P E 



and vvjiich may be taken off early in 

 the Spring: and if this i a carefully 

 obferved, the cultivating fmallThings 

 on thefe Borders can do no Harm ; 

 becaufe the Ground will be flirr'd 

 the oftener, on account of thefe 

 ftnali Crops, than perhaps it would 

 have been, when no Ufe was to be 

 made of the Borders. Thefe Rules 

 which are here laid down, if pro- 

 perly obferved, will direct any curi- 

 ous Perfon how to have plenty of 

 good Fruit ; as alfo to preferve the 

 Trees in Vigour a great Number of 



PERSICARIA, Arfe-fmart. 

 The Characters are ; 



It is a Plant <voith an apctalous 

 Flower, having federal Stamina, or 

 Chives , which arife from thi -multi fid 

 Calyx : the Point a I 'afterward becomes 

 an oval-pointed f moo to Seed, inclofd 

 in the Capfule, which was before the 

 Flovjer-cup : to which may be added, 

 It hath jointed Stalks, and the Flow- 

 ers are produced in Spikes. 

 The Species are ; 



1. Persic aria mitis maculofa. C. 

 B. P. Dead or Spotted Arfe-fmart. 



2. Persicaria vulgaris acris,feu 

 Hydro piper. J. ti. Water- pepper, 

 Lake- weed, or Arfe-fmart. 



3. Persicaria major, lapathi fo- 

 liis, calyce forts purpurea. Tourn. 

 Greater Arfe - fman, with Dock- 

 leaves, and a purple Flower-cup. 



4. Persicaria Oriental's, Nico- 

 tians folio, calyce forum purpurea. 

 T. Cor. Eaftern Arfe-fmart, with a 

 Tobacco-ieaf, and a purple Flower- 

 cup. 



There are feveral other Species of 

 this Plant, which grow wild upon 

 in 01 ft Soils and Dunghils, in divers 

 Parts of 'England: but as they are rare- 

 ly cultivated in Gardens, and being 

 Plants of no Ufe at prefent, I omit 

 enumerating them in this Place. 



The 'two fir ft Sorts here mention- 



p E 



ed are fometimes ufed in Medicine} 

 the latter of which is a very fharp 

 acrid Plant, from whence it had its 

 Name of Water-pepper and Arfe- 

 fmart : this is a perennial Plant, 

 which grows in great Plenty on the 

 Sides of Ditches, and in moiit Piaces, 

 almofl in every Part of England; and 

 is a very bad Weed, if once it gets 

 Poffefiion in a Garden ; for the Roots 

 extend themfclves greatly under- 

 ground, and arife from every Joint, 

 as doth Cot:ch-grafs ; fo that it is 

 with great Difficulty extirpated. 

 The firft is an annual Plant, that 

 . propagates itfelf in great Plenty from 

 Seeds; which falling upon the 

 Ground, the Plants rile the fucceed- 

 ing Spring, and fpread over the 

 Ground, where-ever they are per- 

 mitted to gro w ; fo that they fhould 

 not be fuifered to remain in Gar- 

 dens : thefe are both gathered in the 

 Fields in Autumn for medicinal Ufe, 

 when they are in Perfection. 



The thirdSort is cultivated in fome 

 curious Gardens forVariety, it make- 

 ingan handiome Appearance during 

 the S^afonc/f its Flowering : this may 

 be propagated by fowing the Seeds 

 upon a Bed of rich moill Earth inAu- 

 tumn.foon after they are ripe ; and 

 the Plants will come up the Spring 

 following, when they may be trani- 

 planted into the Borders where they 

 arc to remain : this is alfo an annual 

 Plant, which requires to be fown 

 every Year, or the Seeds permitted 

 to fhed, which will grow better than 

 thofe which are fown by Art. 



The fourth Sort was brought from 

 the Eafcern Country by Monf. Tour- 

 nefort, to the Royal Garden at 

 Paris, from whence it hath been 

 fince communicated to feveral Parts 

 of Europe. This Plant, tho' but an 

 Annual, doth grow to be ten or 

 twelve Feet high, and divides into I 

 feveral Branches, each of which 



