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of ihc old varictic;, which luii been turned out of 

 the gr.rdcns ot ihc florifis many years ago, to make 

 rooiv. for the large flowers, which were then in talhiun, 

 h ive been received aeain ; and large prices have been 

 paid of la:e for fuch^flowers as fome years ago were 

 fold for one flulling a dozen, or leis, which is a 

 ftrong proof of the variablenefs uf the fancies of the 



florifis. , 



But I fl^.all now proceed to give fome direftions for 



propagating thcfe flowers by layers, and the necef- 

 fary care to be taken in order to blow tliem fair and 



large. 



The bedfeafon for laying thefe flowers is in Jun 



as foon as the fhoots are llrong enouj^h for that pur- 



pofe, 



after having fl:ripped off the leaves from the lower 

 part of the flioot intended to be laid, make choice of 

 a ftrong joint about the middle pare of the Ihoot (not 

 too near the heart of the flioot, nor in the hard part 

 next the old plant) ; then with your penknife make a 

 flit in the middle of the flioot from the joint upwards 

 halfway to the other joint, or more, according to 

 their diilance ; then with your knife cut the tops of 

 the leaves, and alfo cut off the fv/elling part of the 

 joint where the flit is made, fo that the part flit may 

 be fliaped like a tongue ; for if that outward fl<:in 

 left on, it would prevent their pufliing out 

 then havincr loofened the earth round the plant. 



which is performed in the following manner : 



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choice of ioint of the befl plants for the next year's 

 blowing, always obfcrving to have a fucccflion of 

 them yearly, by v;hich means you may have everj- 

 year fine flowers, provided the fcafon proves favours 

 blc : for it is not leafonable to fuppofe, that tfic lav- 

 ers taken from fuch roots as have been exhauftcd 'iri 

 producing large flowers, and have been forced by arc 

 to the uimofl: of their natural flrength, fliould l)e able 

 to produce flowers equally as large as dieir mother* 

 root did the year before, or as fuch layers as arefrefli 

 from a poorer foil, and in greater health can do. 

 But this being premifed, let us proceed to the plant- 

 ing of thefe layers, which (as I faid before) fliculd be 

 done in Augufl-, or the beginning of September. 

 The common method ufed by mofl: florifts is, to 

 plant their layers at this feafon, two in each pqt (the 

 lize of which pots are about nine inches over in the 

 clear at the top) •, in thefe pots they are to remain for 

 bloom ; and therefore, in the fpring of the year, 

 they take oif as much of the earth from the furface 

 of the pots as they can, without difl:urbino; their 



roots, fllling the pots up again with the fame good 

 frefli earth as the pots wxre before filled with. But 

 there is fome difficulty in flickering a great quantity 

 of thefe flowers in winter, when they arc planted in 

 fuch large pots, which in mofl: winters they will re- 

 quire, moreorlefs; my method therefore is, to put 



, ..__ ^. ihem fmgly into jialfpenny pots in autumn, and in the 



and, if need be, ^raifed it with frefh mould, tliat it I middle or latter end of October, tofet tlicfe pots into 



roots 



may be level with the Ihoot intended to be laid down, 

 left by the ground being too low, by forcing down 

 the flioot you fplit it oflf" ; then with your finger make 

 a hollow place in the earth, juft wlicre the flioot is to 

 come, and with your thumb and finger bend the flioot 

 gently into the earth, obferving to keep the top as 

 upright as poflible, that the flit may be open ; and 

 being provided with forked fticks for that purpofe, 

 thruft one of them into the ground, fo that the fork- 

 ed part may take hold of the layer, in order to keep 

 it down in its proper place ; then gently cover the 

 fhank of the layer with the fame foa of earth, giv- 

 ing it a gentle watering to fettle the earth about it, 

 obferving to repeat the lame as often as is neceflary, 

 in order to promote their rooting. In about five 

 or fix weeks after this, the layers will have taken 

 root fufficient to be tranfpl^nted ; againft which 

 time you ftiould be provided with proper earth for 

 them, which may be compofed after the following 

 manner : 



Make choice of fome good up-land pafture, or a 

 common that is of a hazel earth, or light fandy 

 loam ; dig from the furface of this your earth about 

 eight inches deep, taking all the turf with it -, let this 

 be laid in a heap to rot and mellow for one year, turn- 

 ing it once a month, that it may fweeten -, then mix 

 about a third part of rotten neats dung, or for want 

 of that, fome rotten dung From a Cucumber or Me- 

 lon-bed ; let this be well mixed together, and if you 

 can get ^it time enough before-hand, let them lie 

 mixed fix or eight months before it is ufed, turning it 

 feveral times, the better to incorporate their parts. 

 Obferve, that although I have mentioned this mix- 

 ture as the beft for thefe flowers, yet you muft not ex- 

 pedl to blow your flowers every year equally large in 

 the fame compofition •, therefore fome people who are 

 extremely fond Cf having their flowers fucceed well, 

 alter their compofitions every year in this manner, 

 viz. one year they mix the frefti earth with neats 

 dung, which is cold ; the next year with rotten horfe 

 dung, which is of a warmer nature, adding thereto 

 fome white fea fand to make the earth lighter. 

 But, for my part, I ftiould rather advife the plant- 

 ing two or three layers of each of the befl: kinds in 

 a bed of frelh earth not over dunged, which plants 

 fliould only be fuffercd tofliew their flowers, that you 

 may be fure they are right in their kind and colours v 

 and when you are fatisfied in that particular, cut off the 

 flower-ftems, and do notfuffer them to fpend the roots 

 ' in blov. ing, by which means you will ftrengthen your 

 layers. And it is -from thefe beds I would make 



bed of old tanners bark, 

 cover them with a common fr^me (fucli as is ufed. 

 for raifing Cucumbers and Melons); andin.twpof 

 thefe frames, which contain fix lights, may be fct a 

 hundred and fifty of thefe pots : in thefe frames you 

 may give them as much free air as you pleafe, by tak- 

 ing off the lights every day when the weather is mild, 

 and putting them on only in bad weather and great 

 rains ^ and if tlie winter ftiould prove fevere, it is 

 only the covering the glafles with mats, ftraw, or 

 Peafe-haulm, fo as to keep out the froft, which will 

 effedually preferve your plants in the utmoft vigour. 

 In the middle or latter end of February, if the feafon 

 is good, you muft tranfplant thefe layers into pots 

 for their bloom (the fize of which ftiould be about 

 eight inches over at the top in the clear) ; in the do- 

 ing of which, obferve to put fome potft^erds oroyfter- 

 fliells over the holes in the bottoms of the pots, to 

 keep the earth from ftopping them, which wouldde- 

 tain the water In the pots to the great prejudice of 

 the flowers : then fill thefe pots about half way with 

 the fame good compoft .as was before direfted, and 

 ftiake the plants out .gf the J}nall pots with all the 

 earth about the roots i then with your hands takeoff 

 fome of the earth round the outfide of the ball, and 

 from the furface taking off the fibres of the roots on 

 the outfide of the ball of earth ; then put one gqod 

 plant exadtly in the middle of each pot, fo that it may 

 ftand well as to the height, i. e. not fo low as to bury 

 the leaves of the plant with earth, nor fo high, that 

 the ftiank may be above the rim of the ppt j then fill 

 the pot up with the .earth before-mentioned, clofing 

 it gently to the plant with your hands, giving it a 

 little water, if the .weather is dry, to fettle the earth 

 .about it; then plage thefe pots in a fituation where 

 :they may be defended from the north wind, obferv- 

 ing to give them gentle waterings, as the feafon may 

 require. 



In this place they may remain till the middle or latter 

 end of April, when you ftiould prepare a ftage of 

 .boards tofet the pots upon, which ftiould be fo or- 

 dered as to have little citterns of water round each 

 poft, to prevent the infeds from getting to your flow- 

 ers in their bloom, which, if they arefuffcred to do, 

 will mar all your labour, by deftroying all your flow^- 

 ers in a fliort time ; the chief and moll: mifchievous 

 infed.in this cafe is, the earwig, which vv^ill gnaw off 

 all the lower parts of the petals of the flowers (which 

 .are very fweet) and thereby caufe the whole flower to 

 fall to pieces i butfincc the making one of thefe ftages 

 isibmeY4iat:afpenfive, and r>Qt very eafy to be un- 



derftood 



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