Bacon as a Gardener. 109 



Kermis, or Stones, degenerate. It is true, that Peaches, 

 (as hath beene touched before,) doe better upon Stones 

 Set, than upon Grafting: And the Rule of Exception 

 should seeme to be this ; That whatsoever Plant re- 

 quireth much Moisture, prospereth better upon the 

 Stone, or Kernell, than upon the Graft. For the 

 Stocke, though it giveth a finer Nourishment, yet it 

 giveth a scanter, than the Earth at large. 



" Seeds, if they bee very Old, and yet have strength 

 enough to bring forth a Plant, make the Plant degene- 

 rate. And therefore skilfull Gardiners make triall of 

 the Seeds, before they buy them, whether they be good 

 or no, by Putting them into Water gently Boyled j 

 And if they bee good, they will sprout within halfe 

 an Houre. 



" It is strange which is reported, that Basill too much 

 exposed to the Sunne, doth turne into Wilde Time : 

 Although those two Herbs seeme to have small Affinity; 

 but Basill is almost the onely Hot Herbe, that hath Fat 

 and Succulent Leaves ; Which Oylinesse, if it be 

 drawne forth by the Sunne, it is like it will make a 

 very great Change. 



" There is an old tradition, that Boughs of Oake, put 

 into the Earth, will put forth Wilde Vines : Which if it S\ 

 be true, (no doubt, ) it is not the Oake that turneth into 

 a Vine, but the Oake-Bough Putrifying, qualifieth the 

 Earth, to put forth a Vine of it selfe." 



He has a good deal to say about the colours 

 of flowers and fruit, and after pointing out to 



