TOL. IV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 985 



continued barren till the stem was strong enough to bear the fruit which loaded 

 the branches. But that which makes to our purpose, is this ; all the fruit of 

 this young tree had full and sound kernels ; and though it was the same fruit 

 growing from the root of the same tree, yet it seemed not quite so tender, de- 

 licious, and juicy as the fruit of the old tree; nor yet was the tree so fruitful. 

 The sap in the old tree was less diverted, it seems, to sustain the life of the tim- 

 ber, which was now consumed, and thereby was wholly appropriated for the 

 leaf, blossom, and the pulp of the fruit. 



Perforated berbery roots bore berries that had no stones at all : and in hol- 

 lowed apple-trees the kernels will be very thin, and empty skins, and uncapable 

 of growth. 



Some trees are less fruitful, or altogether barren, by the excessive growth and 

 firmness of the timber ; and these are recovered by cross deep hackings through 

 the bark. They cleave the roots, and put a stone in the cleft, that it may not 

 close again too hastily. If this violence be not done both to the stem and roots, 

 the remedy may fail. We see also, that vines are less fruitful, when they are 

 permitted to run out into many woody branches. 



To show also the affinity between the sap of the bark and the pulp of the 

 fruit ; in summer time I made rests for water on the body of Kentish codlin- 

 trees, and caused water to be frequently poured into those cavities. The effect 

 was this, the apples grew to an extraordinary size, but were very insipid, and 

 many of them had parts in appearance much like the pulp of lemons : some I 

 suffered to hang on the tree as long as they would, and those became full of 

 spots of the colour of cork, or like the rottenness of an apple. 



Extract of a Letter of M. de la Quintinie, giving some further Direc- 

 tions and Observations about Melons. N°46, p. 923. 

 Of no use in the present times. 



The Laws of Motion on the Collision of Bodies. By M. Huygens, 

 Translated from the Latin. N° 46, p. 925. 



Some members of the Royal Society, being very earnest that that important 

 subject, the laws of motion, which had been several times started among 

 them, but often interrupted, and never sufficiently discussed, might at 

 length be brought to a close examination ; that illustrious body therefore re^ 

 solved, that such of their members as applied themselves to that subject should 

 be desired to produce their thoughts and discoveries on that head, and likewise 

 to bring into one view what those excellent men, Galileo, Descartes, Honoratus 

 Fabri, Joachimus Jungius, Borelli, and others had invented ; that by this means. 



