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beautiful plant than this, when it is in full luftre. 

 From the leaves of this pknt being partly coloured 

 like the feathers of parrots, fome botanifts have fe- 

 parated tliis fpccies from the others, and conftituted 

 a (renus of it bythe'title of Pllttacus. 

 The fecond fort hath been introduced into the Eng- 

 lilli o-ardens much later than th.e former. 



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And thefe feeds will remain in the ground fevcral 



This groves 



years, and as often as tliey are turned up to the fur- 

 face, they will produce plants ; fo that wlien plants 

 are fuffered to ftand till their feeds fall, there will 

 be every fummer frella crops of the plants for fevcral 

 years. 



The twelfth fort grows about two feet high, puttinp* 

 out many fide branches, fo as to form a bufhy plantt 

 tlie leaves are oblong, and the fpikes come out at 

 every joint, where the ftalks are armed v/ith fl:iarp 

 prickles, and at the extremity of the branches, the 

 fpikes are longer than thofe of the Ude : thefe are 

 flender, and are inclining to a brown colour, fo make 

 no great figure, therefore is rarely allowed to have 

 a place, except in bc:anic gardens. . 

 The feeds of the thirteenth fort were fent me from 

 the Bahama Illands, as an efculent plant, bearing fins 

 . flov/ers. This grows three feet higli, with purple 

 Ipikes, as alio at the extremity of the branches, but ftalks and leaves ; the fpikes are fhort and cylindri- 



to tlic fame height, and in the manner of its growth 

 oTcacly rcfembies it ; but the leaves have only two 

 colours, v/hich are an obfcure purple, and a bright 

 crimlbn ; thefe are fo blended as to let off each other, 

 and when the plants are vigorous, they make a fine 

 appearance. 



Tiic third fort hath no great beauty ; it grows about 

 tln-ee feet high with an upright ilalk, which fends out 

 fome lateral branches toward the top,; thefe are gar- 

 nifted with oval heart-ihaped leaves. The flowers 

 are produced at the wings of the ftalks in roundifti 



have very little beauty, fo do not deferve a place in cal ; thefe are frequently produced from tlie winp-s of 



The young plants of this fort are the ftalks, but at the extremity of the ftalk arifes a 



the flov/er-garden. 



gathered to boil inftead of Spinach by the inhabitants large clufter of fpikes which are placed croffwife, with 



of India, where it grows naturally, and from thence I one upright ftalk ia the middle. Tiiefe are of a 



I received the feeds of it as an efculent plant. | bright purple colour at firft, but afterward fade to a 



The fourth fort grov/s naturally in America. This I darker colour, as the feeds ripen, 



hatli an upright ttem, three feet high •, the leaves and I The fourteenth fort is a native of North America, 



ftalks are of a pale green colour ; the fpikes of flow-* I from whence the feeds were fent to Europe, bu^ is 



ers are produced from the wings of the ftalks, and I now become a common weed in many gardens near 



alfo in clufters at the extremity of the branches : London, fo is feldom allowed a place, except in bo- 





they are very long and han^ , ^ 



bright purple colour. I have meafuredfome of thefe 



downward,' being of a tanic gardens. 



The fifteenth fort has no beaiity, therefore not wor- 



fpikes, which were two feet and a half long, fo that thy of a place in gardens : this and the fixteenth fort 



many of them have reached the ground. 



are efteemed in fome parts of India as efculent herbs ; 



The fifth fort hath a ftrong ftem, which rifes to the | the inhabitants of thofe warm countries, gather the 

 height of feven or eight feet, fending forth many ho- herbs while young, and drefs them inftead of Spi- 

 rizontal branches toward the^ top, garnifhed with ob- | nach, but being much inferior to it, they are feldom 



^^^^ in thofe countries where Spinach will thrive. 

 Thefe plajits grow frpm two to three feet high, and 

 when they have room, v/ill fend out m.any fide 

 branches -, but if their feeds are permitted to fcatter, 

 t;here will be a plentiful fupply of plants the follow- 



long, rough, green leaves. At the extremity of every 

 flioor, the cylindrical fpikes of a purple colour are 

 produced, which hang dov/nward ; but thefe are fel- 

 dom half the length of thofe of the former fort, and 

 are much thicker. This is the fort of Amaranth, 

 which is directed by the college to be uied in me- 

 dicine. 



ing fummer. 



f 



TliC fixthfort grovv-s near three feet high, putdng China, and the two firft years they were fowrT in Eng- 

 cut feveral fide Ranches, which are garniflied with | land, produced beautiful heads of flowers, whick 

 oval blunt leaves •, at the ends of the branches tlie 

 fpikes are produced in clufters and grow ^re(5l:, thefe 

 are of a deep purple colour. 



The feventh fort grov/s near four feet high; the 

 ftalks are inclined to red ; the leaves are of an oval 

 Ijijear-fliaped figure, green colour, marked with pur- 

 ple fpots, and have very long foot-ftalks. The fpikes 

 comiC out at the extremity of the branches in clufters, 

 as alfo from the wings of the ftalks •, thefe are of a 

 pale green colour, and grow ere£l. I have received 

 the feeds of this fort from Portugal, by the title of 



Brcdos, recommending it to be cultivated as a culi- 

 nary herb. 



The eighth fort grows naturally in moft of the warm 

 parts of Europe, and alfo in America; for wherever 

 it is permitted to fcatter its feeds, the plants will come 



up the following fummer, and become troulvlefome 

 WTcds, as will alfo the ninth fort -, fo thefe are feldom 

 cultivated, as they are only prefei'ved in botanic gar- 

 dens for the lake of Variety. The ftalks of both thefe 

 forts fpread on the ground. 



Tlie tentli fort grows upward of three feet high, and 

 iends out many fide branches, which are hairy, and 

 garniflied widi oblong rough leaves. The fpikes are 

 produced fron:i the v/ings of the ftalks, as alfo at the 

 xtremity of the branches, growing horizontally, and 

 are of a green colour. There is little beauty in this 

 plant, therefore is feldom admitted to gardens, unlefs 

 for the fake of variety. 



The eleventh fort has been long in England, and was 

 formerly propagated in flower-gardens, but is now 

 become a common weed, frequently growing upon 

 dunghills : for as the plants abound '\vith feeds, fo 

 wliere they are permitted to fcatter, there will be 



plenty of the plants come up the following fummer. 



made a gay appearance ; but afterward the feeds de- 

 generated, and the plants which v/ere produced from 

 them had little b?auty ; which is tlie cafe with fome 

 others of this genus, fo ftiould not be efteemed as 

 diftind fpecies. ' - . 



The forts which are worthy of a place in the plca- 

 fure-garden, are particularly the firft a!:d fecond: 



the 



thefe are tender, and require fome art and care to 

 bring them to perfection in England, thercf:^:-e 

 their management will be hereafter more particularly 

 inferted. 



Next to thefe are the fourth, fifth, and thirteentli 

 forts. The feeds of thefe fliould be fown upon a m.o- 

 derate hot-bed toward the end of March, and when 

 the plants come up, they fhould have a large fliare 

 of air admitted to them m mild weather, to prevent 

 ir drawing up weak. When they are large enough 

 totranfplant, there fliould be another moderate hot- 

 bed provided, to which they fliould be removed, 

 placing them at fix inches diftance every way, obferv- 

 ipg to water them, as alfo to fliade them from tlie 

 fun until they have taken new root ; after which the 

 air fliould be freely admitted to them, at all times 

 when the weather is favourable ; their waterings fliould 

 be frequent, but 'not given in great quantities. As 

 the plants advance, and the warmth of the feafon in- 

 creafes, they fliould have a greater flaare of air, that 

 by degrees they may Be hardened to bear the open 



air. 



J 



with large balls of earth to their roots, and planted 

 fome into pots, and others into the borders of the 

 pleafure-garden, obfcrving to fhade them until they 

 have taken good root ; after which they muft be fre- 

 quently watered in diy weather, efpccially thofe in 

 the pots, which v/ill require watering evcrv evening 



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