\ _ 



out on the fide of the ft.^s fingly ; they are of a 

 whitiili yellow colour, and have a pretty large ipread-^ 

 ing empakment, which is deeply curat the brim in- 

 to many acute fegments which Ipread open. The 

 flowers are fuccceded by fmall roundifh berries a lit- 

 tle compreffed at the top, of an herbaceous yellow 

 colour when ripe. ' . . . ; ' ' j 



Thefe plants are all propagated by fowing their feeds 

 on a moderate hot-bed'in March, and when the plants ' 

 are come up two inches high, they fhould be tranf- , 

 planted into another moderate hot-bed, at a'bout ' 

 four inches diftance from each other, obferving to ' 

 fiiade them until they have taken i'oot ; Ifter which 



they muft have frequent waterings, and a large Ihare 

 of frefh air; for if they are too much drawn while 

 -young, theyfeldom do well afterv/ards. ^' ' '■' 



In May thefe plants fhould be tranfplanted either 'in- 

 to pots filled with rich light earth, or into borders j -duce a greater" dumber of roots,' but thefe are' al- 



■ 



London, I believe, exceeds that of any other part of 

 Europe. 



This plant was always ranged in the genus of Sola- 

 rium, or Nightfliade, and is now brought under that 

 title again by Dr. Linnreus ; but as Lycoperficon has 

 been eftablilhed^as a diiiincl genus, on account of the 

 fruit being divided into feveral cells, by intermediate 

 partitions ; and as the fruit of this plant exaftly 

 agrees with the charafters of the other ipecies of this 

 genus, I haVe inferted it here. 



This is generally propagated by its roots, which 

 -multiply greatly if planted in a proper foil. The 

 common way is, "either to plant the fmall roots or 

 offsets entire, or to cut the larger roots into pieces, 

 prefervincr a bud or eye to each ; but neither of 

 thefe methods is what I would recommend, for v;hen 

 the fmaller offsets are planted, tliey generally pro- 



near walls, pales, or Reed-hedgesj to which their 

 '■'branches may be fattened to fupport them from 



trailing on the ground, which'they otherwife willdo, 

 -ancTthen the fruit will not ri^,enj|b^ that Ivhefd thefe 



plants are cultivated for the lake df their^^fruit, 'they 



fhould be planted to a warm afpefit, ancf the branches 



■ regUterly faltened as they extend,, tliat the fruit may 



* have the a3vahtage of thefd'n's^'Mrmth to forward 

 them, otherwife it will be late in the feafon before 

 they are ripe, and they are unfit for ufe beforjfj but 

 when the plants arc brought Forward in the fpring, 

 and thus regularly "trained to' t^d^' foiith* fun, the 

 fruit will ripen by the latter end of July, ^nd there 



1 



Y- 



will be a fuccefTion of it 

 plants. 





till the frofl kills the 



^ 





' Some pedbns cultivate thefe plants for ornament, 

 but their leaves emit To flrong offenfive''^ odour on 



; being touched, which renders them very improper for 



' • tlic pleafure-garden, and their biranches extend fo wide 

 and irregular, as to fender them' very unfightly in fuch 



**. places ; for as"^ tTieir branches cannot be kept t^ithin 



■ bounds, efpecially when they are planted in good 

 'y ground, fo they will appear very unfightly in fuch 



places ; therefore the border's Tn the kitchen-garden, 



' where thefe plants are placecf for their fruit, mufl 



- nbj^be too rich, for in a moderate foil they will not 



be fo luxuriant and more fruitful. - ^ ''^!,. 'i^'"' 



The Italians and Spaniards eat thefe Apples, as we 



■ '3o' Cucumbers, with pepper, oil, and fait; and fome 



' eaft''ihSh'''!lewed in fauces, &c.'^a^ they 



• ^re now much ufed in England, efpeqially the fecOnd 



■ ' fort, which is preferred to all the other. '^This fruit 



■ gives an agreeable acid to the foup, though there 

 '^ are fo hie peifohs^vv^o think them hot'wholefome. 



ways fmall ; and th.e cuttings of the larger roots are 



. apt to rot, efpecially if wet weather happens foon 



after they are planted; therefore what I would re- 



cbmrhend is, to itiake choice of the faireft: roots for 



, tl}is, .purpofe, and to^ allow them a larger fpSce of 



ground, both between the rows^ as alfo in the rows, 



plant from plant \ by which method 1 have obferved, 



the'roots have tedh iri general farge the following 



autumn.- , . . * ' -. 



^t*.,The foil in which this plant thrives beft, is a light 



^y^Tandy loam, not too dry or over moifl •, this ground 



-. * fhould be well ploughed two or three times, in order 



'tb*l)rHlc and divide thFpaA^-'ahd the deeper is 



- plouehed, ' ^e tettef the roots wiU thrive. -. In the 



; 'fprinp;, iuft before the laft ploughing;, 'there fhould 



- jt).? ^ go^*^ quantity or rotten dung ipread on the 



; ground, which fhould be ploughed into the groiirid 



the beginning of MarChj^'if the^feafoft pJfOves iftild, 



otherwife , it had better be deferred tiU the middle 



or latter end of that month: for if it fhould prove 



hard froft after the roots are planted, they may be 



greatly injured, if not deftroyed therety : but the 



fooner they are planted in the fpring, after the danger 



^_^. of froft is over, the better it will be, efpecially in 



'■dryland. In the kft ploughing, the ground fliould 



' - Be laid even, arid then the furaows fliould be drawn 



^ at three fe,et diilance from each other, about feven or 



eieht inches deep. . In tne bottom of this furrow the 



, roots, fliould be laid at about one foot and a half afun- 



'^der;^ then" the furrow fhould be filled with the' earth 



* which cStAe out/' and the fame ^CQntinued thrtiugh 



i^.the whole jSeld or parcel 01 land, intended to be:- 



lanted. 





1^ * 



-^ • *■ 



'* 



P 

 t; After all is finifhed, the land may remain ih the 



from their great ifcbifture and Coldnefs, atnd that the I fame ftate- till near the time when the fhoOts IH ex- 



pefted to appear above ground, when the grpynd 





nourifhment they afford mull: be ^ad. '^ 

 The third fort is never ufed either in the kitchen or 

 ""|fbf medicine, but the plants are preferved for the 



* fake of vanety, efpecially by thofe perfons who are 

 " Igvers of botany. This fort is propagated by feeds, 

 •"j^ which fhould be fownupon a hot-bed in the Ipring, 

 ' ''-and the plants afterward treated in the fame mariner 



;'jas fiatTi been directed for the Capficuni, with which 



- this plant will thrive and produce piferity ;of fruit 



• 'annually.^' - •■■ ' -■...^^.v..^ ^. y^i^^^^^ _^^ 



The feventh fort is the common Potatoe, which is 



. a plant fo well known now, as to need no defcrip- 



^■. tioh-;;'Of this there are two varieties, one with a 



:;:Tcdand the" bifter with a Mite root ; that whofe 



ihould be well harrowed over both ways, -which will ' 

 break the clods, and make the furface very fmobth ; . 



^ arid by doing of it fo late, it will deflroy the young„>; 



". weeds, whichV'lby this time, will begin to make- 

 their appearance ; and this v/ill fave the expence of 



' the firfl hoeing, and will alfo ftir the upper furface of . 



' the ground, which, if riiuch wet has falleh after 'the 



^planting, ' is often bound into a hard cruft, and will 



f 



; roots are red, have purplifh flowers^ but the white 

 root has white flowers j thefe are fuppofed to be only 

 accidental' variations, and notdiflind f£eaes^^\';f 

 The corhmon name' of Potatoe, feerii "to t)e dhty a 

 corruption of the Indian nafiie Batatas. This plant 

 has been much propagated in England within thirty 

 or forty years paft, for although it 'was introduced 

 from America about the year 1623, yet it was but 

 little cultivated in England till of late ; thefe roots 

 being defpifed by the rich, and' deemed ortly pro- 

 per food for the meaner fort of perfbns 1 however, 

 tney are now generally cfteemed by mofl people, 

 and the quantity of them which are cultivated near 



'--: *>:* 



^retard the appearance of the flioots/" 

 ^^ As I have allotted the rows of Potatoes at three feet 

 ^'idiflance, it was in order to introduce the hod-plouo-h . 



;■ between them, which will greatly im|)r6ve thefe rootsj 

 '}for by twice flirrih^' and breaking the ground be- 

 : ItwSen thefe plants, it will not only deftroy the weeds, 

 .f but alfo Ipofen jhe ground^ whereby every fliower of 

 ■ ]ram will penetrate to the roots, and greatly improve 

 .■their growth r but thefe opefations fhould be per- 



yorriied early in the feafon, before the flems or branches 

 ' [d[ the plants begin to fall aiid trail ,\^on the ground, 



.becaufe after that, it will be impouible to do it with- 



• "f -t -, £ 



• \f 





"cut injuring the fhoots.^' ' 

 If thefe ploughirigs are cafefuRy perforriled between 

 .the rows, and the gr^ound Ipetwcen the plants iri the 

 I'oWs hand-hoed, it will prevent. fhe growth of weeds,' 

 till the haulm of the plants cover the ground 3^ fo that 

 afterward there wlfl be little danger of weeds growin " 



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