ioo 



S^aturall Hijiory; 



474 



475 



476 



Experiments 

 in Confort, 

 rouchiag 

 Compound 

 Fruits and 

 Flowers. 



477 



that all Seeds Roots, Potted, and fo fet into the Earth, will profper the het- 



ter* • — ' v , -'' t " ' ■ ' : ■■ 'y '. ' - ;J ^s',.-" < H 



- The Cutting off the Leaves of Radijh, or other i?<?^, in the beginning of 

 Winter , before they wither $ And Covering again the i?wf , fomething 

 high with Earth, will preferve the Root all Winter, and make it bigger, in 

 the Spring following, as hath been partly touched before. So that there 

 is a double Ufe of this Cutting off the Leaves : For in Plants, where the Root is 

 the Efculent, as Radtjh, and Parjmps^ it will make the Root the greater - 7 And 

 fo it will do to the Heads of Onions. And where the Fruit is the Efculent, by 

 ftrengthning the Root, it will make the Fruit alfo the greater. 



It is an Experiment of great pleafure, to make the Leaves of Shady Trees, 

 larger than ordinary. It hath been tryed(for certain) that a Cions of a 

 Weech-Elm , grafted upon the Stock of an Ordinary Elm , will put forth 

 Leaves , almoft as broad as the Brim of ones Hat. And it is very likely , 

 that as in Fruit-T recs , the Graft maketh a greater Fruit , So in Tre es that 

 bear no Fruit, it will make the greater Leaves. It would be'tryed therefore 

 in Trees of that kind chiefly - As Birch, Willow-, And efpecialiy the 

 ShinmgWillow, which they call Swallow-Tail^ becaufe of the pleafure of the 

 Leaf. 



The Barrennefi'ot Trees by Accident, ( befides theWeaknefi 'of the Soil, 

 Seed, or Root, and the Injury of the Weather) coming either of their 0*z/er- 

 <zr owing with Mof- 7 Or their being Hide-hound - 7 Or their Planting too 

 deep Or by Ifjuing of the Sap too much into the Leaves : For all thefe three 

 are Remedies mentionedbefore. 



We fee that in LiyingCreatures >that have Male and Female % thcte 

 is Copulation of feverall Kinds ^andfo Compound Creatures: As the 

 Af«fe 5 that is generated betwixt the Herfe and^/Mndfome other 

 Compounds , which we call Monflers, though more rare: And it is held 

 that \\\2LtProVerb)Africa jemfer ahquid Mon (I ti par it^comcth fax that 

 the Fountains of Waters there.being rare , divers Sorts of Beads 

 come from feverall Parts to drink : And fo being refrelhed, fall to 

 couple , and many times with feverall Kinds. ThtCompounding or 

 Mixture of Kinds in Plants is not found out j which neverthelefs,if 

 it be poflible is more at command than that of Urving Creatures j 

 For that their Luft rcquireth a voluntary Motion $ wherefore i 

 were One of the mod Notable Experiments touching Plants 9 to 

 find it outjFor fo you may have great Variety ofNew-Jr«zf j, and 

 Flowers yet unknown. Grafting doth it not 3 That mendeth the 

 FruityOi doubleth the Flo vers, &c But it hath not the Power to 

 make a New Kind, For the Cions ever over-ruleth the Stack. 



It hath been fet down by one of the Ancient, that if you take two Twigs 

 ^fevexa\\Frak-Trees,imd flat them on the Sides, and then bind them clofe 

 together , and let them in the ground, they will come up in one Stocky 

 But yet they will' put forth in their feverall Fruits without any Commixture in 

 the- Fruit. Wherein note (by the way) that Unity of Continuance, is eafier to 

 J£fD procure, 



