M E L 
but this is by no means a good method, for it rarely 
happens that thefe fucceed well longer than two years 
in the fame place, unlefs the foil be removed and 
freffi brought in, which is very expenfive ; therefore 
the belt way is, to have a fufficient parcel of Reeds 
made into pannels, which may be annually moved 
from place to place, fo that you need not continue 
your ridges longer than one year in the fame place ; 
and if you have a piece of ground which is large 
enough to divide into three or four fuch places, the 
fence may be every year removed till the whole has 
been occupied, after which you may return to the 
fpot where you began, which, by that time, will be 
as good as frefh earth ; and hereby, without much 
trouble, you may remove them every year, for as 
one of the fides will remain unremoved every time 
the fence is carried forward, the labour will not be fo 
great as if it were wholly removed to fome diftance, 
and thefe Reed fences are much preferable to either 
walls or pales, for this purpofe. 
MELOTHR I A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 48. 
The title of this genus was applied to it by Dr. Lin- 
naeus in the Hortus Cliffortianus. By fome authors 
it hath been placed under the genus of Cucumis, and 
by others under that of Bryonia ; but the Doctor has 
removed this to a diftance from either of thole gene- 
ra, on account of its having but three ftamina-, but 
Dr. Van Royen has brought it next to the genus of 
Bryonia again, as the plants have male and herma- 
phrodite flowers. 
The Characters are, 
I he empalement of the flower is of one leaf \ b ell -Jh aped, 
and cut J, lightly at the brim into five parts , and in the 
hermaphrodite flowers , rcjls upon the embryo. The 
male flower is of oyie leaf , wheel-fhaped , having a tube 
the length of the empalement. In the center of the her- 
maphrodite flower is fituated the point al, fupporting a cy- 
lindrical flyle, attended by three conical ftamina , which 
are infer ted in the tube of the flower , and are extended to 
the fame length the male flowers have three ftamina , 
terminated by blunt flyles. The point al afterward becomes 
an oval fmall berry , having three divifions , in which are 
lodged fmall fiat feeds. 
We have but one Species of this plant, viz. 
Melothria ( Pendula .) Lin. Hort. Cliff. 490. Small 
creeping Cucumber. Cucumis minima frudtu ovali ni- 
gro lsevi. Sloan. Hift. 1. p. 227. Smallefl Cucumber 
with a fnooth , black , oval fruit. 
This plant grows wild in the woods in Carolina, Vir- 
ginia, and alfo in many of the iflands in America ; 
it creeps upon the ground with (lender Vines, hav- 
ing angular leaves, fomewhat refembling thofe of the 
Melon, but much fmaller. Thefe Vines ftrike out 
roots at every joint, which fatten themfelves into the 
ground, and thereby a larger ftiare of nouriffiment is 
drawn to the plants, by which means their ftalks ex- 
tend to a great diftance each way, and cjofely cover 
the ground. The flowers are very fmall, infhapelike 
thofe of the Melon, and of a pale fulphur colour. 
The fruit, in the Weft-Indies, grow to the fize of a 
Pea, of an oval figure, and changes black when ripe; 
thefe are by the inhabitants fometimes pickled when 
they are green. 
In England the fruit are much fmaller, and are fo 
hidden by the leaves, as to render it difficult to find 
them. The plants will not grow in the open air here, 
but the feeds muft be fown upon a hot-bed, and if 
the plants are permitted, will foon Ipread over the 
furface of a large bed -, and when the fruit is ripe, if 
they fcatter their feeds, the plants will come ’up 
where the earth happens to be ufed on a hot-bed again, 
and if they are fupplied with water, will require no 
farther care. This plant is in fome gardens prelerv- [ 
ed for the fake of variety, but is of no ufe. 
MENISPERMUM.. Tourn. Ad. R. Par. 1705. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 1131. Moonfeed. 
The Characters are. 
It hath male and female flowers on different plants ; 
the male flowers have empaiements compofed of two floor t 
linear leaves , and have four oval fpr ending petals with- • 
M E N 
out fide , and eight oval, concave petals within , which ark 
fmaller than thofe without , ranged in four femes, and 
many cylindrical flamina which are longer than the petals , 
t er minuted by floor t obtufe fummits having four lobes. The 
female flowers have the fame empalement and corolla as 
the male , and have eight flamina with pellucid fummits , 
which are fruitful. Theje have two oval incurved ger- 
wina, fupporting a folitary recurved flyle , crowned by a 
bifid fligma ; the germen afterward become two roundifh 
kidney-Jhaped berries of one cell , inclofmg a large kidney - 
fhaped feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the tenth fedion oU 
Linnaeus’s twenty-fecond clafs, which includes thofe 
plants which have male and female flowers on diffe- 
rent plants, and the male flowers have twelve ftamina., 
The Species are, 
1. Menispermum ( Canadenfe ) foliis peltatis fubrotundis 
angulatis. Hort. Cliff. 140. Moonfeed with target- 
Jhaped, roundifh , angular leaves. Menifpermum Cana- 
denfe fcandens, umbilicatis foliis. Tourn. Ad. Par. 
1 7°5- Climbing Moonfeed of Canada , with a navel - 
fhaped leaf. 
2. Menispermum ( Virginicum ) foliis cordatis peltatis 
lobatis. Flor. Virg, 40. Moonfeed with heart and tar - 
get-fhaped leaves , which have lobes. Menifpermum fo- 
lio hederaceo. Hort. Elth. 223. tab. 178. Moonfeed 
with an Ivy leaf. 
3. Menispermum ( Carinianum ) foliis cordatis fubtus 
villofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 340. Moonfeed with heart- 
fhaped leaves , which are hairy on their under fide. 
The firft fort grows itaturally in Canada, and moft 
parts of North America, in the woods ; this hath a 
thick ligneous root, from which are fent out many 
climbing ftalks, which become ligneous, and rife to 
the height of twelve or Fourteen feet, twifting them- 
lelves about the neighbouring plants for fupport ; 
thefe are garnilhedwith large, fmooth, roundiffi leaves 3 
whofe foot- ftalks are placed almoft in the middle of 
the back of the leaves ; on the upper fide there is a 
hollow in that part of the leaf refembling a navel. 
The flowers come out in loofe bunches from the fide 
of the ftalks ; they are of an herbaceous colour, fmall 
and compofed of two tiers of oblong oval petals, ve- 
ry (hort ftamina, with ten in the male flowers, termi- 
nated by Angle fummits the two germen fituated in 
the center of the female flowers turn to fo many 
channelled berries, each containing one kidnev-fhaped 
feed. It flowers in July, and the feeds rip en in au- 
tumn. 
This fort may be eafily propagated by laying down 
of the branches, which, if performed in autumn 
will have made good roots by the following autumn 5 
when they may be feparated from the old plant, and 
tranlplanted where they are defigned to remain - ’thefe 
plants require fupport, for their branches are (lender 
and weak. In the country where it grows naturally 
they climb up the trees to a confiderable height lb 
that if thefe are planted near trees in wilderntft quar 
ters, where their ftalks may have fupport, they will 
thrive better than in an open fituation. 7 
The fecond fort differs from the firft in the ffiape of 
its leaves, which are angular, and fometimes heart- 
fhaped ; their foot-ftalks join to the bafe of the leaves 
fo they have no umbilical mark on their furface. The 
ftalks of this become ligneous, and rife nearly as hffih 
as thole of the firft fort, and the flowers and Bernes 
do not differ from them. It is alfo propagated after, 
the fame manner. 
The third fort grows naturally in Carolina, from 
whence the feeds were fent to England ; this ha* by 
fome been fuppofed the fame with the fecond W 
from which it differs in its branches, not becoming 
woody as thofe do. The ftalks are herbaceous - the 
leaves are entire and hairy, and are not more ’than 
half fo large as thofe of the fecond, nor is the plant 
lo hardy, tor in fevere winters, thofe which are ex- 
pofed to the open air are fometimes killed, whereas 
the fecond fort is never injured by cold. This fore 
does not produce any flowers in England, unlefs the 
lealon proves very warm. 
This 
4yg 
