the former fort were entirely killed. 1 he Rofeniary, 
Lavender, Stcechas, Sage, and many other aromatic 
•plants, were in many places quite deitroyed, fo that 
it was two or three years before the markets coiud be 
fupplied with thefe ; and in general the elculent plants 
in the kitchen-gardens were killed, fo that for fame 
months the markets were not fupplied with any 
quantity of garden fluff. The flower-gardens alfo 
were great fufferers by this winter ; for as the feafons 
for feme years before had been very temperate, rew 
perfons had made any provifion for a hard winter; and 
the cold fetting in fo very intenfe at the beginning, 
the mifehief was done before people could be pro- 
vided with covering. 
The Wheat in many parts of England, but efpecially 
in the open common fields, was very much hurt, 
particularly on the top of the ridges, where, in fe- 
veral places there were broad naked fpaces on the 
middle of the ridges, which in the fpring appeared 
like fo many foot-paths. And as the fpring following 
was very dry, and the wind continuing to blow from 
the north and eaft ; thefe piercing winds entered the 
ground, which had been loofened by the froft, and 
dried up the tender roots of the Corn, to the great 
prejudice of it ; but fome of the more expert farmers, 
who rolled their Wheat after the froft was over, were 
well repaid by the great crops which their land pro- 
duced them., 
Were I to enter into all the particulars of the damages 
fuftained by this fevere froft in the gardens and fields, 
it would fwell this work beyond the limits intended ; 
fo I hope, on the other hand, I fhall not be con- 
demned for having inferred thus much, fince, by the 
mention of thefe things, perfons may be inftrudted 
how to fave many of their valuable plants in future 
winters, as alfo what forts are more liable to danger 
from frofts than others. 
FRUCTIFEROUS [fruflifer, Lat.] fruit-bearing, 
fruitful. 
FRUCTUS. See Fruit. 
FRUIT is the produdtion of a tree or plant, for the 
propagation or multiplication of its kind ; in which 
fenfe fruit includes all kinds of feeds, with their fur- 
niture, &c. botanifts ufe it to fignify properly, that 
part of a plant wherein the feed is contained, which 
the Latins call Fructus, and the Greeks YLagirog. 
The fruit of fome plants are produced fingly, as are 
their flowers, and fometimes they are produced in 
clufters, as in moft fruit-trees, which are alfo flefhy, 
but in many plants they are dry. 
The word fruit is alfo ufed to fignify an afiemblage 
of feeds in a plant ; as in a Pea, Bean, Ranunculus, 
&c. and in its general fignification, for all kinds of 
grain, whether naked, or inclofed in cover, capfula, 
or pod, whether bony, flefhy, fkinny, membranous, 
or the like. 
Fruit is the produdt or refult of the flower, or that 
for whofe production, nutrition, &c. the flower is in- 
tended. 
The ftrudure and parts of different fruits are different 
in fome things, but in all the fpecies the effential 
parts of the fruit appear to be only continuations or 
expanfions of thole which are feen in the other parts of 
the tree. 
Dr. Beale fuggefts fome very good reafons for a di- 
red communication between the remoteft parts of the 
tree and the fruit ; fo that the fame fibres which con- 
ftitute the root, trunk, and boughs, are extended into 
the very fruit. 
Thus, if you cut open an Apple tranfverfly, you will 
find it to confift chiefly of four parts, viz. ift, a fkin, 
or cortex, which is only a production of the fkin or 
outer bark of the tree, zdly, A parenchyma or pulp, 
which is an expanfion and intumefcence of the inner 
bark of the tree. 3dly, The fibres, or ramifications 
of the woody part of the tree, qthly, The core, 
which is the produce of the pith, or medulla of the 
plant, indurated or ftrengthened by twigs of the 
wood and fibres inofculated therewith. This ferves 
to furnifh a cell, or lodge, for the kernels, filtrates 
the juice of the parenchyma, and conveys it thus pre- 
pared to the kernel. 
Of the fibres, authors generally reckon fifteen 
branches, of which ten penetrate the parenchyma* 
and incline to the bafis of the flower ; the other five 
afeend more particularly from the pedicle or ftalk* 
and meet with the former at the bafe of the flower, 
to which branches the capfulse, or coats of the ker-, 
nels are fattened. 
Thefe branches being firft extended through the pa- 
renchyma to the flower, furnifh the neceffary matter 
for the vegetation of it ; but as the fruit increafes, it 
intercepts the aliment, and thus the flower is ftarved, 
and falls off. 
In a Pear there are five parts to be diftinguifhed, viz. 
the fkin, parenchyma, ramification, kernel, and ace- 
tarium. 
The three firft parts are common to the Apple. The 
kernel, obferved chiefly in Choke Pears, or Breaking 
Pears, is a congeries of ftrong corpufcles, that are 
difperfed throughout the whole parenchyma, but in 
the greateft plenty, and clofeft together about the 
center, or acetarium ; it is formed of the ftony or 
calculous part of the nutritious juice. 
The acetarium is a fubftance of a tart acid tafte, of a 
globular figure, inclofed in an afiemblage of feverai 
of the ftony parts before-mentioned. 
In a Plumb, Cherry, &c. there are four parts, viz. 
a coat, parenchyma, ramification, and nucleus, or 
ftone. The ftone confifts of two very different parts ; 
the external or harder part, called the ftone, or ftiell, 
is a concretion of the ftony, or calculous parts of the 
nutritious juice, like the kernel in Pears, within it. 
The inner, called the kernel, is foft, tender, and 
light, being derived from the pith, or medulla of 
the tree by feminal branches, which penetrate the 
bafe of the kernel. 
The nut, or acorn, confifts of a (hell, cortex, and 
medulla ; the ffieli confifts of a coat and parenchyma, 
derived from the bark and wood of a tree. 
The cortex confifts of an inner and outer part, the 
firft is a duplicature of the inner tunic of the ftiell ; 
the fecond is a molly fubftance, derived from the fame 
fource as the parenchyma of the fhell. But authors 
are not agreed, whether the medulla, or pulp of the 
kernel does arife from the pith of the tree, or the 
cortical part thereof. 
Berries, as the Grape, &c. contain (befides three ge- 
neral parts, viz. coat, parenchyma, and ramification) 
grains of a ftony nature, to do the offices of feeds. 
Fruits in general are ferviceable in guarding, prefer- 
ring, and feeding the inclofed feed, in filtrating the 
coarfer more earthy, and ftrong parts of the nutritious 
juice of the plant, and retaining it to themfelves, 
fending none but the moft pure, elaborated, and fpi- 
rituous parts to the feed, for the fupport and growth 
of the tender delicate embryo or plantule, which is 
therein contained. 
FRUMENT ACEOUS [Frumentaceous, Lat.] 
a term applied by botanifts to all fuch plants as have 
aconformity with Wheat (called in Ltf/fivFrumentum,) 
in refpedt either of their fruits, leaves, ears, or the 
like 
FRUMENTUM INDICUM. See Zea. 
F R U T E X, a ffirub ; a vegetable of a genus be- 
tween a tree and an herb, but of a woody fubftance. 
It is pretty difficult to determine wherein moft of the 
writers on gardening and agriculture have made the 
diftindtion between trees and ffirubs, or where to fix 
the difference or boundary, between the trees and 
fhrubs, to fay where one ends, and the other, begins, 
for that cannot be determined by their growth ; there- 
fore the beft definition which can be made of a ffirub, 
to diftinguiffi it from a tree, is its fending forth many 
items from the roots, whereas the trees have a Angle 
trunk or body. 
FRUTEX PAVONIUS. See Poinciana. 
FRUTICOSE [Fruticofus, Lat . ffirubby] are 
thole plants which are of a hard woody fubftance, and 
do not rife to the height of trees, ■ 
5 U FUCHSIA. 
