CHA P. X.

Concerning the Improvement of Land, by Sowing of Onions, or planting of Saffron, in a Letter to Mr. R. S.

SIR,

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SI am under an Obligation of keeping a pretty large Correfpondence, on account of my Studies, you will excufe me, that I did not answer yours fooner. Some are in more Hafte than others; and unless the Occafion of Letters require immediate Dispatch, I anfwer them in Turn, as I receive them, which now and then has given Occafion to fome Gentlemen to imagine I neglected their Friendship.

You defir'd my Opinion of Onions and Saffron, how they might be planted, and in what Soil; but I muft affure you, there is no Time loft to you on that account; for, as your Letter bears Date in September, it was impoffible to do any thing to the Purpose, in either propagating of Onions or Saffron, fo late in the Year; for then Onions are out of the Ground, and Saffron is in flower, as you obferve in your Letter; and it is next to Death to move any lafting Roots of that fort at that Time..

In the next place, as you defire to know the Native Place of every Tribe of Fruit which we now cultivate in our Gardens, it has employ'd much of my Time to discover to what Parts of the World we owe thofe feveral Enjoyments, as I fhall mention in their Turn ; for I think it will be no fmall Help to know the Climate in which every fort of Fruit had its Original Spring; for then we might have a better guefs at the feveral Situations and Expofures neceffary for each in our Gardens: Befides, by means of our extensive Trade, we may learn even the Qualities of thofe Soils which Nature has beftow'd on every FruitBearing Plant for its wholfome Nourishment..

But, to begin with the Onion: I am per fuaded there is not any Root which brings more Profit to the Planter, with fmall Expence, than it felf; for one Year I knew that much lefs than an Acre of Onions, were fold for threefcore Pounds, after they had been dry'd on a Kiln; but indeed that Year the Ground, by means of Frofts, was fo confin'd, that the Gardeners, in many Places,, had not Opportunity of putting in the Onion-Seed, till about the Middle or End of March, and fome later, fo that as they came out of the Ground the Fly deftroy'd them; and as I have more than once remark'd, 'tis about the Beginning of April that the Fly which infects the Onions in their moft tender State commonly appears; and I find that the Perfon who fold thofe Ohions had taken a more early Opportunity of fowing them than other People For upon the firft breaking of the great Froit, Anno 1714, he put in the Seed, and though it happen'd

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to freeze afterwards, the Seed fhelter'd in the Earth began to prepare it felf for that Germination, which appear'd before others had sown, any Seed at all, fo that when the Fly came in April, either through Shelter from Blasts, or the vigorous State of the young Plants, they were render'd capable of defending themselves against the Fly. But however, this may be. fuppos'd to be accidental,, yet I find that an Acre of Onions, one Year with another, may be made worth upwards of forty Pounds; or even more profitable than if a Quarter of that Quantity of Ground was fpread or cover'd with one Stratum or Layer of Apples, as clofe as they can lie together; for the Hough which goes between the Onions is but two Inches, wide, or thereabouts, when they are bent in Growth; and the Onions in their Roots, when they are full grown, one with another, may be about an Inch and a half Diameter, fo that my Conjecture is rather under than over the Matter; for in Orchard-Trees, I am very apt. to believe the Apples produc'd by every Tree, lying in a fingle Layer upon a Flat, will not cover that fpace, of Ground, which the Tree. fpreads over, befides the common Hazard which the, greater, Bodies are fubject to, of being frequently blafted by their more afpiring Growth, while the lower Race lie under fhelter, and fafe from the bolder Attempts of the Air: So that for this Reafon an Acre of Onions are better than an Acre of AppleTrees, not only each fingle Year, but one Year with another. To this I To this I may add, that many forts of Apples and Onions, when they are fold in tolerable Years by the Peck, yield

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about Six Pence per Peck; these indeed are the Refufe or Scum of the Crop, but in the fame Proportion, with regard to one another, do they bring Benefit to the Mafter, when they are the Choiceft of the Crop; for the beft of the Onions are always clean'd and 'dry'd on Kilns, and are much more refin'd in their Flavour, and more gentle and sweet to the Taste than those which are not dry'd: By the first I mean those which are commonly fold about London in Ropes, and by the other I mean those that are fold by the Peck. The Spanish Onions are all dry'd, and therefore lofe their pepper'd Relifh; and befides, by the drying of Onions, they loose that Spirit of Vegetation which would elfe promote their growing before we could use them in the Kitchin.

From hence I am led to think, that when any Onion begins to fprout, Nature is active, and then it defires the Earth, and should immediately be planted for to gather Seed from, especially if the Root is large, and promises Strength and Vigour; for, how can we expect an healthful and vigorous Off-spring, unless the Progenitor has a natural and healthful Strength of Body? Or, to follow the greateft Authors, we may fay, that if we follow Nature, we are in the Road to Wisdom. It is certain, that when an Onion begins to sprout, it is its Time of growing, and the Earth is requifite then to fupport its Defign: But it is not every Root of this kind which sprouts juft at the fame Seafon; fome will begin in November, fome in December, and others in January; but whenever any of them begin to

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fhew their Difpofition to fprout, then the Allwife Author of Nature has appointed them the Affiftance of their natural Bed and Nourishment. This Argument cannot be eafily overthrown by Men of Reafon, because Reason is the Voice of Nature, as Nature is the Will of the Creator of Nature. Were we to speak of Brute Beasts, every one, according to his kind, has a certain Mode of Acting; fo Vegetables have their natural Intent, and unless that is fatisfied, the Confequence is dangerous to their Health: The natural Bent therefore of every Vegetable or Animal ought to be confulted, if we have any Regard to it, or otherwise we might often become Sufferers by the Neglect. From this Remark we may gather, that not only Onion-Seed, but all others, when they come from strong Roots, will produce more lufty Plants than the Seed which is fav'd from mean unnourish'd Roots.

In the laying up of Onions, we find that where they have not been well dry'd, or are laid too close together, or in two great Heaps, they fooner begin to fprout than when the more watry Parts are exhal'd by the Sun, and they are laid fingly; fo that 'tis neceffary to guard against thefe two Evils, if we defire our Onions to laft long in Kitchin-Ufe; but if we defign to gather good Seed from them, the above Directions may take place.

Now, when we have taken this Care of the Seed, let us confider, from a preceding Argument, that we must fow it as foon as the Earth begins to retake its Power of acting upon Vegetables of this kind. My Relation will inform you, that the greatest Success was

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