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Although the berries of this tree are To vc\y acriS, 

 as to burn the mouth and throat of thofe who may 

 iricaiuioufly taftc them, yet the birds greedily devour 

 them, as ibon as they begin to ripen-, fo that unlefs 

 the flirubs are covered with nets to preferve the ber- 

 ries, they will all be deftroyed before they are fit to 

 gather. There is of this and the former fort, fome 

 ' plants vyidi variegated leaves, which fome perfons are 

 fond to have in tTieir gardens, but the plain are much 



tnore beautiful. 



The third fort grows naturally in Spain, Italy, and 

 the fouth of France, where it rifes to the height of 

 three or four feet, with a fingle {talk covered with a 

 light- coloured bark v the flowers come out in ckulers 



. on the fides of the Italks, which are of an herbaceous 

 colour, fo make bat little appearance ; they appear 

 early in tlic fpring, and are fucceeded by frnall ber- 



■ ries which are yellowifn when ripe. 

 The fourtli fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 

 from whence I received the feeds. This is a low 

 ihrubby plant, which fends out feveral v/eak ftalks 

 from the root, which grow about a foot long, and 

 fprcad about irregularly; thcfe feldom become v/oody 

 in England, but are tough and ftringy, covered with 



' a light bark; the leaves are fmall, of an oval form, 

 and are very fufc, v/hite, and fhining like fattin; 



' thefe lit pretty clofe to the ftalks ; between thefe the 

 flowers come out in thick clufters from 'the fide of 

 the ftalks; they are white, and arc fucceeded by 



- roundlfh berries having one hard feed. This flowers 



' here in June, but doth not produce ripe feeds.' 

 The fifth fort f^rows on the mountains near Geneva, 

 and in other parts of Italy, where it rifes about three 

 feet high; the flowers of this come out in clutters 

 from the fide of the branches, early in the fpring. 



: The leaves are fpear-fhaped, ending in blunt points, 



: and are hoary on their under fide. The flowers are 

 fucceeded by fmall foundifli berries, which turn red 



.ft- ' 



when ripe. 

 :.The^fixth fort grows naturally on the Alps, as alfo 

 • upon the mountains near Verona,' froffi whence it 

 ' was ferifme; this is' a' very humble Ihrub, feldom 

 ''growing more than one foot high, with ligneous ftalks, 

 ' which put out feveral fide branches; thefe are gar- 



■ Tiiftied with narrov; fpear-fhaped leaves, which are 

 ' placed round the ftalks without order; the branches 



are" terminated by fmall dufters of purple flowers 



\vhich ftand. ereft, having no foot-ftalks; the tubes 



" of thcih flowers are longer and narrower than thofe of 



■ the Mezcrcon, and the mouth is cut into four acute 

 pirts which arc ereft. Thefe flowers emit a pleafant 

 odour; they appear early in the Ipring, but do not 

 produce feeds here. 



The feventh fort growls naturally about Montpelier ; 

 this rifes with a flirubby rtalk about two feet high, 

 dividing into many fmall branches, which are clofely 

 garniflic^i with narrow Jpear-fliaped leaves growing 

 '■'eft, ending in acjte points ; the ends of the branches 

 a.re terminated by panicks of flowers, which are 

 much fmaller than thole of the Mezereon, having 

 fwelling tubes, which are contrafted at the mouth. 

 Thefe appear in June, but are not fucceeded by feeds 

 here. 



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with leaves about the fize, and the fame form a5 

 thofe of I^ofemary ; between the leaves the flowCrs 

 come out in fmall bunches, upon foot-ftalks an inch 

 long ; they have Ihort tubes cut into four parts at the 

 top, and are white ; thefe are fucceeded by fmall round 

 berries, of a brown colour when they are ripe. 

 The third, fourth, and feventh forts are hardy, fo 

 will live through the winters in England in the open 

 air, provided they are in a diy foil and a warm fi- 

 tuation. The fifth and fixth forts are as hardy as the 

 common Mezereon, fo are not in danger of beinff 

 hurt by froft in England ; but they are all very dif- 

 ficult to keep in gardens, becaufe neither of them 

 will bear to be tranfplanted. I have feveral times 

 raifed the plants from feeds, which have fucceeded- 

 well in the places where they were fov/n, but v/henever 

 they were removed, they certainly died, though per- 

 formed at different feafons, and with the greateft 

 care, and the fame has happened to every other per- 

 fon who has raifed any of thefe plants ; and fome of 

 my correlpondents have aflfured me, they have fre-: 

 quently attempted to remove thefe plants from thdr. 

 natural places of growth, into their gardens, and have 

 chofen plants of all fizes, from the youngeft feedlings 

 to the oldeft plants, yet have never fucceeded in it; 

 though they have ufed their utmoft care, and have 

 performed it at different feafons. Therefore thofe- 

 who are defirous to have thefe plants in their gardens, 

 muft procure their feeds from the countries where 

 they naturally grow; and when they arrive, they 

 fliould be immediately fown where they are defigned 

 to remain, which for the third, fourth, and feventh. 



. jforts, fliould be on a very warm dry border, where, 



if there is a foundation of lime, rubbifti, or chalk, 



-linder the upper furface of the ground, the plants will 



' thrive better an^ continue much longer, than in better 



-ground ; and all the culture they require, is to keep 



the place clean from weeds, for the lefs the ground is 



. ftirred near their roots, the better the plants will/ 

 thrive ; for they naturally grow on poor ftialipw land,' 

 and out of crevices in rocks ; fo the nearer the foil 

 approaches to this, the more likely the plants will be 

 to fucceed. . .' v v v >. 







t 



' The eighth fort grows' naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope; this flirub rifes to the height of five or fix feet, 



' dividing upward into feveral branches which grow 

 erect, and are covered with a whit^ bark, and 



- clofely garniflicd with fmall narrow leaves, which 

 tome O'Jt on every fide of the branches without order, 



'fpreading open; the tops of the branches are termi- 



■r.ared by -woolly heads, out of which the flowers j 

 com.c in fmall clufters ; they are white, having oblong 



'tubes, which are divided into four obtufe fegments 

 at the n-iouth, which fprcad open. Thefe plants do 

 not produce feeds in Europe. 



The ninth fort grows naturally in many iflands in the 

 Weft- Indies, it was fent me from Antigua. This 

 ftirub rifes to' the height of four or five feet, with a 

 woody ftaik, covered with a rugged bark of an Afl^ 

 coloar- the upper part of the branches are garnifhed 



^ % < 



The fifth and fixth forts may have a cooler fituation; 

 if thefe are fown where they may have only the 

 morning fun, they will thrive better than in'a warmer 

 fituation, and the ground near the roots of thefe 

 ihould riot bedifturbed; therefore in the choice of die 

 fituation, there ftiould be regard had to this, not to 



■ . fow them near other plants, which may require tranf- 

 planting, or ito have the ground dug and loofened. 

 The feeds of thefe plants coming from diftant coiin- 

 • tries, rarely arrive here time enough to fow in au- 

 tumn, fo that when they are fown in the fpring, the 

 plants do not appear till the fucceeding fpring; and 

 I have fometimes had the feeds remain till the fecond 

 fpring in the ground, before the plants have appeared; 

 but as this maybe too long for many people to leave 

 the ground undifturbed, fo they had better put the 

 feeds into fmall pots of earth, and bury them in the 



• ground the firft fummer, and in autumn take them 

 up, and fow them where they are to ftand; by this. 

 method, the feeds will be forwarded to vegetate the 

 following fpring. ^ , - 



The fifth fort is a beautiful fweet flirub, fo deferves 

 a place in gardens, as much as any of thofe we culti- 

 vate for ornament. ' The firft and fecond forts are 

 fom.etimes ufed in medicine as was before obferved, 



^^ r 



but being of a very cauftic nature, are feldom pre- 

 fcribed ; but if proper trials were with caution made, 

 it is not doubted but they may be found very ef- 

 ficacious in many ftubborn diforders, for fome very 

 ignorant quacks have performed great cures with 

 thefe plants. The feventh fort produces the Grana 

 gnitida of the fliops. 



The eighth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 



Hope, fo will not live abroad in winter in England, 



but requires a good green-houfe to preferve it. This 



- plant is very difficult to keep or propagate in gardens. 



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