FRU
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FRU
ma, but in the greateft Plenty, and clofeft together, about the Centre or Acctarium. Ir is form'd of the irony or cal- culous Parts of the nutritious Juice of the Parenchyma, ex- travaiated in Maffes.
The Acetarium, is a Subftance of a tart, acid Tafte, of a globular Figure, inclos'd in an Affemblage of feveral of the ftony Parts above-mention'd.
In the Plumb, Cherry, Sic. there are four Parts, viz. A Coat, 'Parenchyma, Ramification ,and Stone, or Nucleus. The Stone confifts of two very different Parts; the inner, call'd the Kernel, is foft, tender, and light; being derived from the Pith or Medulla of the Tree by feminal Branches, which penetrate the Eafe of the Stone : The external or harder Part, called the Stone, or Shell, is a Concretion of the ftony, or calculous Parts of the nutritious Juice ; like the Stone in Pears, and like that, contains a foft, parenchymous Matter within it. — —
The Nut, analogous to which is the Acorn, confifts of a Shell, Cortex, and Medulla. The Shell confifts of a Coat and Parenchyma, derived from the Bark and Wood of the Tree. The Cortex confifts of an inner, and outer Part : The firitisa Duplicature of the inner Tunic of the Shell ; the fecond is a moffy Subftance, derived from the fame Source as the Parenchyma of the Shell. But whether the Medulla or Pulp of the Kernel arife from the Pith of the Tree, or the cortical Part of the Fruit, is not agreed.
Laftly, Berries, as Grapes, &c. befide three general Parts, viz. Coat, Parenchyma, and Ramification, contain Grains of a ftony Nature, to do the Office of Seeds.
As to the Ufe of Fruits, befide the Pleafure and Advan- tage they afford Men, £5?c. they are of fervice in guarding, preferving, and feeding the Seed inclofed ; infiltrating the coarfer, more earthy and ftony Parts of the nutritious juice of the Plant, and retaining it to themfelves; fending none to the Seed but the pureft, moft elaborated and fpirituous Parts for the Support and Growth of the tender delicate Embryo, or Plantule contain'd therein.
So that the Fruit does the fame Office to the Seed that the Leaves do to the Fruit. See Plant, Generation, Flower, Leaves, ckc.
Fruit, in Gardening, is the Production of Fruit-Trees 5 'as the Apple, 'Pear, Plumb, Peach, Apricock, Cherry, Grape, Currant, Orange, Fig, Almond, Sec. See Fruit- Tree.
Fruits are diftinguifh'd into Stone Fruit, and Kernel Fruit 5 Summer Fruit, and Winter Fruit ; Wall Fruit, and tDwarf Fruit, Sic.
Monf. guintiney obferves, that cold, heavy, moift Lands produce the faircft and largcft Fruit ; but the hotter, dryer, and lighter, the more delicious and rich tailed.
Fruits, with regard to Commerce, are diflinguifh'd in- to Recent, or Frejh ; and T)ry.
Recent Fruits arc thofe fold jufl as they are gather'd from the Tree, without any further Preparation : As are raoft of the Productions of our Gardens and Orchards, fold by the Fruiterers.
Dry Fruits are thofe dried in the Sun, or by Fire, with other Ingredients, fometimes added to them, to make them keep ; imported chiefly from beyond Sea, and fold by the Grocers. Such are Raifi'us, Currants, Figs, Rice, Capers, Olives, Cloves, Nutmegs, Pepper, and other Spices : Which fee under their refpeclive Articles, Raisin, Currant, Fic, $fc. See alfo Si'icery.
Under the Denomination of Dry Fruits are alfo frequently included Apples, Pears, Almonds, Filberds, &c.
Fruit Threes are diftinguifh'd, like the Fruits they bear, into Wall Fruit Trees, Standard Fruit Trees, &c. See Fruit, and Tree.
With regard to Fruit T'rees, Monf. gyuintincy obferves, i° That the cutting and trimming of young Trees hinders them from quick bearing ; tho 5 it contributes both to the Beauty of the Tree, and the Richnefs and Flavour of the Fruit.
2. That Kernel Fruit Trees come later to bear, than Stone Fruit Trees ; the Time required by the firft before they arrive at a fit Age for bearing, being, one with another, about four or five "Years : But that when they do begin, they bear in greater Plenty than Stone Fruit.
3' That Stone Fruit, Figs and Grapes commonly bear confiderably in three or four Years ; and bear full Crops the fifth and fixth Year; and hold it for many Years, if well order'd.
4 That Fruits in the fame Neighbourhood will ripen a fortnight fooner in fbme Grounds, than others of a different Temperature.
5 g That in the fame Spot, hot or cold Summers fct con- fiderably forward, or put backwards the fame Fruit.
6° That the Fruits of Wall Trees generally ripen before thofe on Standards ; and thofe on Standards before thofe on Dwarfs.
7 Q That the Fruits of WallTrees planted in the South irid Eatt Quarters commonly ripen about the fame time;
only thofe in the South rather earlier than thofe in the Esff : Thofe in the Weft are later by eight or ten Days, and thofe in the North by 1 5 or 20. See Exposure.
For the Planting, Pruning, Engrafting, Sic. of Fruit T'rees, fee Planting, Trrnsi-lanting, Pruning,- En- grafting, ckc. See alfo Orchard, Garden, Semina- ry, Sec.
Monf. de Reffins, in the Mcmoires de I Academic Royals des Sciences, An. 1716". gives us a Method of Grafting Stone Fruit T'rees, without lofing of 7 , imc; fo that a Tree which bore forry Fruit the preceding Year, ftiail bear the choicelt the Year following.
It frequently happens, that Perfons arc deceiv'd in their Fruit Trees ; efpecially thoic bought of the Nurfery Men : And it is a melancholy thing, after having waited three Years for Fruit, to find it naught at laft ; and to be oblig'd to graft the Tree again, and wait four Years more, for the fecond Hopes. In efTc&, in the common Methods of graft- ing, they know nothing better than to cut off the Head of a Tree, and make it put forth new Wood, to graft in : This neceffarily makes a long Delay ; which Monf. Re/Jons fhews how to abridge.
Upon considering the Union of the Sap in Grafts, that Author was led to think, that all the Office the Bark has in grafting, is to receive the Scutcheon ; fo that if the Bark be not quite hard, dry, and inflexible, and incapable of yielding without Cracking, or Burfting; it fhould feem in- different, whether one grafted on new Wood, or old: The Sap paffing equally into both. Which Reafoning had the Fortune to be verify'd by a Number of Experiments made with that View.
We are at liberty, then, to graft almoft at any Age, and in any Wood. Accordingly, a Peach Tree of a woife Kind or Quality, may be grafted from another of the belt, in Autumn, in the Height of its Fr tut, and Sap, without cut- ting off any Branches; the Graft foon cements to the Trees by the Union of the Saps, without fhooting at all : So that cutting off the Branches above the Grafts the Spring fol- lowing ; the fame Graft inferred the preceding Antumn will flioot vigoroufly ; and being on a "Wood of the lame Kind, the Fruit thenceforth produe'd will be much the larger and finer. But this is not the great Point : For the Tree thus ingrafted will not bear till the third Year; and we want Fruit the firff.
In order to this, it is to be obferv'd, that there are three kinds of Branches : Wood Branches, growing immediately from the Stem or Stock of the Tree : Fruit Branches, and Branches half Wood, half Fruit, being fuch as arifing from the largeft Wood Branches, preferve the Character thereof, but which, in two Years time will produce Fruit Branches. Now, 'tis thefe intermediate kind of Branches, that we are to chufe for Scutcheons or Grafts. They are eafily known by being bigger than the Fruit Branches; and lefs than the Wood Branches: They have each of them two, three^ four, or even five Leaves to each Eye ; and the Eyes are fur- ther diftantfrom each other than thofe of the Fruit Branches, but clofer than thofe of the Wood Branches. It raufl be ad- ded, that the Eyes on fuch Branch are three ; one, intended for a Wood Branch, being fituate between the two Leaves, and advancing further than the other two, which are in- tended for Fruit, and are plac'd without-fide the Leaves.
'Tis thefe laft are the precife Subjccr. to be chofen for the Grafting withal. Twelve of thefe Scutcheons, moreor lefs, according to the Strength of the Tree to be grafted on, be- ing duly applied ; we may depend oh a Crop of good Fruit, the very next Year, on the fame Tree which laft Year pro- duced the worft.
St -one -Fru it -T'rees, fee Stone Fruit, and Tree. Wall-FRVir-T'rees, fee Wall Fruit, and Wall.
FRUITERY, a Place for the laying up and keeping of Fruit.
The Fruitery fhould be inacccflible to any thing of Moi- fture, or even Froft.
FRUITFULNESS, the Quality of bearing plenty of Fruit ; call'd alfo Fertility, and Fecimdity, See Fecun- dity.
FRUMENTACEOUS, a Term applied to all Plants which have a Conformity with Wheat, or Frumenmmj ei- ther in refpect of their Fruits, Leaves, Ears, or the like.
Thus Barley, Dogs-grafs, &c. are Frumentaceous Plants.
FRUMENTAR1I, in Antiquity, a kind of Soldiers, or Archers, under the Weftern Empire.
St. Cyprian relates, in one of his Letters, that fome of thefe Frumentarii were fent to take him.
The fir ft time we read of Frumentarii, as Officers, is in the Time of the Emperor Adrian. Spartian, in his Life ot that Prince, affures us, that he made ufe of them to inform himfelf of what pafs'd : Before, the Name Frumentarii was only given to the Corn Merchants, or Meafurers of Corn,
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