RHU 
tings, which fliould he planted in pots filled with 
loamy earth the beginning of April, and plunged in- 
to a very moderate hot-bed, covering them clofe with 
hand or bell-glafies, and fcreening them from the fun 
in the heat of the day. The cuttings fhould be now 
and then refrelhed with water, but it fhould not be 
given in too great quantity. With this manage- 
ment they will put out roots in about two months, 
and when they begin to (hoot, they fhould have air 
admitted to them, and be gradually hardened to bear 
the open air, into which they mull be removed, 
placing them in a flickered fituation ; and when the 
cuttings have filled the pots with their roots, they 
fhould be fhaken out of the pots, and parted carefully, 
planting each into a feparate fmall pot, placing them 
in the fliade till they have taken new root, when they 
may be intermixed with other exotic plants in a fhel- 
tered fituation for the fummer, and in autumn re- 
moved into the green-houfe. 
The thirteenth fort grows naturally on the Ifland of 
Ceylon •, this rifes with a woody ftalk ten or twelve 
feet high, fending out many branches, which are 
eloathed with trifoliate leaves, {landing upon pretty 
long foot-ftalks. The lobes of the leaves are oval, 
about two inches long, and an inch and a half broad, 
terminating in acute points ; they are thick, fmooth, 
and of a lucid green. The flowers are produced in 
loofe panicles at the end 'of the branches ; they are of 
a whitifh herbaceous colour, and fmall. They fel- 
dom appear in England, but when they do they are 
not fucceeded by feeds here. 
This plant is tender, fo muft be placed in a moderate 
ftove, otherwife it will not live through the winter in 
England. It may be propagated by cuttings in the 
fame way as the former forts, but requires a warmer 
bed than thofe to promote their putting out roots. 
When they have good roots they fhould be each tranf- 
planted into a feparate fmall pot, and plunged into 
the tan-bed, and treated in the fame way as other ten- 
der exotic plants. 
The fourteenth fort is a native of the Cape of Good 
Hope, where it grows to be a large fhrub, but in Eng- 
land it feldom rifes more than five or fix feet high, 
fending out many branches covered with a bright 
brown bark, garnifhed with very narrow trifoliate 
leaves, Handing on very long foot-ftalks *, the flowers 
come out in loofe panicles at the ends of the branches, 
and alfo from the wings of the ilalks, of an herbaceous 
colour, but are fmall, and fall away, without pro- 
ducing feeds in England. 
This may be propagated by cuttings, which fliould 
be planted in pots during the fummer feafon, plung- 
ing them into a moderate hot-bed, covering them 
clofe with hand-glaflfes •, when they have taken root, 
they fliould be each planted in a feparate pot, fhading 
them till they have taken new root, and in the au- 
tumn they muft be removed to a green-houfe. 
The fifteenth fort grows naturally in Spain, Italy, and 
the Levant, where the leaves and branches are ufed 
for tanning of leather ; this rifes with an irregular 
fhrubby ftalk to the height of ten or twelve feet, fend- 
ing out many fpreading branches covered with a 
fmooth brown bark, garnifhed with ftngle, obverfe, 
oval leaves about two inches long, and of the fame 
breadth, rounded at their points, and Hand upon 
long foot-ftalks •, they are fmooth, ftiff, and of a lu- 
cid green, having a ftrong midrib, from whence fe- 
veral tranfverfe veins run toward the border. The 
flowers come out at the end of the branches upon 
long hair-like foot-ftalks, which divide, and branch 
into large hair-like bunches of a purplifh colour ; 
they are fmall, white, and compofed of five fmall 
oval petals which fpread open ; thefe appear in July, 
but are not fucceeded by feeds in England. 
This plant is cultivated for fale in the nurfery-gar- 
dens near London •, it is propagated by layers, which 
fhould be laid down in the autumn, and by next au- 
tumn they will have taken root, when they may be 
taken off from the old plants, and tranfplanted in a 
nurfery, where they may grow a year or two to get 
RIB 
ftrength, and then be planted where they are to re- 
main. This fhrub is fo hardy as to be feldom injured 
by froftin England. 
RIBES. Lin. Gen. Plant. 247. Groffularia. Tourn. 
Inft. 639. tab. 409. Ribeftum. Dill. H. Elth. 246. 
The Currant-tree. 
The Characters are, 
The flower has a bellied empahment of one leaf , cut at 
the top into five concave obtufe fegments \ it hath five 
fmall , obtufe , ereffi petals growing to the border of the cm - 
palement , and five awl-fhaped fiatnina inferted in the em- 
pakmenty terminated by incumbent comprefied fummits 
opening at their border. The roundifh germen is fituated 
under the flower , fupporting a bifid ftyle, crowned by ob- 
tufe ftigmas i it afterward becomes a globular umbili- 
cated fruit with one cell , containing many roundifh com- 
preffed feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feblion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants whofe 
flowers have five flamina and one ftyle. Dr. Lin- 
n^us and Tournefort both join this to the Goofeberry, 
making them the fame genus, ' which in a fyftem of 
botany is very right ; but, as they are always fepa^- 
rated by gardeners, I have chofen to continue them 
fo here. 
The Species are, 
1. Ribes (j Rubrum) inerme, racemis glabris pendulis, 
floribus planiufculis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 200. Currant 
without thorns , having fmooth hanging bunches, and plain 
flowers. Ribes vulgare acidum. J. B. 2. p. 97. ' Com- 
mon four Currant. 
2. Ribes ( Alpinum ) inerme, racemis erectis, br able is 
fiore longioribus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 200. Smooth Currant 
with creel bunches , and braMea lenger than the flower . 
Ribes Alpinum dulce. J. B. 2. p. 98. Sweet Alpine 
Currant. 
3. Ribes ( Nigrum ) inerme, racemis pilofis, floribus ob- 
longis. Lin. Sp, Plant. 201. Currant without fpines , 
having hairy branches and oblong flowers. Ribes vul- 
garis fruflu nigra. Rudb. Flor. Lapp. 99. Common 
black Currant. 
4. Rises ( Americamm ) inerme, racemis glabris, flori- 
bus campanulatis. Currant with unarmed branches , 
and bell-Jhaped flowers. Ribes Americana fructu nigro. 
Ed. prior. American Black Currant. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the northern parts 
of Europe, but has been long cultivated in the gar- 
dens, and greatly improved, fo that at prefent there 
are the following varieties in the Englifh garden ; the 
common Currant with fmall red fruit, the fame with 
white fruit, and another with pale fruit, which is com- 
monly called the Champaign Currant ; but, fince the 
two forts of Dutch Currants have been introduced, 
and become plenty in the gardens, the old red and 
white Currants have been almoft banifhed, fo that 
they are rarely to be found in the Englifh gardens at 
prefent. 
The fecond fort is kept in a few gardens for the fake 
of variety, but, as the fruit is very fmall and has lit- 
tle flavour, it is not cultivated in the gardens. 
The third fort grows naturally in Hel - etia, Sweden, 
and other northern countries, and is fometimes culti- 
vated in gardens for its fruit, of which is made 
a rob, which is greatly efteemed for fore throats, from 
whence the fruit has been called Squinancy Berries, 
for their great ufe in quinfies. As this fruit has a 
ftrong disagreeable flavour, it is rarely admitted to the 
table. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Penfylvania, from 
whence the plants were fent to Mr. Peter Collinfon fe- 
veral years paft, and has been difperfed to moft parts 
of England ; this has been by fome thought to be the 
fame with the common black Currant, but thofe who 
have long cultivated it, know it is very different ; the 
fhoots of this being much fmaller and more com- 
pa£t, the bark is of a darker colour, the leaves are 
fmaller, thinner, fmoother, and have not a rank fmell 
like thofe of the common fort. The flowers are 
fmaller, bell-fhaped, and grow in thinner bunches ; 
the fruit is fmaller, and not fo round j the plants of 
this 
