MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES.— THE GOURD. 259 



ing whole, preferred to L. esculentum or com- 

 mon tomato, of which there are red-fruited, yel- 

 low-fruited, and white-fruited varieties, all of 

 which are of various forms and sizes, according 

 to the culture they are subjected to. It is 

 highly probable that some, if not all the other 

 species, deserve our attention, particularly L. 

 peruvianum, which is perennial. 



The red spider, fig. 22, and thrip, fig. 21, are ex- 

 ceeding apt to attack the foliage, when grown 

 in a high temperature, and in too dry an atmo- 

 sphere; and the Coccus ado nidum, or mealy pine- 

 bug, infests them under similar circumstances. 



One or two fruits, saved when fully ripe, will 

 afford abundance of seed for a large garden. 

 The seed should be washed out of the pulp, and, 

 when thoroughly dried, kept in paper bags for 

 future use. It retains its vegetative properties 

 for two years. 



The European names are— Tomate in French ; 

 Tomates in Spanish ; Appeltjes des liefde in 

 Dutch ; Porno d'oro in Italian ; and Liebes ap- 

 fel in German. 



The Egg-plant (Solatium Melongena Dunal) 

 belongs to the same natural order and class, and 

 order in the artificial system, as the last. The 

 generic name is derived from Solor, to comfort — 

 soothes by stupifying; the specific name, accord- 

 ing to Forskahl, from Bydendjan, its name in 

 Arabic— a name by which it is known in all the 

 gardens in the West Id dies, where it is much 

 cultivated. It is a native of Africa, and, indeed, 

 is found all over the tropics, where it is exten- 

 sively cultivated, and used, both boiled and 

 stewed, in sauces like the tomato. A correspon- 

 dent in the " Gardeners' Magazine " asserts that 

 the Chinese, on great occasions, cook the fruit, 

 which very much resembles a hen's egg both in 

 colour, shape, and size, while hanging on the 

 plant, and serve up the entire plant to table in 

 a pot. The plant was introduced into Britain in 

 1597. When fit for use, they part freely from 

 the stalk. 



Being an annual, it is reared yearly from seed, 

 sown during March in seed-pans, placed in a tem- 

 perature of 60° to 65°. When the plants have at- 

 tained the height of 2 inches, they should be set 

 singly in pots of the large 60-size, and still conti- 

 nued in the same degree of heat. As they advance 

 ingrowth, repeated shiftings will be required; and 

 when in pots 10 or 12 inches in diameter, they 

 may so remain to perfect their fruit. A rich soil 

 is beneficial, and as they seldom ripen in the 

 open air of this country, they generally are ac- 

 commodated with a place in a pit or greenhouse, 

 after the plants have been removed out of doors 

 for the summer season. Here they become 

 both ornamental and useful. One fruit will 

 afford sufficient seed for continuing the stock. 



The varieties grown are the common or white- 

 fruited, the violet-fruited, and yellow and red 

 fruited : of these the French prefer the violet- 

 fruited, which they call Aubergine, and this sort 

 is as common in the Paris markets as the to- 

 mato. Their favourite mode of dressing them 

 is to scoop out the seeds, filling the cavity with 

 sweet herbs, and then frying them whole. In 

 Britain the plant is in general grown for its 

 singular appearance, few people knowing that 



they are a wholesome and excellent food. Under 

 the above management the fruit will ripen about 

 the end of August. 



The European names are — Molongene in 

 French ; Melanzana in Italian ; Tollapfel in 

 German and Dutch. 



§ 3. THE GOURD AND PUMPKIN. 



The gourd and pumpkin (Cucurbita ovifera L., 

 and C. pepo L.) belong to the natural order Cu- 

 curbitacea?, and to the class Moncecia and order 

 Monadelphia in the Linnsean arrangement. All 

 the varieties of gourds and pumpkins are eat- 

 able, as are also the species of the allied genus 

 Lagenaria (bottle gourd), which last are natives 

 of India, while the gourds and pumpkins are 

 natives of Astracan, Chili, the Levant, and other 

 Eastern countries ; and although all tender an- 

 nuals with us, most of them perfect their fruit 

 in most seasons, and in most parts of our coun- 

 try. As the fruit of these plants is used in 

 their green or unripe state, we use the term "per- 

 fect their fruit," because it attains its useful con- 

 dition. The bottle gourds and pumpkins have 

 been cultivated in this country since the latter 

 end of the sixteenth century, but the gourds 

 proper are of much more recent date. The 

 pumpkin, C. pepo, has long been cultivated in 

 England, where pumpkin-pies are much relished 

 by the peasantry, who store by the fruit in 

 autumn along with crab-apples for winter use. 

 Many of the varieties are much grown on the 

 Continent, and used in soups and stews, as well 

 as boiled and fried. In America they are largely 

 grown, and used not only for the above purposes, 

 but are also put into pies and tarts. 



The succade gourd, or vegetable marrow, is 

 that of all others most cultivated in gardens, 

 and is a profitable and wholesome vegetable. It 

 is used for culinary purposes in all stages of its 

 growth, dressed either whole while quite young, 

 or cut into sections as it gets larger. 



The C. melopepo maxima (the mammoth or 

 large American gourd) is the largest of all the 

 tribe, attaining the weight of from 160 to 200 

 lb., keeping for several months after it is ripe, 

 and being used as a substitute for carrots and 

 potatoes in soups and broths. 



The majority of gourds are grown in this 

 country for ornament ; many of them, when 

 trained to poles, are exceedingly curious; others 

 are grown for use, but not to the extent they 

 are either in America or on the continent of 

 Europe. 



As all of them are annuals, they are originated 

 from seed, which should be sown in March upon 

 a moderate bottom-heat, using rich soil, and 

 covering the seed, which is large, to the depth 

 of an inch. Where the number of plants required 

 is not great, it is advisable to plant one seed in 

 a large 60-sized pot, and when about 3 inches 

 high to re-pot into a 48-sized pot, which will be 

 sufficient for the plants until they are to be 

 planted out for good — which rarely can be, with- 

 out protection, before the middle or end of 

 May. The best situation for the vegetable mar- 

 row, or such as are to be grown for cooking, is 

 the top of a compost-heap or dunghill, as they 



