174 HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



says, " when young and properly boiled and dressed with 

 butter and black pepper, is a delicious vegetable/ ' Lou- 

 riero says, " this fruit is of great use in long voyages, as 

 it may be kept several months fresh and sweet." 



The Gourd, called Vegetable Marrow, is of a pale yel- 

 low colour. Those we have seen did not exceed from 

 seven to nine inches in length. It has only been known 

 a few years in this country ; and, we believe, was not 

 sold in the shops and markets before the summer of 1819; 

 and although they are of so late an introduction, the ac- 

 counts are very imperfect : but it seems most probable 

 that the seeds were brought in some East-India ships, 

 and perhaps originally from Persia, where it is called 

 deader. It is cultivated in the same manner as cucum- 

 bers, and is said by those who have grown, it to be very 

 productive. This fruit is used for culinary purposes in 

 every stage of its growth. When very young, it is good 

 fried with butter ; when half-grown, it is said to be ex- 

 cellent, either plainly boiled, and served up sliced on 

 toasted bread, as asparagus, or stewed with rice sauce, 

 for which purpose it is likewise sliced. It is often sent 

 to table mashed like turnips : when full grown, it is used 

 for pies. It has been highly approved by many persons 

 who have grown it, while others speak of it as but little 

 superior to the pompion. 



The author planted two seeds of this gourd in the 

 month of May 1820, in a pot which was plunged into 

 a hot bed. When the plants were about four inches 

 high, a hole was dug wherein only one barrow of dung 

 was put, which was covered with the common mould of 

 the garden ; into this the gourds were transplanted, and 

 covered with a glass frame for about three weeks, which 

 was then removed to give the plants room to display their 

 natural beauty and propensity for climbing. They were 

 planted between two plum-trees that were nine feet apart, 



