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There are four or five varieties of this TpecVes which 

 differ in the colour of their flowers, but the molt 

 common colour is blue. 



Thcfe are propagated by offsets from their roots ; but 

 to obtain new varieties, they muff be propagated by 

 feeds in the following manner. 



Having procured a parcel of feeds from good flowers, 

 the beginning of September you fhould provide fome 

 flat pans or boxes, which mufl: have holes in their 

 bottoms to let the moifture pafs off-, thefe ihould have 

 pieces of tile or oyflier fhells laid over each hole, to 

 prevent their being ftopped; then they muft be filled 

 with frefh light fandy earth, and the feeds fown there- 

 on pretty thick, oblerving to fcatter them as equally 

 as poffible ; then cover them over about half an inch 

 ^thick with the fame" light frefli earth, and place the 

 boxes or pans where they may have the morning fun 

 till eleven o'clock ; and if the feafon (hould prove very 

 dry, they muft be now and then refrefhed with water. 

 In this fituation they may remain until the middle of 

 Oftober, when they fhould be removed into a warmer 

 fituation, where they may have the full fun mofl: part 

 of the day, and fcreened from fevere frofl:s •, in which 

 place they muft abide all the winter, obferving to keep 

 .them clear from weeds and Mofs, which, at this fea- 

 fon, are very apt to fpread over the furface of the 

 earth in pots, when they are expofed to the open air. 

 In the fpring the plants will appear above ground, 

 .when, if the feafon is dry, they mufl: be now and then 

 refreflied with water, and conllantly kept clear from 

 weeds; and as the feafon advances, and the weather 

 becomes warm, they fhould be again removed into their 

 former fliady fituation, where they may enjoy the morn- 

 ing fun only. When the leaves begin to decay (which 

 will be in June,) they muft be cleared from weeds and 

 dead leaves, and fome frefh earth fiftcd over them 

 about half an inch thick, ftill fuffering them to abide 

 in the fame fituation all the fumnier feafon ; during 

 which time, they will require no farther care but to 

 keep them clear from weeds until the beginning of 

 October, when they muft be again removed into a 

 warm fituation, and. the furface of the earth lightly 

 taken off, and fome frefh earth fifted over them. 

 In this place they muft remain all the winter as be- 

 fore, and in the fpring they muft be treated as was 

 dlredled for the former years. ^ 







When the leaves are decayed, the bulbs fhould be 



carefully taken up (which may be'beft done by fifting 

 the earth through, a fine fieve) "ahH^'a bed or rwoof 



X Y L 



But the nurfcry-leds fliould fliil remiln. obf^rvir^t6 

 keep them clear from weeds, as alfo to iif: frc'Ci carrM 

 over them, as was bcfcTe diref^cd -, and the follow- 

 ing fcalon the remaining pirtof the roots, which did 

 not flower tiie foregoing icaibn, wiii now fli-w their 

 . blofloms ; lo that you may know which of them are 

 worth prefcrving in the flower-garden, which fhould 

 now be marked ; and when their leaves are decayed, " 

 they muft be taken up, and planted with the other- 

 fine forts, in an eaft border of light frelh earth ; bun 

 the ordinary forts may be inte.nnixed with other bul- 

 bous rooted flowqrs in the larger borders of the plea- 



fure-garden,where, during their continuance in flowef, 

 they will afford an agreeable variety. 



, But after thefe choice flowers are obtained from feeds 

 they may be increafed by offsets, as otHer bulbous 

 flowers are. The offsets fliould be planted in a fepa- 

 rate border from the blowing roots, for one year, un- 

 til they have ftrength enough to produce flowers, 

 when they may be placed in the flower-garden with 

 the old roots. 



Thefe bulbs need not be taken up oftener than every 

 other year, which fhould always be done foon after 

 their leaves decay, otherwife they will fend forth frefh 

 fibres, when it will be too late to remove them ; nor 

 ffiould they be kept long out of the ground, a month 

 is full enough ; for when they are kept longer, their 

 bulbs are fubjecfl to flirink, which caufes their flowers 

 to be weak the following year. 



The earth which the flowers thrive beft in, is a light 

 fandy loam ; and if it be taken from a pafture ground 

 with the fward, and laid in a heap until the Grafs is 

 .thoroughly rotted, it will be ftill better; for thefe 

 bulbs do not delight in a rich dunged foil, nor fhould 

 they be planted in a fituation where they may be too 

 much expofed to the fun -, for in fuch places their 

 ; floNvers will continue but a few days in beauty, and 

 their roots are apt to decay, but in an eaft border, 

 where they have the fun until eleven o'clock, they 

 will thrive and flower extremely well, efpecially if the' 

 foil be neither too wet, nor over dry. From the moft 

 beautiful of thefe flowers fhould feeds be faved, and 

 fown every year, which will always furnifli new varie- 

 ties^ fome of which will greatly exceed the oricrinal 

 inds. 



' The Perfian Iris is gready efteemed for the beauty and 

 extreme fweetnefs of its flowers, as alfo for its early 



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' appearance in the fpring, It generally being in per- 



;..fe£lion Tri Feb'ruary, or the beginning of March, ac- 



good light frefh earth fhould be prepared, into which ."cording to the forwardnefs of the feafon, at which 



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the bulbs muft be planted, at about three inches afun- 

 dereach way, and three inches deep. Thefe beds muft 

 be conftantly kept clean from weeds and Mofs •, and 

 if the winter fliould prove fevere, the beds fhould be 

 covered with rotten tanners bark, or Peas haulm, to 

 keep out the froft ; and in the fpring, juft before the 

 plants come up, the furface of the beds fhould be ftir- 

 red, and fome frefh earth fifted over them about half 

 an inch thick, which will greatly ftrengthen the roots. 

 During the fpring and fummer they mull be conftantly 

 weeded j and at Michaelmas the earth fhould be again 

 Ilirred, and fome frefh fifted over the beds again, as 

 before, obferving in winter and fpring ftill to keep the 

 beds clean, which is the whole management they will 

 require; and in June "following the greateft part of the 

 roots "will flower, at which time you fhould carefully 

 look over them, and put down aftickbyall thofe whofe 

 flowers are beautiful, to nhark'them j and as foon as 

 their leaves are decayed, thefe roots may be takeri up to 

 plant in the flower-garden amongft other choice forts. 



time there are few other plants in beauty.- 

 " This may be propagated b'y feeds, in the fame manner 

 "as the other forts : but the boxes in which they are 

 ./ fown, fhould be put under a garden frame in winter, 

 to fl:ielter them from hard froft ;* becaufe, while the 

 plants are young, they are fomewhat tender. From 

 the feeds of this kind I could never obtain any varie- 

 ; ties, thei,r_flowers being always the fame. 

 . , Thefe plants are alfo propagated by offsets, in the fame 

 manner as the other forts, but their roots fhould not 

 :be tranfolanted oftener than every third year; nor 

 ihould they be ever kept out of the ground long, be- 

 caufe their roots will (hrink and entirely decay when 

 they are long above ground, fo as not to be recovered 

 ;again;;,; .This fort was formerly more common in the 

 . "gardens near London than at prefent ; which, I fup- 

 ;Vpofe, has been occafioned by the keeping the roots 

 above ground too Tong, which deftroved them; 



XYLON. See BoMBAx. . v-:.. ^ / 



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