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ot filled wirh light fandy earth, and plunged into a 

 fiot-bed, obferving to fcreen them from the fun nil 

 they have taken new root-, then they muft have free 

 air admitted to them every day, in proportion to the 

 warmth of the feafon ; they muft alfo be frequently 

 watered in warm weather, but they fhould not have 

 it in too <:yreat plenty. As the plants advance in 

 ftrcnc^th, fo they muft have a greater fharc of air; 

 and ff the feaibn is warm, they may be expofed to 

 the open air for a few weeks in the heat of fummer, 

 provided they are placed in a warm fttuation ; but if 

 the nio-hts prove cold, or much wet (liould tall, they 

 muft be removed into Ihelter: if thefe plants are 

 placed in a moderate ftove in winter, they will thrive 

 ' better than in greater heat, and in fummer they fhould 

 have a large fliare of air. With this management I 

 have had the plants flower well in July, though they 

 have not perfedted feeds here. 



The fifth fort rifes with a woody ftalk ten or twelve 

 feet high, dividing into many branches, whofe bark 

 is covered with a brown down ; thefe are garnifhed 

 with oblong oval leaves, which are green on dieir 

 upper fide, butof an Afh colouron their under, placed 

 alternate, on fliort foot-ftalks. The fiov/ers are pro- 

 duced at the end of the branches, upon long branching 

 foot-ftalks, in loofe fpikes ranged on one fide ; they 

 are white, and are fucceeded by long flat feeds 

 crowned with down. This plant grows naturally at 

 La Vera Cruz in New Spain, from whence DrHouf- 

 toun fent me the feeds. It is a tender plant, fo muft 

 be treated in the fame manner as hath been diredted 



for the former fort. -" 



The fixth fort grows naturally at I.a Vera 

 Cruz in New Spain. This hath a perennial root, 

 from which arife feveral upright ftalks three feet 

 high, garnifhed with long narrow leaves, fawed on 

 their edges, placed alternate, and have appendages 

 which run along the ftalk from one to the other, 

 forming a border or wing to the ftalks. The flowers 

 are produced at the end of the ftalks in round 

 bunches, they are fmall, and of a purple colour, and 

 are fucceeded by oblong flat feeds, crowned with 

 down. This is propagated by feeds, which muft be 

 fown upon a hot-bed in the fpring, and the plants 

 muft afterward be tranfplanted into pots, and plunged 

 into a frefti hot-bed, obferving to fcreen them from 

 the fun till they have taken frefh root; after which 

 they muft have a large fhare of air, and about Mid- 

 fummer they may be placed in the open air in a 

 Iheltered fituation, where they may remain till the 

 end of September, when they Ihould be removed into 

 the ftove, and during the winter kept in a temperate 

 degree of warmth. The fecond year thefe plants 

 will flowerjj but they do not perfect feeds in England. 

 The feventh fort was fent me from La Vera Cruz by 

 the late Dr. Houftoun, who found it growing there 

 naturally. This hath a ftrong woody ftem, which 

 rifes to the height of fourteen orfixteen feet, covered 

 with an Afh-coloured bark, and is divided upward 

 into many ligneous branches, garnifhed with fpear- 

 fhaped leaves ftanding alternate, on fhort foot-ftalks. 

 Thefe branches are terminated by roundifh bunches 

 of white flowers, fitting upon long foot-ftalks, feve^ 

 ral of them being joined on the fame foot-ftalk. 

 Thefe are not fucceeded by feeds in England, fo 

 that the feeds muft be procured from abroad, and 

 thefe muft be fown on a hot-bed, and the plants af- 

 terward treated in the fame manner as the fourth 

 fort. 



The eighth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz, 

 from whence it was fent me by the late Dr. Houf- 

 toun ', this is an annual plant, which grov/s in low 

 moift places, where the water ftands in winter ; it hath 

 an herbaceous branching ftalk, which rifes about one 

 foot high, garnifhed at each joint with one oval leaf, 

 fitting clofe to the branches -, thefe are fawed on their 

 edges, and covered with a white hairy down. The 

 flowers are produced from the fide of the branches 

 on flender foot-ftalks, each for the moft part fuftain- 

 ing three flowers, which are white, and are fucceeded 



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by chafiy feeds, crov/ned wich down ; the whole plant 

 is vifcoas, and will ftick to the fingers of chofe whu 

 handle it. 



The feeds of this plant muft be fown on a hot^b(\i in 

 the fpring, and \wht-n the plants arc Mc to remove, 

 they Ihould be each tranfplanted into a fcparate pot, 

 and plunged into a frcih hot-bed, and treated in il;c 

 fame manner as the other icjider lorts, but muft have 

 a large fiu-re of air in warm weather, and frequenti*/ 

 refrefhcd with water. In July thefe plants will fiovvcr, 

 and^if the autumn proves favourable, they will rip^-n 

 their feeds ; a plant or two of this fort may be pre- 

 ferved for the fake of variety, but there is httle beautv 

 in It. 



The ninth fort grows naturally in Jam.aica, from 

 whence the feeds were fent me by t!ie late Dr. Houf- 

 toun i this rifes w^ith a Hirubby ftalk fix or icvcn feet 

 high, dividing into many ligneous branches, whi^h 

 have a meally bark, and garnifhed wirh fpear-Il\aped 

 leaves, fitting ciolc to the branches •, they arc hairy, 

 and of a filver colour on their under fide, and ai-e 



placed alternate. The flowers come out from the 

 fide of the branches, generally in loofe ibikes, v/hich 

 grow horizoncal, and ftand on the upper iidc 

 erecfl; but fomecimes they come out fingle, fitting 

 clofe between tiie leaf and brancli ; theie are of a 

 pale purple colour, and ara fucceeded by chalty feeds, 

 crowned v/ith a down. 

 This fort is propagated by feeds, which muft be ob- 

 ^ tained from the country where it grows naturally, for 

 it doth not produce feeds in England, though it has 

 flowered feveral years in the Chelfea garden j the feeds 

 muft be fown, and the plants afterward ti'eated in the 

 fame manner as hath been before directed for the 

 fourth fort. 



The tenth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz, from 

 whence it was lent me by the late Dr. William Houf- 

 toun ', this hath a perennial root, and an annual ftalk. 

 It grows about three feet high ; the leaves arc from 

 four to five inches long, and one and a half broad 

 in the middle, and are rough like thofe of Comfrey. 

 The ftalks are terminated by branching flower-ftalks, 

 each foot-ftalk fuftaining feveral yellow flowers, not 

 much unhke thofe of the common fort. This is pro- 

 pagated by feeds in the fame manner as the fixth fort, 

 and the plants muft be treated in the fame way. It 

 will flower the fecond year, but it doth not ripen feeds 

 in Eno-land. 



D 



The eleventh fort was fent me from La Vera Cruz 

 by the late Dr. Houftoun ; this hath a cfimbing 

 fhrubby ftalk, which rifes fourteen or fixteen feet 

 high, and divides into many branches, garnifhed wnth 

 leaves about the fize of thofe of the Bay-tree, and 

 full as thick in their texture, having many deep 

 tranfverfe nerves, running from the midrib to the 

 fides ; they are of a pale green colour. The flowers 

 are produced in long fpikes, ranged on the upper 

 fide of the fpike only, which come out from the fide 

 of the branches, pointed upward j thefe are large and 

 white, and are fucceeded by flat dark-coloured feeds, 

 crowned with down. 



This plant makes a fine appearance in the ftove when 

 it flowers, and as it retains its leaves all the year, fo 

 in the winter feafon' it affords an agreeable variety 

 among other tender plants. The culture of this plant 

 is the fame as hath been direded for the fourth fort, 

 fo need not be repeated. 



' The twelfth fort was fent m^e from Carthagena in 

 New Spain, Avhere it grows naturally, by the late Mr. 



- Robert Millar, furgeon ; this rifes with a ftirubby 

 ftalk fix or feven feet high, dividing into feveral 

 "ligneous branches, garnifhed with oval, fmooth, en- 

 tire leaves, having three longitudinal veins, placed 

 alternate, clofe to the branches. The flowers are 

 produced in fhort clofe fpikes 'at the end of the 

 branches -, thefe arc white, and are fucceeded by ob- 

 long flat feeds, crowned with down-, this fort is 

 tender, fo muft be treated in the fame manner as the 

 fourth, and will abide feveral years with this manage- 



ment^ 



The 



