A 



torn, nnd nrc difpofed on every fide the (talk. The 

 (talks lire about nine inches high, and vA\f^n the roots 

 areMlrong, the thyrie of flov/ers is large. This 

 flowers about tlie fame time with the firft fort, and 

 was formerly prefcrvcd in gardens, but fmce there have 

 been fo many finer flowers raifcd from the feeds of the 

 Ealtern Hyacinths, thefe have been alrnoll totally ne- 

 glcfted, fo that they are feidomfcen but in old gardens 

 The fourth fort fcems to be a variety of the firft, the 

 flowers being ranged for the moft part upon one 

 fide of the ftalk, and the top of the fpike is always 

 bent on one fide. The flowers are of a blufh Peach 



H 



colour, and appear about the fame time as the firft fort. 

 The fifth fort grows naturally in Spain ; this hath a 

 Prialler fiov/cr than either of the former forts, and 

 comes earlier in the feafon. The petal is cut into fix 

 parts half the length, and is refiexed at the brim ; 

 the lower part is cylindrical, a little fwelling at the 

 bafe and is cf a deeper blue than either of the for- 

 mer. This was formerly called by the gardeners the 

 Coventry blue Hyacinth. 



The fixth fort is the Eaftern Hyacinth, of which we 

 formerly had no other varieties in the Englifh gar- 

 dens, but the fingle and double white aiid blue flower- 

 ing ; but from the feeds of thefe there were a few 

 others raifed in England ; and alfo by the Flemifii 

 ardeners, who came over annually with their flower- 

 roots to vend in England •, but the gardeners in Hol- 

 land have within the laft fifty years raifed fo many 

 fine varieties, as to render the forrher 'forts of little 

 or no value. 





J - <- -* ** ".-'■"■ - * 





But chofe who are defirous to preferve any of the old 

 forts, need not be at much trouble about it, for their 

 roots propagate in great plenty in any foil or fituation, 

 and will require no other cafe but to take up their roVts 

 every other or third year, foon after their leaves decay, 

 and plant them again in autumn ; for if they are per- 

 ,initted to remain longer in the ground, their roots will 

 . have multiplied to fo great a degree, as to render their 

 ^flowers very fmall and weak, fo of little worth. 

 * All the different forts of Hyacinths are propagated by 

 ' feeds or offsets from the old bulbs ; the formjer me- 

 " thod has been but little praftifed in England till very 

 lately, but in Holland and Flanders it hath been fol- 

 lowed for many years, whereby they have obtained a 

 very great variety of the moft beautiful flowers of this 

 "Icind : and it is owing to the induftry of the fldrifts in 

 •thbfe countries, that the lovers and delis^hters' iii't^r- 

 ^dening are fo agreeably entertained, not only with the 

 curious varietv of this, but of nnoft other bulbous 

 footed fioweTs;^ Few other flonfts thinking it worth 

 ^^"tlieii" trouble'to wait four of five years for the Rowers 

 of a plant, which when produce'3, perhaps'fHefe'rhight 



ly 



of 



"the four or five firft years after fowiriE:' for if they con- 



; .tinued l0^ylng every year after they began, there wpuld 



"l)e"farfucceflion of flowers annually, which would con- 



,ftantly produce at leaft'fomeTorts that miglit'be difle- 



* *ren^ from, what they had before feen t ^n'd new flowers 



being always the moft valuable to fkilful florifts/pfo- 



vided tney have good properties to recommend them') 



^It.would always be a fufncient recompence for their 



..trouble^and lofs of time. '^^-^ ^'-^^ -} **-f^#^-^ 



.jThe method of raifing thefe' ftower's from feed is as 



follows : having p*r6*vided youffelf with foiffe'^goo'd 



Teed (which fhould b& faved from either femi-double, 



ii 



^ 



or pots, with holes in their bbtto'ms to let otF moifture, 



. v^hich muft be'filled wtfhtrem light fandyToil, laying 



the furface very level ; then fow'your feeds' thereon as 



equally aspqffible,^covering it about half an inch thick 



with the fame light earthy' the time for this work is 



about the middle or latter end of Auguft. Thefe 



boxes, or pots, Ifiould be placed where they may en- 



joy the rnprning fun only dntil the latter end of Sep- 



. tcmber, at which tinl^ they ftiould b^ removed into a 



farmer fituation, and towards the end of Odober'they 



Ih^uld be placed^ under a' common hot- bed frame, 



^a:re they may remain during the v/inter and fpring 









> 





months, that they 



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be proreftcd from hr.rd fvr^A ; 



though thty Oiould be cxpcled to tl^c t>pcn air wl.^n 

 the weather is mild, by taking off the <^^!alies. In th.- 

 latter end of Febriiary or the beginning of iMarJi, 

 tiie young plants will begin to anptar abJvc ground, 

 at which time they muil be carclully tcrccncd from 

 frofts, othcrwifc tliCy will be luon dcllroycd wh-."n 

 they are fo young ; but you muft never cover thcni at 

 that feafon but in the night, or in very b:^d weather* 

 for when the plants arc come up, if they are clofc co- 

 vered, they will draw up very tall and fitndcr, and 

 tliereby prevent the grov^th of their roots. About tlic 

 middle of April, if the v/eather proves good, vou may 

 remove the boxes out of the frame, placii:g them in a 

 warm fituation, obferving, if the feaibn be dry, to re- 

 frefh them nov/ and then jyntly with a little water, as 

 alio to keep them very clear from weeds, which would 

 foon overipread the tender plants, and defcroy them, 

 if permitted to rem.ain. 



Tov/ards the beginning of May thefe boxes fliould be 

 remiOved into a cooler fituation ; for the heat cf the 

 fun at that feafon would be too great for thefe tender 

 plants, caufing their blades to decay much fooner than 

 they would naturally do, if they were fcreened from its 

 violence. In this fnady fituation they fliould lem.ain du- 

 ring the heat of fummer, obferving to keep them con- 

 llantly clear from weeds ; but you muft not place then 



under the dripping of trees, &c. ncrfaouldyou e;ivc 

 them any v/ater after their blades arc decayed, for 

 thai: would infallibly "rot the roots. About the latter 

 end of AuguH you fliould fift a little light rich earth 

 over the furface of the boxes,' and then rcm.ove them 

 again into a warmer fituation, and treat them, durinf^- 

 the winter, fpring, and fummer months, as was before 

 directed : and about the middle of AUguft following 

 you fhould prepare a bed of light rich fandy foil, in pro- 

 portion to thequantit^of your fecdlingplants; and hav- 

 ing levelled the furface very even, you fhould take the 



earth from the boxes in which your plants were raifed, 

 into a fieve, in order to get out ail the roots, which 

 by this time, (if they have grovvn wxU) will be about 

 the thicknefs of a fmall quill-, thefe roots fhould be 

 placed upon the bed at about two or t!-.:ee inches 



of their 



afunder, obferving to fet the bottom par 

 roots dow^nwards ; then cover them over two inches 

 thick with the fame light earth ; but as it will be im- 

 pbffible to get all the fmall root's out of the earth in 

 the boxes, you fhould fpread the earth upon another 

 bed equally, and cover it over with light_^earch V by 

 .which method you will not lofe any of the roots, be 

 they ever fo fmall. ry .: 5^r;.:V.i> > ^^*^ ■- -t 



f 



( 



I 



i 

 t 



i 



I 



X 



f 



i 



w 

 i 



* 



Thefe beds rnuft: be arched over with hoops, and m 

 very' hard Trofty weather they mufl be ^covered 'witii 

 maEs,'&c. tlDproteft them from"frofl:;*'ahd in the 

 fprinp-'t'when the green leaves are above, ground, if 

 the weather flioyld be very dry, you mulr i'efrefh theni 

 with water ; but do this fparmgly, for nothing is more 

 injurious' to thefe bulbs than too great quantities o'' 

 rnoiflure.j^'^ During the fumrner feafon you muft con- 

 ftantly keep" the beds clear from weeds ; hilt after the 

 blades are decayed, you '.imift never give them ar^y 

 water V and in autumn you fliould ftir the furface of 

 the bed with a very Iliort hand-fork, being exceeding 

 'careful not to thruft it fo deep as to touch the* roots, 

 which,' if hurt,\*are>cryfubjed to pcrifli foon' after. 

 Then fiftafittle frefli, light, rich* earth oyer the bed 

 'aBbutan inch thick*, or fdmewhat mofe^^andin \yinter 

 fcbver tMm again (as^vds before djjeaecl.)^^In 

 the roots niay' continue two years, ^obferving to treat 

 them, both in fummer" and winter," as 'Before •, then 



I 



• k 



the third 

 a little before 



year the roots fhould be carefully taken up 

 fore their leaves 3eca}V%ing the roots ho- 

 rizontally in the ground 'to ripen* for three weeks, af-^ 

 ter which they may be kept out cf the ground till the 

 end of Auguft, when they fliould be planted into new 

 beds prepared as before, placing them at the diftance 

 of fix inches afunderj in thefe beds the roots miay re- 

 main till they flower, during v/hich time they fliould be 

 treated as before, with this difference only, that inftead 

 of covering them with mats in the winter, the furface 

 of the ground fhould be covered with tanners bark. .-. 



6 Z - When 



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4". 



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