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Show ME ME very dry, you mutt often water them, which will caufe the Fruit to grow very large, and increafe their Number: Toward the latter End of 7uly their Fruit will ripen, when you muft preferve the Seeds of each Kind {e; parate. Thefe Plants are only preferv’d as Curiofities in the Eng/ifb Gardens, the Fruit being never us'd in this Country, except by fome Jtalians or Spaniards, who haye been accuftom’d to eat of them in their own Countries. good rich Earth; then cover the Dung all over, Top and Sides, with the Earth that came out of the Hole, placing a GlafS over the Middle ; in which manner it fhould remain un- til the Earth in the Holes begins to warm, (which is commonly in twenty-four Hours after making) when you muft take them up out of the Seed-bed, andplant two of’em into each Hole, obferving to water and fhade them until they have taken Root: after which you mutt let them have muchfree Air ; and when they begin to fend forth their Shoots, you mutt MELOPEPO ; [ this Plant is fo call’d of take off the Glaffes and permit them to run, pinoy an Apple or Melon, becaufe its Fruit obferving onlyto clear them from Weeds, and comes near to the Size of a Melon; and Pepo in very dry Weather to refrefh them nowand a Pompion ; becaufe it participates of the Na- then with a little Water. In Fuly thefe Plants will produce a great ture of a Pompion.] The Squath. Quantity of Fruit, which fome People are very The Charaéters are; fond of: Thefe they gather while young, and Tt hath the whole Appearance of a Pompkin or Gourd ; from which this differs in its Fruit, boil them with Meat inftead of Turnips: But whichis roundifh, flefoy, freaked, angular, and notwithftanding what fome Perfons have adfor the moft Part divided into five Partitions, in- vanc'd concerning the Goodne(s ofthis Fruit, clofing flat Seeds adbering to a {pungy Placenta. The Species are ; could not bring myPalate to relifh them, for 1. Metopero ; comprefus, C. B. P. 'The commonorflat Squath. 2. Meroprro ; fruciu maximo, albo. Tourn, The large white Squath, commonly cali’d The white flat Pumkin. 3- Metoprro; fructu Citriformi. Tourn. The Citron-thap’d Squath. 4. Metopero; verrucofus. Tourn. ‘The warted Squafh. 5. Meropepo ; verrucofus, fruciu & femine albis. Tourn. Warted Squath, with white Fruit and Seed. 6. Metopero; flavefcens, folio afpero. Tourn. Yellowifh Squafh, with a rough Leaf, There are feveral other Varieties of this Plant in the Weft-Indies, where they greatly abound, moft of which are feminal Variations, and feldom continue long to produce the fame Kinds from Seeds, at leaft with us they never do continue three Years together the fame, but do vary moft extraordinarily ; for the Seeds fav'd from fuch Plants which grew upright, and did not produce Runners (as the more ordinary Sorts) the fucceeding Year, were as yet, from feveral Trials which I have made,I they have a very great Flatulency in their Tafte, which is agreeable to veryfew Perfons: But in the /¥e/-Indies, where there is a Scar~ city of Garden Roots and Plants, thefe and many other Sorts are efteemed Delicacies. MELONRY,or MELON-GROUND, is an Apartment in the Kitchen-Gardenforthe Propagation of Me/ons. This Spot of Ground fhould be open to the South-Eaft Sun, but fhelter’d from the /7é/, North-Weft and North-Eaft Winds, by W alls, Pales or Hedges; it fhould alfo be upon a dry Soil, for nothing is more injurious to thele Plants than much Wet: and in the Spring it often proves very wet Weather ; whenif the Soil be very wet, there will be no making the Ridges until it is very late. You fhould alfo contrive to place it as near to the Dung as pol fible, which will fave a great Deal of Labour in wheeling the Dung; and, if poffible, you fhould contrive to have a Pond of Water neat it, which in very dry Weather, will be very ufeful to water the Melons. As to the Size of the Ground, that muft be luxuriant as anyof other Kinds, and the Fruit proportion’d to the Quantity of Ridges by was ofa different Shape from thofe which the tended, which you may eafily calculate By Seeds were takeu from. allowing eight Feet and a half for every Thefe are all propagated by fowing their Ridge, and the Holes plac at about three Seeds in March upona moderate Hot-bed ; Feet afunder ; but it is the beft Wayt© ape and when the Plants come up, they thould ba enough where you are not ftraiten have a great Share of Air, otherwife they will orit. draw up fo weak, as to be good for little: This Ground fhould beinclos’d with You muftalfo gently refrefh them with Water, Fence, and kept conftantly lock’d up aRecd: during. as you fhall find they require it. In April they the Time that the Me/ons are growing, zat mutt be tranfplanted out where they are de- they are expos’d to every Perfon that wa! ie figned to remain (which in Englandis moft the Garden (moft of whom have a Curio 5 commonly upon old Dung-hills, over which to handle the Vines, and look after the : ae the Vines will {pread, and produce a great it will be of ill Confequence, nothing being Quantityof Fruit:) If you plant them in an more injurious to thefe Plants than frequel™ open Spot of Ground, you fhould dig Holes tumbling or difturbing their Leaves. Dung, making a Hollow in the Middle to re- either with Walls or Pales, w hich they Se ; at about fourteen Feet f{quare, into each of The common Practice in moft Gentlemen’ which you fhould lay a Barrow full of hot Gardens, is, to inclofe a Spot of Gt = ceive the Plants, which muft be fill’d with {tantly appropriate to this Purpoie: But sre ME ME is by no means a good Method; forit rarely Great Round-leaf’d Water-Mint, with a vahappens that thefe fucceed well longer than riegated Leaf. 9. Menrua; anguftifolia, (picata, glabra, two Years in the fame Place, unlefs the Soil be removed, andfrefh brought in, which is folio rugofiore, odore graviore. Raii. Syn. Spearvery expenfive ; therefore the beft Way is, Mint, with a rugged Leaf, and ftrong Scent. to have a fufficient Parcel of Reeds made into to. Mantua ; Chalepenfe, angu/tifolinm, Pannels, which may be annually moved from rard florens. Boerb. Ind. Natrow-leay’d Aleppo Mint, which rarely flowers. Place to Place, fo that you need not continue your Ridges longer than one Year in the fame There are feveral other Sorts of Mint, which Place. And if you have a Piece of Ground are preferv'd in fome curious Botanick Garwhichis large enoughto divide into four fuch dens, many of which are Natives of England ; Places, the Fence may be every Year remov’d but as they are not cultivated for Ufe, fo I forward, till the Whole has been occupy’d ; fhall omit them in this Place, thofe aboveafter which you may return to the Spot mention’d being the Sorts which are comwhere you began, which, by that Time, will monly propagated for Kitchen or Medicinal be as goodas frefh Earth: And hereby, with- Utes. out much Trouble, you may remove them The firft Sort is the moft commonly culevery Year; for as one of the Sides will re- tivated in the Engli/b Gardens, both for the main unremov'd every ‘Time the Fenceis car- Ufe of the Kitchen and Medicine ; but the ried forward, fo the Labour will not be fo fecond Sort is by fome greatly efteem’d for great as ifit were wholly remov'd to fome its Heat, to make a fimple Water: This, at Diftance ; and thefe Reed-Fences are much prefent, is not very common in the Gardens, preferable to either Walls or Pales for this but has been found growing wild in feveral Parts of England. The third Sortis alfo us'd Purpofe. in Medicine, but is rarely cultivated in GarMENTHA, [MivSa, according to the An- dens, being found in great Plenty in feveral tients, a Godde/s, and alfo according to the Places near London. The fourth and fifth Poets. The Antients alfo gave it the Name of Sorts are very commonbythe Sides of Ponds, Sweet-/melling ; and where this Word is found, and on moift Soils, in divers Parts of England, this Plant is underftood. Mentha is likewife fo and are rarely cultivated in Gardens: ‘Thefe call’d of Mens, Lat. the Mind, becaufe this are both us’d in Medicine, but the Markets Plant ftrengthens the Mind: It hath the fame are fupply’d with them from the Fields. The Smell and Tafte, and is much the fame in all feventh and eighth Sorts are prefery’d in Gardens, for the Beauty of their variegated the Plants of this Genus.] Mint, aratters are ; Leaves: As arethe ninth andtenthSorts, for te Plant, with a labiated their Oddnefs ; the one having curl’d Leaves, eaf, whofe Upper lip and the other being very white, but feldom i ler-lip is divided into produces Flowers in England. ; but both of them are fo cut, that Allthe Sorts of Mint are eafily propagated : feems to be divided into four Parts, by parting the Roots in the Spring, or by ips {carcely appearing ; thefe Flowers planting Cuttings during any of the Summer 0 thick Whorles in fome Species, Months; but fhould have a moift Soil: And after planting, if the Seafon fhould prove dry, ving four Seeds fucceeding it, which are they muft be often water’d, until they have sd in the Flower-cup: Zo which may be taken Root ; after which, they will require d, It hath a creeping Root, and the whole no farther Care but only to keep them clear it has a firong aromatick or balfamick from Weeds: 'They fhould be planted in Beds about four Feet wide, allowing a Path The Species are ; 1. Menrua; anguftifolia, [picata. C. B, P. Common Spik’d-Mint, ufually call'd SpearMint. 2. Menrua; /picis brevioribus €? habitio- ( (cee, fapore fervido piperis. { r-Mint. 3. Menrua 3/ylveftris, folio longiore. C. B. P. Long-leav’d Hor/ or Mentafirum. yt MenrtHA ; af 5, verticillata, hirfuta. " Mint with whorled Coronets, Water: Calamint 5. Menrua ; aquatica, feu Sifymbrium. F.B. Water-Muit. : 6, Menrua ; Sify m ditta birfuta, gloac rotundioribus. two Feet wide, to go between the Beds to water, weed, andcut the Plants. The Diftance they fhould be fet is about four orfive Inches, or more, becaufe they fpread very much at their Roots; for which Reafon the Beds fhould not ftand longer than three Years before you plant frefh ; for by that Time the Roots will be matted fo clofely, as to rot and decay eachother, if permitted to ftand longer. There are fome People who are very fond of MintSallet in Winter and Spring; in order to ob- tain which, they take up the Roots before Chrifimas, and plant them upon a moderate Hot-bed pretty clofe, covering them withfine Earth about an Inch thick, and cover the Bed either with Mats, or Frames ofGlafs ; in thefe Beds the Mint will come up in a Month’s Time, and be foon fit to cut for that Purpofe. ifolia, paluftris feu egato. Tourn. The When the Herbis cut for Medicinal Ufe, it fhould be done in a very dry Seafon, juft when |
