C A 



C A 



Drought, the Cattle repair to the 

 parren Rocks, which are covered 

 with thefe Plants, and after having 

 ripped up the large Plants with their 

 Horns, lb as to tear off the outiide 

 Skin with the Thorns, they have 

 greedily devoured all the flefhy 

 moid Parts of che Plants ; which has 

 afforded tnem both Meat and Drink : 

 but how any Animal Ihould ever at- 

 tack Planes, which are fo well de- 

 fended bv ftrong Thorns, which are 

 as hard and ltitf as Whalebone, or 

 any other bony Sublbnce, is dirhcult 

 to conceive: ncr could any thing 

 but Dilirefs for Moiiture ever have 

 tempted them to venture amcngll 

 thele troubleibme Pi nts to fearch 

 for. Relief ; fince they mult encoun- 

 ter with many Difficulties, before 

 they could find a Method of dillodg- 

 ing the Thorns. 



The Fruit of all the Sorts of Me- 

 lon- thirties are frequently eaten by 

 I the Inhabitants of the JVvli-Ir. u f : 

 \ there is fcarce any Difference in the 

 i Fruits of all the Kinds I have yet 

 l feen, either in Size, Shape, CVour, 

 I or Tafte. They are about three 

 : Quarters of an Inch in Length, of 

 a taper Form, drawing to a Point at 

 the Bottom, toward the Plant ;.but 

 blunt at the To^ , where the Em- 

 palement of the Flower was fituated. 

 The Tafte is an agreeable Acid, 

 which, in an hot Country, moil ren- 

 der the Fruit more grateful. 



All the Sorts of thele Plants re- 

 , quire a very good Stove to preferve 

 them through the Winter in Eng- 

 land; nor Ihould they be expoled to 

 the open Air in Summer; for altho' 

 they may continue fair to outward 

 Appearance, when they have been 

 .bine time expos'd abroad, yet they 

 .vill imbibe Moidure, which will 

 l:aufc them to rot form after they are 

 emoved into the Stove, And this 

 i s frequently the Cafe of thofe Plants 

 Vol. I. 



which are brought from abroad, 

 which have a fair healthy Appear- 

 ance many times at their nrft Arri- 

 val, but loon al ter decay ; and this 

 will happen very fuddenly ; fcarce 

 any Appearance of Dilbrde. will be 

 feen, till the whole Plane is killed : 

 wuich in a few Hours time has often 

 been the Fate of thele Plants. 



If thefe Plants are plunged into 

 an Kot-bcd of Tanners Bark in Sum- 

 mer, it will greatly forward them in 

 their Growth ; but when this is pra- 

 cticed, there mould be fcarce any 

 Water given to the Plants ; for the 

 iMoifture which they will imbibe 

 frjm the Fermentation of the Tan, 

 will be fu.'hcent for them, and more 

 would cauie them to rot. The beft 

 Method to prefer re all ,the largq 

 kinds is, in Winter, to place the 

 Pots, either upon the Top cf the 

 Fines, or, at lealt, very njar them, 

 tiiat they may have the warmeit Place 

 of the Stove ; and during that Sea- 

 fon, never to give them any Water: 

 but when the Seafon comes for leav- 

 ing out the Fire in the Stove, to re- 

 move them into a Bed of Tanners 

 Back : which will foon fet them in 

 a growing State, and recover their 

 Verdure. The Soil in which thefe 

 mould be planted, mull be of a Tandy 

 Nature; and if mixed with fome 

 dry Lime-rubbim, it will be ftill 

 better. In the Bottom of the Pots 

 fiiouid be placed fome Stones, in or- 

 der to drain off any Moiiture which 

 may be in the Earth : for as' thefe 

 Plants naturally grow upon the hot 

 dry burning Rocks, which have no 

 Earth, and, were it not for thefe 

 Plants, would be abfolut^ly barren, 

 we mull imitate their natural Soil as 

 near as potable, making fome Al- 

 lowance for the Difference of the 

 Climates. 



The great Sorts may b? propa- 

 gated by Seeds; which mult Be ibwn 



and 



