Some additional observations on the method of preserving seeds from foreign parts : for the benefit of our American colonies : with an account of the garden at St. Vincent, under the care of Dr. George Young

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SOME ADDITIONAL

OBSERVATIONS

On the METHOD of

Prefcrving SEEDS from Foreign Parts,

For the Benefit of

OUR AMERICAN COLONIES.

WITH AN ACCOUNT OT

The Garden at St. FIN CENT,

UNDER THE CARE OF

Dr. GEORGE YOUNG,

By JOHN ELLIS, F. R. S.

LONDON,

Printed for W. Bowyer and J. Nichols, at Cicero’s-Head, 1#
Red-Lion-PalTage, Fleet-Street.

MDCCLXXIir.

Some further Obfervations pn the Prefervation of Seeds
and Plants in a vegetating State, which have occurred
to me fince I publidied the foregoing,

Seeds of the Rheum falmatum^ oi true Rhubarb, which
were folded up in paper, and fent in letters by the packet
-to leveral of our colonies ^ of North America, did not fucceed
well: whereas thofe that were fent by the fame conveyance,
after having been firft inclofed in flat tin boxes, or varnifhed
iron fnuff-boxes, and then put up into letters, grew very freely,
as did thofe put up in chip-boxes, and kept by the captains of
private fhips in their chefts or bureaus during the voyage.
The reafon of this defedt of the feeds fent by the packet inclofed
in paper only, appears plainly to arife from their being preffed
too clofe together by the many letters in the mail, and kept in
a damp Rate for perhaps two months, or more, by which means
they became putrid and half rotten by the time they arrived ;
whereas thofe that were kept in clofe tin and other boxes, were
free from the damp and putrid air, and remained in an inadtive
Rate, perfedUy found, as was evident from their growing freely
after they were fown.

Had the feed-veffels, with the feeds of that valuable plant
the Chlamydia., from New Zealand, which was brought over
by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, and yields a kind of very fine
Hemp, been put into fmall dry clofe boxes, or tin canifters,

B 2 they

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they would probably have grown ; but unfortunately the beft
fpecimens were placed between papers, fo that notwithflanding
the germen of the feeds looked very fair in the microfcope, yet
owing to their long continuance between the damp papers in fo
tedious a voyage, none of them, to our great mortification, have
vegetated,;- nay, even thofe that were preferved in wax did not
grow, for the feeds are too thin and chaffy to keep any time,
unlefs preferved within their capfules in- fmail fnuff-boxea, or
perhaps in vials.

Another obfervation occurs to me with regard to feeds pre-
ferved in'wax, which is-, that if they are not Town immediately
upon being taken out of the wax, they will certainly perifh ;
and that is one of the reafons why fo many feeds of the Tea
tree that have been inclofed in wax have mifcarried ; for when
they arrive, the perfons who receive them take them - out of the
wax to be diftributed among their many friends. To that they
feldom are fown till fome time after,, when' the germen,' which
foon, withers, has already lofl' all its vegetating powers ; hence
our hopes are dlfappointed, and. this methodidifapproved.

There is another inftance within my own knowledge, of Teeds
not growing that were preferved in wax: this defe-<ft IToUnd was
owing to their being kept for fome' day^ expofed to the air after
they were taken out of the wax before they were put into the
ground; and happened in the following manner.

When the chip-box full of acorns, of the growth of the
year 1766, preferved through the feafon in wax-, was opened:
before the Royal Society, December the 5th,’ 1767; in order to
examine whether they were found, the Prefident, Lord Mor-^
ton, put fome of them in his pocket to try the experiment
himfelf, whether they would' vegetate .'after fo long ^onThe--
.ment from the. air, as from February to December; a<!^after he

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had-

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Bad kept them two or three days, planted them at his country-
feat;. but not one of them, as he informed me, came up:
whereas three out of four of the remainder, that were com-
mitted by the Society to the care of Mr. Aiton, at the Royal
Garden at Kevv, came up, and were produced before the So-
ciety tlie fpring following *.

A further confirmation of the danger of expofing feeds to the
air, and not fowiiig, them diredlly when opened, will appear
from the following e'xtradl of a letter from Fort Marlborough,
in Sumatra, dated March the 5th, 1771, to a gentleman in Lon-
don, who was fo kind as to communicate it to me.

“ The Grafs-feeds that you fent me in bottles (fuch as red and
“ white Clover, Trefoil, Lucerne, &c.) I planted immediately a
“ little of each ; thefe grew extremely well. A few days after
“ I fowed fome more in a different foil*, and only a few vegetated;
“ and fell off im mediately. I then thought it was owing to the
foil, and directly planted the remainder in the firfl foil, but not
one ever fliewed itfelf, which mull: be owing to the air let
“ in upon them.” This parcel was put up with Guinea pepper.

This may afford a hint to gentlemen, both in the Eaft and
Weft-Indies, to order their feedfmen to put up the feeds in fmall
packages, that the whole in each package may be fown at the
fame time; for it appears by this experiment, that the external
air, which is very hot in thofe countries when compared to
this, as foon as the feeds are expofed to it, immediately dries*
up their natural moifoure, and caufes their lobe leaves and ger-

■* 1, have mentioned ' in the Phil. Tranfadtlons-, that there were but 36 acorns
at firft preferved in wax in the box ; but I formed this calculation from the num-
ber which Mr, Aiton fays he received, which was 34 added to the two that were
cut open before the Society, not knowing till fome time after the account was
prLtcd, that Lord Morton had taken out four, to make the experiment himfelf.

men-

men foon to perifli and grow rancid. Such packets of feeds, as
are not opened, (liould be kept as they come over in their bot-
tles, canifters, or jars, in the cooled; cellars, in tight calks or
clofe boxes ; for we may obferve, that it has been the practice
of all ages, in hot climates, to keep corn found by placing it in
fubterraneous caverns.

I mu ft here take notice of a method that I wifli to have
tried, in order to bring Mangoes and Mangofteens with the
ftones found in them from the Eaft-lndies, and alfo the fruit of
the Chocolate Nut, and the Avocado Pear, &c. from the Weft-
Indies.

It is well known to moft gentlemen, that the Italians have a
method of fending fruit through different parts of the country,
by giving them a flight covering of wax, which preferves them
‘frefh for a long time. If then we follow the fame method with
Mangoes, Mangofteens, Chocolate Fruit, Avocado Pear, and
many other fruits, packing them in boxes, or fmall calks fur-
rounded with clayed fugar, or what is generally called in the
fhops Lilbon fugar, I make no doubt but the ftones and feeds
at leaft will come over in a growing ft ate ; fome of the ripe
Mangoes and Mangofteens in wax, may be covered with paper
■each, and fent home in fmall boxes-; for Ihould the pulp be de-
cayed, yet the kernels in the ftones may be found and in a
growing ftate, as happens in Apples, Oranges, Lemons and
Limes, alfo Peaches, Plumbs and moft ftone-fruit, the pulp of
.which is generally rotten before the feeds are fown.

Another reafon why fo many of the Tea feeds fail, is the
method taken by the Chinefe to keep them found ; which they
' do, by drying them in earthen veflels over the f re ; and they
.alfo treat many of the feeds that come from the northern parts
of China in the fame manner; this is intended as a caution to
curious perfons who purchafe them, to defire they would Ipare

themfelves

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themfeives that trouble with fuch as are to be planted. Several
of the nuts of the Ginkgo, or Maiden-hair tree, were fent me
from China preferved in wax; but my friend wrote to me, that
he feared they had been dried by the fire, as Walnuts and Chef-
nuts are in Spain, to prevenf their vegetating while on their
voyage ; he propofes, if poffible, to procure fome in a growing
ftate, as this is a moft elegant and hardy tree, bearing nuts like
the Piftachia tree, which are in high efleem with the Chinefe
and Japanefe, and would grow well in the Carolinas and Vir-
ginia, and probably will be very ufeful to the inhabitants of
North America. Mr. Gordon, Nurferyman, near Mile-end,
has propagated this valuable tree in the open air for near
thefe twenty years pad:; it is at prefent but little known, only
to the curious in Exoticks,

Since it is extremely difficult to procure the ripe feeds of
many valuable plants from the Eaft-Indies, I have recommended
it to the feveral curious gentlemen refident there, to propagate
them from cuttings, in pots under bell-glalfes of fix inches di-
ameter, and feven or eight inches high, taking care to place
earth round the outfide of the bottom of the glalTes, that no
air may come to them, but what pafiTes through the earth, and
to fhade them from the violent heat of the fun * ; the cuttings may
be about four inches long, and mufi; be taken from the younger
fhoots of the plant, not the hard woody partf; they mufi:
be kept moift till the roots are formed. When thefe are well
footed, they may be placed with their pots in earth, in calks, or
boxes, defended by wires, as I have formerly direfled.

* The cuttings are to have but little water till they begin to flioot.

t If the plant is of a foft and fpongy texture, it may be proper to take off
the cuttings with a little of the former year’s growth.

The

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The

The

The

with many other rare plants, which we have not yet been able
by any method to introduce into our publick exotic gardens.

Laft year I received from Jamaica a variety of feeds of trees,
many of which were unknown to us here ; each kind was tied
up in a piece of coarfe brown paper, and the whole packed up
in fomc Iheets of the fame. When I examined them by cutting
fome of each open, I found that mofl of them were become
dry and rancid, and very few of them vegetated. To prevent
a difappointment of this kind for the future, I have directed my
friend, when the feeds of the largefl kinds which he colledls
are ripe and properly fweated and cleaned, to put them into
tight tin canifters, or earthen veflels, fuch as pickling jars;
each kind of feed may be kept feparate in a fmall bag of old white

linen

tollowing plants will fucceed, when treated in this

manner.

haurus Cinamomum. True Cinna-
mon.

Laurus Cqjjia-, or, Caffialignea.

Garcinia Mongojlona', or, Mango-
Ifeen.

Oka Odorata.\ or, ^ee-faw.

Camellia-, or, Tfubakki.

Mangifera-, or, Mango.

Thea\ or. Tea Tree,

Piper Nigriwt ; or, Black-pepper,

Tobago Nutmeg.

Pheobroma Cacao-, or, Chocolate Nut.

Cordia Sebejlena-, or, the Scarlet Clove, without fmell, of
Sir Hans Sloane, T. 164, vol. i. Hift. of Jam.

In this manner the Gar-
deners here propagate
many of their rareft
plants ; the Garde-
nia, or Cape Jafminei
the Tea Tree, &c.
The Illicium Florida-
num has lately been
found to ftrilce root
very freely from cut-

( 9 )

linen, or of writing- paper, and all the forts mufl be furrouiided in
the bags with whole rice, millet, panic, or any fmall farrinaceous
grain, to fill tip the interflices or vacancies between the feeds ;
and I do not doubt but wheat bran, or ground Indian corn, if
properly dried, would anfwer the purpofe very well. When
the caniilier, or jar, is full, and the parcel clofely preffed down,
but not fo as to bruife the feeds, a fmall quantity of Camphire
fhould be inclofed in a piece of paper, or fmall pill-box, and
put into the top of each canifter, or jar, which mufl be well
fluffed with paper before the cover is put on ; the inclofed fumes
of the Camphire will deflroy the infefts ; and for the fame
purpofe, in feme canifters, inflead of Camphire, a fmall
quantity of Sulphur or Tobacco may be put. The tops
of the canifters and jars muft be fecured in fuch a manner, as
to prevent the external air from getting accefs to their contents.
I ought to mention here, that I have received feeds from China,
inclofed in tortoifefhell and in horn fnuff-boxes, in moft excel-
lent order, and fome inclofed in two ounce vials, corked and
fealed. In a country where mofs is to be had, fome canifters
or jars may have the feeds furrounded with dried mofs, inftead
of the farrinaceous feeds, which I think is an excellent method.
Thefe canifters and jars ftiould afterwards be put up in boxes,
and packed in faw-duft, chaff, or mofs, and kept in a cool part
of the Ihip. Thefe methods are recommended, as few people
will be at the trouble of inclofing feeds properly in bees-wax.

JSf. B. Dried fbapy earth, or clean fand, not fea-fand, that
has been well wafhed and dried, may be tried inftead of
farrinaceous feed, to fill up the vacancies.

Further, I ftiall advife every curious perfon, who intends to
bring home either feeds or plants, to take out with him a fack

C or

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or two of dried mofs, which he may have from the eminent
feedfmen, or nurferymen about London. It will take up very
little room on board a (hip, for it may ferve to pack bottles.
If the mofs is collected while it is green, and in a growing
flate, and then well dried, no vegetable of that tender texture
refills putrefaction fo much, nor does any hold moillure fo
long without decaying ; for which reafon, it is ufed with great
fuccefs by our nurferymen, to keep the earth moift about their
pots of plants.

The method of packing is as follows ; they put a quantity
of rotten fern, or leaves of trees, almoft diflblved to mould,
into the balket or cafe ; then link their pots into it ; the furface
of the pots, and the vacancies between them, mull be filled up
and covered with wet mofs, and then covered over with wheat
Araw, which mull be fecured very clofe over the mofs, by
flicks placed crofs and crofs ; this will keep in the moifture:
The top of the balket, or cafe, is to be worked over the plants
with loofe wicker-work, or hoops, and then covered with Rulfia
■matting; by thefe means the plants may be font a voyage of
two months, without requiring any water.

It is with plealure I hear that a garden is eftablilhed in St.
Vincent’s, for the culture of the moft ufeful plants, intended
for the general benefit of the American Iflands, many of which
• may, in time, become profitable articles of commerce.

General Melvill cannot be too much commended for the
pains he has taken in this mo A excellent plan, and in placing
the care of it under Dr. George Young, principal furgeon to
■the hofpital, whofe indefatigable zeal in collecting and propa-
gating a variety of the moA valuable plants, is known to
all the curious botaniAs about London ; who are fo well
fatisfied of the utilitj- of fuch a garden, that they have contri-

^ buted

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buted every thing in their power to promote fo noble and ufeful
an undertaking.

Dr. Young has favoured me with a catalogue of what plants
are now growing in this 'garden, and of the plants he has lately
collected here to carry out with him : which I take the liberty
to infert, for the fatisfadion of the publick.

C 2

A Catalogue

( *2 )

A Catalogue, of Plants in the publick Garden at St. Vincent’s.

Cinnamon.

Logwood.

SafBower.

Turmeric.

Eaft-India Mango.

Paper Mulberry.

Scammony.

Colocynth.

Rhubarb.

Tobago Nutmeg.
Balfam Capavi.

Sefamum ; or, Oily
Grain.

CaJJia Fjjhila.

China Hoot.

Gum Galbanum.
Simaruba. ,

SpigeUa\ or, IVorm-
grafs.

Citron.

Bergamot Orange,
Bamboo Cane,

Italian Senna.

Aloes.

Coriander.

Annifeed.

Vanelloes.

Dates.

Anatto.

Guaiacum.

China Tallow-tree.
The Plant on which
the Cochineal In-
fed; is found.

The following Plants he takes with him, which he has re-

O

ceived from the moft celebrated Botanic Gardens about
London,

Tea Shrub.

Sago Palm.

Gum Storax-tree.
Cljius habdanifera.
Succotrine Aloes.
Manqa Afh,
Almonds.

Olives.

Cork-trees.
Caraphire tree.

Gardenia.

China Lechee.
jddanfonia ; or, Sour
Gourd-tree.
Gingko, from China,
which bears Nuts
like Piftachias.
Cafuarina, a heavy
red wood from
Otahitee,

Balauhians,
Piftachia.
Tereblnthus.
Le?itifcus', or, Maf-
tic-tree.

Florida Starry An-
nifeed.

Zant Currant-tree.
Dracaena Draco, the
Gum Dragon-tree.

Dr.

( >3 )■

Dr. Young has brought a certificate from the chief magiflrate
of St. Vincent’s, that he had growing in this garden 140
healthy plants of the true Cinnamon, the beginning of May,
1772.. The Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufac-
tures, and Commerce, being fenfible of the importance of pro-
pagating this valuable fpice in our American Iflands, have pre-
sented him with a Gold Medal, as a token ot their efteem and,,
approbation.

When Dr. Young firfl planted the Cinnamon feeds, feveral
parcels of which he had received at different times, he found,
though he planted them with great care, that none of them
came up : but being driven by ftrefs of weather into Guada--
loupe, he obtained leave to go up into the country where there
are fome Cinnamon-trees ; and looking for fome feeds that had
fallen from thefe trees, he found many juft fhooting out their
roots among the grafs and. rotten leaves under them. Taking
this hint, the next feeds he received, he fowed very fliallow in
the earth, under the fhade of a tree, and from 200 feeds raifed
140 plants.

He further obferves, that the grafTes to be propagated for
cattle, are the Scotch grafs, ox Panlcum^ the, fecond of Browne’s
Hift. of Jamaica, and the Guinea grafs, ox Holcus, the fecond
of the fame author.. The latter requires lefs moifture than the
former; both are propagated by parting their roots,, and then
planting them in rows, and are of the greatefl ufe in the iflands.

In many of our Eafl-India fettlements thefe gralfes would
be of infinite fervice, where red and white Clover and Lucerne
have been tried, and will not come to perfedion : which is the
reafon of my taking notice of them here. The roots may be
-brought to England, packed in mofs, or replanted in earth,
and from hence fent to the Eaft-Indies in wired boxes, where

they

( >4 )

they may be of great advantage, particularly the Guinea grafs.
The Chluefe have a fmall Phafeolus^ or Kidney-bean, which
they call Luktau. This has been lately introduced into Georgia,
by Mr. Samuel Bowen, who makes Sago there.; he fays,
where grafs is fcarce, this furnillies excellent fodder for cattle,
as it may be ealily made into hay .; that it rifes from i8 inches
to two feet high, and produces four crops in the year. It
might, therefore, prove very ufeful to our iflands, as well as
to our Eaft-India fettlements.

I cannot avoid mentioning how much we are indebted to tlie
extraordinary attention of John Bradby Blake, Efq; rehdent
Factor at Canton, who fent over laid year a great variety of the
feeds of curious plants, from the northern parts of China,
which he had procured by means of the Jefuits, and which his
father, Capt. Blake, has mod: generoufly difpofed of to the
Royal, and other Botanic Gardens, about London, to be pro-
perly taken care of. This gentleman has likewife fent a par-
cel of the Cochin China Rice, the, feeds >of the Tallow-tree,
the fingle Gardenia^ for dying fcarlet, and many other curious
and ufeful feeds from Canton, in order to be fent to our Ame-
rican Colonies, together with a great variety of elegant plants
from thence, in a grov/ing Rate. Further, Mr. Blake has
now in his employ, two eminent Chinefe Artifts, to
paint all the valuable plants of that country., in their proper
colours, both in flower and fruit ; fpccimens of this work he
has fent to his father, and which have been much admired by
the bed: judges that have feen them.

N. B. It is earnedly recommended to fuch perlbns as col-
led: feeds and plants in foreign parts, to remark the par-
icular kind of foil and fltuation, in which each plant
6 grows ;

( '5 )

grows ; and, if they have a thermometer, to mark the
height of it, at the time of flowering of each plant, and
alfo the medium of the fummer heat,, and winter’s cold
of each climate which hints may be of great ufe to
Gardeners, who are employed in railing and propagating
thefe plants.

I mull: further add, that there is at prefent a laudable fpirit
among many of the curious Eaft-India captains, who are deter-
mined, if poffible, to bring over alive, plants of the true
black-pepper, the CaJJia Lignea^ the Rattan, and. true walking
Cane, Mangos and Mangofteens, Cardamums, Sago Palm,
Sappan-tree, and Jljfa Foetida, and to fearch for the valuable
fpices near fome of our fettlements ; fp that in a few years, I
hope, if this ufeful w’ork is carried on wdth the fame fpirit as
at prefent, our Colonies in North- America and the Weft-
Indies, will be In pofleffion of all the ufeful plants of the Eaft,
as well as thofe of the Spanilh and Portuguele fettlements in
South-America,

F I N I S,

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