M E S 
flowers, are very hairy and woolly, as are alfo the 
foot-ftalks, and the under fide of the leaves, but 
their upper fides are fmooth and green. The flowers 
come out in bunches at the end of the {hoots* which 
have five long narrow petals, and about ten ftamina 
in each. The flowers are fucceeded by fmall fruit, 
which, when ripe, are black •, the gardeners call this 
New England Quince ; there is one of this kind 
which grows naturally in North America, but the 
leaves of that are wedge-lhaped and not fawed on 
the edges, fo I take it to be a different fpecies. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Canada ; this is alfo 
a low fhrub, feldom rifing more than five feet high, 
dividing into feveral fmooth branches, covered with 
a purplifti bark. The leaves grow upon long {lender 
foot-l'talks ; they are one inch and a half long, 
and an inch broad, fmooth on both fides, and a little 
fawed on their edges. The flowers come out in 
lmall bunches at the end of the branches •, they are 
about the fize of thofe of the common Hawthorn, and 
are fucceeded by fmall fruit of apurplilh colour when 
ripe. 
The fcventh fort grows naturally on the Pyrenean 
mountains, and in other cold parts of Europe •, this 
rifes with a fmooth Ihrubby ftalk about four feet 
high, dividing into a few fmall branches, which are 
covered with a purple bark, and garniflied with 
oval entire leaves, little more than one inch long, 
and about three quarters of an inch broad, having 
very fhort foot-ftalks. The flowers come out from 
the fide of the ftalks, two or three together ; they 
are fmall, of a purpliflt colour, and fit clofe to the 
ftalks ; thefe appear in May, and are fucceeded by 
fmall roundilh fruit, which are of a bright red colour 
when ripe. 
The eighth fort grows naturally in the northern parts 
of Europe •, this hath a fmooth ftalk, rifing about four 
or five feet high, fending out {lender branches, which 
are covered with a purplifti bark, and garnilhed with 
oval fmooth leaves about two inches long, and one 
inch and a half broad, fawed on their edges, but the 
teeth point upward •, they have pretty long {lender 
foot-ftalks, and are of a yellowifh green on both fides. 
The flowers come out from the wings of the ftalk, 
four or five joined together in a clofe head, of a pur- 
plifli colour *, between the flowers come out long nar- 
row braftea, which are purplifh, and fall off as the 
flowers begin to decay. The fruit is fmall, and red 
when ripe. 
The ninth fort grows naturally upon mount Ida, in 
Crete, where the poor fliepherds feed upon the fruit 
when ripe ; this hath a fmooth ftalk about eight feet 
high, dividing into many fmooth branches, garnifh- 
ed with oval leaves two inches and a half long, and 
near two inches broad, of a thick fubftance, and a 
dark green on their upper fide, but downy on their 
under, {landing upon fhort foot-ftalks. The flowers 
come out from the fide of the ftalk upon lhort 
fmall branches, five or fix growing upon each in a 
clofe bunch ; they are of a purple colour, the petals 
being but little longer than the empalement, which 
is woolly, and cut into five obtufe fegments. The 
fruit is large, roundifh, and of a fine red colour 
when ripe. 
The tenth fort grows naturally in North America, 
W'here it rarely rifes more than five feet high, fending 
out a few upright branches, garnilhed with fpear- 
fhaped leaves whofe edges are crenated, and their 
under fide downy ; the flowers are produced in fmall 
bunches on the fide, and at the extremity of the 
branches, which are fucceeded by fmall roundilh fruit 
a little compreflTed, of a purple colour when ripe. 
The eleventh fort is an inhabitant of the fame country 
with the former ; this rifes fix or eight feet high, 
fending out fide branches, garnifhed with oblong, 
oval, entire leaves, downy on their under fide *, the 
flowers are produced in fmall bunches, {landing on 
long foot-ftalks, having each five narrow white pe- 
tals which are contrafted at their bafe, and are fuc- 
ceeded by oval fruit of a blue colour when ripe, and 
M I C 
are by fonie of the inhabitants of America eaten in 
a fcarcity of other forts of fruit, but are not very 
palatable. * 
All thefe forts are hardy enough to thrive in the open 
air in England, and fonie of them are very ornamen- 
tal plants for gardens, where, during the feafon of 
their flowering, they will make a fine appearance ; 
and again, in autumn, when their fruit are ripe, they 
will afford an agreeable variety, and their fruit will 
be food for the deer and birds ; fo that if clumps of 
each fort are planted in different parts of the garden, 
nothing can be more ornamental. 
The American kinds are ufually propagated in the 
nurferies, by grafting or budding them upon the com- 
mon White Thorn, but the plants fo propagated will 
never grow to half the fize of thole which are propa- 
gated by feeds *, fo that thofe plants fhould always be 
chofen which have not been grafted or budded, but 
are upon their own roots. 
But there are many who objeft to this method of 
raifing the plants from feeds, on account of their 
feeds not growing the firft year, as alfo from the te- 
dioufnefs of the plant’s growth after •, but where a per- 
fon can furnifti himfelf with the fruit in autumn, and 
take out their feeds foon after they are ripe, putting 
them into the ground immediately, the plants wiU 
come up the following fpring, if they are kept clean 
from weeds, and in very dry weather fupplied with 
water, they will make good progrefs ; but if they are 
planted in the places where they are to remain, after 
two years growth from feeds, they will fucceed much 
better than when the plants are of greater age ; the 
ground fhould be well trenched, and cleanfed from 
the roots of all bad weeds. The befit time to tranf- 
plant them is in autumn, when their leaves fall off ; 
thefe fhould be conftantly kept clean from weeds, 
and if the ground between the plants is dug every 
winter, it will greatly encourage the growth of the 
plants, fo that if they are cleaned three or four times 
in the fummer, it will be fufticient. 
All the forts of Mefpilus and Crataegus will take; by 
budding or grafting upon each other •, they will alfo 
take upon the Quince, or Pear {locks, and both 
thefe will take upon the Medlars ; fo that thefe have 
great affinity with each other, and might be with 
more propriety brought together under the fame ge- 
nus, than the Pear and Apple, which will not take 
upon each other ; but although the Pear will take 
upon the White Thorn, yet it is not advifeable to 
make ufe of thefe ftocks, becaufe they generally caufe 
the fruit to be fmall and often to crack, and renders 
their flefh ftony •, fo unlefs it is the very foft melting 
kinds of Pears which are upon thefe ftocks, the fruit 
will not be good. 
METHONICA. See Gloriosa. 
M E U M. See Athamanta. 
MEZEREON. See Thymel^a. 
MICROPUS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 892. Gnaphalo- 
des. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 439. tab. 261. Baftard 
Cudweed. 
The Characters are. 
It hath hermaphrodite and female flowers, which are in- 
cluded in the fame double empalement ; there are ten her- 
maphrodite flowers which compofe the difk ; thefe have 
one petal, are funnet-fhaped, ere El, and cut into five parts 
at the top , and have five fhort briftly ftamina, terminated 
by cylindrical fummits, with an obfolete germen fupporting 
a fhort Jlender ftyle, crowned by an obfolete ftigma. In 
the fame empalement are five female flowers in the circum- 
ference, which have each an oval germen which is com- 
prejfed, hid under the feales cf the interior empalement , 
each having a ftyle by their fide , which is briftly, turning 
toward the hermaphrodite flowers, crowned by jlender 
acute-pointed ftigmas, divided in two parts. The female 
flowers have each a Jingle oval feed fucceeding them, in- 
cluded in the fmall leaves of the empalement , but the her- 
maphrodite flowers are barren. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth fedlion 
of Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe flowers are compofed of female fruitful 
flowers 
