184 OFT H E USE 
in dry *, that fome plants thrive moil in fandy 
foils, others in claiey, others in black mould, 
others in fpungy ground, others in watry * 
fome ought to be fown in pools, others on 
the tops of hills. 
Thofe barren defarts called Alvacu on the 
mountains of Oeland, It. Oel. p= 206. had long 
a 0-0 been covered with the crocus , from whence 
the inhabitants might have reaped great be- 
nefit, if the nature of that plant had been 
known to them. Our alps, that are more 
than a hundred miles long, had not remained 
to this day a mere waile, if our induilrious 
hufbandmen, who not long fince began to 
improve the oeconomical arts, had known how 
to cultivate fuch plants as might have been 
ufefull in food, or phyfic ; and if they had 
known what ufefull trees, and herbs grow 
on the forreign alps, viz. the Swifs, the Si- 
birian, the Pyrenean, the Valefian, &c. from 
whence they ought to have got feed. 
The banks of our lakes produce fcarcely 
any thing but rujhes , horfetail , water lilly , pond- 
weeds , reeds ^ &c. where neverthelefs a great 
number of plants fit for food might be fown, 
fuch as zizany of Canada, water caltrops * See. 
Every province has its plants, which choak 
the? 
