Statural! Hijiory: 



582 



Experiments 

 in Conforr, 

 touching the 

 Lafting of 

 Herbs and 

 Trees. 



583 



584 



585 



586 



537 



588 



Summer-, And foalfo hath the Figge. And no doubt, the Naturall Motion 

 of Plants y is to have fo; -But that'either they want fityce to fpend-, Or they 

 meet with the Cold of the Winter. And therefore this Circle of Ripe ning 

 cannot be, but in Succulent Plants, and Hot Countries, 



Some Herbs are but Annually and die, Root and all, once a Yeare-, As Bor- 

 rage, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Muske-Melons, Baft 11, T b acco,Mti ft ard- Seeded all 

 kindes of Come-, Some continue many Years-, As Hyf] ope, Germander, La- 

 vender, Fennell,8tc.The Caufe of the Dying is double-, T he m ft is the Tender- 

 neffe and Weaknefje of the Seed, which maketh t he Period in a fmall time^ As 

 it is in Bon age, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Come, &c. And therefore none of thefe 

 are Hot. The other Caufe is, for that fame Herbs can worfe endure Cold, As 

 Bafill, T obacco, Muftard-Seed. And thefe have ( all ) much Heat. 



THe Lajling of Plants is molt in thofe that are Largeft of Bqdy, As Oaks, 

 Elme, Chef- Nut, the Loat-Tree, &c. And this holdeth in Trees-, But in 

 Herbs it is often contrary:For Borage, Coleworts,PompionsjNh\ch are Herbs of 

 the Largeft Size, are ot fmall Durance-, Whereas Hyfjope, Winter- Savory, 

 Germander, Thyme, Sage, will laftlong. The Caufe is, for that Trees laft ac- 

 cording to the Strength, and Quantity of their Sap and Iuyce-, Being well 

 munited by their Barke againft the Injuries of the Aire : But Herbs draw a 

 Weak fuyce-, And have a foft Stalk ; And therefore thofe amongft them 

 which laft longeft,are Herbs of Strong Smell And with a Stickie Stalke. 



T rees that beare Maft, and Nuts, are commonly more lafting,. than thofe 

 that bear Fruits -, Efpecially the Moifier Fruits: As Oakes, Beeches, Chef-nuts, 

 Wall-nuts, Almonds, Pine-Trees, &c. laft longer than Apples, Pears, Plums, 

 Sec. The Cau fe is the Fatnefje and Oylinefje ot the Sap; Which ever wafteth 

 lefle, than the more Watry. 



Trees that bring forth their Leaves late in the Tear, and caft them like- 

 wife late, are more lafting, than thofe that fprout their Leases Early, or flied 

 I them betimes. The Caufe is, for that the late Coming forth ftieweth a Moi- 

 I flure more fixed-, And the other loofe, and more eafijv refolved. And the 

 fame Cauje is, that Wild-T rees laft longer than Garden^T ues • And ity the 

 fame kinde, thofe whofe Fruit is Acide, more than thofe whofe Fruit is 

 fweet. 



Nothing procureth the Lafting of T rees, Bufhes, and Herbs, fo much, as of- 

 ten 0#/7/7{7- z For every Cutting cau feth a Renovation oi the Juyce of the 

 Plant-,Thit it neither goeth fo farce, nor rifeth fo faintly, as when the Plant 

 is not Cut : Infomuch as Annuall Plants, if you cut them feafonably, and 

 will fpare the ufe of them, and fuffer them to come up ftill young, will laft 

 more Years than one^ As hath been partly touched-, Suchas is Lettuce, 

 Pur (lane, Cucumber, and the like. And for Great Trees , we fee almoft all 

 Overgrown-Trees, in Church-yards , or near ancient Building , and the 

 like,are Pollards, or Dottards, and not T rees at their full' height. 



Some Experiment would be made, how by Art to make Plants more La- 

 fting, than their ordinary Period-, As to make a Stalke of Wheat, &c. laft a 

 whole yeare. You muft ever prefuppofe, that you handle it fo, as the winter 

 killeth it not-, For we fpeal^kijy of Prolonging the Naturall Period. I con- 

 ceive.that the Rule will how-, That whatfoever maketh the Herb come later, 

 than at his time, will make it laft longer time : It were good to trie it, in 

 a Stalke Wheat. &c. fet in the Shade, and encompaffed with a Cafe of 

 Wood,not touching the Straw,to keep out open Aire. 



As for the Prefervation of Fruits, as well upon the Tree 5 or Stalky 



