T R 



the Cold by Night: Thefe Cut- 

 tings fhould be trequently water'd 

 until they have taken Root; after 

 which they may be expos'd to the 

 open Air, obferving always to keep 

 them clear from Weeds, and in ve- 

 ry dry Weather they mufb be re- 

 frcfli'd with Water. 



On this Bed they may remain 

 until the following Spring, where, 

 if the Winter fhould be very fevere, 

 they may be cover'd with Mats, as 

 before, and in April they may be 

 tranfplanted out either into Pots 

 fill'd with fandy, light Earth, or in- 

 to warm Borders, where, if the 

 Soil be dry, gravelly, and poor, 

 they will endure the fcvereft Cold 

 of our Climate j but if they are 

 planted in a very rich Soil, they 

 often decay in Winter. 



From the fecond Sort Monfieur 

 Tournefort fays, the Gum Adragant 

 or Dragon \$ produc'd in Crete ; of 

 which he gives the following Re- 

 lation in his Voyage to the Levant : 

 «' We had (fays he) the Satisfaftion 

 " of fully obierving the Gum A- 

 " clra^ant on Mount hU, I can- 

 " not underftand how Bellonius 

 " comes to aflert fo pciitively, that 

 *' there is no fuch thing in Candm: 

 " Sure he had not read the firll 

 " Chapter of the ninth Book of 

 " Theophrajius's. Hiftory of Plants. 

 " The little bald Hillocks about the 

 " Sheepfold produce much ot: the 

 *' Tragacantha, and that too a ve- 

 *' ry good Sort. Bellonitis and Prof- 

 " per Alpinus were doubtlels ac- 

 " quainted with it ; tho' it is hard- 

 " ly poflible, from their Defciip- 

 " tions, to diftinguifh it from the 

 *' other Kinds they make mention 

 *' of. This Shrub fpontaneoufiy 

 " yields the Gum Adraga?u to- 

 <* wards the End of yune, and in 

 *• the foMowing Months ; at which 

 il time, the nutritious Juice of this 



T R 



" Plant, thickened by the Heaf, 

 " burfts open mod of the Vcffcl,'; 

 " wherein it is contain'd. It i* 

 " not only gathered in the Heart 

 " of the Trunk and Branches, but 

 «' alfo in the Interfpaccs of the 

 " Fibres, which are ipread in the 

 *« Figure of a Circle like Rays of 

 «' the Sun. This juice is coagu- 

 " latcd into fmall Threads, which 

 ** paiTmg through the Bark, ilfuc 

 " out by little and little, accord injy 

 *' as they are protruded by the 

 *' frefh Supplies of Juice arifing 

 " from the Roots. This Subftance 

 " being expos'd to the Air, grows 

 *' hard, and is form'd either into 

 " Lumps, or flcnder Pieces, curl'd 

 " and winding in the Nature oi:" 

 " Worms, more or lels long, ac- 

 " cording as Matter offers. It 

 " feems as if the Con tr action of 

 *' the Fibres of this Plant contri- 

 " butes to the exprefllng of the 

 " Gum. Thefe delicate Fibres, as 

 *' fine as Flax, being uncovcr'd, 

 " and trodden by the Fcec of rhc 

 " Shepherds and Horfcs, are by 

 " the Heat flirivell'd up, and faci- 

 " litate the Emanation of the cx- 

 " travafited juices. " 



But notwithllandir.g what Tonr- 

 nefort has faid concerning the Guni 

 Adragant being produc'd from that 

 particular Species, many Authors 

 are of Opinion, that it is taken 

 from feveral other Species, but par- 

 ticularly that of Marf/illes, horn 

 whence that Gum is often brou^'-ti': 

 into England. 



TRAGOPOGON; Goats-beard 

 The Characiers are; 



It is a Flant roith a fsmifiofculow: 

 Tloroer, confijihig of jnany half Fh- 

 rets ; thefe, with the Embryo's ars 

 included in one coinmon tnany-leaij'A 

 Flower- cHp, which is not fcaly as ki 

 Scorzonera, but the Segments are. 

 ftreU'h'J 9Ht above t'^e Florets y the 



E?Kbyvj f 



