By Edward Solly, Esq. 



199 



possess considerable interest. The following account of them is 

 from the fifth century of his Sylva Sylvarum, or Natural History, 

 published in 1664, after his death. 



" There were sown in a bed turnip seed, raddish seed, wheat, 

 cucumber seed, and peas. The bed we call a hot bed, and the 

 manner of it is this. There was taken horse-dung, old and well 

 rotted ; this was laid upon a bank half a foot high, and supported 

 round about with planks, and upon the top was cast sifted earth 

 some two fingers deep, and then the seed sprinkled upon it, having 

 been steeped all night in water mixed with cow-dung. 



" The turnip seed and the wheat came up half an inch above 

 ground within ten days after, without any watering : the rest the 

 third day. The experiment was made in October ; and it may be, 

 in the Spring the acceleration would have been the speedier. This 

 is a noble experiment, for without this help they would have been 

 four times as long in coming up. But there doth not occur to me 

 at this present, any use thereof for profit, except it should be for 

 sowing of peas which have their price very much increased by the 

 early coming. It may be tried also with cherries, strawberries, and 

 other fruit which are dearest when they come early. 



" There was wheat steeped in water mixed with cow-dung ; others 

 in water mixed with horse-dung ; in water mixed with pigeons 

 dung; in human urine; in water mixed with chalk powdered; in 

 water mixed with soot ; in water mixed with ashes ; in water mixed 

 with bay salt ; in claret wine ; in malmsey wine ; and others in 

 spirit of wine. The proportion of the mixture was a fourth part of 

 the ingredients to the water, save that there was not of the salt 

 above one-eighth. The urine, wines, and spirit were simple, with- 

 out mixture of water. The time of steeping was twelve hours, the 

 time of the year October. There was also other wheat sown 

 unsteeped but watered twice a day with warm water. There was 

 also other wheat sown simple to compare with the rest. The event 

 was that those which were in the mixture of dung, urine, soot, chalk, 



