ON BREEDING AND RAISING VEGETABLES. 



The nature of the sexual intercourse, in the 

 propagation of animals, may be considered as too 

 well understood to need a minute explanation ; 

 but of the necessity of the sexual intercourse, in 

 the propagation of vegetables, many are still ig- 

 norant. I may therefore, perhaps, be excused for 

 intruding some observations on this part of the 

 subject, and for giving extracts from prece- 

 ding authors. 



It may be but of trifling importance, who was 

 the first that discovered, the existence of a differ- 

 ence in the sexes in vegetables ; but as Bradley, 

 in a work on the improvement of planting and^ 

 gardening, published in 1730, seems to have 

 been one of the first English authors who wrote 

 on the subject, and as his description is clear 

 and simple, I shall give it in his own language. 



He says, *' I hope to be excused, if in the 

 *' explanation of this wonderful mystery of the 

 " generation of plants, I shall be found to intro- 

 *♦ duce such kind of plants as are not to be found 

 " in forests, and to make some of my experi- 

 " meiits in the orcliard and kitchen-garden. 



