I 
M E L 
We know but one Species of this genus, viz. 
Melittis ( Melyjfophyllum .) Flort. Clift. 309.' Greater 
Dead Nettle. Meliffa. Fuchfii. 
This plant grows naturally in fome woods in the Weft 
bf England and in Wales, Germany and near Mont- 
pelier. It hath a perennial root, which in the fpring 
fends up three, four, or more ftalks, according to the 
age and ftrength, which rife a foot and' a half high ; 
thefe are fquare, and garnifhed with leaves like thofe 
cf the common Dead Nettle, but are much larger, 
tougher, and ftand on longer foot-ftalks, two being 
placed oppofite at each joint. The flowers come out 
at the joints of the ftalks, juft above the foot-ftalks 
of the leaves *, they are in fhape like thofe of the 
Dead Nettle, but are much larger, of a redder pur- 
ple colour, and the upper lip grows ere£t. Thefe ap- 
pear in May, when the plants make a handfome ap- 
pearance, and if the feafon does not prove hot, the 
flowers will continue in beauty upward of three weeks. 
As the plants do rarely produce good feeds in the gar- 
dens, fo they are tifually propagated by parting the 
roots ; but where the plants are intended for orna- 
ment, the roots flhould not be difturbed oftener than 
every third year ; nor ftiouldthey then be divided in- 
toWnall parts, left thereby they fhould not flower 
the firft year. The beft time to remove and part the 
roots is the beginning of O&ober, that they may have 
time to get root before the froft comes on. They 
fhould have a loamy foil and an eaft expofure, where 
the plants will thrive and produce flowers in plenty. 
MELO. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 104. tab. 32. Cucumis. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 969. [it takes its name of Mv^ou, an 
Apple, becaufethe fruit refembles an Apple.] The 
Melon. 
The Characters are, 
It hath male and female flowers on the fame plant. 'The 
male flowers have a bell-fhaped empalement of one leaf 
whofe border is terminated by five awl-fhaped briftles. 
The flower is of one petals which is bell-fhaped , faftened 
to the empalement , and cut into five fegments at the brim 
thefe are veined and rough. It hath three Jhort fiamiyia 
inferted in the empalement , and are joined together , two 
of which have bifid points. The fummits are linear , and 
run up and down on the outfide of the fiamina , to which 
they adhere. The female flowers have no fiamina or 
fummits , but have a large oval germen fituated belozv the 
flower , fupporting a Jhort cylindrical fiyle , crowned by 
three thick gibbous fiigmas. The germen afterward turns 
to an oval fruit with feveral cells , filled with oval , acute- 
pointed , compreffed feeds , inclofed in a foft pulp. 
This genus of plants is by Dr. Linnaeus joined with 
the Colocynthus and Anguria, to the Cucumis, mak- 
ing them only fpecies of the fame genus, which, ac- 
cording to his fyftem, may be allowable •, but who- 
ever will admit the fruit as a charafteriftic note to 
diftinguifh the genera, will find marks to feparate 
them t and however properly thefe may be put toge- 
ther in a fyftem of botany, yet in a work of this na- 
ture it cannot be admitted. 
There is a great variety of this fruit cultivated in the 
different parts of the world, and in this country there 
are too piany of them propagated, which are of no va- 
lue, efpecially by thofe who fupply the markets, 
where their fize is chiefly regarded j fo that by endea- 
vouring to augment their bulk, the fruit is rendered of 
no value i I lhall therefore only mention a very few 
of the varieties, which are the moft defervingof care, 
excluding the common Melons, as being unworthy of 
the trouble and expence in cultivating. 
The fort of Melon which is in the greateft efteem 
among all the curious in every part of Europe, is the 
CantaTeupe-, which isfo called from a place about four- 
teen miles from Rome, where the pope has a country 
feat, in which place this fruit has been long culti- 
vated ; but it was brought thither from that part of 
Armenia which borders on Perfia, where this fruit 
is in fo great plenty, that a horfe-load is fold for a 
French crown. The flefh of this Melon, when in 
perfedion, is delicious, and does not offend the moft 
tender ftomachs, fo may be eaten with fafety. The 
M E L 
Dutch are fo fond of this fruit, as to cultivate very 
few other forts, and by way of pre-eminence, call it 
only by the appellation of Cantaloupe, and never 
join the title of Melon to it, which they apply indif- 
ferently to all the other forts. The outer coat of 
this is very rough, and full of knobs and protuber- 
ances like warts ; it is of a middling fize, rather 
round than long, and the fiefli is for the moft part 
of an Orange colour, though there are fome with a 
greenilh flelh, but I have never met with any of that 
colour fo good as thofe of the other. 
The Romana is by fome much efteemed, and when 
the fruit is well conditioned, the plants in per fed 
health, and the feafon dry, it is a good Melon, and 
may be brought forwarder in’ the feafon than the Can- 
taleupe •, therefore thofe who are deurous of early Me- 
lons may cultivate this fort. 
The Succado is alfo a good fort, and may alfo be cul- 
tivated for early fruit, but thefe muft give way to the 
Cantaleupe, when that is in feafon. 
The Zatte is alfo a very good Melon, but very fmalL 
The fruit of this is feldom bigger than a large 
Orange •, it is a little flatted at the two ends, and the 
outer coat is watted like the Cantaleupe, but there 
is fo little flelh in one of thefe fruit, that they are 
fcarce worthy the trouble of propagating. 
The frnall Portugal Melon, which is by fome called 
the Dormer Melon, is a pretty good fruit, and the 
plants generally produce them in plenty, fo by many 
people this is preferred ro moft other, efpecially thofe 
who love a plenty, and are not fo nice in diftinguifh- 
ing the quality : this may alfo be cultivated for an 
early crop. 
But the beft Melon for this purpofe is the Black Gal- 
loway, which was brought from Portugal by Lord 
Galloway many years fince, but of late years is rarely 
to be met with in England, it having been degene- 
rated by growing among other forts. The fruit of 
this fort will ripen in a fhorter time from its firft let- 
ting, than any other which I have yet feen, and when 
fuffered to ripen naturally, is not a bad fruit. 
The few varieties here mentioned, are fufilcient to 
fatisfy the curious, who may be fond of variety, for 
there are fcarce any other which deferve the trouble $ 
and indeed thofe who have a true tafte for this fruit, 
feldom cultivate any but the Cantaleupe •, but as I be- 
fore obferved, where this fruit is defired early in the 
feafon, the Cantaleupe is not fo proper as fome of the 
other, therefore a few plants of one of the other forts 
fhould be raifed earlier in the fpring, but fhould be in 
a different part of the garden from the Cantaleupe 
Melons for when two forts of Melons grow near, 
they cannot be preferved perfectly right ; therefore 
the Dutch and German gardeners are very careful in 
this refpeft, and in order to keep the fort in perfec- 
tion, do not plant any other fort of Melon, Cucum- 
ber or Gourd, near thefe, left, by the impregnation 
of the farina of thofe other, thefe fruit fhould be ren- 
dered bad ; and in this particular, I am convinced, 
from long experience, they are right ; and from the 
not oblerving this, many perfons who are lovers of 
this fruit, have gradually diminilhed their goodnefs, 
without knowing the caufe, and have imputed it to 
the long cultivating from the feeds faved in the fame 
garden, believing it abfoluteiy neceffary to procure 
feeds from a diftant place frequently to preferve them 
good : indeed, where a perfon can fecurely depend 
on the care and fkill of thofe he procures the feeds 
from, it is a very good method to exchange feeds 
now and then ; but there are fo few who are exact 
in making choice of the fruits from which they fave 
the feeds, or careful enough to do it themfelves, but 
often depend on others to clean the feed., that I fhould 
advife every one to do it himfelf, which is the lure 
way to have it good *, for I have frequently been de- 
ceived myfelf, by depending on the fidelity and fkill 
of others ; nor could I procure any of thefe feeds 
from Cantaleupe which were good, until my much 
honoured friend, the Chevalier Rathgeb, lent me plen- 
tifully of it from thence * though I had often been 
{applied 
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