M E 



ME N 



but this is by no means a good mctliod, for It rarely j out fide, and eight oval concave petals within^ zvhich aH 



happens that thefe fuccced well longer than two years 

 in the fame place, unlefs the foil be removed and 

 frelh brought in, which is very expenfive ; therefore 

 the beft way is, to have a fufficient parcel of Reeds 

 made into pannels, which may be annually moved 

 from place to place, fo that you need not continue 

 your ridges longer than one year in the fame place j 

 and if you have a piece of ground which is large 

 enough to divide into three or four fuch places, the 

 fence may be every year removed till the whole has 

 been occupied, after which you may return to the 

 foot where you began, which, by that tune, will be 

 as good as frefh earth ; and hereby, v/ichouc much 

 trouble, you may remove them every year, for as 

 one of the fides will remain unremoved every time 

 the fence is carried forward, the labour will not be fo 



. o-reat as if it were wholly removed to fome diftance, 

 and thefe Reed fences are much preferable to either 

 walls or pales, for this purpofe. ' . > ■ 



MELOTHRIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 48, 

 The title of this genus was applied to it by Dr. Lin- 



" nasusin the Hortus ClifFortianus. By fome authors 



. it hath been placed under the genus of Cucuniis, and 

 by others under that of Bryonia ; but the Doctor has 

 removed this to a diftance from either of thofe gene- 

 ra, on account of its having but three ftamina; but' 



fmalUr than thofe v;ithout, ranged in four feries, and 

 many cylindrical fiamina which are longer than the petals^ 

 termnated by Jhort obtufe fummits having four lobes. The 

 female flowers have the fame cmpalcment and ccrolla as 

 the maL% and have eight ftamina with pellticid fumnits^ 

 ■ which are fruitful Thefe have two oval incurved gcr- 

 m'na, fupporting a folitary recurved ftyle^ crowned by a 

 bifid ftigma % the germen afterward become two rcundifj 

 kidncy-jhaped berries of one ce% inclofing a lar<re kidney- 

 fjapedfeed. , .- • 



This genus of plants Is ranged in the tenth feclion of 

 Linn^us's twenty-fecond clafs, which includes thole 

 plants which have male and female flowers on diffe- 

 rent plants, and the male flowers have twelve ftamina. 

 The Species are, 



1. Menispera^um {Canadenfe) foliis peltatis fubrotundis 



140. Moonfeed with target- 



fcaped, roundijky angtdar leaves. Menifpermum Cana- 

 denfe fcandens, umbilicatis foliis. Tourn. Aft. Par. 

 1705. Climbing Moonfeed of Canada ^ with a 7iavel- 



foaped leaf, . ■ . ■ ^ / . . 



2. Menispermum {Virginicum) folUs cordatis peltatis 

 , : lobatis, Flor. Virg. 40. Moojifeed with heart and tar- 

 ' g^l-Jhaped leaves^ which have lobes. Menifpermum fo- 

 lio hederaceo. Hort. Elth. 223. tab. 178. Moonfeed 



\.. limit b an Ivy leaf 



angulatis. Hort. Cliff. 



t 



Dr. yan Royen has brought it next to the genus of 3. !^^enispep-mum {Carinianum) foliis cordatis fubtus 



Bryonia again, as the plants have male and herma- 



phrociite nowers. ,- -ih -- ■.. <;. '.m', ■-t*^^') fu ' 

 . The Characters arc. 



4.VY. 



In the center of the her- 



.. The empalement of the fiowef^is^pf^ one leaf belljhaped^ 



^. ; and cut fltghtly at, the brim into five parts y and in the 

 hermaphrodite flowers^ ■' refts upon the embryo. The 



^^^male flower is of one leaf wheel-fljaped^ having a tube 



'y: the length of the empalement. 



L' maphxodite flqwer isjituated the point aU fupporting a cy~ 



" ' V, attended by three conical ftamina^ which 



' '"ere inferted in the tube of the flower^ and are extended to 



. ' the fame length ; the male flowers have three ftamina^ 

 , terminated by blunt ftyles. The pointal afterward becomes 

 I an ovalfmall berry ^ having three diviJtonSy in which are 

 ^ ^ lodged fmall flat feeds, - 



r ^- We have but one Species of this plant, viz. 

 Melothria {Pendula.) Lin. Hort. Clifi^. 490. Small 



^^creeping Cucumber. Cucumis minima fruftu ovali ni- 



.., grol^vL Sloan. Hift. i. p. 227. Smalleft Cucumber 



rC 



vt ^•'>. 



■<fe--?- 



^.- ;lvith afmoothy blacky cvatfruih^^^;^%> ■?— ^t^':?'?/:'-: ■ 

 gu This plant erovvs wjld, in th? woods in C^pli^ia, Vir- 

 2. g^nia, and alfo m many of the iflands m America; 

 ;j, it creeps upon the ground with flender Vines, hav- 

 r. -fiig angular leaves, fomcwhat refembling thofe of the 

 -,^^lon, but much fmaller^j- Xjl^fe Vines ftrike;"out 

 '^^rqo^ ar every joint, which foften^themfelves into the 

 J- ground^ and thereby a largerlHare of nourifhmcnt is 



. villofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 340. Moonfeed with heart- 

 _ fljaped leaves^ which are hairy on their under fde. 



The firft fort grows naturally'ln Canada, and moft 



^ parts of. North America, in the woods' ;~ this hath a 



thick ligneous root, from which are feat dut*manV 



imbingftalks, which become ligneqiJSj and rife to 



the height of twelve or four fecfn feet, twifting them- 



felyes about the neighbouring plants for fupjx)rt'; 



thefe are garnidiedwith large,fmooth, roundlfh leaves, 



whofe foot-ftalks are placed almoft in the middle of 



the back of the leaves ; on the upper fide there is a 



hollow in that part of the leaf refembling a navel, 



, The flowers come out in loofc bunches from the fide 



of the ftalks ; they are of an herbaceous colour, fmall, ' 



and compofed of two tiers of oblong oval petals, ve- 



- ryftiort ftamina, with ten in the male flowers, termi- 

 nated by fingle fummits -, the two germen fituatcd in 



. . the center of the female flowers turn to fo many 

 : , channelled berries, each confainingone kidnev-fl:iaped 



- feed. It flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in au- 



vtumn.'Csjt,;/ ; 



A- • 



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^^yThis fort may be^eafily propagated by %mg down 

 - of the branchesj.vwhich, if performed /in autumn, 



':" will have nia'de^gooHroots by the following autumn 

 :■ vhen they may be feparated from the old plant, and 

 tranlplanted where they are defigncd to remain ; t)iefe 



tv^l^-« 



^. drawn to the plants, by which means their ftalks ex- 

 tend to a great' diftance caclx way, and clofely cover 



■': ^^.^ ground.. The .4Q.W?rs are very fpiall, inftiapelike 



% thofe of the Melon, and of a pafe fulpTiur colour. I ters,'wliere their ftalks may have fupporta thevwill 



- blants require fupporr, for their branches are flender 

 V and weak.; In the country where it grows naturally-, 

 ^jhey.qlimb up the tre.es to a confiderable height, fo 

 ■that if thefe are planted near trees in wij^^ernefs qiiar- 



. .,;The fruit, in the Weft-Indies, grow to the fize of a 

 \^.: Pea, of an oval figure, arid<:lianges black'wTien ripe; 

 ' thefe aj:e by the inhabitants fometimes pickled when 



A.hP^y are green.,. . ^ ■ .e;;r^-;-i*^/rt ,iaorvrf;'H.. 



In England the fruit are much fmaller, and^are fo 

 •A hidden by tfie leaves, as to render it difficult to find 





thrive better than In afi'openTituation. 

 " * The fecond fort differs from the firft ih tfie Ilia^e of 

 ;,KsIeaves, which, are ^angular, and/o^-ietimes 'he^rc- 



.1 v: fhaped j their foot-ftalks join to the bafe of the.lcavcS, 



7. fb they have riolumbirical riiafkVn tlieir furface. I'he 



"V ftalks of this becbrhe ligneous,' Vnd rife iQcarly'asliifrh 



.' them. ''The"plantswill not grow m airh^re, f [ja's' thole of the fir ft fQr^and the'ffowers and berries 



but the feeds muft be fown upon a hot-bed, and if ^ ' -— - 



^ the plants are permitted, "wdl foon fpread over the 

 f- furface of a large bed -, and when the fruit is rrpe, if 

 -they fcatter their feeds^ the plants' will come up 

 :^ where the earth happens to be ufed on a hot-bed again, 

 and if they are fupplied with water, will require no 

 ; larther care. This plant is in fome gardens preferv- 

 ■ ed for the fake or variety, but is of no ufe. ; ,\^t' 

 MENISPERMUM. Tourn. Ad. R. Par. 1765. 

 Lin. Gen. Plant. 1131. Moonfeed. / f 



^ I 



^. The Wird fort grows naturally in Carolina, from 

 ^^,wnence the feeds were lent to iLngland ; this has oy 

 Vfom¥l)'eeh fuppoft^^ fecond fore. 



the 



' The Characters ar^,,v 





/ _ 



- . Ll 



^ i;> -' "• •-* 



^ from which it differs in its branches,"not becoming 

 woody as thofe do." -.The ftalks'afe herbaceous ; 

 : leaves are entire and hairy, and are not more tKan 

 half fo large as" tKofe of the fecond, nor is the plant 

 fp hardy, fof in f<;yere lArinters, thofe which are ex- 

 ppfed to the open air are fometimes killed, whereas 



It, hath male and female flowers' on different plants \ \ /the fecond fort is never injured' by cold. This fore 

 Jf.e mate flowers have empalements compofed of two fljort 

 linear^ leaves^ and have fourlival fpreaaing ieials with- 



' -I 



does hdt'pfbiduce any flowers in England, unlefs the ] 

 fcafbn proves ver)' warm. .. '' ' 





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