of foreign Countries; and the laft Year has given me the Pleasure of finding, that thofe Methods, I have recommended in my former Papers, have had fuch good Succefs, that more Gentlemen have taken that Part of Gardening upon them, in the last twelve Months, than has been known for many Years before. It is evident too, that where we can, by fuch Means, render Exotick Plants any ways ufeful, though there is fome little Expence or Trouble in bringing it about, yet a little extraordinary Trouble, when it is crown'd with reasonable Profit, will not be grudged by the Undertaker. The late Inftance of bringing the Ananas or Pine-Apple to Perfection in England, by the Ingenuity of Mr. Telende, has fo far gain'd upon the Curious, that already many of our Nobility have undertaken the fame Improvement; and it is not to be doubted, but a Year or two more will make this Undertaking much more general; and then I have good Hopes of feeing my Defires compleated, of introducing all the Weft-Indian as well as EastIndian Fruits among us.

Tanners-Bark is of extraordinary Ufe for making Plants ftrike Root quickly; and as there is little or no Steam rifes from it, fo the Leaves of fuch Plants will not be endanger'd, as oftentimes those are which are fet upon hot Beds made of Horfe Dung.

We must observe too, that the Bark, when it is just taken out of the Vats, is fubject to heat with Violence, and grow mouldy on the Top, and then speedily lofe its Heat; but the best Bark is that which has been out of the Vats about a Fortnight, before we use it, and that will heat gently and gradually, and continue hot a Long Time,.

The

The Second Thing to be confider'd, is, the Method of importing Plants and Seeds from foreign Countries with Safety; and how fuch Gentlemen who go abroad may judge of the Plants they meet with in foreign Parts, whether they may be acceptable to us, or not.

As to the bringing over of Seeds and Plants, I have been pretty large upon that Head in my New Improvements and other Writings of Gardening, but I fhall take occafion here to mention two or three new Particulars which are neceffary to be observ'd in those Cafes: I have already faid, that it is the beft Way to gather the Seeds in their Shells and Cafes, and fo to bring them to us; for befides the Help fuch Cafes will be to preserve the Seeds during the Voyage, they will help to inform us of what Clafs or Order the Plants are of which they were taken from; or if we have occafion to bring over Plants in Boxes of Earth, we may fow fome of the Seeds in thofe Boxes of Earth, especially thofe of the Tree-kind, because by that Time they come to us, they may be in fome Forwardnefs to grow. But if we have not this Convenience, we may follow the Method fent me by a very curious Gentleman, whose Name I know not; but as it carries a Face of good Reason with it, as far as that can guide me, it has my Approbation, and it is this: When the Seeds are gathered, and as well dry'd as the Warmth of the Air of the Place can do, or a warm Pocket will do in three or four Days, then put them into a glass Bottle, or glaz'd Veffel, clofely ftopp'd, rather with a Stopple of the fame fort than with a Cork, for a Cork is apt to rot by change of Air; and then we must take care to

have this Stopple well cemented with Pitch, or Bees-Wax and Rozin: The faid Veffel must then be placed in a larger Jar, or Veffel of glaz'd Earthenware, and the intermediate Space be tween both be fill'd with common Salt, even fo as to cover the Stopple of the Seed-Bottle with Salt. By this Means, I judge, that it will be impoffible for any of the Seeds to be injured in their Paffage through different Climates; for yet I cannot difcover, that any fort of Infect can live in a Body of common Salt, or where Salt is the Medium juftly regulated between the Air and the Body, then fuch Body cannot putrify fo as to be render'd a proper Nidus for any Infect to lay its Eggs in. We have many Inftances of Flesh that has not putrified after it has been well prepar'd with Salt; and it is as rational to think, that Seeds or Plants may be as well preferv'd by it, when we confider the Ways of pickling fome forts of Fruits, which by only putting Salt to them, they are preferv'd many Months, when of themselves they would rot and be destroy'd in a few Days.

This Salt alfo corrects the extraordinary Heat of the warmer Climates, and by its being thus made the Wall, as I may call it, between the hot Air and the Seeds, fo through its Fixation and Coldness, it is not to be fuppos'd, that the exceffive Heat of the hottest Climates can penetrate through it, fo as to occafion any confiderable Decay in the Seed. And we may confider likewife, that as this Salt is firft fix'd by extraordinary Heat, fo we cannot fuppofe, that while the Seeds are paffing thro' the hot and dry Climates, the Salt can fuffer any great Change or Alteration; and fo it is as natural to fuppofe, that the Seeds which are under its Shelter cannot be much alter'd; and we well know,

know, that a Climate about the Latitude of ours is rarely difpos'd to melt Salt, fo that under fuch Shelter we can hardly find any Seeds to be brought to us that will not be in good Perfection. And this has led me often to admire at the Principles in Nature, that dispose fome Bodies to fix themselves from Liquids by violent Heat; and others, which are in their Principle as Liquid, to be only fix'd by violent Cold. It is a Subject worth Confideration, and will greatly help to the Defign which we have now before us. It is alfo worthy our Notice, that fome Plants do not grow in the Summer Months, but only have a vegetative Motion in the Winter; and others are only in Motion in the Summer, and upon the least Approach of Cold, are fix'd, and lofe their Vegetation.

But to return to my Subject. We are next to confider of the best Means for the Transportation of the Plants themselves, and that may be done, in a fhort Voyage, without any Earth about the Roots, if they are Trees of any Subftance; that is to fay, of an Inch, or an Inch and half Diameter in the Stem; but they must be very clear of Wet before they are pack'd up, otherwise there will be a Ferment about their Bark which will deftroy them. I have known fome Trees which have grown after they have been without Earth for ten Months, Orange Trees especially; and a Willow Twig, which us'd to carry in my Hand for more than ten Months, is now, after Years fticking to the fide of a Bank, become a good Tree.

But for transporting of Plants, which require Earth to grow in while they undergo a long Paffage, I can give no better Directions than

what

what I have lately obferv'd in a Letter of Mr. Mark Catesby, a very ingenious Gentleman, written from Carolina to Mr. Fairchild, concerning the Carriage of Plants by Sea, which he has had good Experience of, as appears from the many Varieties of Virginia Plants, which of late Years he has fent over to England; and is as follows.

I

SIR,

To Mr. FAIRCHILD.

Defire when you fend Plants by Shipping to remote Parts, to fend them in Tubs, and not in Baskets; for Baskets contribute much to the Miscarriage. Winter is the best Time October if it could be, and to put the Tubs in the Ballaft, which keeps them moift and moderately warm. So manag'd, I have had best Succefs with Plants from England; for on the Quarter-Deck they are often wetted with Salt Water, and require the greatest Tendance from bad Weather, and even with the greatest Care they miscarry, as they did with me. It is fo hot in the Hold in Summer, that they spend their Sap at once, and dye, so that that is not a Time to fend any Thing.

Mark Catesby.