fiowcr is paft, the gcrmen becomes a heart-fhaped, 

 or rather a mitrc-fliaped ieed-veffcl, covered on the 

 oiitfide Avilh brifllcs, opening with two valves, and 

 filled v/ith angular feeds, covered with a red pulp 

 or paftc, v/hich colours the liands of thofe who 

 touch it, and is colledled for the ufe of dyers and 



painters. 



This plant is propagated by fcedsj which are annually 

 brought from the Weft-Indies in plenty. Thefe 

 fliould be fown in a fmall pot, filled with light rich 

 eartli, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark ; 

 where, if the bed is of a proper temperature of heat, 

 the plants will appear in about a month after : when 

 thefe are about an inch high, they fl:iould be Ihaken 

 out of the pot and carefully feparated, fo as not to 

 tear off their tender roots, and each planted in a fmall 

 pot filled with fome rich light earth, and plunged into 

 a frefli hot-bed of tanners bark, obferving to Ihade 

 them every day until they have taken new root j after 

 which they mull be treated as other tender plants 

 from the fame country, by admitting frefli air to them 

 in proportion to the warmth of the feafon ; and when 

 the heat of the tan declines, it fhould be turned up 

 . to the bottom, and, if neceffary, fome frefli tan added 

 to renew the heat. The plants mull be refrefhed three 

 times a week with water in fummer, but they muft 

 not have it in great quantities^ for their roots often 

 rot with much wet. If the plants are raifed early in 

 the fpring, and properly managed, they will be afoot 

 and a half high by the autumn, when they fliould be 

 removed into the bark-ftove, and plunged into the 

 tan-bed. During the winter, they muft have but little 

 water, and v/hile the plants are young, they muft 

 have a good fhare of warmth, otherwife they are very 

 fubjed to caft their leaves, and frequently lofe their 

 tops, which renders them unfightly. They muft be 

 conftantly kept in the bark-ftove, for thofe plants 

 which have been placed in a dry ftove, have never 

 rjiade much progrefs. I liave had many of thefe plants 

 {even or eiglit feet high, with ftrong ftems and large 

 headsj but have only had one produce flowers ; nor 

 have I heard of its flowering in any of the gardens in 

 Europe, for in the Dutch gardens they have no plants 

 of any lize. . . 



The pafte which furrounds the feeds is taken off, by 

 fteeping the feeds in hot water, and with the hands 

 waflied until the feeds are clean j then after pouring 

 away the water, they leave tlie fediment to harden, 

 and make it up in balls, which are fent to Europe, 

 where they are ufed in dying and painting. It is alfo 



ufed by the Americans to dye their chocolate, and 



the natives ufed to paint their bodies with it when 



they went to the wars. 



B L A D D E R-N U T. See Staph yle a. 



H 



B L A T T A R I A. See VePvBascum. 

 BLIGHTS. 



There is nothing fo deftruclive to a fruit garden as 

 blights ', nor is there any thing in the bufinefs of gar- 

 dening which requires more of our ferious attention, 

 than the endeavouring to prevent or guard againft 

 this great enemy of gardens. 



In order therefore to remedy this evil, it will be ne- 

 ceflary firft to underftand the true caufes of blights ; 

 for, although many curious perfons have attempted 

 to explain the caufes of them, yet very few of them 

 liave come near the truth, except the Rev. and learned 

 Dr. Hales, Vv'ho hath, in his curious book, intitled 

 Vegetable Statics, given us fome accurate experi- 

 ments upon the growth and peifpiration of plants, 

 together with the various eff^efts the air hath upon 

 vegetables i that by carefully attending thereto, to- 

 gether with diligent obfervations, we peedfeldomto 

 be at a lofs hov/ to account for the caufes of blights 



'■^cnever they may happen. 

 But here I cannot help taking notice of the feveral 

 caufes of bliglits, as they have been laid down by 

 fome of our modern writers on gardening;, together 



N, 



WUv 



with their various methods prefcribed to prevent their 



deftruction of fruits, &:c. 



Some have fuppofcd^ that blights are ufually pro- 





. . ■ ■ 

 duced by an eafterly wind, which brings vaft quan- 

 tities of infedts eggs along with it from ibme diftari^ 

 place i which, being lodged upon the furface of the 

 leaves and flov/ers of fruit-trees, caufe thcfm to flirivel 

 up and perifli. To cure this diftempcr, they advife 

 the burning, of wet litter on tlie v/indv/ard fide of the 

 trees, that the fmoke thereof may be carried to them 

 by the wind, which they fuppole will ftitle and dcftroy 

 thofe infeds, arid thereby cure the diftemper. 

 Others diredl the ufe of Tobacco-duft, or to wafH the 

 trees w^th water wherein Tobacco-ftalks have been 

 infufed for twelve hours, which, they fay, will deftroy 

 thefe infefts, and recover the trees ; and Pepper-duft, 

 fcattered upon the blofiTdms of fruit-trees, has been 

 recommended as very ufcful in this cafe : and there 

 are fome that advife the pulling off the leaves of the 

 tree, as the beft remedy when they are Ihrivelled up 

 and wither ; and to cut off the fmaller branches when 

 they produce crooked and unnatural fhoots, and to 

 iprinkle the tree with a watering-pot, or a hand- 

 engine. ^ . \ . . :■ = 

 Thefe conjeftures concerning blights, how fpecious 

 foever they may appear at firft fight, yet, when duly 

 confidefed, will be found far fhort of the true caufe, 

 as will hereafter be fhev/n. 



But let us nov/ examine the true caufes of blights, fo 

 far as we have been enabled to judge from repeated 

 obferVations and experiments.. 



I. Blights then are often caufed by a continued dl-y 

 eafterly Wind for feveral days together, withoiit the 

 intervention of 'fiiowers, or any mbrriirig dew, by 

 which the perfpiration in the tender bloffoms is 

 ftopped, fo that in a fhort time their colour is changed, 

 and they wither and decay ; and if it fo happen, that 

 there is a long continuance of the fame weather, it 



& 



cr 



equally affe£ts the tender leaves •, for their perfpirih 

 matter is hereby thickened and rendered glutinQUs, 

 clofely adhering to the furface of the leaves, and be- 

 comes a proper nutrinient to thofe fmall infefts^ vv*hich 



are always found preying upon the leaves ind tender 



branches of fruit-trees, whenever this blight happens; 

 but it is riot thefe infefts which are the firft caufe of 

 blights, as hath been imagined by forhe ; though it 

 muft be allowed, that whenever thefe infeits meet 

 with fuch a proper food, they multiply exceedingly, 

 iand are inftrumental in promoting the diftemper; 

 fo that many times, when die feafon proves fa- 

 vourable to them, arid no proper care hath been 

 taken to prevent their mifchief, it is furprifing to 

 think how whole walls of trees have fuffered by this 

 infection. ' ' 



The beft remedy for this diftxmper, that I have yet 

 known fucceed, is, gently to waHi and fprinkle over 

 the trees, from time to time, with common water 

 (that is, fuch as hath not had any thing fteeped in 

 it-,) and the fooner this is performed (whenever we 

 apprehend danger,) the better ; and if the young and 

 tender fhoots feem to be riiuch infefted, wafh them 

 with a woollen cloth, fo as to clear them, if poffible, 

 from all this glutinous riiatter, that their refpiration 

 and perfpiration may not be obftru6ted •, and if we 

 place fome broad flat pans or tubs of water near the 

 trees, that the vapours exhaled from the water may 

 be received by' the trees, it will keep their tender 

 pirts in a duftik^ ftate, and greatly help them ; but 

 whenever this operation of wafhing the trees is per- 

 formed, it fhould be early in the day, that the moifture 

 may be exhaled before the cold of the night comes 

 on ; efpecially if the nights are frofty : nor fhould it 

 be done when the fun ftiines very hot upon the wall, 

 which would be fubjedt to fcorch up tlie tender 

 bloffoms. 



Another caufe of blights in the fpring is, Ilaan^ hoary 

 froft's, which are often fucceeded by hot funinine in 

 the day time ; wiiich is the riioft fudderi and certain 

 deftroyer of fruits that is known ; for the cold of the 

 night ftarves the tender parts of the bloffo 



\ 



ns, an4 

 the fun rifing hot upon the walls before the moifture 

 is dried from the bloffoms (which, being in fmall 



globules, collects the rays Of the fun,} a fc^lding heat 



