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hiiddle of April, and continues ii^ar a month in 

 beauty, if planted in a fhady place. It is propagated 

 by parting of the roots in autumn, foon after the 

 leaves decay, and may be planted on a (hady border, 

 where it will thrive exceedingly. 

 The ninth fort was difcovcred by Dr. Tournefort in 

 the Levant ; this hath a perennial root, from which 

 arife feveral leaves, cut into many points like thofe of 

 Wolfibane ; the ftalk rifes a foot high, and is garnilhed 

 with two leaves which fit clofe together, and are al- 

 ternate. This is terminated by one fingle yellow 

 flower, much larger than that of the Butterflov/er, and 

 blows in May. It is propagated by parting the roots 

 in autumn, and fliould be planted in a light loamy 



foil. 



The tenth fort is common in the Englifli gardens, and 



was fome years pad more fo than at prefent ; for fince 

 the Perfian Ranunculus has been introduced here, and 

 fo many fine varieties have been obtained from feeds, 

 they have almoft baniftied this fort out of the gardens. 

 It hath a grumous root like the Perfian fort ; the 

 leaves are divided by threes, and thofe are twice 

 again divided by threes, and are obtufe-pointed j the 

 ftalk rifes about nine inches high, terminated by one 

 large double red flower. This appears the latter end 

 of April, and have fometimes one or two very fmall 

 flowers branching out from the fide. 

 The eleventh fort was originally brought from Perfia, 

 but fince it has been in Europe, has been greatly im- 

 proved by culture, and many new flowers obtained 

 from feeds, amongft which are many withfemidouble 

 flowers, which produce feeds; and from thefe there 

 are fuch prodigious varieties of new flowers annually 

 obtained, which are fo large, and of fuch variety of 

 beautiful colours, as to exceed all other flowers of that 

 feafon, and even vie with the mofl: beautiful Carna- 

 tions i thefe are many of them finely fcented, and the 

 roots, when fl:rong, generally produce twenty or 

 thirty flowers upon each ; which, fucceeding each 

 other, continue in beauty a full month or longer, ac- 

 cording to the heat of the feafon, or the care taken to 

 defend them from the injuries of the weather; all 

 which excellent qualities have rendered them fo valu- 

 able, that the old forts are almofl: difregarded except 

 in fome old gardens. 



All the very double flowers never produce feeds, fo 

 that they are only multiplied by offsets from their 

 roots, which they generally produce in great plenty, 

 if planted on a good foil, and duly attended in winter. 

 The feafon for planting their roots is any time In Oc- 

 tober, for if they are planted fooner, they are apt to 

 come up in a Ihort time, and grow pretty rank before 

 winter, whereby they will be in greater danger of fuf- 

 fering by frofl: ; and if they are planted much later, 

 they will be in danger of perifhing under ground ; fo 

 that you fliould not keep them out of the ground 

 any longer than the beginning or middle of October. 

 The beds in which the Perfian Ranunculus roots are 

 planted, ftiould be made with frefli, light, fandy 

 earth, at leaft three feet deep : the belt foil for them 

 may be compofed in this manner, viz. Take a quan- 

 tity of frelh earth from a rich upland pafliure, about 

 fix inches deep, together with the green fward ; this 

 Ihould be laid in a heap to rot for twelve months be- 

 fore it is mixed, obfcrving to turn it over very often, 

 to fweeten it and break the clods ; to this you Ihould 

 add a fourth part of very rotten neats dung, and a 

 proportionable quantity of fea or drift-fand, according 

 as the earth is lighter or ftifFer ; if it be light and in- 

 clining to a fand, there ftiould be no fand added ; 

 but if it be a hazel loam, one load of fand will be 

 fufRcientfor eight loads of earth ; but if the earth is 

 ftrong and heavy, the fand ftiould be added in a 

 greater proportion; this ftiould be mixed eight 

 months or a year before it is ufed, and ftiould be of- 

 ten turned over, in order to unite their parts well to- 

 gether before it is put into the beds. 

 The depth which this ftiould be laid in the beds, muft 

 be about three feet, and ftiould be below the furf ace, 

 in proportion to the drynefs or moifture of the place 



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where the beds are fituated ; for in dry ground it ftiould 

 be two feet eight inches below the lurface, and the 

 beds raifed four inches above ; but in a moift place 

 they fliould be two feet below, and one foot above 

 the ground ; and in this cafe, it will be very proper 

 tb lay fome rubbifti and ftones in the bottom of each 

 bed, to drain off the moifture; and if upon this, at 

 the bottom of the beds, fome very rotten neats dung 

 is laid two or three inches thick, the roots will 

 reach this in the fpring, and the flowers will be the 

 fairer. This earth I would by no means advife to 

 be fcreened very fine, only in turning it over each 

 time, you ftiould be careful to break the clods, and 

 throw out all large ftones, which will be fufficient ; 

 for if it is made very fine, when the great rains in 

 ■winter come on, it will caufe the earth to bind into 

 one folid lump, whereby the moifture will be detained, 

 and the roots, not being able to extend their tender 

 fibres, will rot. Of this I have had many examples, but 

 one particularly to my coft : when I had procured a 

 fine parcel of thefe roots from abroad, and being 

 defirous of having them thrive very well, I took 

 great pains to fcreen the earth of my beds very fine, 

 which I had laid above two feet deep, and planted a 

 good part of my roots therein ; but the feafon ad- 

 vancing, and having a great deal of other bufinefs 

 upon my hands, I did not fcreen the earth of all my 

 beds, but planted fome of them without doing any 

 thing more than raking them ; and the fuccefs was, 

 that the roots in thofe beds which were fcrce;ied did, 

 great part of them, entirely rot ; and the remaining 

 part were fo weak, as not to produce any good flowers; 

 whereas thofe which were planted in the beds which 

 were not fcreened, did thrive and flower very well, 

 and fcarce any of the roots failed, though the earth of 

 all the beds was the fame, and were in the fame fitu- 

 ation, both with regard to wind and fun ; fo that the 

 damage which thofe roots fuftaincd, was owing en- 

 tirely to the finenefs of the earth ; and this I have fe- 

 veral times fince obferved in other gardens. 

 I am aware that this depth of three feet, which I have 

 here direfted to make the beds of thefe flowers, will 

 be objected to by many perfons, on account of the ex- 

 pence and trouble of preparing them, as alfo fup- 

 pofing it necefl^ary to make the beds fo deep, for 

 flowers whofe roots are fmall ; but if they will give 

 thcmfelves the trouble of making the experiment, by 

 preparing one bed in this manner, and another in the 

 common way, and plant them both with the fame 

 flowers, they will foon be convinced of their error, 

 by the fuccefs of the flowers* For in the beds which 

 have been prepared of this depths I have feen one 

 root produce upward of fifty flowers, each of which 

 grew near a foot high, and were extremely large and 

 fair; whereas in the common method of culture, they 

 are thought to do very well when they produce eight 

 or ten flowers on each root, and thefe grow fix inches 

 high ; but if a perfon will trace the length of the 

 fmall fibres of thefe roots, he will find them extend 

 three or four feet downwards. And as it is by thefe 

 diftant fibres that the nouriftiment is taken in, for the 

 increafe and ftrength of the flowers ; fo if thefe meet 

 with a poor barren foil below, they ftirink, and the 

 flowers are ftarved for want of proper nourifliment 

 in the fpring, when it is moft required. 

 The beds being thus prepared, fhould lie a fortnight 

 to fettle before the roots are planted, that there may 

 be no danger of the earth fettling unequally after they 

 are planted ; which would prejudice the roots, by 

 having hollow places in fome parts of the bed, to which 

 the water would run and lodge, and fo rot the roots 

 there. Then having levelled the earth, laying the 

 furface a little rounding, the beds ftiould be marked 

 out in rows by a line, at about fix inches diftance each 

 way, fo that the roots may be planted every way ill 

 ftrait lines ; then you ftiould open the earth with youf 

 fingers at each crofs, where the roots are to be plant- 

 ed, at about two inches deep, placing the roots ex- 

 adly in the middle, with their crowns upright ; then 



with the head of a rake you fliould draw tiie parch up- 



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