it may encourage you in fome of your Experiments of another kind. Several of the ancient Writers of Gardening describe the Fruit ' produc'd by the Apple graffed on the Quince, (which they call'd Melimela, or Honey Apples) as a very different kind from those graffed on the Apple: And they give us other Inftances of the Fruit being alter'd by the • Stock..

I cannot help adding this Maxim of theirs, which, they fay, was generally held for true, that any Tree was to be graffed upon any other Tree which was like it in the Bark; but if there was a Likeness in the Fruit too, there could be no manner of doubt of the Success. Go on, and profper.

Anfwer to Mr. Fairchild concerning the foregoing Letter.

SIR,

THE

HE Memorandums you fent me, have given me an extraordinary Satisfaction, as it is plain they were penn'd by a Perfon of Learning; and I am very glad to find fuch as are Men of Letters, begin to bend their Minds to the Study of Vegetables, and their Improvement. By making fuch Experiments, as are offer'd in the Paper you fent me, we fhall discover whether the ancient or modern Authors are moft to be relied on; for my own part, I am fenfible, that many things related by the ancient Authors are Truths, but they are not without the contrary in fome of their Works, which, perhaps, might happen from their too great Faith in Hearfays; the Age was then, it may be, not so much given

to

to Diffimulation as it has been in our Times, for which Reason, I cannot fo much blame the Per fons, who wrote in those Days for believing Reports which fell in their Way. The Gentleman who proposes these Experiments to you, is, in my Opinion, much in the right to have thele Trials made, that the World may be fatisfied how far we may give Credit to the Ancients; or, at leaft, that we may judge how much we have improv'd upon their Thoughts.

The Ancients have, without doubt, given us fome good Inftances of their Knowledge in Gar dening; but, as I obferv'd before, their Works are not all founded upon the fame Strength of Truth, fo that we have been at a loss to pick out their most beneficial Matter: But what you are now upon, will help us to find out how far their Knowledge went in these Matters; and if that really proves to be great, we must next confider, whether our modern Practice exceeds that of the Ancients; or, whether we must fubmit to them.

You are very fenfible, when we speak of the Works of Men, there is room enough to queftion the Veracity of the Authors; and to our Sorrow, it is much to be queftion'd in the Writ ings of our Times, when there is so much Deceit reigns among us, that a Man is scarce to be credited by his deareft Friend, or nearest Relation, without good Witneffes: It is neceffary therefore, as well for the fake of the Writings of our Times, as for the explaining of the Works of the Ancients, that we follow Experience, for that will admit of no Contradiction.

I am not of the Opinion of fome Men, who will not allow the modern Practice to be fuperior to that of the Ancients, no more than I can

fide with thofe, who will not allow that a Scholar may become more learned than his Mafter, or a Son be a better Man than his Father: There is the fame Chance for excelling our Predeceffors or Teachers, as there is for us to be inferior to them in our Learning or Judgment; nay, the Balance feems rather to turn on the first fide; for those, who have Age, Learning and Experience on their fide, give their Scholars fuch Rudiments for their Government, as are well digefted; and if fuch Rudiments make their due Impreffion upon, or are receiv'd by the Genius of the Scholar, that Scholar may be faid to enjoy in his younger Years the digefted Experience of his Mafter, and has yet a full Age before him, to improve upon his Mafter's Experience. Now where the Mafter is good, and the Scholar receives Inftruction carefully, there is little room to doubt, but the Scholar will out-do the Master, without leffening the Master's Character.

The Arts of Husbandry and Gardening have improv'd very much in the few Years I have liv'd in the World; and when I compare the modern Practice with that of the Ancients, there feems to be a very wide Difference between us and them; though we must at the fame time acknowledge, that from fome of the ancient Practice we have taken fome confiderable Hints: But then on the other hand, the Ancients have many Things among them, which Experience has prov'd to be unnatural, and many others which are not yet either fet afide, or confirm'd. Now at this rate, where Men have Reafon to doubt of any thing of any Author, or take every thing for granted, the Cafe is hazardous,

zardous, therefore let us ftill preserve our Way of Practice to speak from Experience; your Experiments upon the Letter you now fent me, will help to explain the Matter, and open us a new Door to Knowledge.

I have kept you thus long upon this Head, because of our frequent Conversation upon Points of the like Nature. Let me now proceed to give you fome few Thoughts and Obfervations concerning Graffing, Inoculating and Inarching one kind of Plant upon another.

You have told me that the Miletoe is of two forts, viz. one Male, which never bears any Fruit, and the other Female, which will bear Berries at three or four Years old; and, I think, you fay, that the Bloffoms of both are very different; this Plant is of a very fingular Nature, and deferves to be enquir'd into. I wifh you would try the budding or graffing of one fort upon the other, and prepare to fow fome of it at the proper Seafon upon Plants in Pots, that we may try it by Inarching.

I obferve, that it will grow by Seed almoft upon any fort of Tree, though the Juices of fuch Trees as it is propagated upon are of different Natures, but it will not grow in Earth by any Means; now the Growth of this Plant upon every Tree that we ftick the Seed upon, is ra ther graffing or budding, than fowing, if we obferve the manner of its firft laying hold of the Tree, it becomes incorporated with the spongy Parts in the Bark of a Tree, as an Eye or Bud does by Inoculation.

As far as I can yet think of the Matter, befides inarching one fort of Mifletoe upon the other, we might poffibly make it take by inarch

ing either fort upon any kind of Tree whatever: The Experiment will not give you much Trouble; and to be certain whether it will fucceed or not, will give me great Satisfaction; for it will furnish us either one way or other with good Hints, as I fhall take Occafion of mentioning hereafter, when I am certain whether it will take

or not.

2dly, I would defire you to inarch the double or fingle Stock Gilly-Flower upon the WallFlower, for they seem so near a-kin, that I think it reasonable enough to try the Experiment among the rest.

If it fhould fucceed, you may perhaps preserve the Stock Gilly-Flowers longer than they ufually laft of themfelves; and it may be, you may procure fuch Seed thereby, as may produce fome new Variety.

Our curious Friend Mr. Whitmill of Hoxton fhew'd me several Curiofities in graffing, which I had not obferv'd before, and had extraordinary Success.

The fingle and double Bloffom Dwarf Almonds were growing upon the Muffel Plum; and fince that will do, I am perfuaded the sweet and bitter Almonds will take upon the dwarf Almonds; and then I fuppofe we may have bearing Almond-trees in very little room; but I have hinted at that before.

I cannot help obferving to you, Mr. Whit mill's Contrivance for fuch as have small Gar dens, that upon a few Trees, they may have most of the best forts of Fruit: Indeed the Trees will not laft fo long by fuch Practice but it is making the moft of a little, and is a great Improvement for a little Spot of Ground: He has a Peach-tree, whereon are now grow VOL. II.

L

ing,

1