j8 ON THE CULTURE 



I fhall not enter into a philofophlcal dlfquifition 

 of the food of plants, but fhall only mention what I 

 hinttd before, that the food of the cucumber plant 

 is contained in earth, waier, heat, and air, and the 

 fweeter thefe elements are kept, from v.hich the plants 

 derive their fuilenance, the more wholefome and pa- 

 latable v/ill their fruit be. 



When I ufed to cultivate cucumbers on a dung 

 bed, the fruit were fometimes watery and ill-tafted ; 

 but fmce I began to cultivate them on a brick bed, 

 the fruit have conftantly been firm and well-flavour- 

 ed; which is certainly occafioned by the goodnefs and 

 wholefomenefs of the food with which the plants are 

 fed or nourifhed. 



The difference of climate, or temperature of the 

 air, has a very great effeft on plants of almoft all 

 forts. The different degree of heat is the great caufe 

 of thefe changes, and different degrees of moiflure 

 undoubtedly afTifl: it. The American and African 

 plants, which are faid to be famous in medicine, 

 when of the growth of their native foils, yet when 

 they are removed and brought into our climate, 

 though they grow, and even produce their flowers 

 and ripen their fruit, which is the lad perfection of 

 a plant, when put to the trial, it is faid by fkilful 

 men, they have always been found to want their 

 proper medicinal virtues. 



Many plants and trees, though natives of another 

 climate, will endure. the open air with us, and grow 

 in our gardens, yet lofe much of- their flrength and 

 become dwarfs in proportion to what they were in 



their 



