Mr. Liviiigjlon^s Remarks 077 Grccn-gagc Plumhs. 93 



I have never yet heard, that thefe prefcriptions have been 

 attended with much fuccefs ; nor do I think they ever. will. — 

 Except man, I know no animal that fuffers from a plethora, 

 nor would he, if luxury had not provoked his appetite to 

 exceed its natural bounds ; all others acquire flrength' from 

 plenty of food.; the fame reafoning applies to vegetables, 

 vvhofe feeds and fruits are always moH perfect, when a 

 fufficiency of food is furniflied them. The plumb is in no 

 foil a very vigorous tree ; its growth is flow ; and when it 

 begins to bear, it is generally very heavily laden ; as the fruit 

 increafes in fize, it makes a demand upon the roots for more 

 fap than they can readily furnifli,, particularly as the droughts 

 often come on juft as this demand is made. The circulation 

 in the tree becomes more languid, and the fruit alters, withers 

 and drops for want of nourifhmeut, or is deftroyed by worms, 

 which are produced in it, as in the Itomachs of feeble children, 

 .from unwholfome food. 



If this reafoning is juft, the remedy muft be the reverfe of 

 that, which is ufually prefcribed. I have therefore always" 

 planted my plumbs in the richeft fpots of my garden (the 

 foil of which is a loam upon a light fand, dug up and mixed, 

 and very highly manured every year), and my trees have 

 fcarcely ever failed to ripen as much fruit as the branches 

 could carry without danger of breaking. I have alfo had 

 fome plumbs upon a ftiff clay, none of which have borne any 

 fruit worth fpeaking of j one, aDrap D'or, had flood fifteen 



