M 



M 



U 



M 



* I 



pdds, cohcaimng three or four cbrnprefTed roundilh 



feeds. 



Thcfe plants are all of them propagated by feeds, 



which fhoutd be fown early in the fpring, upon a good 

 J\o:-^e(l. if the feeds are good, the planes will appear 

 in a fortnight or three weeks, when they will require 

 f6 be tfeSted SViih care, for they muft not have much 

 "Ofret till they have acquired ftrength j nor fhould they 

 V drawn too weak, fo that frelh air Ihould be admit- 

 ttd to them at all times when the air is temperate. In 

 riiout a foftnigbt or three weeks after the plants come 

 uf), they ^\\\ be fit to tranfplant, efpecially if the bed 

 in \vhich they were fown, continues in a proper degree 

 of heat ; then there iliould be a frefh h6t-bed pre- 

 pared to feceivfe them, which {bould be fnade a ^\'eek 

 Before the plants 4re removed into it, th^t the vio- 

 Terit heat may be abated before the earth is laid upon 

 the duns, and the earth fhould have time to wafm 

 before the plants are planted into it. Then the plants 

 fnuft be carefully railed up from the bed to pfefefve 

 tfe r6dts efitire, and immediately planted lA the new 

 bed, at ^bout three or four inches diftance, preffing 

 tfie earth gently to their roots j then they fhould be 

 gently fprinkled over with water, to fettle the earth to 

 flieir roots j after this they rnuft be fhaded from the 

 :fijn till they have taken new root, and the glaffes of 

 the hoc- bed fhould be covered every night to keep up 

 ¥he Jieat of the bed. When the plants arc eftablifhed 

 fn th^i^ nfewbed, they fnuft have frequent, but getitle 

 tfrSt^'Fing^ ; ahd fcVefy day they muft have free air ad- 

 mitted t6 them, \fi proportion to the warmth of the 

 feafoh, to prevent their being drawn up weak % but 

 tliey thufl be conftantly kept in ^ moderate degree of 

 heat, othefwife they will riot thrive. In about a 



roots zxt very clofely matted together, \hcy fhould 

 be turned out of the pots, and pared round to reduce 

 them, and then potted again, either in pots of the 

 fame fize, or if the plants require, in pots one fize 

 larger •, but they muft not be over-potted, for ijicn 

 (he plants will not thrive. 



Some of thofe forts whofe ftalks fpread near ihc 

 ground, may be turned out of the pots in the mid- 

 dle of June, and planted in a very warm border, where 

 if they are covered with bell or hand-glaffes, they will 

 live through the fummer •, but thefe will not grow 

 vefy lafge, and upon the approach of cold in the au- 

 tumn, they are foon deftroyed : however, thofe who 

 have not conveniency of ftoves or tan-beds, may raife 

 the plants on common hot-beds in the fprincyj and 

 when they have acquired ftrength, they may be ueated 

 in this manner, whereby they v;ill have the pleafurc 

 of thefe plants in fummer, though not in fo great per- 

 feftion, as thofe who have the advantages before- 

 mentioned : biit thefe plants will ncft thrive in the 

 open air in this country, nor will they retain their fen- 

 fibility when they are fully expofed to the air^ . 

 It would be to little purpofe to trouble the reader 

 with the feveral idle ftories related of thefe plants by 

 travellers, nor to infert what has been faid by others 

 who have attempted to account for the motion of the 

 leaves of thefe plants on their being touched, fince 

 there has not been any thing wrote on this fubjcd, 

 worthy of being noticed, that I have yet feen-, I Ihall 

 therefore only mention what I have myfelf obfervcd in 

 thefe plants, for more than forty years that I have 

 cultivated them, • . 



The firft is, that they are more or lefs fufceptible of 

 the touch 6r prefTure, according to the warmtTi of 



ffi6nth after the plant Will be ftrong efioujgh to remove j tli^.^f, in which they grow ; for thofe plants which arc 

 again, 1?vhen they fhould be c^afefully taken up, pre- 

 fervins as much earth to their roots as poflible. 



and 



\ 



rrt kept in a v^arm ftove, contrad their leaves immedi- 

 r ately on being touched, either with the hand, a flick* 

 each planted m a feparate fmall pot, filled With good I Oi* ariy other thing, or by the wind blowing'Vpcn 

 kifcheh-girSferi earth, fthd ()liiilged into a hol:-bed of , them : fome of the, fp^ts* only contraft their fmall 

 '^tah,taMutlythadiftgthe1toft^m the fuh till ti^^ j->. ieaveS, which are placed al^ng the midrib > Others 



\ t^keh.n^r^Ot ; thefithey Uiuft be treated in the fame 

 ■w\jtA i^iL^--^^:*^^^^^ tefider exotic plants from vefy warm 





countrVes.^ 



'^■g-i 'i 



not only contrail their fmall leaves, but the foot 

 ftalk aUb declines downward on being touched: the 



^^^ ..„^, .^ ^^,. , . _ . firftareGalledSenfitive, aiidthefecondHuniblePlants; 



'^^,Xhfct6rls >^Kich gfoW upright and tall, will foon j but wl^eh thefe plants are placed in a cooler fituation, 



'^ -.. .- they do not moye fo foon, nor contract fo clofely, as 



thofe which are in a greater warmth -, and thofe which 



. are entirely expofed to the open air, have very little 



motion, but rertiai'n 4n one ftate, neither expanded 



r^- 



**■-, 



rife hi^ ^hdush to reach the elafles of the hot-bed, 



cipecially if they thrive well j therefore they ihould 



be fhifted ifito larger pots, and fe'moved into me ft5ve, 



'tnd if thef "S'fe>lunged ifito the tah-bed there, it will 



grt'atly fotwafd thetxi. The firft fort will often flower I hor clofed, but between both, efpecially in coolwea- 



tii^re, if the plants are raifed early in the fpring, and 

 brought forward by their removal from one hot- bed 

 to another ; and two br three times t have had their 

 'feeds HjD^n, but this can only be exptifted in very 

 ^affft feaforis. 



ther ; nor do thefe fhut themfelves at night, as thofe 

 do which are in a warm temperature of air;l^^'H V 

 The'fecond is, that it is not the light which caufes 

 them to expand, as fome have affirmed, who have had ' 

 ho experience of thefe things ; for in the longeftdays 



J^.¥hb ^eferinial forts will live through the winter, ifj of fummer, they are generally contrafted by five or 

 "thtly are 



rummer 



re pfeferved in a warm ftove, and the following 

 ^r they^Will Ibrodufce flbWers and ripen their 



fix in the evening, when the fun remains above the 



horizon two or three hours longer i and although the 



feeds. So&ie'bf thefe may be propagated ^y laying 1 . glaffes of the ftovie in which they are placed, Is cover- 



dO^ll theif branches, which will put Out fbots, and 



thi^h bay be leparated from the old plants ; and I 



^1^ have fotii;etimes propagated them by cuttmgs, but 



' the plattts ^hich rife frorti feeds are brl^rable to either 



There is rto pafticUlSr Iflanagemtnt whieh thefe plants 



J rfduire, different from others of the fartie warm 



countries: the girat care muft be to keep them in a 



y\ |)ropt*rteiTlperatureor heat, and not to give them too 



/ milch water, ^IJ)ecially in cool weather 5. hor fhould 



';l.th^bekeptt5d %, fbfrriahy of the Ibrts require 



'^'^"'-ueot Waterings, as thfy Naturally gfOw frt frioift 



r'fclacfes. There fhould alfo be care taken that they 



.do not root into the tan-bed, for they foon put out 



Ihfeir roots through the holes at the &6tt6m of the 



. ^.bots, '^/hich, when tTiey ftrike fht6 the tan, will caufe 



':^\\\^ plants to fe"r0w;vel^ luxuriant V l5i3t when they are 



moVed, and thefe roots are cut or broken off, the 



Blarits feldom'fumve it ; therefore the' pots fhould be 



■^'C. '^ 



frequently dfawn out of the tan, Sncf if any of the 



liziz Beginnmg Id g^t ttiroughthe^ at \:he 



bqtiom, they Ihould be c'dt 'off clofe i and whenAhe l and their leaves will be fully e 



ed clofe withTliutters to exclude the light in the mid- 

 ^ die of the day, yet if the air of the ftove is warm, 

 , the lea,yesQf the plants will continue fully exjpan^ed, 



as I have feveral times obferved. Nor'do thefe plants 



continue mut till the fun rifes in the morning, tor 1 

 c^have frequently found their leaves fully expanded bf 



l:hfe,.ljreak of day in the morning-, fo that it is plain 

 . the light is not the caufe of their expanfion, hor the 



' -want of it that of their contraction. •> ■'"■ '<■"' ^ *■ 

 .X .have alfo obferved, that thofe ' plants' which are 

 ;ptaced in the greateft warmfh In winte^, continue vi- 

 gorous, and retain their faculty of contraaing on 

 being touched -, but thofe which are in a moderate 

 warmth, havejittle or no motion. .' '?;-. '• ' — * 

 "When any of t!ie upper leaves of thefe plants are 

 toucW, if they fall down and tbadh thofe which arc 

 below them,' it will occafion their contraaing and 

 falling, fo that by one touching another, they w'" 

 d«ntinue falling for fome ti me. - . Whefi the air otthe 

 ; ftove in which thefe plants ftand,is in a proper tem- 

 perature of warmtli, the plants will recover themfelves, 

 ' inAVhi^r Imvm will be fnllv exbanded in about eignt 



or 



f 



\ 



