74 
THE GARDENER’S VEGETABLE SYSTEM 
borders, Sec. and are all eafily raifed from feed; alfo 
by layers, and Tome by fuckers. 
They are all cultivated in the nurferies for fale, 
more particularly the firft five fpecies, where they may 
be procured for planting in the proper feafons. 
Diospyros, INDIAN DATE PLUM. 
Clafs and Order. 
Polygamia Dioecia, 
Many Marriages, Two Houfes ; 
The feafon for planting them, may be either in 
Autumn, about Oftober or November, or any time in 
mild open weather during the winter, or in any of the 
fpring months, February, March, and beginning of 
April; generally allot them principal compartments of 
the flirubbery, difpofed more or lefs towards the front 
part, in a diverfified order, in affemblage with other 
hardy flowering Ihrubs of moderate growth; or the 
Laureola introduced principally in the front of ever¬ 
green clumps, and in the borders of wood walks, as 
being naturally a wood plant. 
To propagate thefe fhrubs, it is effedled principally 
by feed, (the berries) fowed in autumn, in Odlober 
or November, or in the fpring, February or March, 
in beds of light earth, either in drills, fix inches to a 
footdiftance, or broad-caft on the furface, and earthed 
over an inch deep, they will come up freely the firlt 
year ; keep them clean from weeds, and when they are 
of one or two fummers’ growth, four or five to fix or 
eight inches high, tranfplant them in autumn or fpring 
into nurfery-beds, trained to a Angle Item below, and 
permitted to branch out above ; and in their advanced 
growth of about a foot and a half to two or three feet, 
are proper for the Ihrubbery. 
Or, by layers of the young fhoots, in autumn or 
fpring, moll of the forts may alfo be propagated, ef- 
pecially in default of feeds, or to propagate the va¬ 
rieties, to continue them more certainly in their dif- 
tinttive differences ; they will be rooted for planting 
off in autumn following. 
Likewife where fuckers from the roots occur, they 
may be taken up in autumn or fpring, with roots to 
each ; and planted, they at once form young plants. 
When the plants, raifed by any of the above me¬ 
thods of propagation, are from a foot and a half to 
two or three feet growth in the nurfery, they are of 
proper fize for final tranfplanting into the pleafure- 
grpund, in Ihrubberies, clumps, borders, &c. in 
which the requifite to culture is that in common with 
other Ihrubs, hoed clean from weeds in fummer, and 
the ground digged between them in winter, when 
you may prune cafual irregular Ihoots or branches. 
Or Flowers of different Sexes, as Hermaphrodite, Male 
and Female, upon two jeparate Plants in the fame 
Species. 
THE Diospyros comprifes two hardy deciduous 
trees, of moderate and fmailer growth, employed in 
pleafure-ground plantations for ornament and variety; 
cloathed in fummer with oblong, Ample leaves, in one 
fpecies, curious in being of different colours; and her¬ 
maphrodite and female flowers on the fame, an 1 male 
flowers on diftintt plants; compofed of monophyllous 
or one-leaved four-parted cups, a corolla, monopeta- 
lous, or of one petal four-parted, containing eight 
llamina and one quadrifid ftylus, fucceeded, in the 
hermaphrodite and female flowers, by large globular, 
baccaceous or berried fruit, furnilhed with many feeds, 
by which the trees are propagated. 
The Species of DIOSPYROS are, 
I. Diospyros Lotus —(Lotus) Falfe Lotus, or 
Indian Date Plum. 
A moderate deciduous tree, growing twenty feet 
high or more—the leaves ( moderately Large ) cblong, 
the furfaces of different colours.—Native of Maurita¬ 
nia, France and Italy. ( Dry fituation.) 
Varieties. —Broad-leaved Date Plum. 
Narrow-leaved African Date Plum. 
2. Diospyros « mrginiana —Virginian Diofpyros, 
or Piihamin Plum. 
A fmall deciduous tree, growing fifteen or eighteen 
feet high—the leaves (moderately large) oblong, with 
the furfaces all of one colour (green)—Native of 
North America. (Dry, or any common foil.) 
Thefe two fpecies of Diofpyros are proper tc affemble 
in fhrubberies, and other plantation compartments in 
pleafure - groundsprincipally in the deciduous tree 
colledlions, in which tiiey will increafe the variety very 
agreeably ; and may be planted in any fituation in a 
moderately dry, or any common foil, in company with 
other trees and Ihrubs; and for wnicii occafion they 
may be had at the public nurferies, and planted in 
autumn or fpring. 
The roots of old Mezereon fhrubs are valuable in 
medical preparations, and for which the druggifls 
give a good price per pound. 
They are propagated by feed, which may be fowed 
in the fpring in a bed of light earth, an inch deep, 
or in pots, plunged into a gentle hot-bed to forward 
the germination of the feed, and bring up the plants 
looner. 
