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fhould be planted in a fiiady border, and the ground 

 fliould be dug well, and all the clods broken, and it 

 no rain falls, it Ihould be well foaked with water a 

 few hours before the flips are planted ; then the flip 

 fhould be taken from the plants, and all their lower 

 leaves fl:ripped o^^, and planted as foon as pofllble af- 

 ter, for if they are fuffered to lie long after they are 

 taken from the plants, they will wither and fpoil -, 

 thefe need not be planted at a greater dillance than 

 three inches fquare, and the ground mufl: be doled 

 very hard about them ; then they mufl: be well wa- 

 tered, and this mufl: be repeated as often as is found 

 necefl^ary, till the cuttings have taken root; after 

 which they will require no other care but to keep 

 them clean from weeds till autumn, when they fliould 

 be tranfplanted to the borders of the flower-garden 

 where they are to remain. There are fome who plant 

 the flips of Pinks later in the feafon than is here di- 

 redted ; but thofe plants are never fo ftrong nor flower 

 fo well, as thofe which are early planted. 

 We fliall next proceed to the culture of the Carna- 

 tion '; thefe the fioriflis difl:inguifli into four clafles. 

 The firfl: they call Flakes ; thefe are of two colours 

 only, and their ilripes are large, going quite through 



the leaves. .'" . ' 



The fecond are called Bizarrs-, thefe have flowers 





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new root, then you mufl: obferve to keep tlicm clea-' 

 from weeds ; in thefe beds they may remain until the 

 end of Augull,- by which tim.e they will have 

 grown fo large as almofl: to meet each other ; then 

 prepare fome more beds of the like good earth (in 

 quantity proportionable to the flowers you have raif- 

 cd) in which you fliould plant them at fix inches dif- 

 tance each way, and not above four rows in each bed 

 for the more conveniently laying fuch of them as may 

 prove worthy preferving, for in thefe beds they fliould 

 remain to flower. ■ r 



The alleys between thefe beds fliould be two feet 

 wide, that you may pafs between the beds to weed 

 and clean them. If the feafon fliould prove very dry 

 at this time, they fliould not be tranfplanted till there 

 is fome rain ; fo that it may happen to be the middle 

 or latter end of September fome years, before there 

 may be wet enough to moifl:en the ground for this 

 purpofe j but if there is time enough for the plants 

 to get good root before the froll comes on, it willbe 

 fufficient. If the winter fliould prove fevere, the 

 beds fliould be arched over with hoops, that they may 

 be covered with mats, otherwife many of the plants 

 may be defl:roycd, for the good flowers are not fo 

 hardy as the ordinary ones of this genus. There will 

 be^no other culture wanting to thefe, but to keeo 



ftriped or variegated with three or four diflferent co- them clean from weeds, and when they flioot up tlieir 



lours, in irregular fpots and ftripes. 

 The third are called Piquettes-, thefe flowers have 

 always a white ground, and are fpotted (or pounced, 

 as tney call it) with fcarlet, red, purple, or other 

 colours. ' . y : 



The fourth are called painted Ladies ; thefe have 



fl:alks to flower, they mufl: be fupported by fl:icks to 

 prevent their breaking. When your flowers beo-in 

 to blow, you muft look over them to fee which of 

 them proffer to make good flowers, which as fdon as 

 you difcover, you fhould lay down all the layers upon 

 them ; thofe which are well'marked, and blow whole 



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their petals of a red or purple colour on the upper j without breaking their pods, fliould.be refervedto 



" ' plant in borders, tofurnilh you with feed; and thofe 



which burfl their pods, and feem^to have good pro- 

 perties, fhould be planted in pots, to try what their 

 flowers will be, when managed according to art; 

 and it is hot till the fecond year that you can pro- 

 nounce what the value of a flower .will be, which 

 is in proportion to the goodnefs of its properties; 

 but, that you may be well acquainted with what the 

 ■ fiorifl;s call good properties, I fliall here fet them 

 down. - . • ■ ^ v-jl^-. 



fide, and are white underneath. ' 

 Of each of thefe clafles there are numerous varieties, 

 but chiefly of the Piquettes, which fome years ago 

 were chiefly in efleem with the florills, but. of late 

 years the Flakes have been in greater requeft than any 

 of the other kinds. ' To enumerate the varieties of 

 the chief flowers'ln ahy one of thefe clafTes, would 

 be needlefs, fince every country produces new flowers 

 almofl: every year; fo that thoit flowers, which, at 

 -^theii- firfl: raifing, were greatly Valued,' are in 'two or 

 . ■ three years become fo common, as to be of little 

 J './worth, efpecially if they are defeftivein anyoriepro- 

 ' \'perty,'' Therefore (where flowers are fo liable to mu- 

 "tability, either from the fancy of the bwner, or that 

 better kinds are yearly produced from feeds, which, 

 with good florifts, always take place of older or worfe 

 fiov/ers, which are turned out of the garden to make 

 . room for them) it would be but fuperfluous in this 

 .place to give a lift of their names, which are gene- 

 rally borrowed either from the names and titles of 

 "nqblemen, or from the perfon's name, or place of 

 abode, who raifed it. . ' * . /. 



Thefe flowers are propagated either from feeds (by 

 which new flowers are obtained), or from layers, for 

 the increafe of thofe forts which are worthy maintain- 

 ing ; but I fhall firfl lay down the method of propa- 

 gating; them from feeds, which is thus :'-"■■ :'.-- 

 Having obtained fome g-ood feeds,'*either 'of your 

 own faving, or from a friend that you can confide in, 

 . /'about the middle of April, prepare fome pots or boxes 

 . ' "(according to the quantity of feed you have to fow) ; 



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thefe -fliould be Jilled with frefli light earth mixed with 

 rotten neats^dung, which fhould be well incorporated 

 'together; tlien fow your fee3s thereon (but not too 

 thick) covering it aboilit a quarter of an 'inch with the 



(^-?}FJ^g^}^,?^^^^^' P^ing the pdts or cafes fo as tore- 



;^.cerve the morning fun only till eleyen of the clock, 



. . ■'o'brerving alio to rcfrefli the earth with \vater as often 



\as it may require. In about a month's time your 



plants v/ill come up, and if kept clear from weeds, 



and duly watered, will be fit to tranfplant about the 



latter end of July ; at which tim.e you fliould prepare 



fome beds (of the. fame fort of earth as was dlreded 



to fow them in) in an open airy fituation, in v/hich 



you fliould plant them at about three inches fquare, 



obferving to water and fhade them till they have taken 



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The flem of the flower fhould be flrong, and able 

 to fupport the weight of the flower without hanging 

 down. . . ,v . . . / ' -•■ 



2. The petals (or leaves) of the flower fhould be 

 long, broad, and fliff, and pretty eafy to expand, or 

 (as the florifts term them) fliould be free flowers. ; 



3. The middle pod of the flower fhould not advance 

 too high above the other petals of the flower. '_\' ' 



, 4. The colours fliould be bright, and equally marked 

 all over the flower. " '2--.-^^ ; -. - '}■ ■ / * - ■-; -^ I ' 



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5. The flower fliould be very full of leaves, fo as to 

 render it, when blown, very thick and high in the 

 middle, and the outfide perfccSlly rovind. ' " -^fC 

 Having made choice of fuch of'^your flowers as pro- 

 mife well for the large f6rt, thefe you thould markfe- 

 parately for pots, and the round whole blowing flow- 

 ers for borders ; you fhould pulji up all fingle flowers, 

 or fuch as are ill-coloured, and not worth preferving, 

 that your good flowers may have 'the more air and 

 room to grow ftrong ; thefe having been laid at a pro- 

 per feafon, as foon as they have taken root (which will 

 Be fome time in Auguft) they fliould be taken off, and 

 planted but, thofe that blow large, in pots,' and the 

 other in borders (as hath been already direfted)., ' 

 Of late years the whole-blowing flowers have been 

 much more eftecmed than thofe large flowers which 

 burft thcrr pods, but efpecially thofe. round flowers 

 which have broad ilripes of beautiful colours, and 

 round Rofe leaves, of which kinds there have beeh a 

 great variety introduced from France within thefe few 

 years ;" but as thefe French 'flowers are extremely apt 



'to dej^enerate to plain colours, aad bein^ much ten- 

 derer than thofe which are brought up in Encrlanu, 

 there are not fuch great prices given for the plants 



jiowi as have been a few years paft;' from the pre- 

 fent tafte for thefe whole-blowiog Flake flowxrs, many 



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