When we plant any of the Mushroom Earth about Autumn upon old decay'd Beds, I find it will be about ten or fifteen Days before they appear; but when we find once that the Roots fpread, and begin to be full of Knots, then we may break off fome Pieces of that Earth, and plant them at a Foot Distance; and by fuch Means, in a little Time, the whole Bed will be cover'd with them; after this Manner from one Single Root, I have in about fifteen Days Time had a whole Bed full, tho' the Bed was quite without Heat; but then it was at a Seafon when they came up naturally, but when that is not, we cannot hope for good Succefs in planting them, without fuch an hot Bed as I have directed.

From what I have here mention'd, it appears that the Mushroom increases by the Root, and may be transplanted as well as another Plant; but whether it has Seed or not, is yet a Query: But that the Directions I have given concerning the Manner of thefe Beds, may ftill be better understood, I have prevail'd upon the ingenious Mr. Fairchild of Hoxton, to make one which is now well furnish'd with Mushrooms; Mr. Benj. Whitmil, Gardener, near the fame Place, has made another, which has the like. Succefs. Before I conclude, I think it not improper to give you the following Account concerning an Improvement of the Cabbage-Plant.

An Account of the Manner of making Cabbages, or of blanching Coleworts.

Ince the blanching of Herbs has been commonly practis'd in Britain for many Years; it is to be wonder'd that no Method has yet been

6

taken

taken among our famous Gardeners, to accelerate the ripening or whitening of Cabbages, efpecially, fince those which come forward, are known to be so profitable in the Markets, that one fingle Cabbage will bring as much Money, as four or five which come late in the Year.

Mr. Keys of Tuthil-Fields tells me, that it has been a Practice for many Years in fome private Gardens about Worcestershire, Staffordshire, &c. to fold up the Leaves of Coleworts or ftrong Cabbage Plants, and to tie them together; by which Means, in a Fortnight's Time, the inner Parts will become white, and eat as well as any Cabbage; he has practifed this in his own Garden with fo good Succefs, that from him at last, most of the Gardeners about the Neat Houses, are fallen into that Method, and have reap'd good Sums of Money from it.

In the dry Years, efpecially, this will turn to extraordinary Account; for then our Plants, tho' they come from the best Seed, will be apt to run, or at beft will make but thin and indifferen tHeads, but here there is not aLeaf loft; and however the ftraggling Leaves of the Plants may be judged useless before they are ty'd up, they then become exceeding fweet and agreeable by blanching; but in the Practice of this Method, two Things must be carefully regarded.

First, That the Leaves of the Plants we defign to tie up, must be very dry; for if there fhould be any Dew or Moisture upon them, they will rot and mildew, when they come to be fhut up from the Air: And, Secondly, we muft fold each Leaf carefully over one another, in the exact Order they grow, beginning at the Centre, 'till all the Leaves are folded; and then bind them with Bafs cross-ways, from the Top of

the

the Crown to the Stalk, in fuch a Manner as the Leaves may not burft the Bands, which they will be apt to do about Fortnight after they are ty'd; and indeed we fhould not do more Plants in this Way at one Time, than we suppose we can use in about ten Days after they are blanch'd, for they will grow unfhapely, and lofe of their Sweetness: It is to be remark'd, that as foon as we have tied up thefe Plants, they should be well water'd at the Roots, which will fix the folded Leaves in the Order we have plac'd them, and accelerate their Whitening, which at most will be in a Fortnight. I think too, that by tying up fome Colewort Plants in the early Seafon of the Year, they would eat much better for being blanch'd, but that is according to every one's Palate. I might have mention'd in my Remarks on the dry Summer, that though few Trees were blighted in the Spring by scorching Winds, or small Infects, yet the Herbage was very much annoy'd by the Caterpillar, which feverely attack'd the few Cabbages we had, fo that even of the few, at least one half were spoil❜d.

I am Sir,

Your bumble Servant,

R. Bradley.

CHA P.

С Н А Р. VI.

Obfervations and Conjectures concerning Sheep, and of Methods to bring them artificially to bloffom; fo that fome Sheep in every Flock, may, in every Month of the Year, produce Lambs; with an Account of the Suckling of Lambs in the House.

T

HE Obfervations which I have made concerning Sheep, has given me many Occafions of Reflection in a Philofophical Way, how far they may be improv'd: Their Ufe is very great in our Nation efpecially; their Wool is of that Service to us, that one may fay, the greateft Part of our People are employ'd or benefited by it; their Flefh is, perhaps, as generally admir'd as any part of the English Diet; their Skins, Fat, Bones and Entrails, are all valuable, nor is there scarce one Part loft to the Publick.

We are told that we have now in England feveral kinds of Sheep, which are by fome diftinguifh'd by the Coarfeness or the Fineness of their Wool: Some are more abounding in Wool of a coarfer fort, and fome again are noted for carrying greater or leffer Burdens of either fort of Wool, or in Terins used by the Hufbandmen, are of deeper or fhallower Staple. But whether the fame Breed of Sheep may not produce a deeper or fhallower Staple, or finer or coarfer Wool, from the different Food which feveral Countries afford, I fhall confider by and by.

Our

Our Countryman Markham, who in fome Things proves to be very right in his Thoughts and Obfervations concerning Cattle, remarkably defcribes the Difference which we fhould obferve to diftinguish between the good and bad kind of Sheep in England. He tells us, that if we would chufe fuch Sheep as will bring a fine Staple of Wool, from whence may be drawn a Thread as fine as Silk, we may find them about Leominster, in Herefordshire, and in fome other Parts of that Country, and alfo in the Parts of Worcestershire adjoyning to Shropshire; yet these Sheep, he obferves, are of very little Bone, black faced, and bear a very little Burden of Wool. The Sheep upon Cotfall Hills are of better Bone, Shape and Burden, but their Staple or Wool is coarfer and deeper.

The Sheep in the Part of Worcestershire, which borders upon Warwickshire, and many Parts of Warwickshire, all Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, and part of Northamptonshire, and the part of Nottinghamshire likewife, which is exempt from the Forest of Sherwood, are large bon'd Sheep, of the best Shape and deepest Staple, chiefly if they are paftured; yet is their Wool coarfer than thofe of Cotfall.

The Sheep which are the largest of all, are in the Salt Marshes in Lincolnshire, but are not esteemed to be valuable in Wool; for their Legs and Bellies are long and naked, and their Staple is coarser than all the reft.

The Sheep in Yorkshire, and the more Northern Parts of England, are of reasonable big Bone, but of a Staple rough and hairy.

The Welch Sheep are the leaft profitable in Wool of any other, but their Mutton is sweet and delicate, their Bodies are small.

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