Bacon as a Gardener. 95 



strawberries and raspberries, or such as the 

 rose, which are not easily over-manured. 



He does not forget that there is another 

 essential requisite in keeping trees in a state 

 of full bearing strength. 



" Besides the two Means of Accelerating Germina- 

 tion formerly described, the Mending of the Nourish- 

 ment and Comforting of the Spirit of the Plant, there 

 is a third ; which is the Making way for the Easie 

 Comming to the Nourishment, and drawing it. And 

 therefore gentle Digging and Loosening of the Earth 

 about the Roots of Trees, And the Removing Herbes 

 and Flowers into new Earth, once in two yeares, 

 (which is the same thing ; For the new Earth is ever 

 looser,) dothe greatly further the Prospering and 

 Earlinesse of Plants. 



"But the most admirable Acceleration by Facili- 

 tating the Nourishment, is that of Water. For a 

 Standard of a Damaske Rose with the Root on, was 

 set in a Chamber, where no Fire was, upright in an 

 Earthen Pan, full of Faire Water, without any Mixture, 

 halfe a Foot under the Water, the Standard being more 

 than two foot high above the Water : Within the 

 Space of ten dayes the Standard did put forth a faire 

 Greene leafe, and some other little buds, which stood 

 at a stay, without any Shew of decay or withering, 

 more than seven Daies. But afterwards that Leafe 

 faded, but the young Buds did sprout on ; which after- 



