264 September 



frenchmen affured me, that when people 

 born in Canada came to the Illinois, and eat 

 feveral times of the water-melons of that 

 parr, they immediately got a fever j and 

 therefore the Illinois advife the French not to 

 eat of a fruit fo dangerous to them. They 

 themfelves are fubject to be attacked by fe- 

 vers, if they cool their flomachs too often 

 with water-melons. In Canada they keep 

 them in a room, which is a little heated ; 

 by which means they will keep frefli two 

 months after they are ripe ; but care rnufi 

 be taken, that the froft fpoil them not. In 

 the EngKJh plantations they likewife keep 

 them frefli in dry cellars, during part of 

 trie winter. They allured me that they 

 keep better when they are carefully broke 

 pif from |he ftalk, a,nd afterwards burnt 

 \vith a red-hot iron, in the place where the 

 ftalk was fVrfened. In this mapner they 

 may be eaten at Ghnjimas., and after. In 

 Penjyfoanid, where they have a dry fandy 

 earth, they make a hole in the ground, put 

 the \vater-melons carefully into it with 

 their (talks, fey' which means they keep 

 very frefli during a great part of winter, 

 few people, however, take t,his . trouble 

 with the water-melons ; becaufe they be- 

 ing very cooling, and the winter bejng very 

 .cold too, it feems to be lefs neceffary to- 



keep 



