chamber-lye or foap-fuds, will greatly add to their' 
(Length. 
All calcined vegetables caufe a fiery heat and vege- 
tation, and, when wet comes, let the ground to work, 
by a labile infmuation unlocking the clods, and quick- 
ening the fluggifhnefs of the earth, according to that 
eftablifhed maxim among naturalifts, That all fer- 
mentation is caufed by the interpofition or mixture 
of different qualities one with the other. 
It is after this manner that coal-afhes operate fo ad- 
mirably in loofening and mouldering ftiff clayey 
grounds, and, as it is ufualiy termed, making it 
rough, afhy, or fandy-like : and after the fame man- 
ner, fane! mixed with clay does well, efpecially when 
It is impregnated: with faline qualities. 
ASPALATHUS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 767. African 
Broom. 
The Characters are. 
The empalement is of one leaf, which is cut into five equal 
figments at the top ; the flower is of the butterfly kind. 
The ftandard is hairy , compreffed , and blunt-pointed ; 
the wings are blunt , moon-fhaped , and [pread open , being 
floor ter than the flrandard •, the keel is bifid , and of the 
fame length as the wings. It hath ten Jlamina , nine of 
which are joined and covered by the ftandard , the other 
ftanding fleparate •, thefle are crowned by oblong Jingle flum- 
mits. In the bottom is Jituated an oval germen fupporting 
a f ingle Jiyle , crowned by a pointed fvigrna. The germen 
afterward becomes an oval oblong pod, inclofing' one or two 
kidney-fhaped feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third febtion of 
Dr. Linnaeus’s i’eventeenth clafs, entitled Diadelphia 
Decandria, the flowers having ten ftamina joined in 
two bodies. 
The Species are, 
1. Aspalathus (CherTopoda) foliis confertis fubulatis 
mticronatis hifpidis fioribus capitatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
7 1 1 . Afpalathus with rough , pointed , awl-floaped leaves , 
growing in clufters , and flowers in heads. Genifta Afri- 
cana lutea, fioribus hirfutis in capitula lanuginofa 
conglobatis foliis corrodse aculeatis fubhirfutis. Herm. 
Cat. 11. Yellow African Broom. 
2. Aspalathus {Indie a) foliis quinatis feflilibus pedun- 
culis unifloris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 712. Five-leaved Afpa- 
lathus growing clofe to the branches , and one flower on a 
foot-ftafk. Dprycnium Indicum fioribus fingularibus 
rubris in pedicellis oblongis filiquis perexiguis. Raii 
Supp. 471. 
3. Aspalathus ( Argentea ) foliis trims linearibus feri- 
ceis ftipulis fimplicibus mucronatis fioribus fparfis to- 
mentofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 713. Afpalathus with three 
narrow fllky leaves , Jingle-pointed Jlipulm , and woolly 
flowers growing thinly. Cytifus Africanus anguftifo- 
lius fericea lanugine argentatus lpica lagopoide. 
Pluk. Mat. 63. 
Thefe plants grow naturally about the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence I have received their feeds. The 
firft is a low flrnib growing about three feet high, with 
(lender branches, garnifhed with many trifoliate leaves 
growing in clufters, which are awl-fiiaped, pointed, 
and rough : at the ends of the branches the flowers 
come out, which are yellow, collefted in woolly 
heads ; thefe are rarely fucceeded by pods in Eng- 
land. It Is propagated by feeds, which muff be ob- 
tained from the country where the plants grow natu- 
rally, and fhould be fown in pots filled with light 
earth as foon as they ..arrive : if this happens in the 
autumn, the pots fhould be plunged into an old tan- 
bed whole heat is (pent, where they may remain till 
fpring, ' wheii they fhould be removed into a moderate 
hot-bed, which will bring up the plants. But when 
the feeds arrive in the fpring, the pots in which the 
feeds are fown fhould be then plunged into a mode- 
rate hot-bed \ and in warm weather the glades muff 
' be (haded in the middle of the day, and the pots fre- 
quently refrefhed with water. Thofe feeds which are 
fown in. the fpring, feldom grow the fame year, there- 
fore in the autumn the pots fhould be put into an old 
tan-bed, as was directed for thofe fown in autumn, 
and afterward put in a hot-bed the following fpring. 
6 
ASP 
When the plants come up, and are ftrong enough tef 
remove, they fhould be each planted into a ffeplrate 
final! pot filled with light earth, and plunged into a 
moderate hot-bed, to encourage their rooiinv amfin 5 
and fo foon as they are eftabliihed in the pots, P they 
fhould by degrees be inured to the open air, into 
which they fhould be removed in fummer, placing 
them in a flickered filiation, where they may-remain 
till autumn, when they muff be carried into the 
green-houfe, and in winter fhould have but little 
water. 
The fecond fort grows about five feet high, with {len- 
der branches, garnifhed with leaves growing by fives 
clofe to the branches j the flowers come outYmgly 
upon long foot-ftalksf which are of a pale red colour ; 
thefe appear in Auguft, but feldom are fucceeded by 
pods here. This is propagated as the former, and 
requires the fame treatment. 
The third fort rifes about four feet high, with a 
fhrubby (talk dividing into (lender branches, garnifh- 
ed with filky leaves, coming out by threes ; the flow- 
ers are purple, downy, and grow thinly on the 
branches. This is propagated as the two former, 
and muff be treated in the fame way as is directed for 
the firft fort. It flowers late in the fummer. 
ASPARAGUS, the firft fprigs of herbs before un- 
folded into leaves, and the youngeft and tendered: 
branches that are eatable, are called Afparagus. 
ASP ARAGUS [Atnrdpccf^, Gr. fignifies a young 
(hoot putting forth,] Afparagus, Sparagus, corruptly 
called Sparrowgrafs. 
The Characters are. 
There are male and hermaphrodite flowers upon different 
roots the male flowers are tubulous , compofed of fix nar- 
row petals , which do not flpread open , having fix floort 
Jlamina , but no Jiyle or JHgma thefle are barren : the 
hermaphrodite flowers have fix petals which flpread open , 
fix Jlamina furrounding the germen , and a Jhort Jiyle 
crowned by an obttifle ftigma which is prominent. The 
germen afterward becomes a round berry , having three 
cells , each including one or two feeds , rounded on their 
cutjide , but angular where they join. 
This genus of plants is ranged by Dr. Linnaeus in 
the firft fetftion of his fixth clafs, titled Hexandria 
Monogynia, but with more propriety fhould be placed 
in the fecond order of his twenty-firft clafs, which 
includes thofe plants as have the Polygamia on dif- 
ferent roots. 
The Species are, 
1. Asparagus caule herbaceo ere&o, foliis fetaceis, 
ftipulis duabus interior! bus, una exteriore. Flor. 
Suec. 272. Afparagus with an upright herbaceous Jlalk , 
briftly leaves , having two inner and one outer Jlipula. 
Afparagus fativa. C. B. P. 489. Garden Afparagus. 
2. Asparagus ( Mariiimus ) caule inermi herbaceo foliis 
teretibus longioribus fafciculatis. Afparagus with a 
flmooih herbaceous Jlalk , and longer taper leaves growing 
in clufters. Afparagus maritimus crafiiore folio. 
C. B. P. 490. 
3. Asparagus ( Acutifolius ) caule inermi fruticofo, fo- 
liis aciformibus rigidulis perennantibus mucronatis 
sequalibus. Lin. Sp. 449. Afparagus with a Jhrubby 
flmooih Jlalk and rigid leaves , with points which abide in 
winter. Afparagus foliis acutis. C. B. P. 490. 
4. Asparagus {Albas) fpinis retroflexis, ranks flexuofis, 
foliis fafciculatis angulatis muticis deciduis. Lin. Sp. 
449. Afparagus with flexible branches and chaffy leaves 
growing in clufters, which fall off in winter. Afparagus 
aculeatis fpinis horridus. C. B. P. 490. 
5. Asparagus {Retrofr alius) aculeis folitariis ramis re- 
flexis retrofrafftifque, foliis fafciculatis. Lin. Sp. 
Plant. 313. Afparagus with Jingle [pines, reflexed branches , 
and leaves growing in clufters. Afparagus Africa- 
nus tenuifolius, vim'inalibus virgis, foliis laricis ad 
inftar ex uno punefto numerofis fcellatim pofitis. Pluk. 
Aim. 40. tab. 375. 
6. Asparagus (. Aphyllus ) aphyllus fpinis fubulatis ftria- 
tis insequalibus divergentibus. Hort. Cliff. 122. Af- 
paragus without leaves , and awl-Jhaped unequal J pines 
which flpread from each other. Afparagus aculeatus 
alter. 
