\ 



1 6+ Of St. F 01 n. Chap. XIL 



body imagines. 5 Tis common to fee a fingfe St. 

 Foin have a bigger Tap-root than Twenty thick ones: 

 Their Length is in Proportion to their Bignefs : 

 Therefore that Tingle Plant may well be fuppofed to 

 have Twenty times more Depth of Earth to fupply it, 

 than all thofe Twenty fmall Roots can reach to. And 

 tho'" thefe under Strata are not fo rich as the upper •, 

 yet, never having, been drain'd by any Vegetable, 

 they do afford a very confiderable Quantity of Nou- 

 rifliment to thofe Roots which firft enter them. 



The fmall thick Plants are fo far from equalling 

 the Product of the fingle, by their Excefs of Num- 

 ber, that the more they are, the fmaller, fhorter, and 

 weaker they become-, lefs Nourimment they have, 

 and the lefs Crop they produce; and are foon ftarv'd, 

 decay, and die, unlefs reliev'd by the Expence of fre- 

 quent Manure, or that the Soil be very rich. 



Single Plants exceed the other by a Multitude of 

 Degrees, more than a Giant does a Dwarf, in Strength, 

 as well as Stature ; and therefore when natural Grafs 

 happens to come, are fo much the better able to fhift 

 amongft it. 



The fmgk Plants feem alfo to exceed the other ia 

 their Longevity; for 'tis obferv'd, that all St. Foin 

 that has continu'd great for a good Number of Years 

 without Manure, has been fo fingle, that the Owners 

 have determined to plow it up at the Beginning, for 

 the Thinnefs of it. 



How long this may laft by Culture, I can't tell j 

 but undoubtedly much longer than without it; and 

 I can fay, that I never knew a Plant of St. Foin die 

 a natural Death ; the mod common End of it is 

 Starving. And when an hundred thick Plants have 

 not the Nourishment which One fingle Plant has, 'tis 

 no Wonder that thefe (in a Croud (h) thus befieg'd 

 with Hunger) mould be ftarv'd before it. 



(h) Sown Plants, when too thick, are crouded on every Side; 

 but thofe that are drilFd, have always Room enough on Tw© 



Sides of them \ unlef* the Rows are too near together. 



