Fire is conftantly kept, and which Fire has no Communication with any of the Roots but by the Branches, fhould as readily blossom in Winter as what we have been speaking of? for here fome will be apt to fay, the Root does not push before the Branch: But in anfwer to this we must take Notice, that the Branches and Roots of a Tree make one Body, and therefore the Juices in the Veffels of one being fet in Motion, muft push forward the Juices in the Veffels throughout the whole. And again we may obferve, that in Vegetation, Plants, for the generality, are difpos'd to push out Roots from their Branches, and Branches from their Roots, as one or the other is plac'd in the Earth or Air; which I think is no fmall Proof of the Circulation of Sap, as it fhews that the Intent of Sap is the fame in every Part of a Tree.

And yet, once more we must take Notice, that as in our Cafe of the Tree against the Chimney, the Motion of the Sap in Winter by Warmth is in the Branches, fo is its Progrefs through the whole Plant from thence; which we may account for by the Rarefaction of thofe Juices which are firft warm'd, and by natural Progreffion or gentle Degree liquidate and force on the reft, till all are of the fame Confiftence, and have circulated to the fame Point where the Motion began, and then the whole Sap being of one State, a continu'd Application of the fame Degree of Heat will keep it in continued Motion. And thus far, at present, I fhall give my Obfervations for helping the Circulation of Sap, viz. that there is fuch an Harmony and Correfpondence between the Juices or Sap in the Branches of Trees and that in the Roots,

that whatever Part is first fet in Motion by Heat, will cause a like Motion in all its concomitant Parts.

A

CHAP. X.

Concerning Blights and Infects which infeft Fruit-trees: A Remedy against them by Mr. James Bruffard, Gardiner to his Grace the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth.

T

SIR,

To Mr. Bradley, &c.

Receiv'd your's, and should be glad to inform you of any Thing worth inferting in your Books; as for preventing of Blights, I cannot fay any thing to that, but I have recover'd feveral Fruittrees, as Cherries, Dwarf-Apples, and Plums; as alfo Cabbages, and other Garden Stuff of that kind (after the Fruit and Plants were blighted and began to wither) by a Water made with Tobacco Stalks; I water'd the Trees with the faid Water, and in a very fhort Time the Leaves and Fruit began to recover, and grow to their full Perfection. This Tobacco, Water hath recover'd those that were water'd with it; and it

is a Question whether those that were not, will live to bear another Year.

I have had two Years Experience of this Water with great Succefs, and find it answer beyond any thing that I ever made ufe of. I chiefly found this out by a Man that chew'd Tobacco, who fpit upon a Newt, and a Toad, and thereby deftroy'd them; from whence I fuppos'd it a great Deftroyer of all forts of Ver

min.

I made two Hogfheads of Water, by infufing fix or seven Pounds of Tobacco Stalks, though one may add more as Occafion ferves. I am now trying another Ingredient, which I find to be a great Deftroyer of Infects, which, Sir, if it should prove effectual, I shall be glad to oblige you with. I am,

Sir,

Your most bumble Servant,

James Bruffard.

The ufe of Tobacco, in fuch Cafes, has long been practis'd with Succefs, to destroy the Infects that infeft Plants, by ftrewing Tobacco Duft upon them, and by making a Fumigation of it under Trees; fo I doubt not but the Infufion of Tobacco Stalks in Water will answer the End full as well, and may be done with lefs Trouble. But I fhall take this Opportunity before I leave the Subject of the deftroying of Infects, to introduce a very curious Letter I have lately receiv'd, which has already met with the Approbation of fo many ingenious Gentlemen

P 4

that

that I have shewn it to, that I am perfuaded, my Readers would lose a confiderable Entertainment, if I was not to make it publick.

To Dr. BR ADLEY, F. R. S.

SIR,

R

Eading lately Mr. Mortimer's Treatife of Husbandry, I took Notice of his remarkabte Prejudice against the wing'd Species, infomuch as to wifh for a Law for extirpating feveral Tribes of them. I fhall in this beg Leave to be an Advocate for thefe Innocents who cannot speak for themselves; and endeavour to fhew, that the Services they do us, abundantly balance the Inconveniences, and that instead of being Nufances they are Bleffings, and that without them, we should be like the Land of Egypt under the Curfe, that the Grafhoppers would come, and Caterpillars innumerable, and would eat up all the Grafs in our Land, and devour the Fruit of our Ground, and multiply fo exceedingly, as to creep into our Kings Palaces; and Flies would fo abound, as to be extreamly incommodious to us.

In order to make fome Eftimate of their Services, I lately obferv'd a couple of Sparrows who had young ones, and made twenty Turns each per Hour; and reckoning but twelve Hours per Day, let us compute what a Number of thofe Vermin were deftroy'd by that Neft alone,

49 Cater

40 Caterpillars per Hour.

12 Hours of feeding per Day.

480 Caterpillars deftroy'd per Day.

7 Days fuppos'd between Hatching and Flight.

3360 Caterpillars deftroy'd by one Neft alone in one Week.

But I hear that the Wren, Tom-tit, and other numerous Breeders, deftroy a much greater Number; and, I believe, moft Birds feed fourteen or fifteen Hours per Day, whereas I have reckon'd but twelve; and it is certain likewife, I might add more Days to the Computation, but I was willing to keep within Bounds.

;

At a Gardiner's where I lodg'd, five Miles off this City, we had in the House, Barn, and Stable, feven Nefts of Sparrows, two of Robinred-breafts, two of Wrens, and one Redstart in the Orchard and Hedges, one Chaffinch, one Hedge-fparrow, two Tom-tits, two Chats, one Linnet, one Yellowhammer, and one Tit-Lark; and computing at the Rate abovemention'd of 3360 Caterpillars per Week, by each Neft, one with another, no less than 70560 Caterpillars were deftroy'd by the twenty one Nefts in one Week's Time: But feveral of thefe Birds breed twice, and fome thrice per Annum, and no doubt but there were feveral other Nefts which were not discover'd.

It is obfervable to every Body who is converfant in Gardening, that the farther from London, the more the Fruit; and I fay alfo, the farther from any great Town or City; and the Reason

is,