rather than those with brittle, crackling, or caffant Flesh; and, in my Opinion, I join with him fo far, that if one of the best Beurées would hold for eating from Auguft to April, that Sort alone would anfwer our End better than the whole Catalogue of Pears to be eaten raw. The Pears with the Beurée Flesh, fays he, which are the beft efteemed, fhould be cultivated in dry fandy Land, which will prevent them from being ftony; and on the contrary, we should plant the dry, high flavour'd, or musked Pears in moifter Soils.

Concerning a Pear Tree that bears Fruit twice a Tear, at Mr. Chapman's, a cu rious Nursery-Man, near Pitfield-Street, Hoxton.

T

HERE are fome Instances of Trees which naturally bear Fruit twice, and now and then three Times in a Year: The most remarkable are the Fig, the Glastonbury Thorn, and the Vine; but the twice bearing of these in one Year, depends fo much upon a favourable Seafon, that it is very rare for them in England to ripen the Fruit of both their Seasons: The Attempt however of bearing Fruit twice in a Year, may well enough ferve to inform us, that their native Countries lie between the Tropicks, where there are two Seafons in each Year, which equally do the Office of Summer, and for that Reason it is natural to Plants of fuch Climates to be difpos'd to bloffom, and bear Fruit at both thofe Seafons; and I have obferv'd in another Place, that all Trees and Plants, let them come from where they will, do manifeftly preserve

their own natural Seasons of Growth, whatever Difference there happens to be between their own and this Climate, though they are often Sufferers in the Attempt by cold Weather, unless they be houfed: But in Mr. Chapman's Pear Tree, there feems to be fomething rather more particular, for that never fails in the worst of Years to ripen two Crops of good Fruit, which only differ in the Time of their ripening, and not otherwife, as has been conjectur'd, unless it be, that the Fruit of the fecond Crop is fomewhat fmaller than the other.

The preceding Year, Mr. Chapman prefented me with a Branch, whereon there was feveral of the first Fruit almoft full grown, and several of the fecond Crop were just then fet, and both these were found upon one fingle Shoot, growing from Buds which were alternately plac'd upon the Shoot; and alfo, it was obfervable that Shoots of this Kind were found in every Part of the Tree, and not any diftinct Shoots which brought only Fruit of one Crop, or fingle Shoots which brought forth only of the other Crop; for that would appear to be no more than what is commonly done by Graffing, i. e. to have Branches feparate upon the fame Tree which brings Fruit that ripens at different Seafons. Indeed I find this extraordinary Summer, that a Sort of white Fig in Mr. Fairchild's Garden, ripen'd two Crops of Figs very well, even fo as to gather of the fecond Crop ripe on the tenth of September; and at the fame Place I obferved a fort of Vine which had a fecond Crop of Grapes, almoft ripe about the middle of September, which I fuppofe might partly happen from an extraordinary Pruning Mr. Fairchild

gave them this Year, as well as the extraordinary Seafon; though without either of these they would have attempted a double Crop, but then, without these Helps, they would not have ripen'd.

I fuppofe, fuch Plants as feem fo naturally to bear twice a Year, are made up of Veffels of different Kinds, which confequently contain Juices of different Kinds, the one Sort taking a longer or fhorter Time to digeft the Juices than the other; and therefore this doubling the Seafons in bearing may be brought to pafs: The -Veffels which lead to the Buds that bloffom in the Spring, have their Juices fufficiently ripen'd then for the compleating the Bloffom, whilft thofe Veffels which lead to the Buds which bloffom in July, are crude and immature, and require fome Months more to ripen them for Fruit bearing.

Mr. Chapman tells me, that he propagates this Tree, which is call'd the Twice Pear, by graffing, and that thofe he has graffed from it, are like it in every Refpect; but then, as this is done by graffing, we muft confider that a Graff has three or four Buds to it, and fo may have all the Qualities in it that are found in the old Tree, or if there was but one Bud of it to shoot, perhaps the Veffels of a different Sort that muft be in the Wood of the Graff, may find Means to fhew their Difpofition hereafter; for every Veffel in a Plant has fome Correspondence with the reft. But I have Reafon to question, whether a fingle Bud of this Tree being inoculated on a Stock, will afford any more than fuch Juices or Veffels as are neceffary to bring Bloffoms of one Seafon, without ever offering to bloffom in another; and if by trying this we find

that

that one Inoculation will only blossom in July, and another will only bloffom in April, it will difcover a great Mystery in the Nature of Plants.

I

may take Notice in this Place, that there is a Pear-Tree in Norfolk, which brings Pears of very different Kinds, the one a Summer, the other a Winter Pear, and yet both thefe Sorts are found upon one Twig, and even proceeding from the fame Bud, nay, and fome of the Pears partaking both of the Summer and Winter Kind, like the Apple in Devonshire, which I have treated of in another Part of this Work, wherein I have alfo própos'd a Method of Graffing by Approach, call'd Touching, and have given a Cut of it. I believe it is by fome fuch Means that in Marlborough Foreft, there is now the Hazle join'd with the Hawthorn, fo as to make one Tree, but whether they are fo united, and their Juices are yet fo well mixt, as that they flow together in the fame Veffels, cannot be fo well refolv'd, as by graffing a Branch of the Plant which partakes of both, upon an Hazle, or upon a White-thorn, upon either of which it will take, if the Veffels of both are united, unless indeed we were to cut one entirely from its Root, then we should foon fee how much it depended upon the other. This leads me to confider the numerous Graf fings mention'd by the Antients; and as I think nothing can feem more different in Nature, than the Hazle and Haw-thorn, which by Touching are thus united or grown into one another, fo I have more room to think that what they have offer'd to us about graffing Plants of feeming contrary Natures upon one another, is not fo irrational as at first it appear'd to me, not confidering that they might ufe fuch a Graffing as

this which I call Touching, and is but lately reviv'd with us. By the fame Means Mr. Whitmil abovemention'd has this Year joined the Fig with the Mulberry.

CHAP. III.

Of Plums; a Catalogue of the best Sorts, with their Defcriptions, and fome useful Particulars relating to them.

TH

HE Plum is a Fruit which is as much in Efteem as any Fruit whatever: Its great Varieties, either for eating raw, bak'd, or in Sweet-meats, makes it defervedly take Place among our beft Fruits.

We have Plums from July till the end of October, and even later; but the Sun at that Seafon of the Year has fo little Force, that we cannot boaft of any good Fruit of this Kind after October is pass'd.

The earliest Plum in France is call'd Cerifette, or little Cherry Plum; we have two forts of it, one red, and the other white, which both part from the Stone, like the Damask Plum; and though these are Wildings, they deserve a Place in our Gardens, being well tafted, and coming very forward; they are raised by Off-fets, and from the Stone, and without graffing come to bear very well.

2. Prune de Catalogne, i. e. the Catalonian Plum, is large, white, and very forward, but VOL. II.

H

does