fhc fecond fort grows naturally on the Alps and 

 Helvetian mountains: this hatha fmallcr bulbous 

 root than the firft, which is more comprefTed ; the 

 flowers appear about the fame kxion with the former, 

 but they rife with a fhort foot-ftalk, having a ihort 

 fpatha or (heath juft below the flower, which covers 

 it before it expands. The tube of the flower is very 



:xpan 

 Iliorr, the petal being divided almoft to the bottom 

 and the fegments terminate in acute points ; the {la- 

 mina and ityle are Ihort, and the leaves of the plant 

 are very narrow. The flower is of a deep blue i but 

 there is a variety of this with a flcy blue flower, which 

 is fuppofed to have been produced by feeds. Dr. 

 Linnxus has fuppofed thefe, and alfo all the varieties 

 of the Spring Crocus, to be but one fpecies, but 

 there can be no doubt of thefe being dillind from 



thofe of the Spring. 



The third fort hath a pretty large, compreflTed, bul- 

 bous root, covered with a light, brown, netted {kin, 

 from which arife four or five leaves, like thofe of the 

 the other Vernal Crocufes, of a purplilh colour on 

 their lower parts ; from between thefe come out one 

 or two flowers of a deep yellow colour, fitting clofc 

 between the young leaves, never rifing above two 

 inches high; thefe have an agreeable odour; the 

 outer fegments of the petal are marked with three 

 black ftreaks or itripes running lengthways from the 

 bottom to the top of the fegment ; thefe are narrower 

 than the inner fegments. From the double arrange- 

 ment of thefe fegments fome have called it a double 

 flower. Thefe fegments have dark purple bottoms, 

 and the tube of the flower hath asmany purple fl:ripes 

 as there are fegments in the petal; Out of the center 

 of the tube arifes a flendcr ftyle, crowned by a golden 

 ftigma, which is broad and flat, and is attended by 

 three flender fl:amina of the fame length, terminated 

 by yellow fummits. After the flower is palt, the ger- 

 men pu{hes out of the ground, and fwells to a round- 

 ifh three-cornered feed-velTcl, v/hich opens in three 

 parts, and is fiJled with roundi{h brown feeds. This 

 is one of the earliefl Crocufes in the fpring. 

 The fourth fort rifes with a few very narrow leaves, 

 which are, together with the flower-buds, clofely 

 Wrapped round by a fpatha or {heath, out of which 

 arife two flowers, one of which hath a longer tube 

 than the other, but thefe are very flender, and do 

 not rife much above the fpatha ; there the petal en- 

 larges, and is divided into fix obtufe fegments, which 

 are of equal fize -, they are of a dirty white on their 

 joutfidc, with three or four purple ftripes in each ; the 

 infide of the petal is of a purer white -, the ftamina 

 and ftyle are nearly the fame as thofe of the former 

 fort. This is one of the earlieft forts which flowers 

 in the fpring. ^ 



The Varieties of the autumnal Crocus are, . 

 The fweet-fmellihg autumnal Crocus, whofe flowers 

 come before the leavei. C. B. .This is our fecond 

 fort. 



4. The autumnal mountain Crocus. C,.B. This hath 

 a paler blue flower. . r^J^ ^ r*4 , - , ^ ... ; ^ 



'^. The many flowering bluifli autumnal Crocus. C. B. 



. This hath many fl<:y blue flowers. 

 4. The fmall flowering autumnal Crocus, C. B. . This 



I 





> - 





f ^.^ - 



.-V 



■<j- 



r- 



hath a fmall deep blue flower. ;, ,. 



The Varieties of the Spring Crocus are, — - 



1. Broad-leaved, purple, variegated. Spring Cfocus. 

 C. B. This hath broad leaves and a deep blue flower 

 ftriped. 



2. Broad-leaved Crocus of the fpring with a purple 

 flower. C. B. This hath a plain purple flower. 



3I Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with a Violet- coloured 

 flower. C. B. This hath a large deep blue flowen 



4. Spring Crocus, vrith a white flower and a purple 

 bottom. C. B. 



5. Broad-leaved, 

 C.B. 



6. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus, with marty purple Vi- 

 olct flowers fl:riped with white. C. B. 



7. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with an Afh-coloured 

 flower. 



white, variegated, Spring Crocus. 



8. BroaJ-leavcd Spring Crocus wkli a large ydlow 

 flov/cr. C. B. 



9. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus v/ith a fmallcr and paler 

 yellow flower. C. B. 



10. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus, with fmallcr yellow 

 flowers ftriped witii black. 



I J. Narrow-leaved Spring Crocus with a fmallcr brim- 

 llone-coloured flower. 



12. Narrow-leaved Spring Crocus with a fmall 'whitd 

 flower, 



Thefe arc the principal varieries which I have ob- 

 ferved in the Englifli gardens, but there are many 

 more mentioned in the foreign catalogues of flowers, 

 many of which are fo neuirlyahke, as fcarce to bcdif- 

 tinguiflied ; and if the feeds of thefe flowers were 

 fown; there might be a greater variety of them ob- 

 tained than is at prefent^ but as they propagate very 

 fail by off^sers, the feeds are very rarely regarded. 

 All thefe fcveral varieties of Crocufes are very hardy, 

 and willincreafeexceedingly by their roots, efpecially 

 if they are fuffbred to remain two or three years unre- 

 moved ; they will grow in almoft any foil or fituarion, 

 and are very great ornaments to a garden earlv in the 

 fpring of the year, before many other flowers appear. 

 They are commonly planted near the edges of borders 

 on the fides of walks ; in doing of w^hich, you fliould 

 . be careful to plant fuch forts in the fame line as flower 

 at the fame time, and arc of an equal growth, other- 

 wife the lines will feem imperfeft. Thefe roots, lofe- 

 ing their fibres with their leaves, m.ay then be taken 

 Up, and kept dry until the beginning of September, 

 obferving to keep them from, vermin, for the mice 

 are very fond of them. When you plant thefe roots 

 (after having drawn a line upon the border,) itiakc 

 holes with a dibble about two inches deep or more, 

 according to the lightnefs of the foil, and two inches 

 diftance from each other, in which you muft; place 

 the roots with the bud uppermofl:-, then with, a- rake 

 fill up the holes in fuch a manner as that the upper 

 part of the root may be covered an inch or more, be- 

 ing careful not to leave any of the holes open -, for 

 this will entice the mice to them^ which, when once 

 they have found out, will deftroy all your roots, if 

 they are not prevented. 



This is the way in which thefe flowers are commonly 

 difpofed in gardens, but the better way is to plane 

 them fix or eight near each other in bunches between 

 fmall flirubs, or on the borders of the flower-garden ; 

 where, if the varieties of thefe flowers are planted iri 

 different patches, and properly intermixed, they will 

 make a much better appearance than when they ^re 

 difpofed in the old method of ftrait edgings. 

 In January, if the weather is mild, the Crocus will often 

 appear above ground ; and in February their flowers 



vnll appear, before the green leaves are grown to any 

 length, fo that the flower feems at firft to be naked ; 

 but foon after the flowers decay, the green leaves 

 grow to be fix or eight inches long, which fhould not 

 be cut off until they decay, notwithftanding they ap- 

 pear a little unfightly ; for by cutting ofl^ the leaves, 

 the roots will be lb weakened as not to arrive at half 

 their ufual bignefs, nor will their flowers the fucceed- 

 ingyear be half fo large. Their feeds are commonly 

 ripe about the latter end of April, or the beginning 

 of May, when the green leaves begin to decay. 

 The autumnal Crocufes are not fo great increafers as 

 jre 'thofe of the fpring, nor do they produce feeds in 

 our climate •, fo that they are lefs common in the gar- 

 dens, except the true Saffron, which is propagated 

 for ufe in great plenty in many parts of England ; 

 thefe muft: be taken up every third year, as was di- 

 rected for the Spring Crocufes, otherv^^ife the roots 

 will run long, and produce no flowers ; but they 

 fhould not be kept out of the ground longer than the 

 beginning of Auguft, for they commonly produce 

 their flowers the beginning of Odlober ; fo that if 

 they remain too long out of the ground, they will not 

 produce their flowers fo ft:rong, nor in fuch plenty, 

 as when they are planted early, 



T 



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