A Philosophical Discourse

gcn'eity and uftunisorm Particles, retains only Weight, and an insip 1 ^Siccity ? And whether it produces or affords any thing more than E®’bracement to the first Rudiments of ‘Plants, Protection to the Roots?and Stability to the Stem; unprolific* as they lay, till married to som e 'thing of a more masculine Virtue, which irradiates her Womb; bu cotherwise, nourishing only from what it attracts, without any attiw 01material Contribution. 'Tis in the mean time wonderful to confidehow such vast, tall, and monstrous Trees , such as we find among ^Firrs, Pines, and other Alpestrals ;' whose Footing and Roots i^ 1 'nuate into the most dry and impenetrable Rocks, without any Etf*or Mould (as we call it) which seems to contribute any thing to theVegetables , (expos’d as they are to the most rigid Colds, fierce Winds?and other Inclemencies of Weather) if the Rains, ‘Dews, Mists, t cAir , &c. or other visible Principle, appear in no proportion to niStature, Bulk, and Substance of these goodly Trees: These ’ nC * cC ,jwith many other Queries, do appositely come in here; but it ' v0tlperhaps render this Discourse more prolix than useful, to enter vMthem in detail ; nor is it for me to undertake Speculations of lo ablh 11a Nature without unpardonable Ostentation; and therefore having o1 ^ly offer’d something towards the Discovery of the great Varieties atlChoice of Earths, (such as we Gar diners and Rustics for the most P ameet with in our Grounds • ) my next Endeavour shall be to Ihew, h°we may improve the best, and prescribe Remedy to the worst, by ^bour and stirring only; which being the least artificial, approach fnearest to Nature* %

At the first breaking up of your Ground therefore, let therepretty deep Trench or Furrow made throughout, of competent D e P j(as the manner is of experiene’d Gar diners) the Turf being first P a Q soff, and laid by itself, with the first Mould lying under it, and tb a .the next in Succession, that lo they may both participate of the ^Showers, and Influences, to which they are exposed; and this is ^ ^done in Sevcrals, as deep as you, think fit, that is, so far as y<^ uthe Earth well-natur’d; or you may sting it up in several small ^or Lumps, suffering the Frosts and Snows of a Winter or two ( acC ° jn ging as the Nature of it seems to require) to pals upon them, begi^ 0 ^your Work about the Commencement of Autumn, before thebecomes too ponderous and sluggish ; though some there are wh°an earlier Season, and to open their Ground when the Sun app rC f r Q(Cnot when he retires v But certainly,, to have the whole Winter b eus, does best temper and prepare it for those impregnating Agents* ^In separating the Surfaee-mould from the deeper, whether y° ua Trench, or dig Holes to plant your Trees in, be it for StasisEspalier es, or Shrubs ; the longer you expose it, and leave t^ corn -ceptacles open (were it for two whole Winters) it would loon rpcnlc your Expectation; and especially if when you come , tc ! ityou dispose of the best and fattest Earth at the bottom; wlfi c jb ^, ci cbe of sweet and ventilated Mud of Ponds, or Highway ■dust' ^ s j 1 j5preferable to all the artificial Composts you can devise. In defects ^(where it cannot be had in quantity) cast in the upper Turfsalready consumed) the Sod downwards, with the next adhering ^ .

for half a foot in thickness ; on this, a Layer of well-matur d ve -

then as much of the Earth which was last stung out, mixing t li-ly well together. Repeat this Process for Rinds, Mixture, an

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