The Hartlib Papers

   Good Mr Hartlib

                  Seing you desire me by your last to impart unto you the observations which happily may come to my hands, I shall begin with telling you a way to make one grain of corne give above threscore eares; which a person here, who saith to have himselfe made the experiment of it, more then once in his garden with good successe, communicated to me this week. Take of Pigeons and Sheeps dung of each a bushell, let them boyle in a great cal cauldron with 5. pailes of faire water about an houre and a halfe, stirring this together with a good stick continually: after which time take the Cauldron from the fire, and lett it stand for some time to make the dung fall to the bottome; then poure out your water by inclination, into another vessell, throwing the dung away as unusefull: Into this water, having first put into it a great handfull of Salt Peter, put your grain to infuse for about 24 houres, after which time plant it in your garden, leaving halfe a foot distance between each grain.

  The hopes I have to obtaine that secret of making one great pearle of many little, is very weake. For I cannot learne as yet of any one as yet that has it, and as for that German Baron, that practised it here a good while agoe, I doe not know not so much as his name, nor where he is But seing it has been donne, and it being certain, that Quod factum est fieri potest, It may be that at last by many experiments some curious or other in England or elsewhere may find it out. Pray, doe me the favor and send me word, whether the pearles, that have lately been found in Wales, be found in ordinary Oisters or no, and what sort of Pearles those are that have been seen in mussells shells, as also whether those and the Scotch perles are found in rivers or in the sea.

  The learned discourses of worthy Mr Beal about the ancient Adamiticall and Roman Diet, as also of his Culinary Medecine, and the translation of roots into fishes and the rest. I am particularly obliged to both of you and him for. Without doubt sumen was in great estime among those Romans: Martiall commending a table, hanted

   Aprum amat et Mullos et Sumen et Ostrea, non te, etc. the mushrum also was in great reputation; as it is yet generally everywhere here in France, they making vse of it in many sauces; the wholsomest being esteemed those, which grow in meddowes, and are white without, and reddish within. If they had here Sir H. Wottons art of of dressing them, happily the mushroms would recover their old applause. If I knew, his Venetian Cook, [Nic?] Oudard, were yet alive, and where, I should find a way to gett his art of dressing them. I believe, if the Adamiticall Diet came again into fashon, the shambells and fish marketts would loose their gain, and Church Yards not be so soon filled with dead bodies. For this, we have but to visit looke upon the number of grey heades, who <that> in some Monasteries live a kind of Pythagoricall life, not charging themselves with those high and excrementitious meats, we doe, but vsing that pure and more restorative[altered] Diet, which gardens afford them. But, I doubt, Physicians and Apothecaries will doe their best to hinder the practise of such kitchen Diet, their interessed Motto being, Salarium Medecinæ Intemperantia est. Least I should be intemperate in writing, I conclude this letter in subscribing my self

                             Good Sir

Paris le the 13^th of Decemb: Your affectionate freind

        1659.                     and very Humble servant

                                        R. Iones

A French bushell containeth as much as one of our English pailes which we vse to carry water in.