S24 FAMILY HERBAL. 



a joints and long straj^gling^ spikes of yellow flow* 

 €rs. It is a foot and a half high^ or more. The 

 stalk is weak, slender, green, and striated. The 

 leaves are oblong, and blunt at the ends : they 

 are serrated round the edges, and of a bright green 

 colour. The flowers are small, and of the shape 

 of the flowers of tares, but little; and there fol- 

 lows each a loutidish pod, rough and green. The 

 whole plant has a singular, but not disagreeable 

 smell ; and the leaves are the food of so many 

 insects, that they are commonly gnawn to pieces* 

 The fresh plant is excellent to mix in pultices, to 

 be applied to swellings. It was once famous in a 

 plaister, used for dressing of blisters, but the apothe- 

 caries used to play so many bad tricks, to imitate 

 file green colour it was expected to give, that the 

 plaister is now made without it. 



The Melon. Melo. 



I 



A TRAINING herb, with yellow flowers, and 



large fruit ; well known at our tables. The plant 

 grows to eight or ten feet long, but is not erect. 

 The stalks are angulated, thick, arjd of a pale green. 

 The leaves are large and broad, somewhat round- 

 ish, and not deeply divided, as in most of the creep- 

 ing plants of this sort. There are tendrils on the 

 stalk for its laying hold of any thing. The flowers 

 are very large, and open at the mouth. The fruit 

 ii oblong and rough, more or less on the surface, 

 containing seeds, with a juicy matter within. 



The seeds are the part used : they are cooling, 

 and work by urine. They are best given in an 

 emulsion, beat up with barley water : this is a good 

 drink iu fevers given warm. 



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