BOOK III. CHAP. VIII. 789 



They may be eaten raw, roafted, or boiled. The plant thrives beft 

 in a free foil, and warm fituation. In Southern climes vaft crops of 

 thefe nuts are fald to be produced from light, Tandy, and indifferent 

 foils. Doftor Brownn'ggy of Nort^ Carolina, tranfmitted fome ac- 

 count of l\\£. value of thefe nuts to the Royal Society. From a quan- 

 tity of them, firft bruifed, and put into canvas bags, he exprefled a 

 pure, clear, well-tafted oil, ufeful for the fame purpofes, as the oils of 

 olives or almonds. 



From fpecimens both of the feeds and oil, produced before the So- 

 ciety, it appeared, that neither of them were fubj. ft co turn rancid by 

 keeping. The oil in particular, which had been fent from Carolina 

 eight months before, without any extraordinary care, and had under- 

 gone the heats of the fummer, remained perfedly fweet and good. 

 A buftiel of them yielded (in Carolina) without heat, one gallon of 

 oil, and with heat, a much larger quantity, but of inferior quality. 

 It has been juftly fuppofed, that, from a fuccefsful profecution of this 

 manufafture, the colonies may not only be able to fupply their own 

 confumption, in lieu of the olive oil annually imported from Europe, 

 but even make it a confiderable article of their export.. 



The nuts bruifed, and applied in form of a poultice, take away in- 

 flammations, caufed by the venomous flings of bees* fcorpions, 

 wafps, ^c 



134. Cera SEE — i. Smooth-leafed ; and, 2. Hairy 1. Momordica 



glabra. 2. Id. hirfuta. 



Both thefe plants are cultivated in many parts of the ifland, and 

 efpecially in the town-gardens. The internal part of the fruit is of a 

 very elegant red colour, and filled with feveral large red feeds, in fize 

 and form refembling thofe of the tamarind. If the point of the fmall- 

 eft pin or needle is ftuck into any part of the fruit, it will immedi- 

 ately fly open in divifions, turning, as it were, iniide out, as if by a 

 kind of magic touch. The plants make very beautiful arbours. The 

 leaves and fruit, externally applied,, are efteemed great vulneraries. 

 The leaves boiled, or a decoftlon of thim, is taken to promote the 

 lochiaeand in obflruftions of the liver and inefentery. The root pow- 

 dered? and given with cream of tartar, from a fcruple to forty grains, 

 is anfwerable to the like intention ; and a diftilled water is made from 

 S. the 



