they grow thickeft* A few Acres of thefe will run far to 
fiirnifh a City, and the Country round about* 
Before and finee you gave notice of them from me to the 
R,Society^ they have been fold in the Markets of Brifiol and 
Wells, at the price of four fliillings fer bufliel ; dear enough 
in refped of the eafie propagation and eafiy culture, and 
cheap enough in refpeft of their ufe. Children of poor 
people thereabout, eat them raw (inftead of Bread and other 
food) without hurt. Some do roaft them in Embers, as they 
do Wardens ; fome do boyl them , peel them, and eat them 
with Butter and Pepper, either ferved whole, or chopr, as 
ihey do Parfneps* Some do ftrengthen their Beer or Ale , or 
make good Drink with them. So they are, to them, inftead of 
Corn and Malt, and an acceptable Treat. Every way they are 
a ftrong and wholefom nourifliment for Labourers* Some do 
parboyl them flightly, peel them, and mince or cut them in 
fmallbits, mingle them with flices of Fat flelli, feafoning all 
to their palace, and bake them in Pyes or Paftyes \ and they e- 
fteem them a reftorative delicacy, notmuchinferiour to Arti- 
chocks. Articbocks were once a dainty for Emperours, faith 
^ ^luffet \ and were (in his remembrance) fold for a Crown 
apiece \wEngUnd. Now they are cheapj and vulgar in Frame 
for more than half the year 5 and are eaten raw there with 
Pepper and Salt when no bigger than a Cloak-button, or 
fried in fweet Oil or Butter , or drefled to their mind , when 
they come to full maturity. Sir Hugh Platt hath taught us, 
how to keep ripeArtichocks green and freftifor ali Chriftmas, 
inhls Jemihoufej chap. i. andforEafter, in hh C/ofeP, 2. 69^ 
So we may have them young, or ripe for the whole year round* 
To return to Fotado^s ; I obferve them to grow and profper 
abundantly in much differing kinds of Soil , from the North 
of Shrcpjbire to the Sea coaft of Dcrfetjhire. But they like ' 
"not a ftiff and ftrong land. I tried them two years in a ftrong 
Wheat land, and could get no good of them there. Ail the 
Roots, which were there generated, were little bigger than 
the bulbs of Saffron. In light and hollow-land of the hotteft 
ferment (which is commonly of little worth for Corn or Pa- 
fture, ) there Potado's thrive beft and tafle beft. But now I 
am at a difficulty , whether the great difference, which we 
find 
