42 Tk H 1 S T O R Y Chap. I. 



before he went, to read Columella^ Varro^ 

 Virgil^ and all the other ancient Authors 

 that had treated on that Subjeft. 



By which means he was prepared to make 

 fuch Obfervations in his Travels, as were 

 likely afterwards to be of ufe to him. After 

 his Return, Monfieur Tamhomieau left the 

 making of his Gardens entirely to him : He 

 was very curious in his Experiments, and 

 thereby correfted feveral Faults that had 

 crept in, or rather had been ah origine in 

 the ancient PhiJofophy. 



To mention the whole Courfe of his Im- 

 provements, would be a Work of itfelf 5 but, 

 in Ihort, he argued from Experience, That 

 the Sap never dejcended into the Roots^ but is 

 only congealed, and its Motion Jlopt by the 

 Coldnefs and Frigidity o[the Air 5 about which, 

 he tells us, he had great War with the Phi- 

 lofophers of his Time. 



He found (what was unknown before) 

 That a Tree tranfplanted does not take NouriJI)- 

 ment^ hit by the Roots it has Jlriick after its 

 being tranfplanted^ which are asfo many Mouths^ 

 zf hereby it attraSs the Nutritive Moijlitre of 

 the Earth, and in no-mfe by the fmall hairy 

 Roots that vpere remaining to it : From hence 

 he has taught us, that inftead of preferving 

 tbefe old fmall Roots, (as was heretofore 

 praftis'd with great Care) that 'tis better 

 to cut them off, for that they commonly 

 grow dry and moulder, which hurts the 

 Tree inftead of helping it. 



Indeedj 



