NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 31 



Gesucr in 1584. In the year 1560 it was brought to Spain, and in 

 1564, to France, by Nicot, a French ambassador* 



Coleworts and other plants of that sort were brought from Greece 

 to Rome, whence they were spread over all Italy, and at length 

 reached us. It would be tedious to trace the migrations of all the 

 cultivated plants at present in use. It is sufficient to mention a few 

 of them. 



With the different kinds of corn, likewise, many plants have been 

 introduced, which are now naturalized. Such as, the blue bottle, 

 (Centaurea Cyanus), the corn-cockle, (Agrostemina Githago), the 

 wild Radish (Raphanus Raphanistrum), the common Myagrum 

 (Myagrum sativum), and many others. These plants are only 

 found among corn, and are never seen on waste places where there 

 are no corn-fields. In the same way, at the introduction into Italy 

 of Rice (Oryza sativa), from the East Indies, many plants have 

 been observed that grow only amidst the rice. This plant was first 

 raised in Italy in 1696. 



The Europeans, in establishing colonies in various parts of the 

 world, have carried along with them all our culinary plants. By 

 this means many European vegetables have been introduced into 

 Asia, Africa and America, and where the climate would allow it, 

 have spread themselves over these countries. 



Nature is always busy in making one plant take advantage of the 

 protection of another ; she likewise provides for the propagation of 

 seeds in various ways. Lichens and mosses are destined for this 

 purpose in cold climates, the rainy season hi tropical countries, and 

 storms and changes of weather in the polar regions. In our climate, 

 besides lichens and mosses, there are commonly three tempestuous 

 periods that assist the dispersion of seeds and plants, namely in 

 spring, in the middle of summer, and in autumn. These, besides 

 the important purpose of purifying the atmosphere, have one of 

 great advantage to the vegetable kingdom. In spring they dispose 

 the seeds that have continued through the winter to hang on the 

 stems of plants: in the middle of summer they carry to a distance 

 those that have grown ripe in the spring, and in harvest those that 

 have come to perfection in summer. Moles and dew- worms and 

 earth worms, having perforated the soil and fitted it for the recep* 

 tion of these seeds, a heavy rain forces them into it, and, by the 



