Le M&lstre, 
Laurens, "conseiller & premier m^decin du Roy". See 
Martial. Le procfes du melon. Paris, l607» 
Laurent, Jean 
Abr^g^ pour les arbres nains & autres, contenant tout 
ce qui les regarde, tir^ en partie des derniers autheurs 
qui ont Icrit de cette matibre. Joint une experience avec 
application de vingt ans & plus. Avec un trait^ tres-parti- 
culier des bons melons, & aussi un traiti g^n^ral & singu- 
lier pour la culture de toutes sortes de fleurs, & pour les 
arbustes, & aussi pour faire & conduire une grosse vigne, & 
beaucoup d’autres choses pour les autres vignes. Paris, 
Charles de Sercy, 1675* 142 p* (Bib. Nat. Paris; Brit. 
Mus. ) 
Gibault, Jour. Soc. Nat. Hort. France (1905), 
P* 730 f mentions the 2d ed., l675t dedicated to 
La Quintinie, but does not give date of Ist ed., 
which, however, was evidently published in the 
same year, as the privilege of the l683 edition 
shows that the first printing was completed 1st 
June, 1675 . The Dept. Agr. copy, I 675 , does not 
show exact date of issue, but has a note on one 
of the preliminary leaves indicating that it i s 
a 2d ed. Cat. Bib. Nat. Paris, 90:199, gives an 
ed. of precisely same imprint and paging as the 
Dept. Agr. copy, but as it is not specified as 
2d ed., it is presumably the original issue. 
Paskiewicz, "Un vieux livre d•arboriculture", 
Rev. Hort. 37:245-247 (jul.1,1886), summarizes 
Laurent’s theory of fruit culture, with some ref¬ 
erences to La Quintinie, in particular remarking 
that the latter did not hold with the old super¬ 
stitions about planting in phases of the moon, 
which were followed in Laurent’s instructions. 
The make up of the book rouses some question 
whether the sections on melons, floriculture, &c 
were actually the work of Laurent, or mere pub¬ 
lisher’s additions thereto, (MFW) 
