IiO 



D^aturall HiJiory ; 



515 



51* 



517 



Expe" ments 

 in Confort 

 touching the 

 Degenerating 

 of Plants, 

 And of the 

 Tranfmuttt'on 

 of them, one 

 into another. 

 518 



5 19 



520 



by negle&ing, and not Removing, prove Single, And the Way to do it 

 fpeedily, is to fow or fet Seeds, or Slips of F lowers , And as foon as they 

 come up, to remove them into new Ground,that is good-, Enquire alio, jvhefj 

 ther Inoculating oiYlowers, ( as Stock-Gil/y-Flowers, Rofes,Musk-Rofes, &c.) 

 doth not make them Double. There is a Gberry-Tree, that hath Double Blof- 

 (omes:Mt that T ree beareth no Fruit; And jt may be,that the fame Meanes, 

 which applyed to the T ree, doth extreamly accelerate the Sap to rile, and 

 Bteak forth-, Would make the T ree fpend it felf m Flowers, andthofeto 

 become Double-, Which were a great pleafure to fee^ t fpecially in Apple- 

 T rees, Peach-T rees, and Almond-T rees, that have Blofjoms Blulb- Coloured. 



The Making ot Vrutts without Core or Stone, is like wife a Curiofity; And 

 fomewhat better : Becaufe whatfoever maketh them fo,is like to make them 

 more Tender, and Delicate. If a Cions or Shoot fit to be fet in the Ground, 

 have the Fitb finely taken forth- (and not altogether, but fome of it left, the 

 better to fave the life, ) it will bear a Fruit with little, or no Core, or Stone. 

 And the like is faid to be,of dividing gmck-Tree down to the Ground,and 

 Taking out the Pith, and then binding it up again. 



It is reported alfo, that a Citron grafted upon a Quince, will have fmall or 

 no Seeds-, And it is very probable, that any Some- Fruit grafted upon a 

 Stock, that beareth a Sweeter Fruity may both make the Fruit, fweeter, and 

 more void of the harfli Matter of Kernels, or Seeds. 



It is reported, that not onely the T aking out of the Pith, but the Stopping 

 of the Iuyce of the Pith, from Riling in the Middeft, and Turning it to rile 

 on the Outfide,will make the Fruit without Core, or Stone-, As if you fhould 

 bore a Tree cleane thorow,and put a wedge ia.Il is true,there is fome Affini- 

 ty between the Pith and the Ketnell, becaufe they are both of a harfli Sub- 

 ftance, and both placed in the Middeft. 



It is reported,that Tre es Watered perpetually with Warm Water, will make 

 a Yruit, with little or no Core or Stone. And the Rule is general, that what- 

 foever will make a Wtld-T ree, a Garden-T ree, will make a Garden-Tree to 

 have lefle Core, or Stone . 



•"■pHe Rule is certain, that Plants for want of Culture, degenerate to be ba- 

 1 fer in the fame Kind 3 And fometimes fo farre, as to change into ano- 

 ther Kind. 1 . The Standing long, and not being Removed,mikeih them de- 

 generate. 2. Drought, unleile the Earth of it felfe bemoift, doth the like. 

 3. So doth Removing into worfe Earth, or F orbearingto compofi the Earth; As 

 we fee that Water- Mint turneth into Field Mint; And the Colewort into Rape 

 by Neglect, &c. 



Whatfoever Fruit ufeth to be fet upon a Root, or a Slip, if it be fown, will 

 degenerate, Grapes fown, Figs, Almonds, Pom^ranate Kernels fown, make the 

 Fruits degenerate, and become Wilde. Andaga n, Moftof'thofe Vruits 

 that ufe to he grafted, if they be fet of Kernels, or Stones, degenerate. It is 

 true, that Peaches, ( as hath been touched before, do better upon Stones 

 Set, than upon Grafting : And the Rule of Exception fhould feem to be j 

 this-, That whatfoever Plant requireth much Moifture, proipereth better 

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

 it giveth a finer Nourifhment, yet it giveth a fcanter, than the Earth at 

 large. 



Seeds, if they be very old, and yet have ftrength enough to bring forth 3 

 Plant, make the Plant degenerate. And therefore skilful Gardiners make><riai 

 of the Seeds, before they buy them, whether they be good or no, by putting 



them 



