M E 



their Fruit will ripen, when you 

 muft prefer ve the Seeds of each 

 Kind Separate. 



Thcle Plants are only prefer v'd 

 as Curiofities in the EngliJJj Gar- 

 dens, the Fruit being never us'd in 

 this Country, except by fome Ita- 

 lians or Spaniards, who have been 

 accuflom'd to eat of them in their 

 x)wn Countries. 



MELOPEPO ; The Squafn. 

 The Characiers are; 



IP hath the whole Appearance of 

 a Pumpkin or Gourd ; from vohich 

 this differs in its Fruit, -which is 

 roundijh, fiefhy, Jlreaked, angular, 

 arid for the moft Part divided into 

 five Partitions, inclofing fiat Seeds 

 adhering to a fptmgy Placenta, 

 The Species are ; 



1. Melopepoj comprejfus. C. B. 

 ?. The common or Hat Squafti. 



2. Melopepo; fruBu maximo, 

 ' albo, Tourn. The large white Squafh, 



commonly call'd The white flat 

 Pumpkin. 



3. MELOPEPOi /;7/A/ Citriformi. 

 Tourn, The Citron- fliap'd Squafli. 



4,. Melopepoj verrucofus. Tourn. 

 The warted Squiiih. 



5". Melopepo; verrucofus, fruciu 

 (^ femine alhis. Tourn. Warted 

 Squafli, with white Fruit and 

 Seed. 



6. Melopepo ; fiavefcens, folio 

 afpero. Tourn. Yellowifh Squafli, 

 with a rough Leaf. 



There are feveral other Varieties 

 of this Plant in the Wefi-Indies, 

 where they great'y abound, moft 

 of which are feminal Variations, 

 and feldom continue long to pro- 

 duce the fame Kinds from Seeds, 

 at leafl with us they never do con- 

 tinue three Years together the 

 £ame, but do vary moft extraordi- 

 narily ; for the Seeds fav'd from 

 iuch Plants which grew upright. 



M E 



and did not produce Runners (aa 

 the more ordinary Sorts) the fuc- 

 ceedmg Year, were as luxuriant 

 a> any of other Kinds, and the 

 Fruit was of a different Shape 

 from thofe which the Seeds were 

 taken from. 



^ Thefe are all propagated by fow- 

 mg their Seeds in March upon a 

 moderate Hot-bed ; and when the 

 Plants come up, they fliould have 

 a great Share of Air, other wife 

 they will draw up fo weak, as to 

 be good for little : You mufl alfo 

 gently refrefli them with Water, 

 as you fhall find they require it. 

 In April they muft be traniplanted 

 out where they are deligned to re- 

 main (which in England is moft 

 commonly upon old Dun^-hills, 

 over which the Vines will fpread, 

 and produce a great Quantity of 

 Fruit:) If you plant them in an 

 open Spot of Ground, you fliould 

 dig Holes at about fourteen Feet 

 fquarc, into each of which you 

 fliould lay a Barrow full of hot 

 Dung, making a Hollow in the 

 Middle to receive the Plants, which 

 muft be fill'd with good rich 

 Earth i then cover the Dung all 

 over. Top and Sides, with'^the 

 Earth that came out of the Hole, 

 placing a Glafs over the Middle; 

 in wh)ch manner it fl]ould remain 

 until the Earth in the Holes begins 

 to warm (which is commonly in 

 twenty-four Hours after making) 

 when you muft take them up out 

 of the Sccd-bcd, and plant two of 

 'em into each Hole, oblerving to 

 water and fliade them until they 

 have taken Root: after which 

 you muft let them have much free 

 Air J and when they begin to lend 

 forth their Shoots, you muft take 

 off the Glaflcs and permit them 

 to run, obferving only to clear 

 them from Weeds, and in very dry 

 ^^ 4 Weather 



