A M O 



A M O 



never scalded, but even- root is picked, washed, 

 and scraped separately, and then dried in the sun 

 and air very carefully. 



In order to preserve this root in syrup, it is 

 dug when the shoots do not exceed five or six 

 inches in height. Being picked and washed, 

 they are scalded till tender : then put into cold 

 water, scraped and peeled gradually : this ope- 

 ration lasts three or four days, during which 

 time the roots are constantly kept in water and 

 frequently shifted. They are then put into jars, 

 and covered with a thin syrup, which after two 

 or three days is shifted, and a richer put on ; this 

 is sometimes again removed, and even a fourth 

 put on; but it seldom requires more than three 

 syrups. The shifted syrups are diluted, and fer- 

 mented into a small pleasant liquor, called cool 

 drink, which is in much use. 



Culture. — These plants are easily propagated 

 by parting their roots; which should be perform- 

 ed in the spring, before they put out new shoots ; 

 as they should not be transplanted in summer, 

 when they are in full vigour, nor do they succeed 

 well when they are removed in autumn, as they 

 remain long after in an inactive state ; and dur- 

 ing that time, if wet stagnates about the roots, 

 it often causes them to rot and be destroyed. 

 When the roots are parted, they should not be 

 divided into too small pieces, especially if they 

 are designed to have flowers ; as until the roots 

 have spread to the sides of the pots they rarely 

 put out flower-stems, for which reason they 

 should not be planted in over large pots. 



They thrive best in a light rich earth, such as 

 is met with in the kitchen-garden ; with this the 

 pots should be filled within two inches of the 

 tops, then the roots placed in the middle of the 

 pots, their crowns upwards, the pots being im- 

 mediately tilled up with some of the same rich 

 earth : after this they should be plunged into a 

 hot-bed of tanner's bark, and be sparingly water- 

 ed, until their stalks appear above ground, when 

 they will require a greater share of moisture, 

 especially during the w arm summer months ; but 

 in autumn the waterings must not be often, or 

 in great quantity at a time ; and during the win- 

 ter season, when the roots are inactive, but very 

 little should be given them. The pots with these 

 roots should constantly remain plunged in the 

 tan-bed, as when they are taken out and placed 

 on the shelves in the stove, the roots frequently 

 decay from the shrinking of their fibres. 



In the above method of culture, both these 

 plants have been found to multiply rapidly, and 

 produce fine large roots. 



In the West Indies, the Ginger plant is found 

 to succeed best in such soils as are rich and 

 cool; but in those that are of a more clayey na- 



ture the roots shrink less in scalding. The 

 lands intended 1'or the culture of this plant are 

 first well cleared and hoed, then slightly trench- 

 ed over. In this way they arc made ready for 

 planting, which is performed in March or April. 

 The plants'- flower about September, and when 

 the stems are fully decayed the roots are taken up. 

 This is usually in January or February. 



AMORPIIA, a genus comprising a hardy de- 

 ciduous flowering shrub of tall growth, and of 

 the Bastard Indigo kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Diadelpkia 

 Decandria, and ranks in the natural order of fu- 

 pilio/iacece, or Leguminosce. 



Its characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianthium, tubulous, cylindrical, and tur- 

 binate : the mouth erect, five-toothed, obtuse, the 

 two upper teeth larger than the others ; perma- 

 nent : the corolla composed of one ovate, con- 

 cave petal, scarcely larger than the calyx, erect, 

 inserted into the calyx, between the two larger 

 and upper teeth, and placed at the upper side of 

 it : the stamina have filaments very slightly unit- 

 ed at the base, erect, unequal in length, longer 

 than the corolla: the antherse are simple: the 

 pi still um has a roundish germ, subulate style, of 

 the length of the stamina, and simple stigma : 

 the pericarpium is a legume, lunulate, reflex, 

 larger than the calyx, compressed, more reflex at 

 the tip, one-celled, and tuberelcd : the seeds are 

 two, oblong, kidney -shaped. 



There is only one species, which is the A.fru- 

 ticosa, Shrub Amorpha or Bastard Indigo. 



It is a plant that rises with many irregular stems 

 to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, with very 

 long winged leaves, in shape like those of the 

 Common Acacia. At the extremity of the same 

 year's shoots the flowers are produced in long 

 slender spikes, they are small and of a deep purple, 

 colour; make their appearance the beginning of 

 July, but the seeds do not ripen in this climate. It 

 grows naturally in Carolina, where a coarse sort 

 of indigo was made from the young shoots, which 

 occasioned itsobtaining the name Bastard Indigo. 

 Culture. — This shrub is generally propagated 

 b)- seeds, which are annually received from dif- 

 ferent parts of America; as it is found in ma- 

 ny of the northern colonies. They usually arrive 

 about February, and should be sown as soon as 

 possible afterwards in a light soil. And it may 

 also be propagated by laying down the young 

 branches, which in one year make good roots", 

 and may then be taken off, and planted either in 

 the nursery, or the places where they are design- 

 ed to remain. But if they are put into a nursery, 

 they should not remain there more than one 

 year : for, as the plants make large shoots, they 

 do not remove well when they have remained 

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