82

A DISCOURSE

deners to keep their bottoms hollow, that nothing stagnate and fix toolong, which should be but transitory. If such curiosities strike no rootby September, the leaves desert them certainly at spring. The reason iswant of air, not moisture. Therefore in all intervals of severe frosts, andrigorous winter-weather, be sparing of refreshings, and unlefs you per-ceive their leaves crumple up and fall, (which is the language for drink)give them as sparingly as you can. Indeed, during the summer, andwhen they are exposed, they require almost perpetual irrigation, and thatthe liquor be well impregnated with proper compost. It is ever advifableto water whilst the ground is a little moist, and not totally dry, especiallyduring the growing seasons, for it stunts the plant and intercepts its pro-grefs. But in hard frosts, or foggy seasons, watering your housed plantsendangers them by mustinefs, and a certain mill-dew which they contract.On the other hand,

Applications too dry create an intemperate thirstinefs, and then they

drink unmeasureably, and fall into dropsies, jaundice, and fevers, swell,languish and rot; and if the liquor prove too crude, (as commonly itdoes, if taken from running and hungry fountains) it extinguishes thenatural heat, and obstructs the pores; and therefore whenever you areconstrained to make use of such drink, expose it first to the warm sunfor better concoction, infusing sheep, pigeon, or the dung of oxen, togive it body. But though spring water be so bad, slow-running river isoften very good, and pond water excellent, so it be sweet; but all stink-ing pools, mineral and bituminous waters, are not for our use; and oftengood air is as needful as good water; worms, mouldinefs, cankers, con-sumptions, and other diseases, being the usual and fatal consequencesof these vices.

If you be to plant in fresh and new broken-up earth, and that theseason or mould be too dry, it is to be watered; but then give a com-petent sprinkling, or sifting of dry and fine mould upon what you haverefreshed, and then beating it a little close with the back of your spade,plant it succefsfully; for this you will find to be much better than to waterit after you have planted, (as the custom is) and as you may observe msetting violets, auriculas, primroses, and other capillaries, planted in bedsor borders, and then dashed with a flood of water, which, so soon as the

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