1 69 1.] DEGENERATE PLANTS. 57 



These several kinds of Melons grew without taking Pains 

 about them, as I have said already, and produc'd Fruit in 

 great Abundance. When we mingled a little Ashes with 

 the Earth in the Place where they were Sown, it made 'em 

 grow and fructifie extraordinarily, and the Fruit was more 

 tlian ordinarily delicate. We had great hopes of our Arti- 

 chokes. We cou'd almost see them grow. They spread very 

 much, but they yielded very little Fruit. Indeed we cou'd 

 not be sure that the Seed was true Artichoke Seed, tho' it 

 had the figure of it, and the Plant was like that of an Arti- 

 choke. We brought it from the Cape of Good Hope, without 

 knowing what it was. We did our utmost to make the sides 

 of it whiten, but to no purpose, tho' we were not ignorant of 

 the several ways of doing it. And we had as bad Success 

 with the Succoury {Chicor^e) : It came up to a wonder, 

 so did the Purslain and the Mustard-Seed ; but do wliat 

 we cou'd, we cou'd never take off its bitterness. Of three 

 Grains of Wheat that came up, we cou'd preserve but one 

 Plant : It had above 200 Ears, and we were full of Hopes 

 that it wou'd come to something, but it produc'd only a 

 sort of Tares,^ which very much troubled us, as you may 

 imagine ; because we found our selves deprived of the 

 Pleasure of eating Bread. 



However we shou'd not from hence conclude, that Wheat 

 Corn will always turn to Tares here, since in Eumpc such 

 like Degenerations are often to be met with. And if our 

 young Men instead of precipitately sowing all our Seed in 

 one Place, and in one Day, had kept some for other Soils, 

 and other Seasons, perhaps we might have had an ample 

 Harvest, and better luck with all our other Grain. 



The Air is very clear and liealthy at Rodrigo, and none of 

 us having been ill all the while we liv'd there, is a very good 

 proof of it, considering the great difference of the Climate 



' Professor Balfour suggests that this grain was not wheat, but might 

 have been millet. {Phil. Tram.., vol. clxviii, p. 30-4.) 



