c u c u 
duncles refembling the petioles, but Ihortcr. Fruit round- 
i(h, ovate-globular or oblong-ovate; pale green on the 
outfide, and commonly hifpid, with bridly hairs; within 
having a fpongy inlipid white pulp or flelh ; divided in 
the middle into three primary cells, each of which is 
double, and tliefe are lubdivided into the proper ceils 
of the feeds, which are very numerous, horizontal, ellip¬ 
tic, of a comprelfed lens ihape, fmooth, whitifh, encircled 
with a rounded tumid margin, and within that with a 
raifed line: it has four coats, the outermod very thin 
and tranfparent; the next leathery, brittle, and white; 
the third fomewhat flefliy, and green; and the inmed 
membranaceous, and cobwebbed : albumen none; em¬ 
bryo elliptic, white; feed-leaves flelhy, (lightly convex 
on the outfide, flat within, veiny-wrinkled. The fruit 
varies in form and fizej two hundred and fixty of them, 
on an average the lize of half a peck, have been pro¬ 
duced from a Angle plant in New England. In Europe, 
the pompion, which we have corrupted to pumpkin, is 
frequently planted by the country people on their dung¬ 
hills, and differed to trail at length over the grafs of an 
orchard. When the fruit is ripe, they cur a hole on one 
fide, and, having taken out the feeds, they fill the void 
with diced apples, adding a little fugar and fpice, and 
bake it; but it is efteemed hard of digedion. In the 
eadern Countries, it is reckoned the molt wholefome of 
the cucurbitas, and is even given to the fick, as being 
cooling and diuretic. Its natural place of growth is not 
known. It flowers from June to Augud; and was culti¬ 
vated here before 1570, as appears from Lobel. Formerly 
pompions were called in Englifh melons, or corruptly mil 
lions- y and the true melons, nut/k-melons. 
5. Cucurbira verrucofa, or wartedgourd : leaves lobed; 
fruits knobby-warted. The plant, flower, and leeds, of 
this, are the fame as in the pompion; but the fruit is 
final ler, v, ith a harder rind, that is almod woody. L011- 
reir-o is of opinion, that it is no more than a variety of 
the next fpecies. The warted gourd is very common in 
molt parts of America, where it is cultivated as a culi¬ 
nary fruit. It varies in form and fize, being round, flat, 
fhaped like a bottle, or oblong ; the rind is white when 
the fruit is ripe, and covered with large protuberances 
or warts. It is commonly gathered when half grown, 
and boiled by the inhabitants of America to eat as fauce 
wi h their meat. In England it is cultivated only as a 
curiofity, a variety of better efculent plants being in fea- 
fon here when thefe are fit for ufe. 
6. Cucurbita melopepo, orfquaflt gourd: leaves lobed; 
Item ereft; fruits flatted, knobby. This, fays Linnaeus, 
has tendrils on the Hem, though it be neither climbing 
nor procumbent. I11 this, however, he is wrong ; for 
I.oureiro informs us, that in India it is always fcandent 
when a fupport is at hand, but when there is none it is 
procumbent. Miller alfo remarks, that it often grows 
with a ftrong bulhy ere£t dalk, without putting out run¬ 
ners from the fide like the other forts, but that, after it 
has been cultivated a few years in the fame garden, the 
plants will become trailing; and that feeds out of the 
lame fruit have produced eredt plants bearing the fame 
fruit with the parent, in one garden ; and in another, 
trailing plants, with larger fruit, of a different Ihape. It 
is common in North America, where it is cultivated for 
the fame purpefes as the preceding. Alfo in the Ead 
Indies, China, &c. The fruit is of great ule in long voy¬ 
ages, for it may be kept feveral months frelh and lweet. 
7. Cucurbita ckrullus, or water-melon : leaves many- 
parted. Stem round, (mated, long, branched, hairy, 
procumbent, diftuled, with lateral bifid tendrils, Flowers 
yellow, on fliorr, folitary, lateral, peduncles. Fruit large, 
fmooth, round or oblong, a foot and a half in length, 
within watery, fweet, very red or pale. Seeds black or 
rufous. The fruit varies much in form and colour. It 
is cultivated in the warm countries of Europe; alfo in 
Ai»a, Africa, and-America, where it is greatly efteemed 
for its wholefome cooling quality. In England it is not 
Vol, V. No. 187. 
KBIT A. 457 
much regarded, as being too cold and watery. Native 
of the fouth of Europe; and cultivated before 1797 by 
Gersrde. It ferves the Egyptians tor meat, drink, and 
piiyfic. It is eaten in abundance during the fe.Ton, which 
is from the beginning of May until the overflowing of 
the Nile, that is, to the end of July, or beginning of 
Augufl:. It is the only medicine the ctmnion people ufe 
in ardent fevers; for this purpofe they have a variety 
that is fofter and more juicy than the common fort: 
when this is very ripe, or almofl putrid, they collect tire 
juice, and mix it with rofe-water and a little iugar. This 
fruit (hould be eaten by Europeans with, great caution ; 
when taken in the heat of the day, whillt the body is 
warm, colics and other bad confequences often enlue ; 
and it is well knuwn that perfons aie much troubled 
with worms, at the time this fruit is in leafon. Ge- 
rarde calls the water-melon cilruls, cucumber citrils, and 
pome citruls ; Parkinfon, the citrull, or Turkic million, a hree 
other fpecies of cucurbita are mentioned to grow in the 
Society Hies, which Foider has named prunens, afpera, 
and multi flora. 
Propagation and Culture. 1 to 6. Thefe may be propa¬ 
gated by lowing their feeds in April on a hot-bed; when 
the plants come up, they fliould be tran'fplanted on ano¬ 
ther moderate bed, where they lliould be brought up 
hardily, and have a great deal of air to llrengthen them ; 
when they have got four or five leaves, they (hould be 
tranfplanted into holes made uj on an old dunghill, or 
fome fuch place, allowing them a great deal of room to 
run, for fome of the (orts will fpread to a great didance. 
The firlt fort requires to be treated more tenderly than 
the others, in order to procure ripe fruit; the feeds there-- 
fore fliould be (own upon a moderate hot-bed in April, 
and the plants afterwards planted each into a penny pot, 
and plunged into a very moder te hot-bed to bring them 
forward ; but they mull not be tenderly treated; tor, if. 
they have not a large (hare of free- air admitted to them 
every day, they will draw up weak. When the plants 
are grown too large to be continued in the pots, there 
fliould be holes dug where they are defigned to grow,, 
and three or four barrows full of hot dung put into each ; 
thefe fhould be covered with earth, into which the plants 
mu(l be planted, and covered with hand-glalfes till they 
run out. Some people let thefe plants by the fides of 
arbours, over which they train the vines; fo that in a 
fhort time they will cover the whole arbour, and afford 
a ftrong (bade, and upon fome of thefe arbours exhibit 
the longed fruit. Others plant them near walls, pales, 
or hedges, to which they laden the vines, and train them 
to a great height: Hie orange-fhaped gourd is the fort 
which is mod commonly fo planted, for the ornament of 
its fruit, which has a pretty effefl, efpecially when leen 
at fome didance. All the forts require a large fupply of 
water in dry weather. 
7. Fird provide fome feeds, which diould be three or 
four years old ; for new feeds are apt to produce vigorous 
plants, which are feldom fo fruitful as thole of a mode¬ 
rate drength. The bed forts to cultivate in England, are 
thofe with fmall round fruit, which come from Adracan: 
thofe witli very large fruit feldom ripen well in this 
climate. Prepare a heap of new dung the beginning of 
February, which (hould be thrown in a heap for about 
twelve days to heat, turning it over twice, mixing it 
w.ell ; then make a hot-bed, in which thefe feeds, as alfo 
cucumber-feeds and mufk-melons, may be fown. The 
dung (hould be well wrought in making the bed, and 
mnd be beaten down pretty clofe with a dung-fork, that 
the heat may not be too violent, but of longer continue - 
ance. When the dung is thus laid, cover it about four 
inches thick with good light earth; and, having, fpread 
it very even, put the frame and glafs over it, leaving it 
to warm four or five days before you put the feeds into 
it; obferving, if the deam rifes pretty much, to raife up 
the glafs to let it pafs off: then, if you find your bed in a 
proper temper, you may low your feeds therein in drills, 
6 A. severing; 
