depth of foil next the furface, which is proper for 
the growth of vegetables. Where clay is next the 
ftaple, provided it is not of the blue or iron-mould 
fort, there will not be the fame danger of going a 
little deeper than the ftaple, as in either of the be- 
fore-mentioned forts of land ; for if the clay be of a 
fat nature, when it hath been well expofedto air, and 
often laboured, it will be capable of affording a 
large fhare of nourilhment to the crops. 
If between each ploughing of the land a harrow 
with long teeth is made ufe of to tear and break the 
clods, it will be of great fervice to the land ; for the 
more it is ftirred by different inftruments, the better 
will the parts be feparated and pulverized ; fo that 
the common method, as praftifed by the farmers, when 
they fallow their land, is far from anfwering the in- 
tention, for they plough up the ground, leaving it in 
great clods for fome months, and frequently, during 
this time, Thiftles and all bad weeds are buffered to 
grow upon the land, to exhauft the goodnefs of it ; 
and perhaps, juft before the feeds are fown, they 
give it two more ploughings. This is what the far- 
mers call good hufbandry ; but if inftead of this me- 
thod they would labour the ground often with the 
plough, a harrow, and heavy roller, to break and 
feparate the parts, and never buffer any weeds to grow 
upon the land during its lying fallow, I am fure they 
would find their account in it ; firft, by the growth 
and increafe of their crops, and afterward by a having 
in the weeding *, for if no weeds are fuffered to grow 
to fhed their feeds, during the time of fallowing the 
land, there will but few come up when the ground is 
fown, in comparifon with what would other wife be in 
the common hufbandry. 
In many of the old gardens near London, which are 
occupied by the kitchen-gardeners, when the upper 
furface of the ground is exhaufted by the continual 
crops which they get from it, it is a common method 
to trench the ground two or three fpades depth, and 
turn the bottom foil upward ; and by this the land is 
frelh, and produces very good crops for fome years 
after. And in imitation of this many of the farming 
gardeners, who make ufe of the plough, have two 
or three men following the plough in the furrows, who 
turn up a fpit in the bottom of each furrow •, and 
where the foil is good, they throw it on the furface, 
but if otherwife,, they level it in the bottom, and this 
loofening of the ground renders it capable of admitting 
the roots of the plants. 
The ploughing already mentioned is intended to pre- 
pare the land for the reception of the feeds which 
are propofed to be fown, and as was before obferved, 
the oftener and better this is performed, the more the 
land will produce. But, befide this, there will be a 
neceflity for ftirring the ground to deftroy the weeds, 
after the crop is growing ; for if the weeds are fuf- 
fered to grow with the crop, they will draw away moft 
of the nourilhment, and greatly leflen their produce. 
Therefore in gardens this work is generally performed 
by hand, with an inftrument called a hoe, unlefs 
when the ground is very, ftiff, and fubjeft to bind •, in 
which cafe it will be proper to make ufe of forks to 
break and loofen the earth between the crops, and 
the oftener this is repeated, the better will the crops 
fucceed, and this hufbandry I have feen attended with 
great advantage. But in the large open fields of 
Beans, Peas, and other large-growing plants which 
are planted in rows, the ground between may be fre- 
quently ftirred with a fmall fwing-plough, which will 
deftroy the weeds, pulverize the ground, and give 
nourilhment to the crop ; for as all land is apt to 
bind, or the parts coalefce by lying unftirred, the more 
and oftener it is ftirred, the better it will be kept 
loofe, and thereby rendered proper for the growth of 
plants. This fort of ploughing is termed horfe- 
fioeing, and there being a particular treatife upon this 
fort of hufbandry written by Mr. Jethro Tull, of 
Shelbourn, in Berkfhire, in which the inftruments are 
figured and defcribed, I 111 all refer thofe, who are 
defirous to pradtife this hufbandry, to the book it- 
felf, and fball only take notice, that although the in- 
ftrumeht u'fed in this operation is a plough, vef 
it is termed hoeing, as it is intended to deftroy the 
weeds, and to ftir the ground but a fmall depth, to 
diftinguifh it from the common ploughing to pre- 
pare the land for the crop. 
PLUMBAGO. Tourn. fnft. R. H, 140. tab. 58. 
■ Lin. Gen. Plant. 196. Leadwort. 
The Characters are, 
The flower has a tubulous , five- cornered , fiermanent em- 
palement of one leaf \ which is indented at the top into five 
parts i it hath one petal which is funnel-Jhaped , and a 
Cylindrical tube which is narrow at the top. The brim ds 
cut into five parts which are oval and fpreading ; it has 
five awl-Jhaped ft amina fituated in the tube , fitting upon 
the valves of the nehtarium , which includes the germen . 
The fmall oval germen fuftains a Jingle ftyle the length of 
the tube, crowned by a Jlender five-pointed ftigma. The 
germen afterward becomes a Jingle oval feed included in 
the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fetfiion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes the plants whofe 
flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Plumbago ( Europaa ) foliis amplexicaulibus. I Tort. 
Cliff. 53. Leadwort with leaves embracing the ftalks. 
Plumbago quorundam. Clufi Hift. 123. Leadwort or 
Toothwort . 
2. Plumbago ( Zeylanica ) foliis petiolatis ovatis glabris, 
caule geniculis giblofis. Lin. Sp. 215. Hort. Cliff. 53. 
Leadwort with leaves having foot-ftalks. Plumbago 
Americana, betas folio ampliori. Plum. Cat. Ameri- 
can Leadwort with a larger Beet leaf. 
Thefe are all the forts which I have obferved in the 
Englifh gardens. The firft fort grows naturally in 
the fouth of France, in Italy, and Spain ; it hath a 
perennial root, which ftrikes deep into the ground, 
from which arife many (lender ftalks about three feet 
and a half high, which are channelled, and garniflied 
with oval fpear-fhaped leaves about three inches long 
and two broad, whofe bale embrace the ftalks ; they 
are fmooth, entire, and of a grayifh colour. The upper 
part of the ftalks fend out many fide branches which 
are (lender, and garniflied with fmall leaves. Thefe, 
and alfo the principal ftalks, are terminated by tufts 
of either blue or white flowers, which are fmall, funnel- 
fliaped, and have pretty long tubes, and are fucceeded 
by oblong, rough, hairy feeds. This plant feldom 
flowers till toward the end of Oftober in England, and 
unlefs the autumn proves warm, does not flower here, 
fo never produces ripe feeds. There is a variety of this 
with white flowers and pale ftalks, which is fuppofed 
to have rifen from the feeds of the former. 
The ftalks of this decay in the winter, and new ones 
come up the following fpring ; they are propagated 
here by parting of their roots, which fend out heads 
in plenty. Thefe may be divided at any time when 
the weather is mild, from the rime the ftalks decay, 
till the roots begin to (hoot in the fpring ; it fhould 
have a light foil and a warm fltuation, otherwife it 
will not flower here. The roots fhould be allowed 
room to fpread, and the ftalks require fupport, and if 
the plants are kept clean from weeds, and the ground 
between them dug every winter, it is all the culture 
they require. 
It is called Dentillaria or Toothwort by many au- 
thors, who recommend its virtues in curing the tooth- 
ach, being of a hot cauftic nature like Pellitory of 
Spain. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in both Indies this 
is a perennial plant, with a ftrong fibrous root, from 
which arife many (lender ftalks, which grow near four 
feet high, garniflied with fmooth, oval, fpear-fh aped 
leaves about three inches long, and one and a half 
broad near their bafe, ending in acute points, which 
are placed alternate, (landing upon (hort foot-ftalks. 
The upper part of the ftalks divide into fmall 
branches, garniflied with fmall oval leaves, and ter- 
minate in fpikes of flowers, which have long (lender 
tubes, cut into five fegments at the brim, which fpread 
open ; thefe are fucceeded by oblong feeds covered 
with the prickly empalement. The upper part of 
the 
