Thclc flowei-s lliould always be cxpofed to tlie wea- 

 llicr, for it" they are fliaded with mats, or any other 

 covciin<^, it will prevent their perfecling the feed. 

 About tlie middle of July, (a little f^-jiier or later, as 

 the fummer is hotter or colder) the feeds will be fit 

 to gather, which may be known by the drynefs of their 

 ilalks, and the opening of the feed-vcfiels, at which 

 lime it may be cut off, and prcferved in the pods till 

 the fejfon for fowing it, being careful to put it up \n 

 a dry place, otherwifc it will be fubjecT: to mould, 

 which will render it good for little. 

 Having faved a parcel of good feed, about the begm- 

 ning of September is the bell leafon for fowing it, 

 when there fliould be provided a parcel of Ihallow 

 feed-pans, or boxes, which fhould have holes in their 

 bottoms to let the moifture pafs off; thefe muft be 

 filled with frelL fandy earth, laying the furface very 

 even, upon which the feeds fliould be fov/n as regu- 

 larly as poffible, that they may not lie upon each other -, 

 then there fhould be fome of the fame light fandy 

 earth fifted over them, about half an inch thick. 

 Thefe boxes or pans fliould be placed where they may 

 have the morning fun till eleven of the clock, in 

 which fituation they may remain until Oftober, at 

 which time they fliould be removed into a more open 

 fituation, where they may enjoy the benefit of the fun 

 all the day, and be flickered from the north winds, 

 where they fliould remain during the winter feafon ; 

 but in the fpring, when the plants are up, they fliould 

 be again removed to their firfl; fituation ; and if the . 

 feafon fliould be dry, they mull be refreflied with . 

 water while the plants remain green -, but as foon as 



T 



up ; and if the fpring fliould prove dry, ti.ev njuil L** 

 frequently refreflied with water during the time r/ 

 tiieir growth ; but this muft not be given to tlicni i^i 

 great quantities, left it rot their tender bvilb" ; aid 

 when the leaves are decayed, the Vv'eeds fliould beta- 

 ken offj and the beds covered with frefli earth, which 

 fliould alfo be repeated again in autumn. 

 In thefe beds the bulbs may remain two years, dur- 

 ing which time they muft be conflantly' kept cle.;r 

 from weeds, and in fpring and autumn frefl> earthe:' 

 in the manner already directed -, after wliich rlie bu'.bs 

 muft betaken up, and planted into freih beds, at tour 

 inches aftlnder, and as many deep, where they may 

 remain two years more, during which time thcv 

 fliould havT the fame culture as before ^ and aftcV 

 that, the bulbs being large enough to blow, they 

 fliould be taken up, and planted in frefli beds at the 

 ufual diftance, and in the fame manner as old roots • 

 where, when they flower, fuchof them as are worthy 

 to be preferved, fliould be marked with flicks ^ and 

 at the feafon for taking up the bulbs^ they muft 

 be feparated from the others, in order to be planted 

 as breeders in different beds j but you fliould by no 

 means throw out the reft until they have flowered twa 

 or three years, becaufe it is impoflible to judf^e ex- 

 aftly of their value in lefs time; for many, winch at 

 firft flowering appear beautiful, will afterwards dege- 

 nerate fo as to be of little value; and others, which 

 did not pleaft; at firft, will many times improve, fa 

 that they fliould be preferved until their worth can be 

 well judged of ' 



new 



jheir tops begin to decay, there muft be no more 1 nually raifed, from which there will always be fine 

 given them, left it rot their tender bulbs ; therefore 1 flowers broken, which, being the produce of a perfon's 



the boxes fliould be placed in afliady fituation during 

 the fummer feafon, but not under the drip of trees. 

 Thefe plants, at their firft appearance, have very nar- 

 row grafly leaves like thole of Onions, and come 

 up with bending heads, in the fame manner as they . 



be 



not in other hands, which is what enhances the price 

 of all flowers : and it has been entirely owing to rhk 

 method of raifing new flowers, that the Dutch h 



paiSlon 



ave 



do ; fo that perfons who are unacquainted with them, j Tulips did fome time reign fo violently, that many of 



may pull them up ' inftead of Grafs whilft they are 



before their leaves are a little more ex- 



very young 

 panded, which is 



rarely performed the firft year ; 



for they feldom. appear before the middle of March, 

 and they commonly decay about the latter end of May, 



or the beginning of June, according as the feafon is 

 hotter or colder. 



The weeds and Mofs fliould alfo be cleared ofi^ from 



the furface of the earth in the boxes, and a little frefli 



earth fifted over them foon after their leaves decay, 



which will be of great fervice to their roots. Thefe 



boxes fliould be conftantly kept clear from weeds, 



which. If permitted to gro\v therein, when they are 



pulled up, the roots will be apt to draw the bulbs out 



of the ground. At Michaelmas they fliould be frefli 



cartTiecT again, and as the winter comes on, they muft 



be again removed into the fun as before, and treated 



in the fame manner, until the leaves decay in the fpring, 



when the bulbs fhould be carefully taken up, and 



planted in beds of frefli fandy earth, which fliould have 



tiles laid under them, to prevent their roots from t for although it is generally agreed that lean, hungry, 



Ihooting downward, which they often do when there | frefli earth doth haften their breaking, and caufe their 



hun<Jred 

 ducats for one fingle root ; which extravagance was the 



occafion of an order being made by t^ States, to li- 

 mit the utmoft price that ihould be afterward given 

 for any Tulip root, were it ever fo fine. 

 Having thus given an account of the method of raif- 

 ing thefe flowers from feeds, I fliall now proceed to 

 the management of thofe roots which are termed 

 breeders, fo as to have fome of them every year break 

 out into fine ftripes. 



There are fome who pretend to have a fecret how to 

 make any fort of breeders break into ftripes whenever 

 they pleafe, but this, I dare fay, is without foundation ; 

 for from many experiments which I and others have 

 made of this kind, I never could find any certainty of 

 this matter. All that can be done by art, is to ftiift 

 the roots every year into frefli earth of different mix- 

 tures and a diflerent fituation, by which method I have 

 had very good fuccefs. 

 The earth of thefe beds ihould be every year different. 



is nothing to flop them, and thereby are dcftroycd. 

 The earth of thefe beds fliould be about five inches 



ftripes to be the finer and more beautiful, yet, if 

 they are every year planted in the fame fort of foil, it 



thick upon the tiles, which will be fufficient for nou- | will not have fo mucheffe6l on them, as if they were one 



rifliing thefe roots while they are young. 

 The diftance which thefe young bulbs fliould be al- 

 lowed, need not be more than two inches, nor fliould 

 they be planted above two inches deep ; but toward 

 the end of Oftober, it will be proper to cover the 

 beds over with a little frefli earth about an inch, L The beft compoft for thefe roots is a third part of 



year planted in one fort of earth, and the next year in a 

 very indifferent one, as I have feveral times experi- 

 enced; and if fome fine ftripedTulips areplanted in the 

 fame beds with thebrecders,intermixingtliem together, 

 it will alfo caufe the breeders to break the fooner. 



ood 



^eep, which will preferve the roots from the froft, _ 



and prevent Mofs or weeds from growing over them ; the fward rotted with it, a third part of iea fand, and 



but, if the wintef fliould be very fevere, it will be { 

 rooer to cover the bed either with mats or Peas- 

 aulm, to prevent the froft from entering the ground, 

 becaufe thefe roots are much tenderer while young, 

 than the^ are after they have acquired ftrength. 

 In the Ipring the furface of the ground mould be 

 gently ftirred to make it clean, before the plants come 



2 



the other part fifted lime rubbifli ; thefe fl.ould be all 

 mixed together fix or eicrhr months at leaft before it is 



«fed,an( . , ^ 



the parts well together. With this mixture the beus 

 fhould be made about two feet deep, after the follow- 

 ing manner : after the old earth is taken from out of 



the bed to the depth intended, then fame of the frefli 



eardi 



