52 ON THE CULTURE 



<c 



The Egyptian palluTage is equally prolific, mofi 

 of the quadrupeds producing two at a time, and the 

 flieep four lambs a year *." 



In England, and efpecially near large cities and 

 towns, great quantities of cucumbers are raifed. Not 

 only gentlemen, but almod every tradefman who has a 

 garden and dung, have their cucumber frame. In the 

 fummer time the market gardens round London pro- 

 duce vaft quantities to fupply that extenlive metro- 

 polis. 



The Hiftoria Plantarum, publiflied under the 

 name of Boerhaave, informs us, thatif the branches 

 of cucumbers are much trodden upon, the fruit will 

 be bitter and emetic ; and that a water diflilled from 

 cucumbers, when full ripe and beginning to putrifyy 

 purges fmartly in the quantity of a drachm, 



I myfelf have often found cucumbers bitter in taftej 

 which bitternefs I conceive is oecafioned in them 

 through the want of proper food y and the proper 

 food of a cucumber plant is contained in fweet earthy, 

 fweet air, fweet water, and a fufficiency of heat. 



I have been told that the cucumber is one of the 

 four great coolers of the fliops,. and that it is almoft 

 an univerfal ingredient in emulfions, and is found of 

 fervice in fevers and nephritic complaints ..^ 



^' The Galenifts hold them to be cold and moift iiir 

 the fecond degree, and then not fo hot as either lettuce 

 orpurflain. They are excellent good for a hot ftomach- 

 and hot liver j the immeafurable ufe of them fills the- 



* Guthrie's Geography. 



body . 



