266 ^ September 1749. 



hot-beds. In Ca7iada, they ripen towards 

 the beginning of September, but further 

 fouthward they are ripe at the end of July, 

 As foon as the cold weather commences, they 

 take off all the pumpions that remain on the 

 ftalk, whether ripe or not, and fpread them on 

 the floor, in a part of the houfe, where the un- 

 ripe ones grow perfedly ripe, if they are not 

 laid one upon the other. This is done 

 round Montreal in the middle of September ; 

 but in Penfyhauia, I have feen fome in the 

 fields on the 19th of OBober, They keep 

 frefh for feveral months, and even through- 

 out the winter, if they be well fecured in 

 dry cellars (for in damp ones they rot very 

 foon) where the cold cannot come in^, or, 

 Vvhich is ftill better, in dry rooms which 

 are heated now and then, to prevent the 

 cold from damaging the fruit. 



Pumpions are prepared for eating in va- 

 rious ways. The Indians boil them whole, 

 or roafl them in afhes, and eat them then, 

 or go to fell them thus prepared in the 

 towns, and they have, indeed, a very fine 

 flavour, when roafted. The French and 

 Englifb flice them, and put the flices before 

 the fire to roaft j when they are rcafled, they 

 generally put fugar on the pulp. Another 

 way of roailing them, is to cut them through 

 the middle, take out all the feeds, put the 

 halves together again, and roafl them in an 



oven. 



