M E 



that genus ; but as the fruit of this genus has but one 

 cell, fo it fhould be feparatcd from the Solanum, 

 whofe fruit have two cells, and of which there are fo 

 many fpecies already known, that there need not be 

 any addition of plants which can be feparated wiih 

 propriety added to it ; he places it in the firft feftion 

 of his fifth clafs. 



caule inermi herbaceo, foliis 



The Sf»EciEs arc, 



"I. Melongena [Ovata) 

 oblongo-ovatis tomentofis integris, fru6lu ovato. Mad 

 Apple with a fmooth herbaceous Jialk^ oblongs ovaU woolly 

 leaves^ which are entire^ and an oval fruit. Melpnge- 

 na fruftu oblongo violaceo. Tourn. Inft. 151. Mad 

 Apple with an oblong Violet-coloured fruit, 



2. Melongena (Tereta) caule inermi herbaceo, foliis 

 oblongo-ovatis tomentofis, fruftu tereti. Mad Apple 

 with 'herbaceous., fmooth^ oblong., cval^ woolly leaves^ 

 and a taper fruit. Melongena fruftu tereti violaceo. 

 Tourn. Inft. 151. Mad Apple with a taper Violet-co- 



M 



this differs greatly from cither of the former. TK 

 ftalks and leaves are armicd with very ftron'r'tho- ^ 

 and the leaves are larger, and deeply 'jaegecf on the^' 

 fides. The flowers are larger, and of a" deeper bl ^ 

 colour. The fruit is long, taper, and white. ■ 

 Thefe fruit are eaten by molt of the inhabitants of 

 the warm parts of the globe, and are eftcemed a d 

 licacy, but are fuppofed to have a property of pro' 



ir 



ue 



voking lull. 



3 



4 



loured fruit, ■ .- 



Melongena (Tncurva) caule inermi herbaceo, foliis 

 oblongis finuatis tomentofis, fruftu incurvo. Mad 

 Apple with a fmooth herbaceous flalkj oblong Jinuated 

 leaves which are woolly^ and an incurved fruit. Melon- 

 gena fruclu incurvo. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 152. Mad 

 Apple with an' incurved fruit, 



Melongena {Spinofd) fpinofa, foliis finuatis-lacini- 

 atis, fruftu tereti, caule herbaceo. Mad Apple ^ with a 

 prickly fialk and leaves which are cut into finufes.^ a taper 

 fruity and an herbaceous flalL Solanum pomiferum 

 fru<5tu fpinofo. J. B. 3. 619. Apple-beariug Night- 

 fhade with a prickly fruit. 



The firfl fort grows naturally in Afia, Africa, and 

 ,- America, where the fruit is commonly eaten by the 

 inhabitants; and it is cultivated in the gardens in 

 Spain as an efculent fruit, by the title of Barenkeena ; 

 ;. ! the Turks who alfo eat the fruit, call it Badinjan, the 

 Italians Melanzana, and the inhabitants of the Britilh 

 iflands in America, Brown John, or Brown Jolly. It 

 V is an ^anhuar plant with an herbaceous ftalk, which 

 ;^ becomes a little ligneous, and rifes near three feet 

 ,^?;..liigh, fending cut rhany fide branches, garnifhed 

 ' with oblong oval leaves feven of eight inches long,' 

 .^^and four broad ; they are woolly, and their borders 

 7^^^te very (lightly finuated, but not indented, ftanding 

 ' ^^" .without order upon' very thick fbot-ftalks. ';The 

 ffowers come out fingly from the fide of the branches. 





They are propagated by feeds, which muft be fow^ 

 upon a moderate hot-bed in March, and when th 

 plants come up, they muft be tranfplanted into ano! 

 ther hot-bed about four inches afunder, obferving to 

 water and ftiadc them until they have taken root- af- 

 ter which you muft give them a great fhare of air 

 when the weather is warm, otherwife they will draw 

 up very weak. They muft be alfo frequently water- 

 ed, without which they will make but very indiffe- 

 rent progrcfs ; but when they are grown fo ftroncy as 

 to fill the frame (which will be by the middle or *end 

 of May,) you muft tranfplant them out into a rich 

 fpot of ground, at two feet diftance, or in the 

 borders of the pleafure-garden at the fame diftance 

 from other plants, obfcrving to preferve as much 

 earth to the roots as poflible when you take them up 

 otherwife they are fubjed to mifcarry. You muft ob- 

 ferve to water them plentifully, and ftiade them until 

 they have taken root, after which they will require 

 but very little care, more than to keep them clear 

 from weeds, and in very dry weather to give' them 

 fome water. >■• ^ 



About the middle of July the fruit will appear, at 

 which time, if the weather ftiould be very dry, you 

 muft often water them, which will caufe the fruit to 

 ^grow very large, aridincreafe their number; toward 

 ;tne latter end of^Auguft their fruit will ripen, when 

 you muft prefcVve the feeds of each kind feparatc;. 

 but thofe for the table fhould be gathered before they 

 are quite ripe. - #• -^' ^^^ ^^^a^i^^ r^^: - 



■ Thefe plants are only preferved as curiofiries itf the 



Englifti gardens, the fruit "being feldom eaten ia 



:; this country, except "b^ fome Italiaris or Spaniards, 



who have been accuftonied to'eat them in their own 



countries. -^ ^'- 1^ JV ' ^^ 



^ *>-' 





>'* '-t - 



having a thick fleftiy empalement of one leaf,' which 



is deeply cut into five acute fegm.ents, which fpread I This fpot of ground ftiould be open to the fouth-eaft 



MELOPEPO, i;See CucuRBiTAr ^ 



MELONRY, or MELON GRO0ND, Isan 



•apartment in the kitchen-garden for the propagation 

 of Melons only. .^. -' 



■T- - r*T-v <-** 



open 

 fide. 



1 \ 



and is armed with ftrong prickles on the out- 

 The flowers have one petal, which is cut at 



in form 



■^ v" 



1- 







fun, but fheltered from the weft, north-weft, and 

 north-eaft winds, by walls, pales, or hedges, the 

 latter of thefe is the beft ; it ftiould alfo be upon a 

 dry foil, for nothing is more injurious to thefe plants 

 than much wet j for in the fpring of the* year it often 

 fom of the flower are yellow. The flowers are fuc- I proves very wet weather, when, if the foil is very 



the brim into five fcgments, which expand 



of a ftar, and are a little reflexed j they are blue, and 



the fummits which are connected together in the bo- 



* , ceeded by oval fleftiy fruit, about the fize^ and fliape 

 of a fwan's egg, of a 3ark purple on onefidej and 



"-^ wet, there will be no making the ridges until it is very 

 *^"late. : This fliould alfo be contrived as near to the 



'I 





one 



white on the other. The Bowers come oiit^ in June I dung as poflible, which will fave a great deal of la- 



-s bour in wheeling the dung; anJ, if thefe fliouldJ>e ^ 

 ".pond of water near it, which, in very dry weather, 

 ; will be very ufeful to watpr thp Melons^ when it is 

 ''■rieceflary," tfiougli it is not often that wa^r Is wanted 

 - for this purpofe in England." ■- - / M:'-:! ,"■._ ,?- 

 7 As tb'thi; fiie 6£ the grbuniSrSaimuft be profjor- 





> 

 / ^ 



,f .^nd July, and the fruit ripens in September." 

 ' There are the following varieties of thefe fpecies 

 "y with white fruit, called by fome the Egg Plant; one 

 with yellow fruit, and anothcFwitH^ale^red' fruit; 

 . . all thefe varieties are generally conftant, the feeds pro- 

 '^^ducirig the fame fruit as thofe frbni' which they' were 

 .' \taken, but as they only differ in colour, ToT cKufe 

 '^^noc to enumerate them as diinnct fpecies. - ^^ 

 The fecond fort differs from tne firft in the mape of 

 the fruit, which is coniHonly eight or hme inches 

 ;\long, taper and ftrait ; in other relpefts they "are \he 

 3Tame, but as this never varies when propagated in 

 f^Teardens, fq there can be no doubt of their being dif- 

 ■ tmA fpecies. There are two varieties of this fort, 

 ■;'49ne with a purplifti fruit, and the other white, but 

 ,^j:he latter is the moft common in England:" ^"^■ 

 Tlie tliird fort differs from the two former ' in the 

 ftape of the leaves, which are deeply finuated on their 

 borders.*^ The fruit is oblong and incurved, of a yel- 

 lowifli colour,^and larger at the end than in any other 



I 



^ ^ 



'tioned to the qteiitlty of ridges ihtended, which you 



- may eafily calculate', by allowing twelve feet breadth 

 ** for every ridge, and the holes placed at aboutj 



feet afunder $ but it is the beft way to allow room 

 " enough where you are not ftreightened to it.; ^-- 

 rThis ground flibuld be inclofed with a Reed fence, 



afid kept co'nftantlyTocked up during the time that 



- the Melons are growing, for if they are expofed to 

 every perfon that walks in the garden (moft of whom 

 have acuriofity to hai-^ae the Vines, and look after 

 the fruit,) it will be of ill confequ'enc^, nothing be- 

 ing more injurious to thefe plants than frequent tum- 

 bling or difturbing their leaves. ; ' . . ■ . 

 The common practice in moft gentlemens gardens is, 



r --- - ' .^i .--.:, ' > - t: to inclofe a fpot of ground either witTi walls or pales, 



The feeds of the fourth fort were fent me from India i ^ ^ which they conftantly appropriate to this purpofe; 



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