An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. XVI. Of the Diseases and Death of Plants.

I. What is the Death of Plants. FOrasmuch as Contraries discover each others Nature, and that Life and Death are Con∣traries, it will not be difficult to find out why Plants do perish; and what the Cause is, why they cease to be nourished; to grow and increase; and to express it in one word, why they die. For seeing that the Alimentary Juice is the immediate Principle of Motion in Plants, and that their Life doth consist in the due distribution thereof by Heat; it evidently follows, that the death or perishing of Plants must consist in the defect of this Alimentary distribution.

II. How many several ways Death may hap∣pen to Plants. But because this Defect may proceed from many Causes, we will first speak of the Distempers to which they are subject, and shew how many several ways their Vital functions may be perverted. For besides the undue disposition of their Parts; as when the Top of them is too much bended down towards the Earth; when they are full of knots, and when the distribution of their Aliment is in∣terrupted by callous Bumps; when their parts are separated; or when they exceed, or are defective: I say, besides these, there are many other ways whereby they may be brought to their end; as by an undue Temperature, when they are either choaked with too much Moisture, or consumed by too much Heat; when they are shut up and grow stiff, by extream Cold; or wither and pine away, by too much Drought. The Ancients reckon up those Distempers of Plants, which are described as followeth.

III. The effect of Rubigo or Mildew, upon Pulse and Corn. The Disease called Rubigo, or Mildew, in Pulse and Corn, is caused by a Dewy Moisture, which falling upon them, and continuing there, for want of sufficient Heat of the Sun to draw it up, doth by its biting sharpness, or Acrimony, scorch and corrupt the inmost substance of the Seed. This Disease also seizeth Vines; but may easily be prevented by cutting them later in the year; for the late pruning of them, makes them to flower so much the later, which generally prevents this Evil, because it seldom happens towards the latter end of the Spring. Moist and Dewy places are most subject to this Damage; as Vallies and shut up places, where the Winds have not their free Course; High ground being not subject to it.

IV. What Ro∣ration is. Roration; which is a distemper of kin to that of Mildew, is, when by too much Rain or Dew, Vines are blasted in their flowering, and bring forth only small and dwindling Grapes. And after the same manner other Plants are also spoiled, whilst they are yet young and tender, and not sufficiently rooted.

V. Uredo. Uredo, happens either when the Sun with too great heat scorcheth the Leaves and Clusters of Grapes, before that the Rainy or Dewy Moisture is shak'd off from them; or when Rain or Snow, lying upon the Tendrils or Buds of the Vine, is by Cold congealed to Ice.

VI. Carbuncu∣lation. Carbunculation, is the blasting of the new sprouted Buds of the Vine, in the Spring time; because then the Vines are in danger to be smitten, either by the excessive Heat or Cold. For by too much Heat, the Texture of the strings or fibres of the Vine become so dissolved, as that thereby the Native disposition of the pores becomes wholly changed; and again by Cold it is so com∣prest, that the pores thereby are shut up, and leave no passage for the Alimentary Juice.

VII. Vermicu∣lation. Vermiculation is nothig else, but the Infestation of Plants by Worms; which Evil is very incident to Apple-trees, Pear-trees, and Fig-trees. For as Men, and other Animals, are subject to breed Worms, so Plants are obnoxious to the same distem∣per,

especially such as bear sweet Fruits, for such as bear bitter or sharp Fruits (excepting only the Olive-tree) are never troubled therewith. The manner of these Insects infesting Plants is decla∣red to us by MALPIGHIUS; It is yet more wonderful, saith he, that commonly, by means of one or two Eggs of a Flie left upon the Leaf of a Vine, Oak, or other like, the whole Leaf be∣comes drawn together like a Purse about the said Egg, and so withers; yea such is the strange force of one of these Eggs, that not only the Leaf on which it is laid, suffers thus, but the infection being communicated to the Stalk of the Leaf, and from thence to the sprig that sticks to it, and the Leaves that are on it, the whole Branch is twisted and writhed together, and so withers and dies.

VIII. Defluvium. Defluvium, is a distemper whereby Trees, in the Spring-time especially, lose their Barks, by reason of some sharp humour, that dissolves the Glew whereby the Bark was fastned to the Wood, where∣upon they wither and die, being deprived of their Barks; except this Decortication be not round, but long-wise only, for then it is no prejudice to the Plants, unless it be very great indeed, especially in Resiniferous-trees whilst they are budding. This Distemper also proceeds sometimes from too much Drought, which young and tender Trees not being able to bear, they do easily shed their Leaves and Fruit.

IX. A Wound. A deep wound made in any Tree kills it, except the Firr, Pine and the Turpentine-tree, which de∣light in being wounded, and by this means become fruitful, whereas they were Barren before: for they abounding with a Fat and Clammy Humour, do void part of it by the wound, and thus being unloaden of some of their superabundant moisture, are afterwards better nourished, and advance more in growth.

X. How Plants Perish by a Natural Death. Plants, as Animals, perish two several ways, viz. by a Natural or Violent Death. Plants die naturally when Aliment is no longer transmitted to them from the Root; or when the Heat, that drives it upwards, and distributes it into all parts, vanisheth. For Heat, as is before mentioned, is the Principle of all motion in Plants, and therefore when that ceaseth, all the Functions of Germinati∣on and Nutrition must needs cease with it.

XI. How many ways Plants may d•••• a vio∣l••nt Death. Plants, may divers ways die violently; as first by a wound received; whereby we are not only to understand Cutting, Slitting, Pulling off the Bark, Boring or Lopping off the Top, but also Bruising, half Breaking, Tearing, &c. For tho' a Plant, whilst it is pluckt up out of the Ground, doth not suffer any wound, yet because the Passa∣ges whereby it drew in its Aliment, are stopt up, the parts that are towards the top must needs wi∣ther, and those that are near the Root must be choaked with the too great abundance of it.

XII. By over∣much Heat. Plants also perish by too much Heat, when the Earth is parched by the Heat of the Sun, and all the Moisture or Juice dried up. Whence it is that young and tender Plants, do much sooner perish than those that are grown; for by reason of their tenderness the Heat more easily penetrates their Pores and opens them, and so makes way for the Juice to get out. Moreover their Roots being not so deeply fixed in the ground, when their moisture is exhausted, they cannot so readily draw in more, to restore the Alimental Juice, they have lost.

XIII. By ex∣tream cold. In like manner Plants perish by great Cold, which is very destructive to them when it is exces∣sive, and especially when it comes after great Rain; for since the particles of Water, that insinuate themselves into the Bladders of Plants, do very much distend them, they can no longer contain themselves within their Bounds, but breaking out beyond them, do spoil the connexion of their parts, whence follows their total destruction. Accord∣ingly we find that Plants by great Cold are parch∣ed and scorched, much in the same manner as if they had endured the most scorching Heats of Summer. We might now proceed to the answer∣ing of some Queries, as why Trees that are pluckt up by the Roots, and Branches that are lopt off from the Tree, do continue to live for some time, and do not die presently; why Wild Trees are longer liv'd than those that grow in Gardens and Or∣chards; but having fully spoken to these in the IX. Chapter of my Natural History concerning Plants, I thither refer my Reader.