The planting of trees warm upon a wall 

 against the south, or south-east sun, doth hasten 

 their coming on and ripening ; and the south-east is 

 found to be better than the south-west, though the 

 south-west be the hotter coast. But the cause is 

 chiefly, for that the heat of the morning succeedeth 

 the cold of the night : and partly, because many 

 times the south-west sun is too parching. So like 

 wise the planting of them upon the back of a chim 

 ney where a fire is kept, doth hasten their coming on 

 and ripening ; nay more, the drawing of the boughs 

 into the inside of a room where a fire is continually 

 kept, worketh the same effect, which hath been tried 

 with grapes, insomuch as they will come a month 

 earlier than the grapes abroad. 



406. Besides the two means of accelerating ger 

 mination formerly described; that is to say, the 

 mending of the nourishment ; and comforting of the 

 spirit of the plant ; there is a third, which is the 

 making way for the easy coming to the nourishment, 



