MEL 
looked over at leaft twice every day j and if thbfe 
fruit which are intended for the table, are cut early 
in the morning, before the fun has warmed them, 
they will be much better flavoured ■, but if any fhould 
require to be cut afterward, they fhould be put into 
cold fpring water, or ice, to cool them, before they 
are brought to the table : and thofe cut in the morn- 
ing, fhould be kept in the cooleft place till they are 
ferved up to table. The fign of this fruit’s maturity 
is, that of its beginning to crack near the foot-ftalk, 
and its beginning to fmell, which never fail ; for as 
thefe Cantaleupe Melons feldom change their colour 
until they are too ripe, that fhould never be waited for. 
The directions here given for the management of the 
Cantaleupe Melons, will be found equally good for 
all the other forts, as I have fully experienced *, for 
in the common method of managing them, where the 
earth is laid but three or four inches thick, the plants 
are very apt to decay before the fruit is ripe •, for 
their roots foon reach the dung, and are extended to 
the hides of the bed, where their tender fibres are 
expofed to the air and fun, which caufe the leaves 
of the plants to hang down in the heat of the day, fo 
it is neceffary to fhade them with mats, to pre- 
vent their decay ; and this alfo occafions the water- 
ing of the plants often to keep them alive, which is 
alfo prejudicial to their roots ; whereas when the beds 
are made of a proper width, and earthed of a fuffici- 
ent thicknefs, the plants will bear the ftrongeft heat 
of the fun in this climate, without fliewing the leaft 
want of moifture, or their leaves drooping, and they 
will continue in health till the autumn cold deftroys 
them. 
In faving of the feeds I need not repeat here, that only 
fuch fhould be regarded, which are taken from the 
firmeft fruit, and thofe which have the higheft flavour-, 
and if thefe are taken out with the pulp entire, with- 
out difplacing the feeds, and buffered to remain in 
the pulp two or three days before it is wafhed out, the 
better ; and then to preferve only the heavy feeds, 
which fink in the water. 
MELOCACTUS. 7 c _ 
MELOCARDUUS. j See Cactus - 
MELOCHIA, Jews Mallow. 
The Characters are. 
It hath a -permanent empalement of one leaf cut half way 
into five fegments ; the flower hath five large fpreading 
petals the ftamina are involved in the tube of the ger- 
men, and have five fummits. It has a roundifh germen 
with five awl-jhaped ereft fityles , which are permanent , 
crowned by Jingle ftigmas. T he flower is fucceeded by 
five-cornered roundifh capfules , having five cells with two 
horns , in each cell is lodged one angular compreffed feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl fedion of 
Linnaeus’s fixteenth clafs, intitled Monadelphia Pen- 
tandria ; the flowers of this clafs have their ftamina 
and ftyles conneded in one houfe, and thofe of this 
fedion have but five ftamina. 
The Species are, 
1. Melochia (. Pyramidata ) floribus umbellatis oppofi- 
tis foliis, capfuiis pyramidatis pentagonis, angulis 
acutis, foliis nudis. Hort. Cliff. 343. Jews Mal- 
low with umbellated flowers placed oppofite to the leaves , 
and five-cornered pyramidal capfules. Althaea Brafilia- 
na frutefcens, incarnato fiore, fagopyri femine. Pluk. 
Phyt. tab. 13 1. f. 3. 
2. Melochia (Tomentofa) floribus umbellatis axillari- 
bus, capfuiis pyramidatis pentagonis, angulis mucro- 
natis, foliis tomentofis. Lin. Sp. 943 - Jews IMallow 
with umbellated flowers at the wings of the fialk , five- 
cornered pyramidal capfules, and woolly leaves. Abutilon 
herbaceum procumbens, betonicae folio, flore pur- 
pureo. Sloan. Hift. Sp. 220. 
3. Melochia (Deprefid) floribus folitariis capfuiis de- 
preffis pentagonis, anguftis obtufis ciliatis. Flor. 
Leyd. Prod. 3 4 8 • Jews Mallow with flowers growing 
fmgly, _ and five-cornered deprefied capfules. Abutilon 
Americanum, ribefti foliis, flore carneo, frudu pen- 
tagono afpero. Houft. MSS. 
M E L 
: 4. Melochia ( Concaienata ) racemis confertis termina" 
libus, capfuiis glob oils feffilibus. Flor. Zeyl. 247* 
Jews Mallow with clufiered J pikes terminating the folks , 
and globular capfules fitting clofe. 
5. Melochia ( Supina ) floribus capititatis, foliis ovatis 
ferratis, caulibus procumbentibus. Lin. Sp. ' 944^ 
Jews Mallow with flowers in heads , oval flawed leaves , 
and trailing fialks. Alcea fupina pufilla, geranii exi- 
gui maritimi folio & facie, maderafpatenfis, frudu 
in lunorno caule glomerate, pericarpio dura. Pluk. 
Phyt. tab. 132. f. 4. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the Brazils as a com- 
mon weed, having a ftalk fomewhat flair ub by, which 
riles four or five feet high * the flowers are produced 
in umbels from the fide of the ftalk, oppofite to the 
leaves they are of a pale fiefh colour, and are fuc- 
ceeded by pyramidal capfules with five corners having 
five cells, each containing one angular feed. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Jamaica, and other 
warm parts of America. This has a trailing herba- 
ceous ftalk, garnifhed with woolly leaves fhaped like 
Betony. The flowers are produced in umbels at the 
wings of the ftalk ; they are of a purple colour, and 
are fucceeded by pyramidal capfules, having five 
corners. 
The third fort was difeovered growing naturally at 
the Havannah, by the late Dr. Houftoun. This 
rifes with a fhrubby ftalk five or fix feet high, gar- 
nifhed with angular leaves refembling thofe of the 
Currant buffi ; the flowers are produced fmgly from 
the fide of the ftalk : they are of a fiefh colour, and 
in fhape like thofe of the fmall flowering Mallow 5 
thefe are fucceeded by rough five-cornered capfules,- 
inclofing five Mallow-fhaped feeds. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in both Indies ; this 
hath an herbaceous ftalk, which is terminated by fe- 
veral oblong bunches of flowers, which are fucceeded 
by globular capfules with five cells, in each of which 
is lodged a Angle feed. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in India *, this is an an- 
nual plant with trailing ftalks which fpread on the 
ground, garnifhed with fmall Betony-fhaped leaves ; 
the flowers and fruit are produced in clufters at the 
end of the branches. 
Thefe plants arepreferved in botanic gardens for va- 
riety, but having little beauty they are rarely culti- 
vated in other places j they are propagated by' feeds 
which rnuft be fown on a hot-bed, and when the 
plants come up, they fhould be treated in the fame 
way as is directed for Sida, to which the reader is 
defired to turn to avoid repetition. The firft and third 
forts are fhrubby, fo may with care be preferved thro’ 
the winter in a ftove, whereby good feeds may be 
obtained •, for thefe feldom ripen their feeds well 
the firft year, unlefs the plants are brought forward 
early in the fpring, and the fummer proves warm. 
The other three forts generally ripen their feeds the 
fame year they are fown. 
M E L O N. See Melo. 
MELONGENA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 151. tab. 
65. Solanum. Lin. Gen. Plant. 224. Mad Apple, 
by fome called Egg Plant ; in French, Mayenne f 
The Characters are, 
The flower has a permanent empalement of one leaf \ which 
is deeply cut into five acute fegments, which fpread open . 
’The flower hath but one petal , which is cut into five 
parts , which fpread open and are reflexed. It hath five 
awl-fhaped ftamina , terminated by oblong fummits which 
converge together. In the center is. fuuated an oblong 
germen [upper ting a fender ftyle , crowned by an obtufe 
[sigma ; the germen afterward becomes an oval or oblong 
fruit with one cell , which hath a fiefloy pulp , filled with 
compreffed roundifh feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the feventh fedion 
of Tournefort’s fecond clafs, which includes the 
herbs with a wheel-ill aped flower of one leaf, whofe 
pointal changes to a foft fruit.' Dr. Linnaeus has 
joined this genus, and the Lycoperficon of Tourne- 
fort, to the Solanum, making them only fpecies of 
' 8 X that 
