C A C 
upper part of the cap j whereas, the fmaller forts pro- 
duce their fruit from between the tubercles, round 
the middle of the plant : and in fome figures of the 
larger forts of thefe plants, the fruit is reprefented as 
coming out near the crown of the plant •, fo that if a 
fkilful botanift was to examine thefe plants in the 
places of their growth, there would probably be found 
a much greater variety of them than is at preient 
known. 
Thefe Arrange plants commonly grow upon the fteep 
Ti des of rocks in 'the warmeft parts of America, where 
they feem to be thruft out of the apertures, having 
little or no earth to fupport them •, their roots flioot- 
ing down into the fifiiires of the rock to a confidera- 
ble depth, fo that it is troublefome to get the plants 
up, efpecially as they are fo ftrongly armed with 
thorns as to render it very dangerous to handle them ; 
and as thefe plants delight in thofe rocky places, they 
feldom live long when they are tranfplanted into better 
foil by the inhabitants of thofe iflands. . 
The great forts were fome years fince brought over 
to England in much greater plenty than of late •, but 
then the greateft part of them were deftroyed, by the 
unlkilfulnefs of thofe perfons who had the care of them 
in the voyage ; for, by giving them water, they ge- 
nerally cauied them to rot before they were taken out 
cf the fhips ; and fome of thofe which have appeared 
to be found, have been fo replete with moifture, as 
to rot foon after they have been placed in the ftoves ; 
therefore whoever propoles to bring thefe plants from 
abroad, Ihould be very careful to take up their roots 
as entire as polTible, and to plant them in tubs filled 
with ftones and rubbilh, mixing very little earth with 
it, and to plant three or four plants in each tub, in 
proportion to their fizes ; for if they are placed clofe 
together, it will fave room ; and as they do not in- 
creafe their growth during their palfage, there need 
not be any room allowed them for that purpofe. 
There Ihould be feveral pretty large holes bored thro 5 
the bottom of thefe tubs, to let the moifture pafs off ; 
and if thefe plants are planted in the tubs a month 
before they are put on board the Ihip, they will in that 
time have made new roots, which will be the moft 
fecure method to have them fucceed ; but, during 
their continuance in the country, they Ihould have 
no water given them, and after they are put on board 
the (hip, they muft not have any moifture whatever ; 
therefore it will be a good method to cover the plants 
with tarpaulin, to keep off the fpray of the fea in bad 
weather, and expofe them at all times to the open air 
when the fea is calm. By obferving thefe directions, 
the plants may be brought to England in good health, 
provided they are brought in fummer. 
Some of the large fort which have been brought to 
England, have been more than a yard in circumfe- 
rence, and two feet and a half high, including their 
caps ; but I have been informed by feveral perfons 
who have refided in the Weft-Indies, that there are 
plants near twice as large. 
The third fort was brought into England by the late 
Dr. William Houftoun, who procured the plants 
from Mexico ; but as they were long in their paffage, 
and had received wet, they were decayed before they 
arrived in England •, but from the remains of them 
which were left, they appeared to be the moft lingu- 
lar of all the fpecies yet known. This has two or- 
ders of thorns one of which are ftrait, and fet on 
at the joints in clutters, fpreading out from the center 
each way like a ftar •, and in the middle of each drif- 
ter is produced one broad flat thorn near two inches 
in length, which ftands ere£t, and is recurved at the 
point, and is of a brownifh red colour. Thefe 
thorns are, by the inhabitants of Mexico, fet in 
gold or filver, and made ufe of for picking their teeth, 
and the plant is by them called Vifnaga, i. e. tooth- 
pick. 
The fort with fpiral ribs, as alfo that with white 
fpines, I received from Antigua, with the common 
fort but whether thefe are only accidental varieties, 
arifmg from the fame feeds, or real different fpecies, 
C A <J 
I cannot take upon me to determine iincei, in this 
country, they are very rarely propagated by feeds j 
nor could I obferve, in the feveral years that I have 
had thefe plants under my care, there was the leaft 
difpofition in either of them to produce fruit 5 when, 
at the fame time, the common large fort produced 
plenty of fruit out of their caps every year, from the 
feeds of which I have raifed fome young plants 5 
but although fome of thefe have grown to a con- 
fiderable fize, yet none of them have as yet pro- 
duced caps, therefore no fruit can be yet expected 
from them. 
The fifth fort produces quantities of fruit annually ; 
and as the feeds grow very readily, it is now very 
common in thofe gardens where there are ftoves to 
keep them ^ for if the fruit is permitted to, drop upon 
the earth of the pots, and that is not difturbed, there 
will plenty of plants come up without any farther 
trouble and thefe feedling plants may be taken up 
as foon as they are of a proper fize to remove, and 
planted fix or feven of them into a frnall halfpenny 
pot, where they may ftand one year , by which time 
they will be large enough to be each planted into a 
feparate pot, and afterward they will make great pro- 
grefs, efpecially if they are plunged into a hot-bed of 
tanners bark in fummer ; for although this fort is 
much more hardy than the large kind, and may be 
preferred in a moderate ftove, yet the, plants will not 
make near the progreis as thofe which are kept in a 
greater degree of heat. This fort will continue 
many years with proper care, and the plants will grovt 
to be a foot high or more ; but when they are fo tall, 
the lower part of them is not fo lightly, their green 
being decayed, and the fpines changed to a dark dirty 
colour, they appear as if dead, fo that the upper part 
of thefe old plants only feem to have life ; whereas 
the plants of the middling fize appear healthy from 
top to bottom. The flowers of this fort appear in 
July and Auguft, and are fucceeded by the fruit 
quite round the plant, which are of a fine fcarlet co- 
lour, and continue frefh upon the plants through the 
winter, which renders them very beautiful at that 
feafon. And in the fpring, when the fruit fiirivels 
and becomes dry, the feeds will be ripe, and may 
then be rubbed out, and fown upon the furface of the 
earth in fmall pots, which Ihould be plunged into a 
hot-bed of tanners bark to bring up the plants. 
The fixth fort is but little larger than the fifth, grow- 
ing nearly in the fame form but this produces a 
great number of young plants from the fides, by which 
it is increafed. This fort produces tufts of a foft 
white down upon the knobs, and alfo between them 
at every joint, which makes the whole plant appear 
as if it was covered with fine cotton. The flowers of 
this fort are produced from between the knobs round 
the fides of the plants, which are in finape and colour 
very much like thofe of the fifth fort, but larger. 
Thefe flowers are not fucceeded by any fruit, at leaft all 
thofe which I have under my care, have not produced 
any, although they have produced plenty of flowers 
for fome years ; but from the fame places where the 
flowers have appeared, there have been young plants 
thruft out the following feafon. Thefe young plants 
I have taken off, and after laying them to dry for two 
or three days, I have planted them, and they have 
fucceeded very well. > 
All the fpecies of this genus are plants of a Angular 
ftructure, hut efpecially the larger kinds of them, 
which appear like a large flefhy green Melon, with 
deep ribs, fet all over with ftrong Iharp thorns $ and 
when the plants are cut through the middle, their 
infide is nothing but a foft, green, fiellxy fubftance, 
very full of moifture. And I have been affured by 
perfons of credit, who have lived in the Weft-Indies, 
that in times of great drought, the cattle repair to 
the barren rocks, which are covered with thefe plants, 
and after having ripped up the large plants with their 
horns, fo as to tear off the outfide fkin with the thorns, 
they have greedily devoured all the flefny moift parts 
of the plants, which has afforded them both meat 
and 
