would have fcorched them up: One of them this Summer was very fickly, and had like to have dy'd; but about two Months ago I took the Plant out of the Pot, and planted in the Earth, which was heated at the Bottom with a little fresh Horse-dung, which has recover'd it; the other has shot very vigorously, and I doubt not, but, with Care, to fee Fruit from it the next Year. I thank you for your Advice concerning the Use of dry'd Sea-Sand. I am now about making my Winter Frame for the Ananas, and design it in the following manner: To make it four Foot deep, the first two Foot to be the hottest Dung well ramm'd in, upon that a Foot and half of Sea-Sand, dry'd and heated as you order, and the upper fix Inches, in which the Pots are fix'd, of dry Cork Duft when it is burnt, which is of a very hot Nature. The Tanners in this Country make use of the Bark of the Cork Tree in their Business, which is what Bark remains to the Tree after the Cork is taken off, but there are so few of them, that it is difficult to get enough; however, I fhall make a small Experiment of it as to Heat. The Ananas laft Year thriv'd well enough in a hot Bed only, during the Winter. We want those Things you can eafily procure; but however, Nature in fome Meafure fupplies it through the Goodness of the Climate. I am glad you defign to try the laying of Orange-Trees in the Ground, I am affur'd it will fucceed: Our Way of increafing Lemon or Orange-Trees is by earthing up a Branch, and peeling off a little of the Bark of that Part of the Branch which is in the Earth, to make it ftrike Root the fooner; by thofe Means, when it has got Root, the Branch

Branch which is remov'd makes a good new Tree, although it has Bloffoms, and green and ripe Fruit upon it, for the Lemon-Tree bloffoms and bears all the Year throughout: The Way of budding and graffing those Trees on wild Stocks is found here too tedious. As Lemons of late Years here have bore a great Price, it has induced the Owners to endeavour to propagate and increase that Fruit as much as poffible: The largest and fairest Fruit of that fort, is graffed on a Citron Stock. I am truly,

SIR,

Your obliged bumble Servant,

John Clarke, Jun.

The foregoing Letter furnishes us with such Observations as my Reader could not excufe my paffing by, in a Work of this Nature, which aims at the Good as well as the Amusement of the Curious; and though the laying of Orange and Lemon-Trees is in this first publish'd, yet confidering the Reafon of the Thing, I wonder it has not been practis'd generally before this Time; for almoft every one knows, that laying a Branch of a Tree in the Ground, will occafion it to ftrike Root; and then, why should the Orange and Lemon-Trees be alone neglected? for had it been try'd, I am convinc'd it would have been fuccefsful, not only from the Affurrance given by the curious Gentleman who gives us this Letter, but from the Experience of William Thornton, Efq; at Bloxham in Lincolnshire,

10

in whofe Gardens, among many other fine Experiments of his, I found this Method us'd fuccessfully, but this Gentleman abounds so much in Rarities of this kind, as well as new Improvements in Husbandry, that to mention them as they should be, would almoft make a Volume of themselves; and had it been my Fortune to have known the Mafter of fo happy a Genius, I doubt not but to have found as much Improvement from his Conversation; for Opus Artificem probat; but this en Passant.

CHAP.

Of the Improvement of Flowers, in an Account of Ranuncula's rais'd from Seeds by Mr. William Potter, Gardiner, at Mitcham in Surry. In a Letter to J. S. Efq;

SIR,

W

HENI 'laft had the Happiness of your Company, you defir'd I would, as Occafion offer'd, fend you an Account of fuch Curiofities as occurr'd to me in the Way of Gardening; and I have now the good Fortune of acquainting you with one of the most furprizing Productions of Nature that I have ever met with, either at Home or Abroad, and, I doubt not, but it will be the more acceptable to you, as you are a Lover of Flowers.

I was lately at Mitcham in Surry, to view a Collection of feedling Ranuncula's rais'd there by Mr. William Potter, a Gardiner, having first heard of their Excellence from feveral of our beft Judges, who had seen them in the Strength of their Bloom. I confefs, among all that I have ever seen of the Ranunculus kind, I have

yet

yet never met with any that were fo agreeable to me, either in Beauty of Colours, Variety of Make, or Largeness of Bloffom; and though there are many hundred diftinct forts of them, I am yet puzzled to fay which of them pleas'd me beft: There are many of them which have all the Properties that we could expect in a good Flower; and the others are fo widely different from whatever has been seen in England, that they fhine in fuch Properties as my Knowledge of Flowers could never give me Hopes of expecting; in a Word, they are Nonpareils, and deferving of a much better Character than I am capable of giving them.

Their Colours are of all forts, in feveral Degrees, from the cleareft White to the darkest Purple, but the Azure-blue is only wanting, to carry them through all the Colours, to the deepeft Black. Some of thefe Flowers are of one Colour alone, others with their Petals or FlowerLeaves, ftrip'd with various Colours which mark quite through, as the Carnations do, which are call'd Flakes. Some are powder'd or pounc'd with the gayeft Colours, like the Carnations called Picketees. Others again are ting'd on the Edges with Varieties of Colours; and fome have their Centers ftain'd with Colours directly oppofite to those of their other Leaves.

As for the Make or Figure of thefe Flowers, there are some fhap'd like the Ranunculus, call'd the Turks Turbant, and fuch forts as we have ufually cultivated in our Gardens, extreamly double, and blow very tall, others take the Form of Roses of several kinds, and have their Flower Leaves of that Shape, and difpos'd in that manner. Some again are fhap'd like the African Marygold, and others like the French Marygold,