VOL. LXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 125 



I had for several years intended to put in practice Dr. Hales's advice of wash- 

 ing, with that of Mr. Evelyn of rubbing the stem of a tree, in order to increase 

 its growth ; but other avocations prevented me till the last spring : when, as 

 soon as the buds began to swell, I washed my tree round from the ground to 

 the beginning of the head, viz. between 13 and 14 feet in height. This was 

 done first with water and a stiff shoe-brush, till the tree was quite cleared of the 

 moss and dirt; then I only washed it with a coarse flannel. I repeated the 

 washings, 4, or 5 times a week, during all the dry time of the spring and the 

 fore-part of the summer ; but after the rains were frequent, I very seldom 

 washed. The unwashed tree, whose growth I proposed to compare with it, was, 

 at 5 feet from the ground, before the last year's increase, 3 ft. 7 in. -\ ; and in 

 the autumn, after the year's growth was completed, 3 ft. g in. V-c- ; viz. increase 

 1 in. -j\. The washed tree was last spring 3 ft. 7 in. -^, and in the autumn it 

 was 3 ft. 9 in. -i^ i viz. increase 2 in. -J^, that is, -^ of an inch above double 

 the increase of the unwashed tree. As the difference was so great, and as some 

 unknown accident might have injured the growth of the unwashed tree, I added 

 the year's increase of 5 other beeches of the same age, being all that I had 

 measured, and found the aggregate increase of the 6 unwashed beeches to be 

 gin. -^, which, divided by 6, gives 1 in. i\ and a half, for the growth 

 of each tree ; so the gain by washing is -Ji^ and a half To make the experi- 

 ment fairly, I fixed on 2 of my largest beeches, sown in 1741, and transplanted 

 into a grove in 1740. The washed tree had been, from the first year, the 

 largest plant till the year 17O7, when its rival became and continued the 

 largest plant, till I began to wash the other : I therefore fixed on the less 

 thriving tree as the fairest trial. The trees were nearly of the same height and 

 shape, spreading a circle of about 50 feet diameter. I think it necessary to 

 mention these circumstances ; for I know by experience, that a short and 

 spreading tree, having ample room, will increase 2 or 3 times, and perhaps 4 

 times as much, as a tall small-headed tree of the same age, that stands near 

 other trees. Thus my washed beech increased above 6 times as much as 

 Mr. Drake's beautiful beech at Shardeloes, though that tree seemed in good 

 health when I saw it in 1759 and 1766. But it increased only 2 in. -j\ in those 7 

 years ; which may perhaps be owing to its vast height, being 744^ feet to the boughs, 

 only 6 feet 4 inches round, and having a small head, and little room to spread. 



///. Discoveries on the Sex of Bees, explaining the Manner in which their 



Species is propagated ; ivith an Account of the Utililij that may be derived 



from those Discoveries by the actual Applicatioii of ihein to Practice. By 



Mr. John Debrato, Apothecary to j4dde7ibrook's Hospital, Cambridge, p. 15. 



Mr. Debraw, from various experiments detailed in this paper, is of opinion 



