360 OBSERVATIONS ON 



Upon the strength of this information we made some tea 

 of lime blossoms, and found it a very soft, well flavoured, 

 pleasant, saccharine julep, in taste much resembling the 

 juice of liquorice. 



BLACKTHORN. 



THIS tree usually blossoms while cold north-east winds blow; 

 so that the harsh rugged weather obtaining at this season is 

 called by the country people, blackthorn winter. 



IVY BERRIES. 



IVY berries afford a noble and providential supply for birds 

 in winter and spring ; for the first severe frost freezes and 

 spoils all the haws, sometimes by the middle of November ; 

 ivy berries do not seem to freeze. 



HOPS. 



THE culture of Virgil's vines corresponded very exactly 

 with the modern management of hops. I might instance 

 in the perpetual diggings and hoeings, in the tying to the 

 stakes and poles, in pruning the superfluous shoots, &c.; 

 but lately I have observed a new circumstance, which was, 

 a neighbouring farmer's harrowing between the rows of hops 

 with a small triangular harrow, drawn by one horse, and 

 guided by two handles. This occurrence brought to my 

 mind the following passage : 



ipsa 



Fleeter e luctantes inter vineta juvencos." 



GEORGIC. II. 



Hops are dioecious plants; hence perhaps it might be 

 proper, though not practised, to leave purposely some male 

 plants in every garden, that their farina might impregnate 

 the blossoms. The female plants without their male atten- 

 dants are not in their natural state : hence we may suppose 

 the frequent failure of crop so incident to hop-grounds ; no 

 other growth, cultivated by man, has such frequent and 

 general failures as hops. 



Two hop-gardens much injured by a hailstorm, June 5, 

 show now (September 2) a prodigious crop, and larger and 



