Beautiful as are the numerous varieties of this fpecies of 

 Dianthus, Floriits have not deemed it worthy of that peculiar 

 attention which they have bellowed on its more favoured 

 relatives the Pink and Carnation, and hence it probably has 

 not arrived at that degree of improvement of which it is 

 capable; our figure is intended to reprefent one of the molt 

 efteemed of its kind, viz. the Painted Lady variety, which 

 has a deep rich purple eye, furrounded with a pure white, 

 having the edge of the petals (lightly indented; but our 

 colours fall far fhort of the beauties of the original. 



Befides fingle flowers producing an infinite variety of 

 colours, there are feveral double varieties of the Sweet 

 William, fome of which are obferved to have more fcent 

 than others. 



To poffefs thefe plants in perfection, we muft renew them 

 yearly ; for though the root be perennial, it is apt to decay, 

 efpecially if the foil in which it grows be either very moift, or 

 very dry ; or if the air be not pure, the fingle forts muft be 

 railed from feeds, which fhould be faved from the choiceft 

 flowers; the double forts may be increafed by cuttings, 

 pipings, or layers, in the fame manner, and at the fame time 

 as Pinks and Carnations; the feed mould be fown early in 

 April, the feedlings tranfplanted into a bed in June, taking 

 advantage of a wet day and placed about fix inches afunder 

 each way ; in September they will be fit to tranfplant into the 

 flower border, where they will blofTom the enfuing fummer, 

 during the months of June and July, and ripen their feed in 

 Auguft. 



