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some Plants but for a few Hours only, as has rais’d my Admiration;particularly in the Aloe, and other kinds of Sedums, which when toall Appearance shrunk, and shrivel’d up, have fill’d themselves in aMoment, set out in the Air , when a very few drops of Water (atthe lame, that is, Winter Time) would certainly have made it- rot,and turn to a Mucilage, as, to my Cost, I have experienced. Andthese Ferments of the Earth, by this Amity, and genial Intercoursewith the Air, are innumerable, to concoct, digest, accelerate, andrestore ; equal to, yea, beyond any artificial Enforcements of ‘Dungs ,and Composts whatsoever. " But to return to Dust again; by the Toilwe have mentioned, 'tis found, that Soil may be so strangely al-ter’d from its former Nature, as to render the harsh, and mostuncivil Clay, obsequious to the Husbandman, and to bring forthRoots, and ‘Plants, which otherwise require the lightest and hollowestMoulds.

In other Cases and Affections, the Earth may be likewise fertiliz’d,as from without, so from within , by more recondite and centralCauses, and Agitations, which if in Excess, may be al lay'd with somefeminine, or other Mixture; since oftentimes Qualities too intense,rather poison dry and cholerick Grounds, than conduce to their Ad-vantage, as we shall come to shew; and that which makes a coldand moist Ground fertile, will destroy the contrary, as we lee in thetoo free Applications of Salt ; and therefore it requires no ordinaryDexterity, to be able to direct where, and what Remedies are to beadministred; since we find it the lame iu Vegetable Productions, as inthe Animal, where Complections should be suited ; for want of whichCare, through Avarice, and other sordid Circumstances, Noble Fami-lies themselves are many times render’d Childless, which might elsehave multiply’d, and been perpetuated. To illustrate this by our pre-sent Subject: We find, that a thin seising, or sprinkling of AJhes, hasenriched all the higher Pastures, when, where 'twas strew’d too thick,it became totally barren: Sometimes again, defect of sufficient Depth,

Utay be cause of Sterility; and so it frequently happens, that theproper Remedy of some hungry and shallow Surface, is to superinduceand lay more Earth upon it, and to find out the Medium, by dili-gent Tryals of some degrees of Depths in the same Soil; but solitary,single, or over-hasty Experiments, before the Earth be prepar’d bysome of our foremention’d Essays, may prove discouraging, and unsuf-ficient, as my Lord Bacon has oft advertised us.

Earth is also sometimes improv’d by Mixtures of Fern , rottenLeaves, and the pouriture of old Wood; the haulm of Beans, Peaseand other Legumina , which heats and accelerates Concoction; forWhich, and all other Medications, the nature of the Mould is care-fully to be examin’d, that Application be made accordingly; assor Instance, If it be Sandy, or other light mixed Earth, to imbody^ with something of a fatter nature, as Lime, or Marie, (for I yetforbear the touch of ordure or animal Composts, as the least natural;)a nd be sure so to stir, and lay it (especially if with Lime ) that it mayJ°t sink too deep, and suddenly, as 'tis apt to do, and so desert theSurface-mould, where it should do the feat, and therefore it is to be theoftner renew’d. But Marie enters as properly here, and so does Mud. of slimy Waters', especially, if the Soil be gravelly and nilxt,

Yhich it will sadden and impinguate, and consequently combine; but

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