C A 



C A 



from the Seeds of which I have raifed 

 fome young Plants : but although 

 fome cf thefe have grown to a con- 

 siderable Size, yet none of them have 

 as yet produced Caps ; therefore no 

 Fruit can be yet expected from them. 



The fifth Sort produces Quanti- 

 ties of Fruit annually ; and as the 

 Seeds grow very readily, it is now 

 very common in thofe Gardens where 

 there are Stoves to keep them : for 

 if the Fruit is permitted to drop 

 upon the Earth of the Pots, and that 

 is not difturbed, there will plenty of 

 Plants come up without any farther 

 Trouble ; and thefe Seedling-plants 

 may be taken up, as foon as they 

 are of a proper Size to remove, and 

 planted fix or feven of them into a 

 fmall Halfpeny Pot, where they may 

 ftand one Year ; by which time, they 

 will be large enough to be each 

 planted into a feparate Pot ; and af- 

 terward they will make great Pro- 

 grefs, especially if they are plunged 

 into an Hot bed of Tanners Bark in 

 Summer : for although this Sort is 

 much more hardy than the large 

 Kind, and may be preferved in a 

 moderate Stove, yet the Plants will 

 not make near the Progrefs as thofe 

 which are kept in a greater Degree 

 of Heat. This Sort will continue 

 many Years with proper Care ; and 

 the Plants will grow to be a Foot 

 high, or more ; but when they are 

 fo tall, the Lower-part of them is 

 not fo fightly ; their Green being de- 

 cayed, and the Spines changed to a 

 dark -dirty Colour, they appear as if 

 dead : fo that the Upper-part of 

 thefe old Plants only feem to have 

 Life ; whereas the Plants of mid- 

 dling Size appear healthy from Top 

 to Bottom: The Flowers of this 

 Sort appear in July and Auguji ; and 

 thefe are fucceeded by the Fruit 

 quite round the Plant, which are of 

 sl fine fcarlet Colour, and continue 



frefh upon the Plants through the 

 Winter ; which renders them very 

 beautiful at that Seafon. And in 

 the Spring, when the Fruit fhrivels, 

 and becomes dry, the Seeds will be 

 ripe, and may then be rubbed out, 

 and fown upon the Surface of the 

 Earth in fmall Pots ; which mould 

 be plunged into an Hot-bed of Tan- 

 ners Bark to bring up the Plants. 



The fixth Sort is rarely 'larger than 

 the fifth, growing nearly in the fame 

 Form ; but this produces a great 

 Number of young Plants from the 

 Sides, by which it is increafed. This 

 Sort produces Tufts of a foft white 

 Down, between the Knobs at every 

 Joint ; which makes the whole Plant 

 appear as if it was covered with fine 

 Cotton. The Flowers of this Sort 

 are produced from between the 

 Knobs, round the Sides of the Plants; 

 which are in Shape and Colour very 

 much like* thofe of the fifth Sort, 

 but larger. Thefe Flowers are not 

 fucceeded by any Fruit ; at leaf}, all 

 thofe which I have under my Care, 

 have not produced any, altho' they 

 have produced plenty of Flowers for 

 fome Years : but from the fame 

 Places where the Flowers have ap- 

 peared, there have been young Plants 

 thruft out the following Seafon. 

 Thefe young Plants I have taken off, 

 and after laying them to dry for two 

 or three Days, I have planted them, 

 and they have fucceeded very well. 



All the Species of this Genus are 

 Plants of a fingular Structure ; but 

 efpecially the larger Kinds of them, 

 which appear like a large fleihy 

 green Melon, with deep Ribs, fet 

 all over with ftrong {harp Thorns ; 

 and when the. Plants are cut thro 1 the 

 Middle, their Infide is a foft green 

 flefhy Subftance full of Moifture. 

 And I have been affured by Perfons 

 of Credit, who have lived in the 

 Wejl- Indies, that in Times of great 

 Drought, 



