226 NATURAL HISTORY. 



birch, asp, willow, and especially the shining willow, 

 which they call swallow-tail, because of the pleasure 

 of the leaf. 



476. The barrenness of trees by accident, be 

 sides the weakness of the soil, seed, or root ; and the 

 injury of the weather, cometh either of their over 

 growing with moss, or their being hide-bound, or 

 their planting too deep, or by issuing of the sap too 

 much into the leaves. For all these there are reme 

 dies mentioned before. 

 % 



Experiments in consort touching compound fruits 

 and flowers. 



We see that in living creatures, that have male 

 and female, there is copulation of several kinds ; 

 and so compound creatures, as the mule, that is 

 generated betwixt the horse and the ass, and some 

 other compounds which we call monsters, though 

 more rare ; and it is held that that proverb, Africa 

 semper aliquid monstri parit, cometh, for that the 

 fountains of waters there being rare, divers sorts of 

 beasts come from several parts to drink, and so 

 being refreshed, fall to couple, and many times 

 with several kinds. The compounding or mixture 

 of kinds in plants is not found out ; which, never 

 theless, if it be possible, is more at command than 

 that of living creatures, for that their lust requireth 

 a voluntary motion ; wherefore it were one of the 

 most noble experiments touching plants to find it 

 out: for so you may have great variety of new 

 fruits and flowers yet unknown. Grafting doth it 



