\ 
fotttn dii-hg, Rom old hot-beds • or for thofe plants 
Which delight in a cool foil, a quantity of rotten 
neats dung is preferable* The proportion of this 
muft be according to the quality of the earth ; for if 
that is poor, there Ihould be one third part of dung, 
but if it be rich* a fourth part orlefs will be fufficient. 
Thefe, when well incorporated and the parts divided, 
will require no other mixture, unlefs the earth is in- 
clinable to bind, in which cafe it will be proper to 
add fome fand dr fea-coal allies to it ; if fea-fand can 
be eafdy procured, that is the beft, the next to that 
is drift-land; but that from pits is by no means proper. 
The proportion of this muft be according to the na- 
ture of the earth, for if that is ftiff, there muft be a 
greater proportion ufed, but this Ihould not exceed a 
fifth part, unlefs it is very ftrong, in which cafe it 
will require more, and a longer time to lie, and muft 
be often turned over before it is ufed. 
The next compoft, which is defigned for plants 
which do not require fo good earth, and naturally 
grow on loofe foils, Ihould be half of the before-men- 
tioned earth from a pafture, or that from a kitchen- 
garden ; and if thefe are inclinable to bind, there 
Ihould be a third part fand, and the other part rotten 
tan* which will be of great life to keep the parts di- 
vided, and let the moifture pais off. 
The compofition for moft of the fucculent plants, is 
prepared with the following materials ; the earth from 
a common, where it is light, taken on the furface, 
one half, the other half Tea or drift-fand, and old 
lime-rubbilh fcreened of equal parts •, thefe, well 
mixed and often turned over, I have found to anfwer 
better than any other compoft, for moft of the very 
fucculent plants. 
The other fort of compoft, which is defigned for 
plants that delight in a very loofe, light, rich earth ; 
Ihould be made of light earth taken from a kitchen- 
garden, which has been well dunged, and thoroughly 
wrought, like thofe near London, one half ; of rotten 
tanners bark one third, and the other part mud from 
the fcouring of ditches, or from the bottoms of 
ponds, where the foil is fat : but this mud Ihould lie 
expofed in fmall heaps a whole year, and often turned 
over before it is mixed with the other, and afterward 
frequently turned and mixed, for eight months or 
a year before it is ufed. 
In all mixtures, where rotten wood may be required, 
if the rotten tanners bark, which is taken from old 
hot-beds is ufed, that will anfwer every purpofe of 
the other ; and wherever fand is neceffary in any 
compoft, - the feaTand ihould always be preferred to 
all other, as it abounds with more falts ; but this 
ihould not be ufed freih, becaufe the falts ihould be 
expofed to the air, which will loofen the particles, and 
thereby render them better adapted for the nutriment 
of vegetables. 
There are fome who have diredted the ufc of rotten 
leaves of vegetables, as an excellent ingredient in 
moft compofts ; but from many years experience, I 
can affirm, they are of little life, and contain the leaft 
quantity of vegetable pafture, of any drefling which 
is ufed. Others, who never have had any experience 
in the culture of plants, have direfted different com- 
pofts for almoft every plant ; and thefe compofts con- 
flit of fuch a variety of ingredients, as greatly to re- 
ferable the preferiptions of a quack doctor ; for no 
perfon who has been converfant in the bufinefs of 
gardening, could be guilty of fuch grofs abfurdities : 
for it is well known, that a few different compofts 
will be fufficient for all the known plants in the 
world. But thofe who pretend to give direction for 
the culture of plants from theory only, begin at the 
wrong end, for the true knowledge of gardening or 
agriculture, muft be from experience, and is not to 
be obtained in a garret. 
The feveral forts of dreffing for land, will be par- 
ticularly treated under their refpedtive titles, and in 
general they will be mentioned under the article of 
Dung and Manure. 
In making of any compoft, great care ihould be had, 
that the feveral parts are properly mixed together, 
and not to have too much of any one fort thrown 
together ; therefore, when three or four feveral forts 
are to be mixed together, ' there ihould be a man or 
two placed to each fort, in proportion to the quantity 
of each ; for if two parts of any one fort are requiiite 
to be added, there ihould be two men put to that, 
and but one to each of the other : and thefe men 
muft be careful to fpread each fort in fuch a manner 
over each other, as that they may be exactly mixed 
together. Another thing which ihould be obferved 
is, never to lay thefe compofts in too large heaps, 
but rather continue them in length, laying them up 
in a ridge* fo that the fun and air may more eafily 
penetrate through it : and, as thefe compofts ihould 
(if poifible) be made a year before they are ufed, 
that they may enjoy a fummer’s fun, and winter’s 
froft, they ihould be frequently turned over, which 
will prevent the growth of weeds, and expofe every 
part of the heaps equally to the fun and air, which is 
of great advantage to all forts of compofts ; for the 
more they are expofed to the influences of thefe, 
the better will the earth be prepared for vegetation, 
which is evinced by the fallowing of land^ which* 
when rightly managed, is equivalent to a dreffing. 
COMPOUND FLOWERS are fuch as confiit 
of many florets, or femiflorets, or both together, 
which are included in one common empalement, fo 
make up what is commonly called one whole flower. 
CONE. A cone is a hard, dry, feed-veffel of a co- 
nical figure, confifting of feveral woody parts ; and 
is, for the moft part fcaly, adhering clofely together, 
and feparating when ripe. 
CONIFER OU S-T REES are fuch as bear cones; 
as, the Cedar of Lebanon, Fir, Pine, &c. 
CONIUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 299. Cicuta. Toura. 
Inft. R, H. 306^ tab. 160. Hemlock. 
The Characters are. 
It is an umbelliferous plant ; the general umbel is com - 
pofed of feveral fmall ones termed rays , which fpread open , 
the rays or fmall umbels are alfo fpread in the like manner. 
Both thefe have involucrums , compofed of many fort leaves. 
Bhe petals of the greater umbel are uniform ; each flower 
is compofed of five unequal heart-jhaped petals , which turn 
inward ; they have five Jlamina , which are terminated by 
roundijh fummits. Ihe germen , which is Jituated under 
the flower , fupports two reflexed jlyles , crowned by obtufe 
fligmas. fhe germen afterward becomes a roundfb chan- 
nelled fruity divided into two parts , containing two feeds, 
which are convex and furrowed on one fide , and, plain on 
the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedtion 
of LinnEeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Digynia # 
the flowers having five ftamina and two ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1 . Conium ( Maculatum ) feminibus ftriatis. Hort. Cliff. 
92. Conium with Jlriated feeds. Cicuta major. C. B. P. 
160. Greater Hemlock. 
2. Conium (JJ'enmfoluim) feminibus ftriatis, foliolis te- 
nuioribus. Conium with Jlriated feeds and narrower leaves. 
Cicuta major, foliis tenuioribus. C. B. P. 160. Greater 
Hemlock with narrower leaves. 
3. Conium ( Africanum ) feminibus aculeatis. Hort. Cliff! 
92. Hemlock with prickly feeds. Caucalis Africans, 
folio minore, Rutas. Boerh. Ind. alt. Sp. 63. 
The firft fort grows naturally on the fide of banks 
and roads in many parts of England ; this is a bien- 
nial plant, which perifhes after it hath ripened feeds. 
It hath a long taper root like a Parfnep, but much 
fmaller. The ftalk is fmooth, fpotted with purple, 
and ri fes from four, to upwards of fix feet high, 
branching out toward the top into feveral fmaller 
ftalks, garniihed with decompounded leaves, whole 
lobes are cut at the top into three parts ; thefe are of 
a lucid green, and have a difagreeable lmell. The 
ftalks are terminated by umbels of white flowers, 
each being compofed of about ten rays (or fmall 
umbels) and have a great number of flowers, which 
fpread open, each fitting upon a diftifidf foot-ftalk ; 
the feeds are fmall and channelled, and like thofe of 
_ Anifeed. 
