88 Natural Magics.
cloven in the middle, and all the pith scraped out, and the pieces knit up togetheragain, with a special care that the buds receive no harm any way ; then they set theVine-branch in a well-soiled ground ; and when it beginneth to shoot forth, theyprune it,and dig often about it: the Grapes which it afterwards bears, will have nohard kernels in them, as ColumeUa writes; howbeit, it is great marvel that therecan be in them any kernels at all, though never so soft, seeing all the pith, which isthe mother of the kernel, is quite taken away. But surely I for my part marvel acthose who think it strange that a tree should live when this pith is gone, 8c are per*swaded that a Vine-branch can bear fruit without kernels when the pith is taken outof it; feeing many men in the Country are eye-witnefles that there do many plantslive without any pith in them ; and feeing also it fs impossible almost that any treeshould bear fruit without kernels, because the kernel carries it self the very seedwhereby one fruit may be generated of another. Likewise you may procure, asDemocrittu allolheweth,
'Pomegranates and Cherries without any fiones ;
if in like manner you pick out the pith of the young plants that you set. And Afri-canws faith, If you deal with these as with Vine-branches, plucking out the pith af-ter you have cleft them, and then plant them; and after a while cut off the upperparts of the plants when they have budded forth, then the Pomegranate set, willyield fruit without any kernels. Paltaditu borrows this fame experiment of Africa-nw, and sets it down word by word as he doth. Likewise that
A Cherry-tree way bring forth fruit without any stone within ;
Martial (beweth more distinctly. Cutcff a young plant about two foot long, andcleave it as it stands in the ground, down to the root, and then fetch out the pithon both sides, and presently tie the m up again fast, and cover the whole cleft both:on the top, and on both sides, with mu.k j so shall they grow fast together againin one year: then engraffc some young sprigs of a Cherry-tree, such as never bareany fruit before into this stock, and by this means you shall procure Cherries with-out any stones at all. Others, that they might accomplish their purpose more spee-dily, did not cleave such tender young Cherry-trees, but bored a great hole tho-rough Trees of good growth , so that it might pierce the whole pith, and cross it inthe middle of the Ttee; then they put a stake or a wedge into it, which might stopthe passage of the pith, that none might be ministred into the upper parts. In likemanner Africamu teachech how to procure
• A 'Peach without any stone .
You must, faith he, bore a ho le beneath through the body of the Tree, and havingso cut off the pith from passing upward, you must fill up the hole with a stake ofWillow or Prick-wood; so shall you intercept the pith from ascending out of theroot into the branches. Some Writers there are, which shew how to procure stone-less fruit by diligence in dressing and trimming of plants. It is held for a rule inHusbandry, that soft, fat, and moist nourishment doth alter all wilde and unkindlyfruit into that which is milder and more natural: It is a kind of mildenefs in fruits,to have a little,soft and sweet kernel; as on the contrary, it is wildenesse to havea great and a hard kernel, for it Cometh by reason of a kind of harsh and dry nou-rishment that the earth sends up into them. * Wherefore no doubt but we may pro-cure the kernel of a fruit to be smaller and more tender, by diligence and skill indressing them. To begin with a Vine:
How a Vme may bring forth grapes without a harsh and stony hernel.
At such time as Vines arc pruned, you must take a fruitful sprig, somewhat neer thetop as you can, and there, as it grows, you must pick out the pith at the highestend, never cleaving it, but hollowing it with some fit instrument as well as youcar, and there uphold it with a prop that it bow not down: then take lomr Cyre-nian juice, as the Greeks call it, and pour it into the place that is hollow; but first
you