the Earth is light and hot than they do at Versailles where the Ground is cold and course All those places are too near one another to impute those differences in point of Maturity to the Sun besides there is a difference between the immediate heat of the Sun in respect to the maturity of Fruits and the immediate heat of the Fire in respect to the Meat it Rosts or Boils Fire first affecting the Exteriour parts of the Meat which are nearest to it before it performs its Function on the inside which is at more distance whereas the Sun Ripens the inward parts before the Exteriour in effect the inward part of Fruits always Ripens first and soften first and likewise commonly is the soonest spoil'd If I may be allow'd to declare the Reason which to me seems most plausible in this Point I shall say in the first place that Maturity proceeds from two Causes the one near and immediate which is the heated Air the other not indirect and distant and that is the Sun which heats that Air so that the Function of the Sun is to heat the Air as much as the Winds will allow and the Function of the Air so heated is to impart its heat to the Earth and so to all the Plants this Earth thus heated causes first the Principle of Life which lies near the Root to Act and then the Root it self which consequently prepares Sap as soon as it is put in Action and that Sap at the same time rises to perform its Function into all the Superiour parts where it can penetrate In the second place I shall say that the Air of every Climate is in probability compos'd or at least considerably mix'd with the Vapours and Exhalations which rise from the Earth of that Climate which in my Opinion is the Reason of Peoples saying that the Air of such a Country is good and the Air of such another is bad Thirdly I shall say that it follows from thence that that Air is more or less easie to be heated according as the Earth from which those Vapours rise is more or less cold and material for those Vapours participate altogether to the Nature of that Earth and therefore that as in light Earths the Air sooner receives the impression of heat by reason of its being form'd by more subtle Vapours it consequently the sooner heats both that Earth and the whole Body of the Tree and the Plant it nourishes which is the Reason that it is the Roots being sooner heated at such times and in such Earth and consequently the Saps being sooner prepar'd which form inwardly in those Fruits the first degrees of Maturity Therefore it is certain that the Air according to its being more or less thick is also more or less apt to receive heat and that according to its degrees of heat it either advances or does not advance Maturity as it has advanc'd or not advanc'd the heat of the Earth Therefore the forwardness or backwardness of Maturity depends on the Conditions above explain'd in so muuch that they must all Combine that is that Fruit in order to Ripen betimes must Knit betimes and next must meet with a favourable Exposure a hot Clime and light Earth CHAP. VI. Of the Particular Marks of Maturity in every kind of Fruit and first of Summer Fruits which Ripen altogether upon the Tree ACcording to the Natural Order of the Maturity of Fruits of every Season the Honour of Eldership certainly belongs to early Cherries and next to Strawberries Raspberries and Goosberries c. The first commonly begin to appear in the Month of May and that a little sooner or a little later according as the Conditions we have Explain'd are more or less favourable Strawberries begin to Blossom about the middle of April or a little before in good Situations and in cold places not before the latter end of April or in the beginning of May and happily none of those small Frosts which are apt to blacken and spoil those first Blossoms intervening Ripe Strawberries may be expected at a Months end And as for early Cherries that have Blossom'd about the middle of March we may expect to have them about the beginning of May not altogether Ripe but half Red with which Colour they may serve as well as if they had attain'd a full Maturity since they are only considerable and valued for their Novelty especially by Ladies for after all at that time it is only a little colour'd Cloak which only serves to cover a little sower Pulp and a large Stone and therefore they stand in need of the assistance of a Confectioner to require an Excellency which the Gard'ner or rather the Sun has not had time to afford them The Trees of a pretty Cold Climate Blossom almost as soon as those of a Climate that is somewhat hotter by Reason that the opening of those Blossoms seems to be perform'd independantly from the Action of the Roots witness the Branches that Blossom being Cut the bare force of the Rarefaction caus'd in the Bud by the presence of the first Rays of the Sun is capable of producing this Effect but as for the maturity of every Fruit it can only be perform'd and perfected First by a great Concurrency of the Operation of the Roots and Secondly by a certain degree of Heat in the Air which is necessary for the Perfection of that Master-piece Now this Heat both in the Earth and in the Air can only proceed regularly from the Rays of the Sun and yet I dare affirm that I have been so happy as to imitate it in little for some small Fruits I have made some to Ripen five or six Weeks before their time for instance Strawberries at the end of March and Pease in April Figs in June Asparagus and Cabbage-Lettuce in December January c. But we can find no facilitations to imitate this Heat in Great to cause the Fruits of Large Trees to Ripen in an extraordinary manner therefore it is apparent that tho' Nature has abandon'd the Earth to us leaving it in our Power to Heat some Portion thereof to make it produce against its will by means of a Foreign borrow'd Heat what we have a mind to has notwithstanding reserv'd to it self in a particular manner the Universal Faculty of the maturity of Fruits this maturity in relation to us is the Finisher and Perfection of the production of the Earth in so much that without it all our Cares and Industry for the generality only afford us some hopes which often prove false and deluding I have said heretofore that we may begin to have some early Cherries in the Month of May those small Fruits have an open Field at that Time they are the only that appear in our Gardens and that grace our Tables they are Rival'd by no others until the end of the Month which is the time of the displaying or opening the Grand Magazine of the other Red Fruits and these remain in
for the In-Casing Orange and Lemon-Trees c. SINCE Orange and Lemon-Trees are Strangers among us and as one may say come Artificially into Climates subject to rigorous Winters as here in the Isle of France and other Northern Countries whereas they grow Spontaneously and Naturally in warmer places It makes some to fancy that this may partly proceed from some defect in the Earth that 's us'd as well as from the Air we breathe in which causes these Trees to undergo some inconvenience here And upon this every Gard'ner makes a wondrous Mystery forsooth of certain peculiar Compositions of Earths c. And of this there are various Contests and very different Opinions For Some will have the main Importance of the Mixture to consist as well in the Plurality of Ingredients especially if they be hard to come by as in the several Doses Others in the frequent removing and stirring the Mould so blended together without which they conceive all the rest unprofitable and of no effect There be others who stand much upon the Antiquity and Age of the Composition and that what has been longest made and prepared is best Some again for that which has most been stirr'd In fine most of them make chiefest Account of the lighter Ingredients for their Mixture namely such as is Sifted and reduc'd to Powder The Marc of Wine Earth of an old Hot-bed c. I should never have done should I speak particularly to every Orangist's Conceit upon this Subject 'T is certain there 's hardly one of them but pretends to some rare and peculiar Secret that no body has save himself and which he would not impart to another for any thing in the World I 'll suppose they all have reason to be satisfied with their manner of proceeding nor is it for me to contradict them none ever heard me Censure them for it In the mean time for my own part as I think I have made choice of a Method Easie and Simple and that appears to me very conformable to the general Course and Order of Vegetation and particular Nature of the Trees under consideration I shall endeavour to explain it to the Curious and let them see with what Success I have long made use of it effectually There are also divers other Worthy Persons who have thought good to pursue my Method for their Orange-Trees who shall be my Vouchers But before I enter far on this Explication I declare again once for all that whatever the Earth produces be they Plants or Trees there is none of them as to their Culture their Complexion and Constitution more Easie Tractable and as I may say Accommodant than are Orange and Lemon-Trees the different manners they are Govern'd by in several places visibly justifie it One may in my Opinion fitly resemble them to those Healthy and Vigorous Youths who Abandoning themselves to Debauchery and disorderly Courses their Juvenile strength does for all that often Repair the breaches of their irregular Lives but it lasts but for a certain time the Young Person accustoming his Body to that which in fine must absolutely destroy him or at least extreamly alter and impair it s Robust Composure 'T is just so with our Orange-Trees which are Naturally wonderful strong and lively so as by that they easily Repair whatever Nourishment though little agreeable to their kind it be that may corrupt and spoil them It is not with these Trees as with certain other Vegetables some of which will thrive and live no where but in a dry and light Soil others save in the Fat and Moist whereas Orange-Trees live in either but by no means thrive so well in one as in the other That which I would especially recommend to Observation concerning the Culture of Orange-Trees which as we said are but strangers to our Climate is to take good Notice out of what sort of Earth they were brought and did Naturally grow in and accordingly endeavour to Replant them in the like as near as one can guess By this Inquiry I have found that they most Naturally thrive and grow to Perfection in Strong Fat and Heavy Earth and from thence conclude that it were convenient by Art which should ever imitate Nature to prepare Mould that were accordingly Rich and Weighty But forasmuch as these Trees being set in Cases this heavy Fat Earth which is to Nourish them without receiving any Assistance from the Neighbouring Mould would be apt to grow dry and hard almost as a Stone so as becoming unfit for Vegetation the Roots cannot spread and extend themselves without Administring some Succour to them It follows that of Necessity we not only afford them due Watering and Refreshment but such as may easily and universally penetrate throughout and therefore some means must be found that this Earth be well and industriously stirr'd and made loose to correct its Natural Sluggishness But you 'll presently Object as to this dull and heavy Material I so commend That the Sun which looks but obliquely upon us cannot have the same effects as it has in those Climates where it Darts its Beams more directly This is the Common Objection of our Orangists To which I reply in the first place That as every body sees and is confirm'd by daily Experience the Heat which we have here during the four or five Months in which our Orange-Trees are expos'd is sufficiently great to make them Live and that with a great deal of vigour for a long time In the second place That the Cas'd-Mould being open to the Air and consequently visited on every side by the Sun receives the Impressions of its Heat almost as freely as what being in the wide and open Field enjoys its Beams on the Superficies only And lastly That the Earth being thus made loose as well as ponderous is by this Expedient render'd easie and compliant for the Roots to spread in and for the Water to penetrate and refresh it and by so much the more dispos'd to entertain the impressions of the warmth which it requires And thus we render it capable of receiving that by our Art which would be superfluous and too much in the hotter Countries Upon this Foundation and Reason be it in what Country soever I endeavour to find out the best natural Common Earth and least Stony that I can light upon in all the Neighbourhood That is to say Mould which has substance and is pretty solid by no means Clay which I look on as Dead but such as all sorts of Plants seem naturally to delight in by their growth and thriving Nor am I much concern'd what colour it is of though for the most part and to sight the blacker be most agreeable and approv'd of For Example That which is proper for Hemp good Wheat or Pasture-Ground or of an High-way or that lying low it receives the Water and Drainings of some higher rich Ground Of this Earth I take as much as I have need and without farther trouble of preferring
Outside as the whole Mass of the Tree doth so that there is no Analogy between the Vessels in the Body of an Animal and those in a Tree and consequently the Inference deduced from that Comparison must needs be erroneous The third Question wherein I desire to be satisfy'd viz. Whether upon supposition that there be such a Circulation we must say that there is but one general Circulation in each respective Tree or else that there are as many particular Circulations as there are Branches is perhaps as difficult to resolve as any For if we admit but one in general we shall be hard put to it to give an Account how a Slip set in the Ground comes to take so as in a short time to become a perfect Tree We must be forc'd to say that in every one of these Branches there was a true Circulation which ceas'd from Action as soon as they were cut off from the Tree upon which they grew but that as soon as by their Re-plantation they were restor'd to a Condition of Acting of themselves their Circulation also began to resume its Action and by these Steps they came to be perfect Trees If therefore to give a Reason for this Growth of Slips we must admit of a particular Circulation in every Branch we must likewise be forc'd to admit of many Circulations in every Branch For since any Branch may be divided into several Parts if every one of these Parts be set in the Ground with all the due Circumstances belonging to them they will as easily take to grow as if they had been entire Branches But this Solution will draw us into a Progressus in infinitum than which in Ratiocination nothing can be more absurd Thus when a Layer of a Vine being put into the Ground takes a new Root and thereupon that Part of the Layer next to the Earth which before was the smallest becomes in a little time thicker than the Part next adjoyning to the Tree Must we not of necessity have recourse to a new Circulation since the former seems plainly to be at an end or at least to have become altogether useless I must confess I cannot find any Expedient of adjusting all these particular Circulations with the general one to make them act in Conformity with and Subordination to it when they are all together in the same Tree at the same time Such a Cloud of Difficulties and Inconveniencies have prevail'd with me not to give any Credit to this new Opinion of the Circulation of the Sap though I have at the same time an extreme Veneration for those Worthy and Learned Persons who are the Authors of it CHAP. XIX Reflections upon the Opinion that maintains the Conveyance of the Nourishment through the upper parts of the Plant. THere have been some of Opinion that the Nourishment of the Tree is not only derived to it through the Pores and by the Operation of the Roots in the Earth but that there is likewise some Contribution of maintenance afforded by the Air and subtilly conveyed to it through the upper parts of the Tree This Opinion of theirs is grounded upon this Observation That if you make a very strait ligature round any Branch or even if you strip the Bark off it the Boughs that are below that part so tyed or stripp'd will notwithstanding encrease both in length and thickness But to this I Answer First That in some Vegetables viz. In Almonds and Stones of Fruit as also in ordinary Seeds there is no Necessity for this Aerial Nourishment since the whole Series of their Vegetation is performed in the Bowels of the Earth without having the least Communication with the Air. Secondly I Answer that it is impossible to tye any Branch so straitly as that the Sap a Liquor not only very subtil and delicate but also very Impetuous in its Operation shall not insinuate it self and find some passage through for tho' the main stream of the Sap rises up between the Bark and the Tree yet it is certain that some little quantity doth constantly penetrate through the Fibres of the solid Wood neither is it any Wonder if Nature who out of her great abhorrence of a Vacuum does frequently perform such extraordinary and surprizing Wonders may likewise in this case force up the Sap which was stop'd in its Ascent either by that ligature or stripping off the Bark through the very substance or Fibres of the Wood in order to its Nourishing the upper parts of the Tree which must Infallibly have perished without a seasonable Supply Lastly I say it may be Answer'd with very good Reason that this Distension or Tumor of such tyed Branches in their breadth and accretion to their length may be Stiled rather a kind of Dropsie than a real and firm Augmentation of their sound substance and continuity for Experience tells us That in Trees thus tyed or stripp'd the upper parts of the Tree come to dye in a very little time as they must needs do if the Channel be not open'd again to give a free passage to the true Nourishment of the Tree Now to give some other Instances to confirm our Opinion we may consider that those Plants whose Roots lye very deep in the Ground as Tulip-bulbs c. do always grow up to the greatest heighth As also we may observe the Pointed and Pyramidal Extremity of all Branches every one of which seem in the manner of their Growing as with one consent Naturally to tend upward To which we may add as another Corroborating Circumstance the shooting out of new Sprouts upon the Back or Elbow of such Branches as are bent violently or by force to the Ground the Suckers that grow out of the foot of the Tree when it has been injured at the top the decay of the Branches at the Extremities notwithstanding their being still vigorous at the Root as also the Withering and Fading of Plants at the top of their Leaves in hot Weather when they are newly Set All these Instances seem to me evidently Contradictory of any descent of the Sap which they suppose to be caus'd by the Influence of the Air either upon the Bark of the Tree or the Extremity of the Branches The different Tastes in Fruits which always have a smack of their Soil are a sufficient proof that their Nourishment is derived from a Soil of such a Savour and not from the Air which has none at all and certainly if any of the Sap could find a passage across or through the solid Wood it might as well enter in the same manner through the Skin of the Fruit and so the Stalk which by a long Prescription has hitherto been look'd upon as the true and only Channel for Conveyance of the Aliment to the Fruit would have a great many Partners in that Office and consequently become in a manner wholly useless I will not deny but that it is highly necessary for Trees to enjoy the benefit of a temperate Air
this Disposition which I have newly Regulated of a Garden containing Sixty Toises or Fathoms of Walling allowing each Wall fifteen Toises or Fathoms and planting them with such Trees that may prosper there we should have in all forty five good Trees namely one Fig-Tree twenty seven Peach-Trees two common Apricock-Trees two Violet-Perdrigon Plum-Trees and one St. Catharine Plumb-Tree The twenty seven Peach-Trees should be five Admirables three Violet Hastings or Forward Violet Peaches two Minions four Chevreuses one Nivette one White Maudlin one Persick two Troy-Peaches one Yellow Admirable one Latter Violet Peach two Bourdins one Avant Peach or Forward Peach and one Violet Brugnon or Nectarin The Twelve Pear-Trees should be three Bergamots three Butter Pears two Virgoulees two Verte Longues or Long Green Pears and two Orange-Green Pears With this Provision we may boast that though we have in our Garden but thirty Toises or Fathoms of Wall in a good Exposition and fifteen in a Midling one we have not ill furnished them since we have placed in that small Space at eight Foot distance one from the other all the most considerable Peaches our Country affords with the best of all our Fig-Trees three Excellent Plum-Trees and two Apricock Trees Well understanding and meaning always that the Apricock and Plum-Trees should be dispersed among the Peach-Trees and be placed in respect of them at an Equal distance one from the other so as that there may be between a Plum Tree and an Apricock-Tree five or six Peach-Trees and so on The Plum-Trees and Apricock-Trees are not so Subject to die young in part or in whole as the Peach-Trees and therefore are able as one may say to support in some manner the Honour of the Wall-Plantations when there happens any afflicting accident or Mortality to the poor Peach-Trees However I do not always mix Plum-Trees with Peach-Trees though they do them no harm but I sometimes plant whole Walls with nothing but Plums when I have Walling Enough nay and sometimes I make some little Gardens all of Plum-Trees when the disposition of the Ground will permit me Let us now return and proceed on to a Good Exposition that may contain between thirty and one and thirty Toises or Fathoms that we may have room to place a second Fig-Tree near the first the one being planted against the Southern Wall if we have one and the other against the Eastern one in case likewise we have one or else both of them shall be placed in one of those Expositions if either of the two be wanting next to that The Space between thirty one and thirty two Toises or Fathoms shall be for a third Violet Hasting Peach That from thirty two to thirty three for a third Minion That from thirty three to thirty four shall be left void to make good the distances From thirty four to thirty five for a second White Maudlin From thirty five to thirty six for a first forward or Hasting Apricock From thirty six to thirty seven for a second Violet Perdrigon Plum From thirty seven to thirty eight for a second Nivette Peach From thirty eight to thirty nine shall go only to make out distances From thirty nine to forty shall be for a first Italian Peach The Italian Peach is a Kind of Hasting or forward Persick and resembles in all things the Persick in its Bulk which is noble its sigure which is longish with a little teat at the end its colour which is of a fair but deepish Carnation its good taste and its stone c. But this ripens about the middle of August that is to say full fifteen days before the other In a word 't is very certain that 't is an Excellent Peach next which the space From forty Toises or Fathoms to forty one shall be for a second Troy Peach From forty one to forty two for a first Royal Peach From forty two to forty three for a first Rossane From forty three to forty four shall be kept void From forty four to forty five shall be for a first Violet Alberge-Peach I add here one after another three sorts of Peaches I had not yet Planted The Royal Peach is a Kind of Admirable only it is always more lateward and of a darker Red without and still a little more tinged near the stone than that in every thing else it is perfect like the Admirable and by consequence is admirable it self that is to say most Excellent The Rossane resembles the Bourdin Peach in shape and Bulk and is different from it in the colour of its skin and Pulp which in this latter are yellow Both of them take strong tincture of Red from the Sun that is to say a very dusky Red This Peach is very fruitfull and of a very good taste and has no other fault but that it is apt to grow Doughy to avoid which distastful inconvenience we must not let it grow too ripe on the Tree The Red Alberge is one of our prettiest Peaches for its vinous and rich taste if we let it grow ripe enough otherwise its pulp is hard as is that of all other Peaches not ripe it is no bigger than a Troy peach and is pretty like it but that it seems to me more coloured with red The only fault of all those incident to Peaches that can be objected against this is that it is not large The space from forty five to forty six Toises or Fathoms shall be for a second Persick From forty six to forty seven for a second Violet Brugnon or Nectarin From forty seven to forty eight for a first Apricock Plum From forty eight to forty nine shall remain void From forty nine to fifty shall be for a first Red Maudlin Peach Though the Apricock Plum that grows upon a Standard Tree in the open Air be better to eat raw than a St. Catharine yet in my Opinion the St. Catharine out-tops it by a very great height in a Wall-Plantation These two Plums are much like one another and I see no other difference than that the Apricock Plum comes nearer a round Figure than the other and has some red spots not seen in the other The Red Maudlin which is the same with the Double Troy peach or Country or Peasant peach and which notwithstanding the multiplying humour of those which would make different kinds of it is round flat and sinking very much coloured with red without and pretty much within is indifferent large and apt to grow double and twin-like which is not very agreeable and hinders it from producing fair Fruit its Flower is large and high Coloured its pulp is not very fine but its taste is good enough yet is it methinks nothing near so excellent a Peach as all those are which we have planted before it though in certain places I have seen it improve to a wonder both in bigness and good taste for all which I believe its Friends will hardly blame
during all the time of it's Tenderest Infancy Shade being so very necessary at that time that without it the Peach might perish being uncover'd before its being come to some Maturity Autumn and Winter Pears especially such as are recommendable for the largeness of their Size for instance Beurre or Butter-Pears Bon Chretiens Virgoulee c. do likewise stand in need of that Picking or culling of Fruits by reason that too many of them being left together upon one Knob they will seldom prove very fine one will suffice upon each or two at most and even those must appear pretty large according to the Season and both of an equal Size for the one being less than the other will always remain so and consequently ill favour'd which far from deserving to be preserv'd since it could not attain the Size it ought to have only serves to wrong the other which would have thriven the better had it remain'd alone upon that Bud. As for Summer Pears for instance small Muscat Robins Cassolets Rousselets c. there is no such absolute necessity to Pick them they must only be us'd like Plums and Cherries they are Fruits of an Ordinary and Regular Size and are commonly good of all Sizes provided they be Ripe and not tainted by Worms Thirdly It must be noted that when the Branches of Peach-Trees upon which in Pruning we have left as many Blossoms as we thought fit which as we have already noted is always to some Kind of excess when those Branches I say do not appear in the Month of May to receive Considerable Succors of new Sap so as to thicken or to shoot fine Branches on their extremities In that Case as I have declared more at large in the Treatise of Pruning we must not only take away a great part of the Fruit which is aready knit upon them but even shorten the Branch extreamly and that to that part from which the finest Shoot proceeds for otherwise certainly the best part of the Fruit would drop before its being Ripe or at least would remain very small and Consequently bad it being most certain especially as to Stone Fruit that unless they approach to that Size which is proper to their kind they never attain the delicacy they ought to have The Peaches remain Shaggy and Green and do not quit the stone they are Sowrish and Bitterish the Pulp is Rough and Course and often Mealy the Stone is much larger than it should be all which are certain Marks of an ill Peach Fourthly The Pears which remain in too great a Number are apt not only to hinder each other from thickning but likewise to Rot the Air and the Wind not having a free passage about them this Inconveniency is sufficient to Inform us that part of them must be taken away that the remainder may be at more Liberty and Ease In my Opinion it is very necessary to Observe in this Place that it is absolutely necessary especially in relation to Winter Bon Chrestien Pears in the Months of April and May which is the time in which they begin to appear Knit and Form'd to be greatly Careful to destroy small Black Caterpillars which are very numorous at that Season which otherwise would gnaw the Rind of those Pears which is the Reason we often meet with them crooked and uneven CHAP. II. To Learn to uncover at a proper Time certain Fruits which require it FRUITS being thus pick'd upon every Tree they thicken by degrees under the Leaf some more others less every one according to its kind some sooner and others later each according to the time Nature has design'd for their Maturity but whereas the Red or Carnation Colour are necessary to certain Fruits which may receive it if not hinder'd or not have it if hinder'd for there are some which absolutely can never attain it what ever may be done for Instance White Peaches Verte Longue or Long-Green Green Sugar Pears White Figs c. there are likewise others which thonever so cover'd ever receives the Colour of their Kind for example Cherries Rasberries Strawberries c. Whereas I say Colour as to certain Fruits is a very material condition in order to render them the more valuable and that they can never attain that Colour in Ripening unless the Rays of the Sun light directly upon them it is proper at certain times to remove some Leaves which shade them too much and consequently are prejudicial to them in relation to that Colouring nay more they are prejudicial as to the Maturity of those Fruits it being most certain for the generality that a Fruit much cover'd with Leaves cannot Ripen altogether so soon as another which is more expos'd and moreover has not so much delicacy But a great deal of Prudence and Discretion must be us'd in this case and care taken not to uncover Fruits until they have almost attain'd their proper size and begin to lose the great Greenness they had till then Fruits begin to thicken from the moment they are Knit until the beginning of June and afterwards as Gard'ners say they remain for a considerable space in a kind of Lethargy without thickening at least Visibly for I do not question but they thicken a little and that above all some Matter enters into the Inside of the Body of the Fruit since the Roots are continually preparing some and sending it immediately upwards this matter indeed remains press'd under the Rind which is the reason Fruit is so hard at that time but finally the time which is regulated for their Maturity approaching this very matter tho' condens'd begins to rarify and to extend in few days whereby the Fruits begin to sosten and thicken more and consequently to approach to Maturity This is the only proper time to uncover them at two or three different times and that during the space of five or six days for if they wereuncover'd sooner or all at once the great heat of the Sun would certainly occasion a great disorder upon that tender Rind not yet accustom'd to the open Air this truth is confirm'd by too many Experiences when either through the Ignorance of an unskilful Gard'ner or by some unlucky Frosts the Fruits are uncover'd before that time the same cause which splits the Rind of Fruits likewise dries up the Stalks and Consequently the Fruit Withers and Rots as it happens pretty often in Vinyards which at the beginning of Autumn are afflicted with some over hastly Frosts Let us return to the Colour which is desirable for most Fruits and say that it Imprints it self in few days on those that have been long cover'd as it appears by Peaches Apricocks and especially on the Quince Apples c. and that therefore those are much to blame who neglect the procuring of so great an advantage to their Fruit when it is so easily done Moreover in order to render that Colour more Bright and Lively it is not improper to use a kind of Seringe made on
tells us being Boil'd and coming after to be expos'd to the fresh Air grows more susceptible of Cold than 't was before and consequently shall sooner Freeze than that which has never been near any Fire at all So as to the Impressions of Cold in relation to the Air this Fire kindled in the Green-House â—enders the Air more obnoxious and dispos'd to receive the Cold which environs it on every part than that which never was thus alter'd with any Artificial Heat The Heat of Char-coal and the like whether in some hidden Stove or Earthen Pan though it may perhaps encounter and hinder some Effects of Cold offensive to living Creatures who will receive no more than they need and have a mind to yet Orange-Trees have not that Gift to distinguish and know the just degree of a Foreign Heat necessary to protect them against the rigour of Winter The truth is to derive any advantage from Artificial Fire in favour of the Green-House one should first understand the just Measure of the Need which these Trees have of it whether only to defend them from the Cold or so to recover the Heat which they have lost as that afterwards no Infirmity may be the consequent of it but we have not this Sagacity an Orange-Tree which has once been attack'd by the Frost Infallibly loses its Leaves remaining Sick and Indispos'd a long time after In the second place it were necessary that through the whole extent of the Green-House the Heat were always Uniform and of the same Temper which it neither is nor can be for it can neither be equal as to its continuance nor as Philosophers speak perfectly Regular as to its Intention That is as all the World has sufficiently Experienc'd maintain a constant Heat and of the self same Tenor especially during the Night which is the Time that the Cold is most Intense and Penetrating and when the Gard'ner is commonly fast asleep so as the Fire which at the Beginning or when newly kindled was but moderate does afterwards Increase the Fuel at last being all spent and consum'd it does either extreamly diminish and abate of its Heat or is altogether extinguish'd Such Fire I affirm therefore creates great Disorders in the Green-House Spoiling the Boughs that are nearest to it Parching the Leaves and above all Altering the Air which produces all the Good and all the Mischief accordingly as 't is well or ill qualified My Opinion therefore is that the very best Expedient for the Preservation of Orange-Trees thus Inclos'd against the Cold which is so funest and deadly to them were as we have shew'd a good Situation and Exposure That the Doors be made of sufficient Thickness and exactly Shutting The Windows very Close with good Chassis double and well Cauk'd Especially that the Walls of the House be Substantial But in Case the Conservatory should not have purposely been built for this Purpose as now and then it may happen and that perhaps one is oblig'd to make use of a Room that has been formerly some Hall Cellar or Stable c. as occasion prompts till a Better be made In such exigence the best way is to build either within or on the out-side as shall be found most Convenient some Counter-Wall of a full foot in thickness as high and long as is the old Wall if you suspect it not thick enough and this should be built of good Masonry Or in case of Necessity one may Cloath an Old Wall with Litter of a dry Dunghill beating it very close together as you heap it up and to the end it may stand and not slide down to drive in some stout quarters of Wood at Competent distances from the Wall about four foot of each other joyning to the Counter-mure of the Litter Indeed such Litter-Counter-Walls are not so sightly and sweet within Doors Besides they will be a Retreat for Rats and Mice which may be apt to gnaw and disbark the Trees not sparing the Roots themselves But besides that there are many remedies and ways to destroy most of those Vermin They are not such deadly and pernicious Enemies to Trees which are Inclos'd as the Frosts against which such Counter-Walls of Dung are made use of 'till a more commodious House can be built This therefore may serve to answer the Objection of Unsightliness and ill Odor I wish no body who is a Lover of Orange-Trees may be reduc'd to this Extremity but may have timely prevented it by erecting a good Conservatory for this purpose only But if notwithstanding all these Precautions we discover the Ice in our Inclosure as 't is easily done by hanging a Linnen Rag moistned or setting some small Dishes of Water in several Places of the House in the Winter-time and especially near the Doors and Windows on the edges of the Cases and Boxes to observe whether the Frost against which one cannot be too Watchful and Jealous have gotten any entrance In this Exigence the most Infallible Remedy to maintain a Sweet and uniform Warmth and which may last as long as one pleases is to Hang up lighted Flambeaux or Lamps which will be sure to last either between the Chassis against the Windows if it be there the Cold enters or near the Doors or all along the whole House taking care the Flame touch none of the Trees and that the Warmth continue of the same Temper as is easily done The Experience of setting a small Wax-Candle lighted in a Coach close shut up or of more than one in a very close Chamber may serve to Confirm this Expedient as they have me to Justifie this Imagination CHAP. X. What there is to be done to the Heads of Orange-Trees as well in order to the Recovery of such as have been long Neglected Ill Govern'd or Spoil'd either by Cold Wet Hail as also how to Attain the having such Trees as shall be always Beautiful and Agreeable both in Shape and Figure Health and Vigour TO satisfie the Importance and Extent of this Comprehensive Chapter I think first to propose the Idea which I have conceiv'd of the Beauty of the Orange-Tree whether it be a Well-grown Tree a Small or Moderate one for there are very fine ones both of the one and other sort as well as among all the Species of Animals there are fair ones of all Ages and Growths But the Truth is there is nothing more Rare than to find Orange-Trees such as are Great and Perfect at the same time whilst it is easie enough among the ordinary and moderate sort to meet with such as are both Fair and extreamly handsom There are also I confess very beautiful Orange-Trees in Bush that is such as produce Branches from the very bottom but indeed those which maintain an upright strait and fair Stem of about two feet and an half to Three or Four or at most to Five Feet in Height are much statelier and carry a certain Majesty much Superior to the Shrub and Bush I am
whereby the Bark may be rendered the more pliable and easie to be dilated and loos'd from its inclosed Trunk to give the freer passage for the Sap in its rising up from the Root Indeed I can never be persuaded to think that any Nourishment can be conveyed through that Rind but am of Opinion rather that a Tree depriv'd of all its Top Branches in a very hot Region as for instance we may suppose a Row of Trees cut even at the Tops and Planted in a Hedge to the South under the Torrid Zone would be so far from drawing in any Nourishment through the Bole that even the Sap would be so much hindred by the heat of the Air from ascending by its ordinary passage as that the upper part of the Tree would Infallibly perish whence it would follow that the Sap being made unable to rise up to the small upper Boughs would burst out at the foot into an infinite number of new and small Productions As for those who from the Experiment of making an Incision into a Tree pretend to prove this Intromission of Sap into the upper part or to defend the Circulation of the Sap from that Liquor which will run plentifully out of such an Incision in my Opinion they build their Hypothesis upon a very Sandy Foundation For First If we either cut or break off the Top of any Plant the Sap will be seen plainly to gush out in great abundance from each of the two Extremities bubling out of every Pore as well in that part which retain'd its Situation as in the other which was separated from the former Secondly If the Incision be made at the bottom there will run out not only some part of that Sap which is continually ascending but also a little of that which being already upon its rise and having till then been supported by the succeeding Sap must of necessity fall down when destitute of that Support and Foundation of which it was depriv'd by that Incision To conclude If this Incision were a sufficient proof of this Assertion it must follow that all the uppermost Sap must make its way out at one single hole as we see the Water in a Vessel runs all out at any hole it meets with But Experience tells us That how many Incisions soever you make either above or below the first the Sap will issue through all of them but most abundantly through the lowest and in least quantity through the highest which certainly must proceed from the Reason which I have given before CHAP. XX. Reflections upon the undistinguishable likeness of the Sap in the Wood Leaves and Fruit. THere is hardly any Plant growing with us during the whole Summer puts out more Roots and consequently produces greater plenty of Sap than the Fig-Tree does so that we may venture to build our Observations concerning Sap in general upon such Remarks as a particular Enquiry into the Nature of this Tree will afford us The Sap whereof appears to me to have exactly the same Colour Taste and Consistence both in the Wood of the Tree and the Stalk both of the Leaves and Fruit that it has in the Fruit it self whilst it is yet Green for when it comes to be Ripe and fit for Gathering there is not the least sign to be perceived of that white Sap with which it was so plentifully impregnated before it was come to Maturity From hence we may very well advance this general conclusion That there can be no material difference between that Sap which goes to the forming of the Fruit and that which enters into the Composition of all the other parts of the Tree since there is so great a Conformity between them at the time of its passing out of the Stalk into the Fruit. So that admitting the Sap for Fruit to be endued with some particular degrees of Perfection beyond what are to be found in the Sap of the Tree yet what do they think becomes of it when the Fruit which it was design'd to have form'd and nourish'd chances to perish as oftentimes it doth even in the Embryo or at least before it comes to Perfection In this case it must certainly be mixed with the rest of the Sap and be equally employ'd with it in the Production of something that is not Fruit. And this will suggest the Reason to us why Trees without Fruit abound more in Wood than those that bear Fruit plentifully which according to the Opinion I ever had is nothing else but the different proportions of the Sap the smaller quantity whereof causes plenty of Blossoms and Fruits as the greater quantity produces the like Encrease both in the Body and Leaves To this may be added what I have already repeated so often viz. That the Fruit grows at the Top of the weak Branches but at the Bottom of the strong whence it appears that no part of the Branch is exempted from bearing and that they are under a very great mistake who while they pretend to render an account why the weak Branches are generally most loaded with Fruit and particularly towards the Extremities put us off with this Reason That it is for the better concoction and refining of the Sap which say they can be effected no other way than by so long a Passage and Percolation through the narrow Conveyances But suppose this Fancy had some probability of Reason in it how shall we explain the Production of Grapes Quinces Mulberries Azerolles Rasberries c. which receive their Formation at the same time that the Wood does upon which they grow For Example There grows upon every old Branch of a Vine that used to be Pruned in the Spring as many new Branches as there were Eyes left upon it Upon these Branches and at the very same time with them are the Grapes formed which ordinarily do not grow nearer to the end than the third fourth or fifth Knot for from that distance the Branch runs up only in length without bearing any Fruit. This being granted which indeed cannot be denied I would ask them what Ground they have to assert That the Sap is not sufficiently prepared till it arrive at one of these three Eyes and there receive its perfect Digestion for they divide the Sap into two sorts viz. Digested and Indigested the former they tell us is employed both in forming the Grapes in some one of those three Knots and in Production of the Leaves and Branches and yet there is always some Wood Pulp and Husk of the Grape between every one of these Knots to the Formation of which both these Saps did contribute Lastly After this Secretion of the Digested Sap from the Indigested they come both of them to be re-united in order to the Production of Boughs and Leaves only for the remaining part of the Year I must confess ingenuously I am not quick enough to penetrate into and comprehend these so subtile and refined Notions of our modern Philosophers CHAP. XXI Reflections upon the Opinion