C R A 



C R A 



Culture. — All the «orts are capable of being 

 increased with facility, bv sowing the seeds in 

 the open ground, either in the autumn or sprine, 

 in drills or broadcast, covering them to the 

 depth of about an inch. The seeds mav be 

 gathered from the hedges in many of the sorts, 

 and the others be procured from the nurserv- 

 men, being eniplo\ed when fully ripened. The 

 plants mostly appear in about twelve months. 

 They should be kept perfectly clean from \vep(l>, 

 and be occasionally watered when the wc.nher 

 is hot and dry. When they have had one 

 or two years growth in the seed-beds, tliev 

 may in most of the sorts be removed into inir- 

 sery-rows, and set out at the distances of fn)m 

 eight inches to two feet, according to the sorts, 

 and from six inches to a foot in the rows ; to 

 remain till wanted for the purpose of forming 

 hedges, or planting out in other pKices, havini^ 

 the lop shoots ana other parts cut and pruned, 

 as there may be occasion. 



The more curious sorts are generally proper 

 for the purpose of plantirig out, when they have 

 attained three, four, or live feet growth. 



In order to continue the varieties, recourse must 

 be had to the practice of budding, grafiinc, or 

 layering the young branches. The two first may 

 be performed upon stocks of the common Haw- 

 thorn, as any of the sorts will take upon that 

 sort of stock, or upon those of one another ; 

 but the former mode is the best. The opera- 

 tions should be performed at the usual sea- 

 son in the manner directed. See Budding 

 and Grafting. 



The young shoots should be laid down in the 

 autumn, and when they have stricken good roots, 

 which in most cases happens in twelve or eighteen 

 months, be taken off", and planted out in nursery 

 rows, or other places, as the above. 



The cuttings of the young shoots planted in 

 the spring in rather moist situations, will some- 

 times take root, and become good plants. 



All the sorts are hardv, and capable of suc- 

 ceeding in almost any soil or situation. 



The first is a highly useful plant for the pur- 

 pose of forming hedges. 



And all the other species and vaiieties mav be 

 employed as ornamental plants in the clumps 

 and other parts of extensive shrubberies, and 

 other plantations. Many of the sorts have likc- 

 wise a very ornamental effect, when planted out 

 singly on lawns, or other similar parts of pleasure 

 grounds, especially when in flower, from their 

 beautiful blossom. On this account they have 

 also a fine effect in mi.xcd plantations. 



CRAT^VA, a genus containing plants of 

 the tree exotic kind for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Dodecandriu 



Moi:npjn!a, and ran!;s in the natural order of 

 PtitiiminetP. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, four-cleft, deciduous, flat at the 

 base: divisions spreading, ovale, unequal: the 

 corolla has four oblong petals, bent down to the 

 same side; claws slender, length of the calvx, in- 

 serted into the divisions : the stamina consist of 

 sixteen or more bristle-form filaments, declining 

 to the side opposite to the petals, shorter than 

 the corolla: anthers erect, oblong: the pistillum 

 is a germ on a very long filiform pedicel, ovale: 

 style none: stigma sessile, headed: the pericar- 

 piuni is a fleshy, globose berrv, very large, pedi- 

 celled, one-celled, two-valved ? the seeds many, 

 roundish, emarginate, and nestling. 



The species cultivated are : l.C. <o/)(a, Smooth 

 Crateva, or Garlic-Pear. 2. C. marmelos, Prick- 

 ly Crateva. 



The first is a treewhich has a very large trunk, 

 that in its natural situation rises to the height 

 of thirty feet or more, covered with a dark green 

 bark, setiding out many branches, forming a 

 large head. The branches are garnished with 

 trir(TIiate leaves, standing on pretiv long foot- 

 stalks; the middle leaf, which is much larirer 

 than either of the others, is oval, about five 

 inches long, and about two and a half broad in the 

 middle. The two side leaves are oblique, the 

 sides joining, the middle leaf being much nar- 

 rower than the other, turning at both ends to- 

 wards the middle, their midrib not being par.il- 

 lel to the sides ; these two end in acute points. 

 They are all smooth, of a light green on the 

 upper side, but pale on the under, with entire 

 edges. The flowers are produced at the ends of 

 the branches, standing upon long peduncles : 

 the fruit is about the size of an Orange, having 

 a hard brown shell, inclosing a mealy pulp. 

 It has a strong smell of Garlic ; and is a native 

 of the West Indies. 



The second grows to a creat height, with a large 

 trunk, sending out many long branches, gar- 

 nished with trifoliate leaves ; the leaflets are ob- 

 long, entire, and end in acute points ; between 

 the^e, the branches are armed with long sharp 

 thorns, which come out by pairs, and spread 

 asunder : the flowers are produced in small clus- 

 ters from the side of the branches, five or 

 seven standing upon a common branching 

 peduncle ; these have each five acute pet.aU, 

 which are reflex ; they are green on the outside, 

 whitish within, and have a grateful odour. 

 After the flower, the germen swells to the size 

 of an Orange, having a hard shell, whicii in- 

 closes a fleshy viscous pulp, of a yellowish co- 

 lour, which has an agreeable flavour when ripe. 

 It is a native of India. 



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