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Show As AS ve, and ASCYRUM;; [Acxvesy, ofa Privati oxdpu, Roughnefs, g. 4. the fmooth or bald Plant.] S. Peter’s-wort. The Charaéteris 5 This is worthy of a Placein every curious Colleétion of Plants, for the Beautyofits red Shoots, {mall crifp’d Leavy and its con- Land; but as they have been wet, and fo moft of the Salt drawn off by the Lee, they ought to be laid on muchthicker than other tinuing to flower moft part of the Year. Afhes. Land, but efpecially for Clay-Lands ; but will ASHESate efteetn’d by fome a goodfuper- be muchbetter if mix’d with Lime. But all thefe bes ought to be kept dry from the Time they are made till they are ufed, for elfe the Rains will both wafh away ficial Dreffing of Corn and MeadowLand, as Wehave only two Sorts of this Plant in England, viz. rich thofe which are jejune and flov 1. Ascyrum 3 magno flore. C.B.P. large flowering St. Pete Balearicum, 2, Ascyrum; maximo flore luteo, foliis minoribus rucofis. Salvador. Boerh. Ind. My nai. Cluf. H. wort from Leaves. The i The iarge flowering St. Peter Majorca, with {mall warted The firft of thefe Plants was fent into Exgland by Sir George Wheeler, to the Phyfick Garden at Oxford, from Conftantinople, where he found it wild; this Plant produces very large Flowers, witha great Numberof Stamina or Threads in the Middle, and makes a very agreeable Shew in the Wildernefs Quarters, or in fhady Borders, where it chiefly delights to grow: Itis very hardy, andincreafes gently by its creeping Roots, which will foon overfpread a Border ; it is beft when kept in fmall Tufts, and not fuffer’d to run too much, whichoften prevents its flowering, by having too great a Quantity of Branches; the Flowers are produc’d in Fune and Fuly, but it feldom perfects its Seeds with us. This will growin almoft any Soil. The fecond Sort was firft mention’d by Dr. Lobel, whoreceiv’d a dried Sample ofthis Plant from Dr. Penne, who found it in his Travels, and was by Lobel call’d Myrto-Ciftus ; the Flowers, as he thought, refembling the Ciflus or Rock Rofe, and the Leaves thofe of the Myrtle. But this Plant was not knownto any of the modern Botanifts, until one Salvadore, an Apothecary, who liv’d at Barcelona, went into thofe Iflands in fearch of Simples, where he found this Plant, and fending fome Specimens thereof into Exgla nd Holland, which had fome ripe Seeds in their Vefiels, they were fown, and grew, from*whence this Plant hath been {pread into manycurious Gardens. Chis Plant is propagated, either from Seeds fown on a moderate Hot-bedin the Spring, or by planting Cuttings in the Summer Months in Pots of good Earth, which fhould be plung’d into an old Hot-bed, and kept water’d and fhaded in the Heat of the Day, until they have taken Root, when you may by degrees expofe it to the open Air, but it muft be _~ d in Winter with Myrtles, Amon BAIS) being too tender to endure the Cold of our Winters in the open Ground, but may, withaflight Shelter, be eafily preferv’d. Tt requires frequent, but gentle Wateri and loves a loofe fandy Soil, Mixture of very rotten Dung, with a fma r until the latter End of Septem Haulm will begin to decay 5 t Branches, and iftrip the Berri Turf-Ajfbes are very good for all Sorts of ASH-TREE; vide Fraxinus. This Plant differs from St. John’s-wort, only 15 in baving a Pyramidal Seed Veffel, which divided into five Cells. AS they give anew Ferment to fuch Lands as are in any Degtee fluggifh and unattive, and inbeing their Goodnefs, and with your Hands bréakall the {queezing them between your Hands: ill all {wim upon the Water, will fink to the Bottom, fo the Water gently, the Hutks w and alfo make them clod, endow’d with fingular Qualities to make them prolifick. efpecially fome of the laft-mention’d, fo that they will not fpread. All Sorts of Ares do, indeed, cor them a very rich fertile Salt, and are t Manure of any to lay upon cold, wet And befides, one Load of Aes that have been kept dry, will go as far as two that have been expos’d to the Rain: And Coal-Ajhes, pofe it to the Sun and Air in dry Weather y but then they ought to be kept dry, th if moiften’d with Chamber-lye or Soap-fuds, it is perfectly dry and hang Rain may not, wath awaytheir Salt, will greatly add to their Strength. rience has fhewn, that the /bes of any All calcin’d Vegetables caufe a fiery Heat and Vegetation, and when Wet comes, fet the Ground to work, by a fubtle Infinuation, unlocking the Clods, and quickening the Sluggifhnefs of the Earth ; according to th eftablith’d Maxim among Naturalilts, That all of Vegetable, are very advantageous to Lar by the Improvement molt Places i i Stalks, Fern, has been made in Furze, Heath, Sedge, Straw, Stubble, &c. Coal-Ajbes, or fuch as are x caftle, Scotch, and other Pit-Coal, are much recommended by fome3 but the firft are moft approv’d of, becaufe they contain a greater Quantity of nitrous and fulphureous Matter than the others do, tho’ thereft are good. But thefe ought to be apply’dfuperficially, and not fo near the Roots of Plants; andif fo, there are few Plantsbut will receive Benefit by them, by their nitrous and fulphureous Qualities, being wafh’d down by the Rain, whichwill open by the Strength of Water, and caufe it to heave in fome Degree, as Limewill do when Wateris thrown uponit. Wood-Afbes are commended as the Principal s for Land, in that they tain a vegetative kind of Salt. Afpes, i.e. fuch as are made ofStraw, Furze, &c. are by fome accountedas good as any of the fpirituous Improvements of Lands that are lightith ; but for fuch as are heavy, are look’d upon as fearce folid and ponderous enough. Thefe Affes, the Malti 3 eft-Count fift over their Thefe are fuppos’d, bytheir 1 Fermentation, a Hollow- nefs and Loofenefs in the Mould, by which means the Rains enter it the more eafily, and difpofe the Earth for giving up an Affumption of its vegetative Augment. But thefe being light, ought never to be {trew’d norfifted in windy Weather, becaufe they would be blown away ; and if it can be fo order’d as to be done jutt before Snow or Rain, it would be the better. Scap-Afbes, (i. e. after the Soap-Boilers ¢ done with them) are very proper for Lands that are very cold andfour, andto kill Weeds of all nd Sir Hugh Plat mentions one at Ware, who having a Piece of J and over-run with Broom and Furze, manur’d it with Soap s, and had an incredible Crop of Wheat for fix Years -éifivel Pot-Abes, after afh Men have dor with them, are efte *d good tor moft Sorts of jLand3 Fermentation is caus’d by the Interpofition or Mixture of dij Qualities one from the It is aftert manner that Coal-a/bes operate fo admirablyin loofening and moulderi ftiff, clayey Grounds, andasit is ufually making it rough, afhy or fandy-lih el after the fame manner, Sand mix’d with C does well, efpecially when it is impreg with faline Qualities. be carry’d along with it, and byputti Water two or three times, and {tirring your ill make it intirely cleans read your Seed upon a Mat, and e inning of wary; at whic ime you muit prepare a Bed of good rich Earth, whe on you muft fow your ill caufe your Plants to be fmall) and having trod your Seed into the thee 5 take it over {mooth. In the following Summer, keepit diligently clear’d from Weeds, whichwill greatly add to the Strength of your Plants ; and toward the latter End of Oéfober, when the Haulm is quite wither’d, you may fpreadalittle rotten Surface of the Ground, about n Inch thick, which will preferve the 3uds from being hurt with the following, your Plants will be tout for good, (for I would never h one Year’s Growth, eriene’d them to take Groundbytrenc @ therein a ch Trench, x Inches b then level your fo that it may lie at leaft e Surface of the Ground; ot very exactly, taking od Quantity of rotten Dung at the Bottom ASPARAGUS : [Acae young Shoot putting forth. ruptlycall’d Spat : are feveral Varieties of this Plant kept in the Botanick G S as ofities; but there is but one Sort which hiefly cultivated in the Kitchen S and is one of the greateft Dainties of the Spring. I .fhall therefore treat of this Kind only, and omit mentioning the other Kinds in this Place. he Garden Afparagus is propagated by fowing of the Seeds; in the pi i of which, you fhould be particularly carefu > fince the Goodnefs of your future Crop, in a great meafure depends thereon: You fhould therefore get it from fome Perfonof Integrity, or if you have an Opportunity of faving it your felf, or in fome other neighbouring Garden : You mufl look over the A/paragus Beds in the Beginniug of the Seafon, and mark fome of largeft andfaireft Buds with a Piece of Stick ; which Buds, when they have branched out, may be taften’d to a Stake thruft into the Ground to preferve it from J ds, (but not too : > ASPARAGUS, the firft Sprigs of Herbs before unfolded into Leaves ; and the young and tendereft Branches that are « call’d Afparagus. breaking : Thefe Buds 3 when you may it up in a dry P} will manyof themproof red Berries, which vuponthe Brayches out all la but this fhould not be you intend to plant your in which you muft be govern’d acure of yourSoil or the Seafon ; soil is dry, and the Seafon forward, early in March; but in a wet you may Soil, D it | f ‘ to wait till the End of thac Beginning: of 2 fon that the Plants are beginning I know many People have advis’d aragus at Michaelmas; but riéne’d to be very wrong, for Years I was obliged to tranfantities ac that Seafon, but I thrown away the Plants, for upon mination, in the Spring, I found moft of the roots Were grown mouldy and decaying, and Iam fure not onein five of them fucceeded, and thofe which did, were fo weak as not to be worth their ftanding. The Seafon being now come, you mutt, with a narrow-prong’d Dung-fork, carefully fork up your Roots, fhaking them out of the Earth, and feparating them from cach other, obfervi |