LYC 
out on the fide of the ft$ks fingfy ; they are of a 
whitifh yellow colour, and have a pretty large fpread- 
ing em'palement, which is deeply cut at the brim in- 
to many acute fegments which fpread open. The 
flowers are fucceeded by fmall roundifh berries a lit- 
tle comprefied at the top, of an herbaceous yellow 
colour when ripe. * 
Thefe plants are all propagated by fowing their feeds 
on a moderate hot-bed in March, and when the plants 
are come up two inches high, they lhould be tranf- 
planted into another moderate hot-bed, at about 
four inches diftance from each other, obferving to 
fhade them until they have taken root ; after which 
they muft have frequent waterings, and a large fhare 
of frefh air ; for if they are too much drawn while 
young, they feldom do well afterwards. 
In May thefe plants lhould be tranfplanted either in- 
to pots filled with rich light earth, or into borders 
near walls, pales, or Reed-hedges, to which their 
branches may be faftened to lupport them from 
trailing on the ground, which they otherwife will do, 
and then the fruit will not ripen ; fo that where thefe 
plants are cultivated for the fake of their fruit, they 
fhould be planted to a warm afped, and the branches 
regularly fattened as they extend, that the fruit may 
have the advantage of the fun’s warmth to forward, 
them, otherwife it will be late in the feafon before 
they are ripe, and they are unfit for ufe before ; but 
when the plants are brought forward in the fpring, 
and thus regularly trained to the fouth fun, the 
fruit will ripen by the latter end of July, and there 
will be a fucceffion of it till the froft kills the 
plants. 
Some perfons cultivate thefe plants for ornament, 
but their leaves emit fo ftrong offenfive an odour on 
being touched, which renders them very improper for 
the pleafure-garden, and their branches extend fo wide 
and irregular, as to render them very unfightly in fuch 
places *, for as their branches cannot be kept within 
bounds, efpecially when they are planted in good 
ground, fo they will appear very unfightly in fuch 
places ; therefore the borders in the kitchen-garden, 
where thefe plants are placed for their fruit, muft; 
not be too rich, for in a moderate foil they will not 
be fo luxuriant and more fruitful. 
The Italians and Spaniards eat thefe Apples, as we 
do Cucumbers, with pepper, oil, and fait ; and fome 
eat them ftewed in fauces, &c. and in loups they 
are now much ufed in England, efpecially the fecond 
fort, which is preferred to all the other. This fruit 
gives an agreeable acid to the foup, though there 
are fome perfons who think them not wholefome, 
from their great moifture and coldnefs, and that the 
nourhhment they afford muft be bad. 
The third fort is never ufed either in the kitchen or 
for medicine, but the plants are preferved for the 
fake of variety, efpecially by thoie perfons who are 
lovers of botany. This fort is propagated by feeds, 
which fhould be fown upon a hot-bed in the fpring, 
and the plants afterward treated in the fame manner 
as hath been directed for the Capficum, with which ' 
this plant will thrive and produce plenty of fruit 
annually. 
The feventh fort is the common Potatoe, which is 
a plant fo well known now, as to need no defcrip- 
tion. Of this there are two varieties, one with a 
red and the other with a white root ; that whofe 
roots are red, have purplifh flowers, but the white 
root has white flowers j thefe are fuppofed to be only 
accidental variations, and not diftinct fpecies. 
The common name of Potatoe, feem to be only a 
corruption of the Indian name Batatas. This plant 
has been much propagated in England within thirty 
or forty years paft, for although it was introduced 
from America about the year 1623, -yet it was but 
little cultivated in England till of late ; thefe roots 
being defpifed by the rich, and deemed only pro- 
per food for the meaner fort of perfons ; however, 
they are now generally efteemed by moft people, 
and the quantity of them which are cultivated near 
L Y C 
London, I believe, exceeds that of any other part of 
Europe. 
This plant was always ranged in the genus of Sola- 
num, or Nightfhade, and is now brought under that 
title again by Dr. Linnaeus ; but as Lycoperficon has 
been eftablifhed as a diftinct genus, on account of the 
fruit being divided into feveral cells, by intermediate 
partitions ; and as the fruit of this plant exactly 
agrees with the charafters of the other ipecies of this 
genus, I have inferted it here. 
This is generally propagated by its roots, which 
.multiply greatly if planted in a proper foil. The 
common way is, either to plant the fmall roots or 
offsets entire, or to cut the larger roots into pieces, 
preferving a bud or eye to each •, but neither of 
thefe methods is what I would recommend, for when 
the fmaller offsets are planted, they generally pro- 
duce a greater number of roots, but thefe are al- 
ways fmall •, and the cuttings of the larger roots are 
apt to rot, efpecially if wet weather happens foon 
after they are planted ; therefore what I would re- 
commend is, to make choice of the faireft roots for 
this purpofe, and to allow them a larger fpace of 
ground, both between the rows, as alio in the rows, 
plant from plant by which method I have obferved, 
the roots have been in general large the following 
autumn. 
The foil in which this plant thrives beft, is a light 
fandy loam, not too dry or over moift j this ground 
fhould be well ploughed two or three times, in order 
to break and divide the parts ; and the deeper it is 
ploughed, the better the roots will thrive. In the 
fpring, juft before the laft ploughing, there fhould 
be a good quantity of rotten dung fpread on the 
ground, which fhould be ploughed into the ground 
the beginning of March, if the feafon proves mild, 
otherwife it had better be deferred till the middle 
or latter end of that month ; for if it fhould prove 
hard froft after the roots are planted, they may be 
greatly injured, if not deftroyed thereby : but the 
fooner they are planted in the fpring, after the danger* 
of froft is over, the better it will be, efpecially in 
dry land. In the laft ploughing, the ground fhould 
be laid even, and then the furaows fhould be drawn 
at three feet diftance from each other, about feven or 
eight inches deep. In the bottom of this furrow the 
roots, fhould be laid at about one foot and a half afun- 
der ; then the furrow fhould be filled with the earth 
which came out, and the fame continued through 
the whole field or parcel of land, intended to be 
planted. 
After all is finilhed, the land may remain in the 
fame ftate till near the time when the fhoots are ex- 
pefted to appear above ground, when the ground 
fhould be well harrowed over both ways, which will 
break the clods, and make the furface very fmooth ; 
and by doing of it fo late, it will deftroy the young 
weeds, which, by this time, will begin to make 
their appearance ; and this will fave the expence of 
the firft hoeing, and will alfo ftir the upper furface of 
the ground, which, if much wet has fallen after the 
planting, is often bound into a hard cruft, and will 
retard the appearance of the fnoots. 
As I have allotted the rows of Potatoes at three feet 
diftance, it was in order to introduce the hoe-plough 
between them, which will greatly improve thefe roots j 
for by twice ftirring and breaking the ground be- 
tween thefe plants, it will not only deftroy the weeds, 
but alfo loofen the ground, whereby every fhower of 
rain will penetrate to the roots, and greatly improve 
their growth ; but thefe operations fhould be per- 
formed early in the feafon, before the Items or branches 
of the plants begin to fall and trail upon the ground, 
becaufe after that, it will be impoffible to do it with- 
out injuring the fhoots. 
If thefe ploughings are carefully performed between 
the rows, and the ground between the plants in the - 
rows hand-hoed, it will prevent the growth of weeds, 
till the haulm of the plants cover the ground ; fo that 
afterward there will be little danger of weeds growing 
M4 
