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Show ME ME ——————___ When your Melons begin to appear upon commonly call’d Turk-Cap or Pope’s-Head jn the Vines, if the Seafon fhould be very hot the Weft-Indies. 2. Metocactus ; Americana, minor. Boer), and dry, you Should pour down the Water in the Paths between the Ridges, which will Ind. The leffer Melon-Thitie, or {mall Turks. foak in and fupply the Roots with Moifture ; Head. There are feveral other Sorts of this Plant and at that Seafon, the Water which is given all over the Plants fhould be but little, and in the Wef?-Indies, but the two here mention’d given to them verygently, left by the Violence are all the Sorts which I have yer feen in the of the Water you injure the tender Fruit : European Gardens, But after they are grown as large as your Thefe Plants are Natives of the Rocks in Thumb, they will be almoft out of Danger, tho’ then it will be advifeable to give them but gentle Refrefhings over the Vines; but this may be repeated two or three times a Week, according to the Heat of the Seafon, obferving always to do it in the Evening, that it may have time to {oak in before the Sun comes on to exhale the Moifture. As to the pruning of them, I would (as I before faid) advife never to be bufy in that, fince the moreexact youare in that, the more likely you are to do hurt, therefore you need do no more than only keep the Vines clear from Weeds, and train them inregular Order, Whenthe Fruit is about the Bignefs of a Tennis-Ball, you fhould place a thin Piece of Tile under cach, to raife them from the Ground, otherwife they are very apt to rot, (efpecially if the Seafon fhould prove moift) or at leaft to receive Damage on the Underfide; and when the Me/onsare full grown, you fhould forbear watering them; and if the Weather be cold, you fhould place Glaffes over them, which will greatly accelerate their Ripening, and caufe em to be better tafted : You fhould alfo turn the Fruit two or three times as it is ripening, that every Part maybe equally ripened ; and in cutting them, you fhouldobferve the Directions before laid down. In faving the Seeds, you fhould be careful to take them from fuch Fruit as are well ripened, ofa firm Flefh, and well-tafted, fuf- fering it to lie in the Pulp fpread upon a Paper four or five Days before it be wath’d out ; then you muft dryit, and put it up for Ufe, always obferving to title each Sort, and add the Year it was faved. The beft Sorts for Frames, are the Black Galloway, and the Small Portugal Melons, which ripen early, and do not produce fo {trong Vines as the larger Sorts, which require more Roomthan canbe allow’d them in Frames, MELOCACTUS ; [fo call’dvof Miaoy a Melon, and Kexl@- a Thiftte, becaufe it refembles a Melon ; and it is alfo call’d Echinomelocaéius, becaufe it refembles a Hedge-bog byits Prickles.} Melon-Thiftle, The Charaéfers are ; The whole Plant bath a Singular Appearance, is very fucculent, and hath many Angles, which are befet with foarp Thorns ; the Flower con- Sifts of one Leaf, is tubulofe and Bell-fhap'd, divided into feveral Parts at the Zop, and bath many Stamina or Threads 3 the Ovary becomes 4 foft fleloy Fruit, containing many (mall Seeds. The Species are ; 1. Me Locacrus ; Indie Occidentalis. @.B.P. The common or large Melon-Tbiftle, the Weft-Indies, where they are thruft out from the Apertures thereof, and can receive but little Nourifhment from the Soil; nor will they thrive when tranf{planted into another Situation, tho’ it be in the fame Des gree of Heat, unlefs the Place be rais’d above the Level of the Ground with Stones and Rubbifh. The great Sort (which is very plenty in Jamaica and the other Iflands in the Wef- Indies) is brought into England very often, but it rarely happensthat theyarrive here in perfe&t Health ; for the People who bring them over, fuppofe they can’t live without Moifture, which they feldom fail to fupply all the Plants they bring over with, whereby they are rotted and deftroy’d ; and although thefe Plants do not prefently fhew the Damage they have fuftain’d in their Paflage, yet they feldom continue long before they perifh : Therefore the beft Method to bring them over, isto take them up intire from their Places of Growth, and pack them up in a large Box, with dry Hay or Straw, fo that they may not wound each otherin their Paffage, obferving to place them where neither Moifture nor Vermin can come to them, in which Waythey will arrive This Plant is not very eafy to increafe in this Country, though I have feen fome young ones that were produc’d from Seeds which ripen’d in Hug 1: 'Thefe Seeds were fown upon a Pot of Lime-rubbifh, and but gently cover’d with the fame Mixture of Lime-rubbifh MELOCARDUUS;; vide Melocatus. Plants) and the Pots plune’d into a Hot-bed of Tanners Bark, where the young ones began MELON ; vide Melo. to appear in about ten Weeks after fowing, and by careful Management were prefery’d : MELONGENA ; Mad-Apple. But thefe Plants being of very flow Growth, The Charaéfers are ; do not € to any Magnitude in Jefs than The Flower confifts of one Leaf, foapd like a four orf hich renders this Mothod Wheel, and cut into many Si gments: Krom the very tedious, as it isnot a veryfure one, Flower-Cup arifes the Ovary, which becomes fo ’tis feldom prattis’d in England. I havealfo a flefoy Fruit, full of Kidney-foap'd Sceds. made Ufe of another Method, whichhas fucThe Species are ; ceeded very well; 7. e. when the Cap or Crown, 1. Metoncena; fruétu oblongo, violaceo, which is produc’d on the Top of the Plant, Tourn. Mad-Apple, with an oblong Violethas beeninjur’d, it occafions the Plant to fend colour’d Fruit. out manySide-heads, feveral of which I have 2. Metoncena; fructu eblongo, albo. Tourn. taken off, andplanted in Pots fill’d with Lime- Mad-Apple, with an oblong white Fruit. rubbifh and Sea-fand, plunging the Pots intoa 3- Meroncena; /pinofa frulfu rotundo, Hot-bed, and they have taken Root verywell, croceo. Tourn. Prickly Mad-Apple, with a and in one Year’s time have made very hand- round Saffron-colour’d Fruit. fome Plants, but thefe Heads fhould not be 4. Metoncena; frudtu rotundo, cum {pinis planted immediately after they are taken from violaceis. Tourn. Mad-apple, with a round the old ones, for the wounded Part will be apt Fruit and Violet-colour’d Prickles. to rot, the e you fhould lay them byina There are feveral other. Varieties of this warm Part of the Stove for about a Fortnight ; in which time the woundedPart will heal over, hey maythen be planted without Danger: t obferve to keep them very dry, ll ro a fhort time. is not fo commonin Engafion’d byits being veryrare Settlements, this being origiom the Spanifo Weft-Indies, sat Number of otherveryftrange them, fhould never chufe the oldeft Plants, but rather fuch as are young and thriving, which are the moft likely to continue any time with us. : produc’d in great Plenty every Year from old But if they are brought over planted in lants. The Fruit ofthis Kindis not thruft out Tubs, then the beft Method is to fill the Tubs with Rubbifh, and fer the Plants therein, obferving never to give them any Waterduring their Paffage, nor fuffer them the Protuberances ofthe Plant, and are preceded by a white cottony Subftance, which fur- to receive Wet, which will certainly damage And when they arrive in Haugland, they fhould immediately be taken out of the Tubs, and planted into Pots fill'd with Lime-Rubbith and Sea-Sand intermix’d, and the Pots plung’d into a Hot-bed of Tanners Bark, to facilitate their taking Root : In which Bed they fhould remain until the Be- ginning of Offober, when they muft be remoy'’d into the Stove, obferving to place them in the warmeft Situation, and be very careful not to let them have the leaft on s only propagated by Seed, whichis e Top of ‘the Plant, as in the larger t is produc’d from the Hollows between Seeds. Thefe Seeds muft be fownin the fame man- ner as the former, and the Plants preferv’d both Winter and Summerin the fame Situation, and fhould have but little Moifture in very hot Weather; tho” in Winter they muft not have any Water given them; for at that Seafon ‘ey are very apt to rot, if they receive any Moifture. Thefe Plants are preferv’d with great Care of thefe Plants, have fuppos’d them not natu- fhould not be water’d, for the Moifture ¥ ti will be fuficien vance to amufe arifes from the Tanners Bark for them. Plant, which differ in the Size, Form or Colour of the Fruit, or in the Shape of their Leaves ; but thofe here mention’d, are all that I have obfery’d in the Englifb Gardens. Thefe Plants are greatly cultivated in the Gardens of Italy, Spain and Barbary ; in which Places the Inhabitants eat the Fruit of them boil’d with fat Flefh, putting thereto fome {crap’d Cheefe, which theypreferve in Vinegar, Honeyor Salt-Pickle all Winter, to provoke a Venereal Appetite: But in Summer, whenthe Fruit is juft ripe, they ufually gather them, and makethem up into Puddings with feveral Sorts of Spices, and other Ingredients: Which Difh the Italians are very fond of. Theyare propagated by Seeds, which muft be fown upon a moderate Hot-bed in March; and when the Plants come up, they muft be rounds the Flowers. Thefe Fruit are nearlyas tranfplanted into another Hot-bed about four large, and of the fame Shape and Colourwith Inches afunder, obferving to water and fhade fe of the large Sort, and are as full of themuntil they have taken Root: after which fture during the Winter-feafon, which wi! infallibly rot them. In the Spring of the Year, they may be remov’d out of the Stove into the Bark-bed again, at the fame ae when the mana’s are taken out, and thoare be plac’d in fuch a Frame where theywil l oe require a little Air in very hot W eather, 4 The Fruit of both Sorts are eaten in the Weft Indies : They have a verygrateful Acidity in their Tafte, which is extremely agreeable to the Inhabitants of thofe warm Countries: But I don’t know anyfarther Ufe of the Plants. and Sand Cas was before order’d for thefe in perfect Health ; but the Perfons who get them: SLneeeee TOE, byfuch as are curious in Exoticks, they being of the moft uncommon and wonderful Structure, greatly differing from any thing in the vegetable Kingdom, of European Growth, infomuch that many Perfons, at the firft Sight ral Produ@ ons, but rather fome artful Contrity con People, until they have more you muft give them a great Share of Air when the Weather is warm, otherwife they will draw up very weak: They muft alfo be frequently water’d, without which they will make but a veryindifferent Progrefs: But when they are grownfoftrongas to fill the Frame (which will be by the middle of May) you muft tran{plant them out into a rich Spot of Ground at two Feet Diftance, obferving to preferve as much Earthto the Rootsas poffible when you take them up, otherwife they are fubjeét to mifcarry. You muft obferve to water them plentifully until they have taken Root, after which they will require but very little Care more than to keep them clear from W eeds, and in very dry Weatherto give them fome Water. About the Middle of Zune, the Fruit will appear; at which time, if the Weather be 5 P very |
