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a few Weeks time; therefore they 

 mud then be fhifted into larger Pots ; 

 and as the Plants advance, they 

 fhould be inured to bear the open 

 Air by degrees ; for if they are forc'd 

 too much in Summer, they feldom 

 live through the Winter. I have 

 frequently rais'd thefe Plants from 

 Seeds, to the Height of two Feet in 

 one Summer; and the Leaves of 

 thefe Plants have been a Foot and an 

 half in Length, fo that they made a 

 iine Appearance : but thefe Plants 

 did not furvive the Winter ; where- 

 as thofe which were expos'd to the 

 open Air in July, and thereby 

 Hinted in their Growth, continued 

 their Leaves frefh all the Winter. 

 Thefe were plac'd in a Stove upon 

 Shelves, where the Warmth was very 

 moderare ;' with which thefe Plants 

 will thrive better than in a greater 

 Heat. 



SAPONARIA. Vide Lychnis. 

 SAPOTA, The Mammee Sapo- 



ta. 



The Charadcrs are ; 



// hath a rofe-Jbaped Flower, con- 

 Jifiing of federal Leaves, which are 

 placed in a circular Order ; from vjhofe 

 Empalement arifes the Point al, which 

 afterward becomes a large oval foft 

 jlifhy Fruity inclofng an oblong pointed 

 Stone or Fruit , which is finely poliflj- 

 ed, having a rough Fijfure on one of 

 the Edges, of an Afh-colour. 

 The Species are ; 



1. S a POT A frudu turbinato mi- 

 pari. Plum. Nov. Gen. Sapota with 

 a leffer Fruit, Ihaped like a Top. 



2. Sapota frudu ovate major i. 

 Plum. Nov. Gen. Sapota with a 

 larger oval Fruit. 



The Name of Sapota is what thefe 

 Fruit are call'd by the Natives of 

 America ; to which fome add tne Ap- 

 pellation of Mammee : bu; there is 

 no other Name given to thefe Fruits 

 by the EngUJk, fince thev have fet- 



Vol. HI. # 



S A 



tied in the Wejl- Indies, fo far as I can 

 learn. 



The firft of thefe Trees is com- 

 mon about Panama, and fome other 

 Piaces in the Spanijh Weft-Indies ; 

 but is not to be found in any of the 

 Englijh Settlements in America. The 

 fecond Sort is very common in Ja- 

 maica, Barbados, and moft of the 

 Iflandsin the Wejl- Indies, where the 

 Trees are planted in Gardens for 

 their Fruit, which is by many Per- 

 fons greatly eileemed. 



Thefe Trees grow in America to 

 the Height of thirty five or forty 

 Feet, having a ftrait Trunk, cover- 

 ed with an afli-coloured Bark. The 

 Branches are produe'd on every Side, 

 fo as to form a regular Head : thefe 

 are befet with Leaves, which are a 

 Foot in Length, and near three 

 Inches broad. The Flowers, which, 

 are produced from the Branches, are 

 of a Cream-colour ; when thefe fall 

 away, they are fucceeded by large 

 oval or top ftiaped Fruit, which are 

 covered with a brownifli Skin, un- 

 der which is a thick Pulp of a Rufiet- 

 colour, very lufcious, caiFd Natural 

 Marmclade, from its Likcnefs to 

 Marmelade of Quinces. 



As thefe Trees are Natives of very 

 warm Countries, they cannot be pre- 

 ferv'd in England, unlefs they 1 are 

 plac'd in the warmeft Stoves, and 

 manag'd with great Care. They 

 are propagated by planting the 

 Stones ; but as thefe will not keep 

 good long out of the Ground, the 

 fureft Method to obtain thefe PIant3 

 is, to ha\'e the Stones planted in 

 Tubs of Earth, as foon as they are 

 taken out of the Fruit, and the Tubs 

 placed in a Situation where they may 

 have the morning Sun, and kept 

 duly water d. When the Plants are 

 come up, they mult be fecur'd from 

 Vermin, and kept clear from Weeds; 

 but mould remain in the Country 



4 K till 



