T R 



T R 



Iheltered in Winter to preferve the 

 Species. 



Thefe Plants may be propagated 

 by Cuttings ; for as they rarely pro- 

 duce Seeds in this Country, the lat- 

 terMethod is only ufed here.The beft 

 time for this Work is mJjrril,}u& 

 as the Plants begin to (hoot ; at 

 which time the tender Branches of 

 the Plants mould be taken off, and 

 their lower Parts diverted of the de- 

 cayed Leaves ; then' they mould be 

 planted on a very moderate Hot- 

 bed, which mould be cover'd with 

 Mats, to fcrcen them from the great 

 Heat of the Sun by Day, and the 

 Cold by Night : thefe Cuttings 

 Ihculd be frequently water'd u ~ til 

 they have taken Root ; after which 

 they may be expos'd to the open 

 Air, obferving always to keep them 

 clear from Weeds ; and in very dry 

 Weather they mull be refrefiVd with 

 Water. 



On this Bed they may remain un- 

 til the following Spring, where, if 

 the Winter mould be very fevere, 

 they may be cover'd with Mats, as 

 before ; and in April they may be 

 tranfpiantedoutei r her into Pots fill'd 

 withiandy light Earth, or into warm 

 Borders, where, if the Soil be dry, 

 gravelly, and poor, they will endure 

 the feverelt Cold of our Climate \ 

 but if they are planted in a very 

 rich Soil, they often decay in Win- 

 ter. 



From the fecond Sort, Monfieur 

 Tournefort fays, the Gum Adra- 

 gant, or Dragon, is produe'd in 

 Crete ; of which he gives the follow- 

 ing Relation in his Voyage ti the 

 Levant : " We had the Satisfaction 

 " of fully obferving the GumAdra- 

 " gant on Mount Ida. I cannot 

 " underitand how Bcllonius comes 

 V to affert fo pofuively, that there is 

 " no iuch thing in Candia : fure he 

 'J bad not read the iirfl Chapter of 



" the ninth Book of Theopbraftaj's 

 " Hiftory of Plants ! The little 

 " bald Hillocks about the Sheepfolds 

 " produce much of the Trag can- 

 " tba, and that too a very good 

 u Sort. Bellonius, and Pre/per 

 " Alpinus, were doubtlefs acquaint- 

 u ed with it ; tho' it is hardly pofi- 

 " ble, from their Defcriptions, to 

 " diftinguilh it from the otiierKinds 

 " they make mention of. This 

 u Shrub fpontaneoufly yields the 

 " Gum Adragant toward the 

 w End of June, and in thefoliow- 

 M ing Months ; at which time, the 

 " nutritious Juice of this Plant, 

 " thicken'd by theHeat, burlts open 

 " mod of the Veffels wherein it is 

 "contained. It is not only gather- 

 " ed in the Heart of the Trunk and 

 " Branches, but alfo in the Interfpa- 

 M ces of the Fibres, which are fpread 

 " in the Figure of a Circle like Rays 

 (< of the Sun : this Juice is ccagula- 

 " ted into fmali Threads, which, 

 " paffing thro' the Bark, iflue out 

 " by little and little, according as 

 * they are protruded by the frefh 

 " Supplies of Juice arifing from the 

 " Roots. Tnis Subitance, being 

 " expos'd to the Air, grows hard, 

 " and is form'd either into Lumps, 

 " orflender Pieces, curl'd and wind- 

 " ing in the Nature of Worms, 

 V more or lefs long, according as 

 " Matter offers. Ic feems as if the 

 " Contraction of the Fibres of this 

 K Plant contributes to the expreffing 

 M of the Gum. Thefs delicate Fi- 

 u bres, as fine as Flax, being unco- 

 c< ver'd, and trodden by the Feet of 

 " the Shepherds and Hories, are by 

 " the Heat (hrivell'd up, and fadfi- 

 4< tate the Emanation ol the extrava- 

 «' fated Juices." 



But notwithstanding what Tcume- 

 fort has faid concerning the Gum 

 Adragant being produe'd from that 

 particular Specie*, many Authors 



