embracing the 



O M 



pretty large and roundifh, and three fmaller which 

 are green j the feeds are like thofe of the other forts. 

 It flowers in June, July, and Auguft, and the feeds 

 ripen in autumn, foon after which the ftalks decay, 

 but the roots may be preferved two or three years, if 

 they are planted in a Hove in winter. 

 The fifth fort grows naturally in the Weft-Indies; the 

 feeds of this were fenz me from the iiland of Barbuda. 

 This hath trailing ftalks like the firft, which arc gar- 

 niftied with narrow grafly leaves, 

 ftalks with their bafe ; the flowers are produced at the 

 cndof the ftalks, upon thick foot-ftalks, three flow- 

 ers generally fitting on each. The flowers have three 

 equal large petals of a flcy blue, and three fmaller 

 which are green. Thefe flower in July and Auguft, 

 but have not perfefted feeds in England. 

 All the forts are propagated by feeds ; the firft will 

 grow if fown in the full ground ; but if the feeds are 

 fown upon a warm border of light earth in autumn, 

 the plants will rile early in the fpring •, fo from thcfe 

 oods feeds may be expefted, if the feafon proves 

 avourablci whereas thofe which are fown in the ^ring, 

 often lie long in the ground, fo rarely ripen their 

 feed. Thefe plants have but little beauty, fo that 

 two or three or each fort, is as many as moft people 

 choofe to have ; therefore if the feeds are fown in 

 autumn where the plants are defigned to remain, or 

 the feeds permitted to fcatter, the plants will require 

 no farther care, but to keep them clear from weeds. 

 The fecond fort hath a perennial root; this feldom 

 ripens feeds in England, but the roots fend out off'- 

 fets, by which the plant is eafily propagated. But it 

 IS too tender to live in the full ground in winter, un- 

 lefs it has a warm ftieltercd fituation; therefore 

 Ihould be planted in pots, and flickered under a 

 common frame in winter, and expofed abroad in fum- 



- mer ; the beft time to tranfplant and part thefe roots 

 is about the end of March. 



- The other forts are tender, fo their feeds muft be 

 fown on a moderate hot-bed in the fpring, and when 

 the plants are two inches high, they ftiould be tranf- 

 planted to a frefli hot- bed to bring the plants forward-, 

 when they have taken frefli root, they fliould have 



' a large fliare of frefli air admitted to them every day 

 in warm weather, to prevent their growing weak; and 

 in June thefe may be carefully taken up, and tranf- 

 planted on a warm border of light earth, obferving 

 to fhade them till they have taken frefli root ; after 

 which they will require no other care, but to keep 

 them clean from weeds. . With, this management the 

 plants will flower and produce good feeds. 

 The third and fourth forts may be Continued, if they 

 are planted in pots, and in autumn placed in the 

 bark-ftove ; or if the roots of the fourth fort are taken 

 but of the ground in autumn, and kept in a warm 

 place in winter, they inay be planted again in the 

 fpring, placing them on a hot-bed to forward their 

 fliooting, and thefe will produce ftronger plants than 

 thofe which rife from feeds. 



COMMONS and COMMON-FIELDS. See 



Land. 



COMPARTMENTS are beds, plats, borders, 

 and walks, laid out according to the form of the 

 ground, and ingenuity of theartift, and depend more 

 on a good fancy than any rules. Thefe are diverfified 

 in knots, flower-gardens, or parterres, of which there 

 are great variety, and may be diverfified infinitely, 

 according to the fancy of the defigners. 

 Plain compartments are pieces of ground divided into 

 equal fquares and flower-beds, marked out by the 

 line, of equal length and breadth. 

 Some perfons allow to thefe fquares, borders of two 

 feet in breadth, and not more, if the plat of ground 



Au^^ ' ^"^ ^^^^^y ^^ reafonably large, three feet-, 

 and they edge the borders with Box, or upright hardy 



M 



thick, keeping tJiem hoed and weeded as often a^ 

 there fnoukl be occafion. 



Thefe compartments were much eftecmcd by the 

 French, whofe gardens were all laid out into feveral 

 compartments, falons, bofquets, &:c. after the manner 

 of architects in buildings ; but thefe liifF, unnatural 

 gardens are now juftly exploded, and a much better 

 tafte has of late prevailed in the Engllfh gardens. 

 COMPOSTS are fo called of comuoita, or com- 

 pofita, LaL compounds, or componere, Lat. to com- 

 pound or mix : and in huftandry and gardening they 

 fignify feveral forts of foils or earthy matter mixed 

 together, in order to make a manure for affifting the 

 natural earth in the work of vegetation, by way of 

 amendment or improvement. 



Compofts are various, and ought to be difFerent, ac- 

 cording to the different nature or quality of the foils 

 which they are defigned to meliorate : and according 

 as the land is either light, landy, loofe, heavy, clayey, 

 or cloddy. A light looie land requires a compoft of 

 a heavy nature, as thi^ fcouring of deep ditches, 

 ponds, &c. 



So on the other hand, a land that is heavy, clayey, 

 or cloddy, requires a compoft of a more fprightly and 

 fiery nature, that will infmuate itfelf into the iumpifh 

 clods ; which if thev v/cre not thus managed, would 

 very much obftruft the work of vegetation. 



T.' 



The great ufe of compofts is for ilich plants as are 

 preferved in pots or tubs ; or in fmall beds or borders 

 of flower-gardens j which is what I l"hall here men- 

 tion, and Ihall treat of thofe ' compofts or drefTmgs, 

 which are ufed in gardens and fields, under the ar- 

 ticles of Dung and Manurk. ,: 

 As fome plants delight in a rich light foil, others in 

 a poor fandy foil, and fome in a loamy foil j fo there 

 Ihould be different compofts prepared, in all thofe 

 gardens, where a great variety of plants are culti- 

 vated : and this is much more neceffary in countries 

 at a great diftance from London, than in the neie;h 



bourhood of it, becaufe there is fo great variety of 

 lands, within ten miles round London, which have 

 been fo long drefled and cultivated, that a fupply of 

 earth fit for all forts of plants, may be eafily pro- 

 cured ; but in fome places which are at a diftance 

 from large towns, it. is very difficult to procure a 

 quantity of earth proper for the choicer forts of flow- 

 ers and plants ; therefore the compofts will require 

 more care, and fliould be mixe5 a confiderable time 

 longer before they are ufed ; that they may have the 

 advantage of heat arid cold, to meliorate and improve 

 them ; and ftiould be frequently turned over, that 

 the parts may be well mixed and incorporated, and 

 the clods well broken and divided. 

 Almoft every one who hath written on this fubjcft, 

 hath direfted the procuring of the upper furface of 

 earth from a pafture ground, as one of the princi- 

 pal ingredients, in moft compofts for plants, which 

 is certainly a very good one, provided it has time to 

 meliorate before it is ufedj for if this is mixed up 

 haftily, and put into pots or tubs, before it has had 

 a winter's froft, and fummer's heat, to loofen the 

 parts effeftually ; it will unite and cake together, fo 

 hard, as to ftarve the plants that are put into it. For 

 all earth when put into pots or tubs, is much more 

 apt to bind, than when it is in beds ; therefore ftiould 

 be in proportion made loofer, according to the nature 

 of the plants for which it is defigned, than when it is 

 intended for beds or borders. So that if this earth 

 from a pafture, cannot be prepared and mixed at leaft 

 onti year before it is ufed, it v/ill be much better to 

 take the earth of a kitchen-garden w^hich has been 

 well wrought and dunged ; but this ftiould be clear 

 from all roots of trees and bad w^eds. If this earth 

 is well mixed with the other compofts fix months, and 



^ - ^ , -. -f-^ "*«; often turned over, it will be fitter for pots and tubs, 



1 hyme, or fome other aromatic herbs or flowers, for I than the other will in twice that time, as I have fre- 

 the fake of the greater neatnefs. . ' | quently experienced, fo can v/rite from knowledge, 



not from theory. This earth being the principal in- 

 gredient in thofe compofts defigned for fuch plants as 

 require arich foiU the next is to have a quantity of very 



rotten 



And in order to preferve the paths and alleys of com- 

 partments firm, even, and durable, they lay them 

 with a coat of fand or gravel, two or three inches 



3 



