cue 



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beds. Its attacks are shown long before it be- 

 comes visible, according to Mr. Forsyth, by the 

 " leaves curling and cracking in the middle." 



As a remedy in this situation, he advises, when 

 the weather is warm and sunny, the watering 

 them all over the leaves from' a w atering-pot 

 with the rose upon it, or an engine, about six 

 o'clock in the morning, and about eight to shade 

 them with mats, when the sun shines, shutting 

 the frames down close till towards eleven, then 

 to admit air in a small proportion, continuing 

 the mats till about three in the afternoon, and 

 then removing them. In this way the leaves are 

 prevented from injury by the sun while wet. 

 And when there is a south or south-west wind, 

 the watering may be repeated about three in the 

 afternoon, shutting up the frames, to produce a 

 strong exhalation and destroy the insects. In 

 the operation, as much water as possible should 

 be thrown on the" under side of the leaves, gently 

 turning the vines for the purpose. The lights 

 and sides of the boxes should likewise be well 

 watered ; and before the frames are made use of 

 again they should be well washed inside and 

 out, first with water, and then soap-suds and 

 urine in a state of mixture. When Melons 

 have been infested with the spider the preceding 

 season, none of the earth or mould should be 

 made use of again. 



In sprinkling the leaves, water that has been 

 several days exposed to the sun, or made soft by 

 wood-ashes, should be employed. 



The author of the Scotch Forcing Gardener, 

 however, observes, that water at some periods 

 cannot be thus applied without much injury to 

 the plants, and that the leaves and vines are so 

 brittle and tender that they cannot be brushed 

 or touched without harm. 



It is of course obvious, that much care and 

 circumspection is necessary in extirpating these 

 insects by the use of water. 



CUCURBITA, a genus comprehending plants 

 of the herbaceous trailing annual kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Munoecia Syn- 

 genesia, and ranks in the natural order of Cucur- 

 bit acece. 



The characters are : that in the male flowers the 

 calyx is a one-leafed perianthium, bell-shaped, 

 the margin terminated by five subulate teeth : 

 the corolla five-parted, growing to the calyx, 

 bell -shaped : divisions veiny-rugose : nectary a 

 gland in the centre of the flower, concave, tri- 

 angular: the stamina consist of three filaments, 

 converging, connected above, distinct below, 

 growing to the calyx: anthers creeping upwards 

 and downwards, linear. In the female flowers 

 the calyx a perianthium, as in the male, superior, 

 deciduous : the corolla as in the male: nectarife- 



rous glandule concave, spreading : the stamina, 

 margin surrounding, ending in three very short 

 cusps : the pistillum is a large inferior germ : 

 style conic, three-cleft at the tip (five-cleft) i 

 stigma single, with a thick, convex margin, 

 creeping upwards and downwards, three-cleft: 

 the pericarpium is a pome (berry) three-celled; 

 (three to five) cells membranaceous, soft, distinct 

 (two-parted) : the seeds very many, compressed, 

 swollen on the. margin, obtuse, placed in double 

 order. 



The species are: I. C. Logenaria, Bottle or 

 Long Gourd; <2. C. Pepo, Pumpion, or Pomp- 

 kin Gourd-; 3. C\ verrucosa, Warted Gourd; 

 lopepo, Squash Gourd ; 5. ('. Citrullus, 

 W ■ Melon. 



The lirst has a trailing, thick, downy stalk, 

 branching into many spreading runners, extend- 

 ing along the ground fifteen or twenty feet in 

 length. The leaves are large, roundish, heart- 

 shaped, indented, woolly, biglandulotis at the 

 base : the flowers large and white, being suc- 

 ceeded by long, tncurvated, whitish-yellow fruit, 

 shaped like a bottle, with a large roundish belly 

 and smooth neck, from about two to five or 

 six feet in length, and from nine to eighteen 

 inches or more round, having a beneous, durable 

 shell. 



The chief varieties of which are: the Com- 

 mon long-fruited, the Long- protuberant-bellied, 

 the Long sickle-shaped, the Long taper, and the 

 Long turbinated Bottle-Gourd. 



The second species has thick, angular stems, 

 extremely hispid, branched, climbing by means 

 of bifid tendrils, or spreading to the distance of 

 forty feet. The leaves are cordate, large, 

 roundish-angular, toothed, wrinkled, hairy on 

 both sides, on long, alternate, thick, flexuose, 

 hirsute petioles: the flowers are yellow, lateral, 

 solitary, on peduncles resembling the petioles, 

 but shorter : the fruit is roundish, ovate-glo- 

 bular, or oblong-ovate; of a pale green on the 

 outside, and commonly hispid, with bristly 

 hairs; within having a spongy insipid white 

 pulp or flesh; divided in the middle into 

 three primary cells, each of which is double, 

 and these are subdivided into the proper cells 

 of the seeds. It flowers from June to August. 



There are several varieties, as the Common 

 large round-fruited yellow, Oval yellow, Oblong 

 vellow, Whitish-fruited, Stone-coloured, Flesh- 

 coloured, Parti-coloured, Marbled, Small round, 

 Orange-shaped, Pear-shaped, Turbinated, He- 

 mispherical or Semi-globular, Egg-shaped, Strip- 

 ed roundish, Striped egg-shaped, Striped turbi- 

 nated, and Striped pear-shaped Pompion, &c. 



The third has trailing stalks, very branchyand 

 spreading, running upon the ground as In the 

 2 S 



