F I 



of a large Growth, you mould Ihakc 

 them out of the Pots into an old 

 Hot bed of Tanners Bark, where 

 their Roots and Branches will extend 

 to a conftderable Length. 1 have 

 had one of thefe Plants in iuch a Bed, 

 which has fpread above a Yard 

 fquare; and the Leaves and branch- 

 es were of a prodigious Size 



The Flowers of this Plant arc of 

 no great Beauty ; but the Oddnefs 

 of the whole Plant renders it worthy 

 of a Place in every curious Garden. 



The fortieth Sort is a Plant of lit- 

 tle Beauty ; and is feldom prefcrved. 

 but in curious Botanic Garden.-, for 

 Variety. 



This is one of the Plants which arc 

 cultivated in Spain, to make Pot-afh ; 

 and, if I have been truly informed, 

 is that of which they make the Ba- 

 rilla; which is fo eflential in the 

 making of hard Soap, and white 

 Glais, that neither of them can be 

 made without it ; fo that the Spa- 

 niards have a great Trade for this 

 Commodity : for, at prefent, there 

 is very little of this Pot-aih brought 

 from any other Country ; tho' for- 

 merly a great Quantity was brought 

 from Alexandria: but there are 

 feveral judicious Perfons who believe 

 that the Barilla is made from one 

 Species of Kali, or GralTworc ; tho 1 

 \ have received the Seeds of this Sort 

 of Ficoides, from Alicant <ind Egypt, 

 by the Name of Barilla, which have 

 grown and flowered very well; but 

 have never yet produced Seeds with 

 me. This Sort is certain!}' culti- 

 vated about Alicant, where they 

 make a Pot-aih of the dried Plant; 

 but whether this is the belt Sort of 

 Barilla, or a Pot-aih of an inferior 

 Quality, is yet doubtful with me : 

 but certainly it might be worthy an 

 Inquiry, fince the Commodity is fo 

 neceffary in thefe two Manufacturies 

 of Glafs and Soap; and whatever 



F I 



Plant it is that is fo ufeful, it Aright 

 be cultivated to great Advantage in 

 Carolina, and fome of the Britijh 

 Po Hellions in America : and hereby 

 there might, at all times, be a Sup- 

 ply of this Pot-afh brought to Eng- 

 land ; which is with Difliculty pro- 

 cured, whenever there is a Mifunder- 

 ffanding between the Englijb and 

 Span''J/.> Nations. 



The firll, fecond, and twenty firft 

 Sorts I have never yet feen flower, 

 although there are many large Plants 

 c: each Kind in divers Gardens in 

 England. I had one Plant of the 

 twenty- firft Sort, which had been 

 planted into an open Border, againft 

 a Wall, that was let very thick with 

 Buds in almoft every Part of the 

 Plant, late in the Autumn i 726. but 

 a fudden lharp Frolf. happening, 

 dellroyed the whole Plant. 

 . The third, fourth, fixteenth, 

 feventeenth, twenty-fecond, twenty- 

 third, twenty-fourth, and twenty- 

 fifth Sorts branch out, and grow 

 fhrubby v and produce large Quanti- 

 ties of very beautiful. Flowers; 

 which, being expanded in the Heat 

 of the Day, afford a very agreeable 

 Profpect, and are well worth culti-. 

 vating in every Collection of Plan:?, 

 for their Beauty ; as are all the 

 Dwarf fucculent Sorts, for their 

 Oddnefs ; and fome of them produce 

 beautiful Flowers, tho' not in fuch 

 Plenty as the former. 



Thefe are, fome or other of their 

 Sorts, continually in Flower; but 

 their chief Seafon of flowering is 

 from April to Scpttmber- and many 

 of them produce good Seeds : but as 

 their Cuttings feldom fail to take 

 Root, they are rarely propagated by 

 Seeds in England. 



FICUS, The Fig-tree. 

 The Characters are; 



The Flonvers, nxhich are always 

 imlofid in the Middle of the Emit, 



confift 



