On the cullivaiion oj the Lycios edulis. 51 



Art. III. On the cultivation of the Lycios edulis, as a 

 culinary fruit. By J. D. Legare, Esq., Editor of the 

 Southern Agriculturist. 



In an early number of the Magazine of Horticulture, for the 

 present year, you mention that jNIr. R. Buist had exhibited to 

 the Horticultural Society of Philadelphia several fruit of the 

 Lycios edulis, which he had received from South America, 

 and you express a hope that they would be cultivated, and the 

 results made known to you. I believe the fruit referred to by 

 you were some I sent Mr. Buist last fall, and which were er- 

 roneously reported to have come from South America, in the 

 stead of South Carolina. Soon after I saw your notice, it was 

 my intention to have written to you, and given some account 

 of this fruit (or vegetable) which has been cultivated in this 

 city for many years, but I mislaid the number, (which I have 

 never been able to find since,) and various calls on my time 

 prevented me, until it was so late that I determined to defer 

 it until I could send you some of the fruit, which I did by the 

 ship Leland, consigning them to the care of a friend, and 

 hope by this time that you have received them. 



The Lycios edulis has been cultivated in Charleston, for at 

 least thirty years, and how much longer I am unable to say, 

 for when brought to this city 1 have never been able to learn. 

 It is a perennial vine, which with us grows most vigorously, cov- 

 ering with its large palmated leaves, large arbors, and produc- 

 ing large numbers of fruit late in the season. Although it has 

 been so long among us, and grows so luxuriantly, and bears so 

 well, yet it is comparatively unknown, even in this city, and 

 scarcely at all out of it. I can scarcely account for this, unless it 

 be that it requires so large an arbor for it to run on, for the fruit 

 is excellent, either as a vegetable, preserve or pickle. The two 

 1 sent you will give you an idea of their shape, but not of their 

 size, as they uere small and shrivelled. They resemble a 

 pear very much in shape, and are usually from four to six 

 inches in length; from the butt end of which, as it n)atures, 

 proceeds a bean, which divides, adhering only at the extrem- 

 ity; from this bean, and at the point of adhesion, proceeds a 

 shoot, (sometimes two,) which, in the process of time, be- 

 comes a vine. The whole fruit is planted, when in this state, 



