Mr/Ray of the Number of Plants. 347 



Lark- [purs, Columbines, Bears- ears, Stocks, and JVall. 

 Flowers, Primrofes and Cow/lips, Crocufes, Blewbottles, 

 Daifies, Hepaticas, Violets. And this is theufual, if 

 not the only way, of getting double Flowers of all 

 forts. Moil red and purple Flowers, and fome yellow 

 ones too, by lowing themfelves in a Garden, will give 

 you fome of white and different Colours, as I found 

 by my own Experience in many, v. g. Valeriana ru- 

 bra Dod. Mothmullem, Blewbottle , Primrofe, Goats- 

 rue,. &c. Nay in the Fields we find fcarce any red, 

 purple, or Hew fiower'd Plant, but one where or o- 

 ther it will vary, and come with a white or different- 

 if colour'd Flower. Plants that bear a yellow Flower 

 feldom vary in the Fields. Secondly, the other way 

 to diverfify Plants, is by frequent removals. So Sir 

 Hugh Plat, tells us we may advance Plants from Angle 

 to be double- fiower'd, which feems probable } be- 

 caufe Plants, by long (landing in one place , will by 

 degrees degenerate, and become of double fingle- 

 flovver'd, or turn from rare to common Colours. But 

 becaule my trials of this kind fucceeded not to pro- 

 duce fuch an effe6t, and I never yet met with any 

 intelligent arid credible Perfon who could atteft it 

 upon his own Experience, I fhall leave it to farther 

 Examination. 



But to return to our Subject. That thefe varie- 

 ties of Plants we have been difcourfing of, are not 

 to be accounted diftindfc Species,, but only accidental 

 Differences, may be farther confirmed y both becaufe 

 that if they ftand long in the lame Place without cul- 

 ture, they will (as we hinted before) degenerate, lo- 

 fing the beauty of their Colours, and 61 double be- 

 coming finglej and alfo becaufe that by the Seed 

 they will not propagate their Species, but give you 

 fingle Plants, and of the common Colour* 1 mean if 

 they be fown in their proper natural Place and Soil. 

 The only fure way to propagate them being by off- 

 fets from the Root, if they be bulbous Plants $ or by 



fy i flips 



