growth. 



GEN 



Ground, then prefs the earth clofe to the roots ; af- 

 ter this they will require no farther care, but to keep 

 them conllantly clean from weeds; and if the fol- 

 lowing fpring fhould prove dry, they fhould be 

 duly watered, which will greatly forward their 



In this border the plants may ftand two 

 years, by which time they will be fit to tranfplant 

 where they are defigncd to remain i therefore in au- 

 tumn, fo foon as their leaves decay, they may be re- 

 moved ; but as the roots of thefe plants run deep into 

 the ground, like Carrots, there muft be great care 

 taken in digging them up, not to cut or break their 

 roots, for that will greatly weaken, if it does not kill 

 them. After the plants are well fixed in their places, 

 they require no other culture, but to dig the ground 

 about them early in the fpring before they begin to 

 Ihoot, and in the fummer to keep them clean from 

 weeds. The roots of thefe plants will condnue 

 many years, but the ftalks decay every autumn ; the 

 fame roots do not flower two years together, nor fel- 

 dom oftener than every third year; but when they 

 flower Ilrong, they make a fine appearance ; and as 

 thefe delight in (hady moift ground, where but few 

 ornamental plants will thrive, fo they fliould not be 



rdens. 



wanting in good 





The fecond fort grows naturally in moift paftures in 

 many parts of England, but pardcularly in the north •, 

 this rifes with an upright ftalk about a foot high, 

 garnilhed with fmooth leaves an inch and a half 

 long, and lefs than a quarter of an inch broad; they 

 are placed oppofite, and have no foot-ftalks. The 

 flowers are produced on the top of the ftalk, three or 

 four in number, ftandingupon foot-ftalks alternately 

 above each other ; they are large, bell-fhaped, and 

 divided into five points at their brim, and are of a 

 • deep blue colour, fo make a fine appearance ; thefe 

 come out the latter end of July in the warm parts 

 of England, but in the north they are fiill a month 



later. . '^ ' • 



It may be propagated by feeds in the fame manner as 



the firft fort, and the plants may be treated in the 



. fame way ; but as this fort does not fhoot its roots 



• deep into the ground, it may be tranfplanted with lefs 

 ' hazard ; however, if thefe are removed with a ball of 



earth to their roots, they will not feel their removal 

 fo much as when the earth is all taken from them. 

 This fort fhould be planted in a ftrong, moift, loamy 

 foil, in which the plants will thrive and flower annu- 

 ally, but in a warm dry foil they will not thrive or 

 flower. 

 The third fort grows naturally upon the Helvetian 



• mountains ; this rifes with an upright ftalk near a 

 foot high, garnifhed with fmooth leaves about two 

 inches long, and three quarters of an inch broad at 

 their bafe, where they embrace the ftalk, but they end 

 in acute points ; they are placed oppofite, and are of 

 a fine green, and diminilh in their fize as they are 

 nearer the top -, they have five longitudinal veins, 

 ■which join at both ends, but diverge from each other 

 in the middle. The flowers come out by pairs op- 



■ pofite, from the bottoms of the leaves, ftanding on 

 ihort foot-ftalks ; they are pretty large, bell-fhaped, 

 and of a fine blue colour, fo make a fine appearance 



when thev are open. 



J 



■ July 



It may be propagated by feeds in the fame manner 



■ ■ as the firft fort, and the plants may be treated in the 



■ fame way, but they muft have a moift loamy foil, 

 otherwife they will not thrive. It may alfo be pro- 

 pagated by offsets, which may be divided from the 

 roots ; thefe fhould be taken off in autumn, which 



■ is the beft feafon for removing all thefe forts of 

 plants ; but thefe fhould not be removed, or parted 



■ oftener than every third year, where they are expedted 

 to produce ftrong flowers. 



The fourth fort grows naturally on the Alps and 

 Helvetian mountains, but has been long cultivated 

 in moft of the curious gardens in Europe ; this is com- 

 monly known by the title of Gentianella. It is a low 



plane, the ftalks feldom growing more than three or 



tion. 



GEN 



four inches high ; they are garnlfljed with faiooth 

 leaves placed oppofite, which aie two inches lona 

 and half an inch broad, fitting cloic to the ilalk. Tf 

 flowers grow ereft on the top of tlic ftalk, fo ft^^j 

 quite above them ; thefe are often fingle, but ionie 

 times, when the plants are ftrong, there v/ill be fovr 

 or five at the end of each ftalk ; they are lar^^e, bell 

 fhaped, and of a deep azure blue, fo is the iineftof 

 that colour of any flower yet known. It ufuailv 

 flowers in May, but fometimes the plants flower 

 again in autumn. 



This is commonly propagated by parting of the roots 

 in the fame manner as is before direded for the third 

 fort, but thefe muft not be often tranfplanted or 

 parted, if they are w^anted to flower ftrong ; this fort 

 ftiould have a foft loamy foil and a fhady fuua- 



where the plants will thrive and flower well 

 every year. 



It may alfo be propagated by feeds, which, in a 

 good foil, the plants will produce in plenty; thefe 

 fhould be fown in autumn, in the fame manner as is 

 before direfted for the firft fort; and if the plants 

 are planted in a good foil, they will be ftrong enourh 

 to flower the fecond year after they come up, and 

 thefe feedling plants will flower much ftrono-er than 

 thofe which are propagated by offsets. 

 The fifth and eighth forts are low annual plants 

 which grow naturally upon the Alps and other moun- 

 tainous places in Europe, and are very rarely cukivatcd 

 in gardens. The fifth feldom rifes more than twoinches 

 high, branching out from the root into fcveral flender 

 ftalks, garnifhed with very fmall leaves placed by 

 pairs, and each ftalk is terminated by one fmaller blue 

 flower ftanding ereft. The eighth fort grows about 

 four inches high, with a fingle upright ftalk of a pur- 

 ple colour. The leaved at the root are oval, but: 

 thofe upon the ftalk are narrow, and ftand oppofite. 

 The ftalk is terminated by one blue flower, with a 

 large bellied empalement, which is plaited, and the 

 petal of the flower rifes but a little above the empale- 

 ment, fo does not make much appearance. Afterthe 

 top flower decays, there are frequently two fmaller 

 flowers which come out from the fide of thefblk,at 

 the two upper joints ; thefe flov/er after each other, 

 the upper one coming firft, fo that there is a fucceffion 

 of flowers till autumn. . .i : . ,., 



As thefe plants ufually grow upon moift fpongy 

 ground, it is very difficult to cultivate them in gar- 

 dens ; for unlefs they have a fori approacliing near to 

 that in which they naturally grow, they will not 

 thrive ; the only method to obtain them is, either to 

 fow their feeds in pots, or upon a moift boggy ground 

 in autumn, but it muft be in the fhade; and when 

 the plants come up, they may be thinned, and the 

 furface of the ground about them covered with 

 mofs, which Ihould be conftantly kept moift; with 

 this management I have feen the plants thrive and 

 flower very well. . ' 



The fixth fort is a perennial plant, which grows na- 

 turally upon the Appenines and the Helvetian moun- 

 tains ; this rifes with an upright ftalk about fix inches 

 high, garnilhed with fmooth fpear-fhaped leaves 

 about two inches long, and one broad in the midd,le, 

 fitting clofe to the ftalk ; they are placed oppofite, 

 and each pair of leaves crofs one another, from whence 

 it is called CroflAVort Gentian. The flowers are pro- 

 duced in whorls round the ftalks at the upper joints, 

 fitting very clofe to the ftalks, and at the top there 

 is a large clufter growing in the fame form ; thefe 

 are of a light blue colour, and appear in May. This 

 may be propagated by feeds, or oft^:ers, in the fame 

 manner as the tliird and f'ourch forts, and the plants 

 muft be treated in the fame way. 

 The feventh fort grows naturally upon the Alps, and 

 other mountainous parts of Europe ; this is a low pe- 

 rennial plant, whofe ftalks are very flender, and rarelv 

 rife more than three or four inches high, garnimed 

 v/ith fmall, narrow, acute-pointed leaves, placed m 

 pairs ; each ftalk is terminated by- one large blue 



.flower, which is hairy on the infide at the brim. This 



flowers 



^ 



i 



'i 



■■< 



'3 



4 





-M 



