

A M A 



t;ian t]iofc which are kept hi pots, and will multiply 



4 



The fourtli fort is fuppofcd to come originally from 

 Japan, hut has been many years cultivated in the 



ardens of Gucrnfey and Jerfcy^ in both which places, 

 tiiev fecm to thrive as well as if it was tlicir native 

 country ; and from thofe iflands their roots are fent 

 annually to the curious in moil; parts of F-urope, and 

 are commonly called Guernfey Lilies. The roots of 

 this plant are generally brought over In June and 

 July ; but the fooner they are taken out of the ground 



fter their leaves decay, they are the better : for al- 

 thouo-h the roots which are taken up when their flower- 

 ftems begin to appear, will flower, yet their flowers 

 wail not be fo large, nor will their roots be near fo 

 o-ood after, as thofe which were removed before thcv 

 had fent out frefli fibres. 

 When thefe roots come over, they fhould be planted 

 in pots filled witli frelli, light, fandy earth, mixed v/ith 

 a little very rotten dung, and placed in awarmfitua- 

 tion, obferving now and then to refrefli the earth with 

 water : but by no means let them have too maich wet, 

 which would rot their roots, efpecially before they 

 comx up. About the middle of September^ fuch of 

 the roots as are ftrong enough to flower, will begin 

 to Ihew the bud of their flower-fl:em (which is com- 



a 



AM 



by the outer roots, thiat tliey are peifeftlv flatted ; 

 and from the number of roots grov/ing in each cluTter^ 

 they are all rendered weak, and unfit to produce 

 fuch large fl:ems of fiovv-ers, as thofe wJiich liave trrown 

 fingle, and are of a fphericai figure. 

 But when a perfon is poflefled of a large number of 

 thefe roots, it will be troublefomx to preferve tliem 

 in pots, tlierefore there fhould be a bed prepared of 

 the following earth, in fome well flickered part of the 

 garden, viz. Take a third part of frefli virgin earth 

 from a pafl:ure ground, which is light, then put near 

 an equal part of fea fand, to which you fliould add 

 rotten dung, and fifted lime rubbifli, of each an equal 

 quantity. With this earth (when well mixed^and in- 

 corporated) you fliould make your bed about two feet 

 thick, raifing it about four or five inches above the 

 furface of the ground, if the fltuation be dry ; but if 

 .the ground be wet, it fliould be raifcd eight or nine 

 inches higher. In this bed, about the beginning of 

 July (as was before directed), you fliould plant the 

 roots about fix or eight inches afunder each way; and 

 in the winter, when the froll begins, you fliould either 

 cover the bed with a frame, or arch it over, and cover 

 it with mats and fl:raw, to prevent their leaves from 

 being pinched with cold \ but in the fpring the co- 

 vering may be entirely removed, and the bed kept 

 conflrantly clear from weeds, during the fummer, ob- 

 ferving to fl:ir the furface of the earth now and then ; 



monly of a red colour) \ therefore you fliould remove 



thefe pots into a fituation where they may have the 



full benefit of the fun, and may be flieltered from |' and every year, when the leaves are decayed, you 



ftronp- winds : but by no means place them too near fliould fliift a little frefli earth over the beds, to en- 



a v/all, nor under glafl:es, which would draw them up 

 weak, and render them lefs beautiful. At this feafon 

 they fliould be gently refreflied with water, if the 

 weather be warm and dry; but if it fliould prove very 

 wTt, they fliould be fcreened from it. 

 When the flowers begin to open, the pots fliould be. 

 removed under flicker, to prevent the flowers from 

 being injured by too much wet: but they mufl: not 

 be kept too clofe, nor placed in a fituation too warm, 

 which would occafion their colour to be lefs lively, 

 and' hafl:en thei!t» decay. The flowers of this plant 

 will continue in bcaur/ (if rightly managed) a f^ill 

 month •, and though riiey have no fcent, yet, for tlie 

 richnefs of their colour, they are juftly efteSitied' in 

 the firfl: rank of the flowery tribe. 

 After the flowers are decayed, tlie green leaves will 

 begin to flioot forth in length, and if flieltered from 

 fcvere cold, will continue growing all the winter-, 

 but they mufl: have as much free air as pofilble in 

 mild weather, and covered only in great rains or 

 frofl:s ; for which purpofe, a common hot-bed frame 

 is the propereft flicker for them > under which if they 

 are placed, the glafl^es may be t>aken off" confl:antly 

 every day in dry open w^eather, which will encourage 

 the leaves to grow ftrong and broad ; whereas when 

 they are placed in a green-houfe, or not expofed to 



the open air, they will grow long and flender, and 



courage the roots. In this bed the roots may remain 

 until they are flirong enough to produce flowers, when 

 they may be taken up and planted in pots, as was 

 before diredted, or fuffered to remain in tlie fame bed 

 to flower. 



The roofs of thefe plants do not flow^er again the fuc- 

 ceeding year (as in many other forts of bulbs ;) but 

 if t'Keir bulbs contain two bud*9 in their center, as is 

 often ^ cafe, they very often flower twice within the 

 ccmpals of three years ; " after which, tlie fame indi- 

 vidual' roof does not flower again in feveral years, but 



MB 



food of the gods^ 



[fo called' fl-bm a privative and 



have a pale weak afpeft, whereby the roots will be- 

 come weak, fo that it feldom happens that they pro- 

 duce flowers under fuch managements 

 Thefe roost fliould be tranfplanted every fourth or 

 fifth year toward the latter end of June, or beginning 

 of July, and planted into frefli earth (but they fliould 

 not be oftener removed, for that would retard their 

 flowering.) The offsets fliould alfobe taken off*, and 

 planted into feveral pots, which, in three years time, 

 will produce flowers -, fo that after a perfon is once 

 flrocked with ihefe roots, they may increafe thein, fo 

 as to have a fapply of blowing roots, without being 

 at the trouble or expence offending to Guernfey every 

 year for frefli roots •, and the roots preferved here will 

 flower (Ironger than thofe which are ufually brought 

 from thence, for the inhabitants of thofe iflands are 

 not very curious in cultivating them. Their ufual 

 method is to plant them at a great diftance in a bed 

 of common earth, where they let them remain for 



many years : in which time they produce fuch a num- 

 ber of offsets, that many times one fingle clufl:er has 

 contained above a liundred roots ; by which means, 

 thofe whicli grow on the infide arefo much comprefled 



Th(^ Characters are, 



loath )Mk and feniate fozvers on the fc. 



lie flo'wers are compcfcd of moiy florets 



The 



if one leaf^ 'xhich isplahiy 



if the florets: each floret is of 



leafy funneUflmped^ and cut into fl 

 in the center is fituatcd the five fmall Ji. 



9f one leaf 



fummits, 1* he female fli 

 the fame fpike\ thefe ha^-^ 



they have no petals^ but an oval germen placed in the bottom 

 of the empalernent^ fupporting a flender ftyle^ crowned 



ftign 



zpfule 



ifterward 



acute fegments of the cmpalement^ and inclofaig one round- 

 ifh feed. 



This genus of plants, is by Dr. Linnaeus ranged in 

 the fifth divifion of 'his twenty-firfl; clafs, entitled Mo- 

 ncecia Pentandria, from their having male and female 

 flowers in the fame plant, and tlie male flowers Having 

 five fliamiha. ^ . . 



The Si^EciEs are, 



1. Ambrosia [Maritima) foliis multifidis , racemis foli- 

 taris pilofis; Lin. Sp. Plant. 98S. Ambrcfia with 

 leaves divided into ma^iy parts^ ard fingle hairy fplkes of 



flovjers. Ambrofia maritima. C. B. P, Sea Ambro- 

 fia, ^ ' '- 



2. Ambrosia {Elatior) foliis bipinnatifidis, rvicemis pa- 

 niculatis terminallbus glabris. Hort. Upfal. 2 84. 



ofia with double winded leaves^ a fenooth Icofe fp. 



of flowers grovoing at the e:<tremity of the branches. 

 brofia maritima foliis' arteniifia: inodoris elatior. 



IL 



L. 32. 



Sp.9 



ifidi 



cfu 



kbes. 



