9 



ON BREEDING AND RAISING VEGETABLES. 



THE nature of the sexual intercourse, in the 

 propagation of animals, may be considered as too 

 well understood to 4ieed 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- 

 "ments in the orchard and kitchen-garden. 



