238 FLORA HISTORICA. 



the river Medway, between Rochester and Maid- 

 stone, where it is found in great plenty, in the 

 fields sown with wheat. Among spring corn 

 there is rarely a plant of it to be found ; which 

 shows the propriety of sowing the seeds in gar- 

 dens in autumn ; for those fields of spring corn, 

 if suffered to remain undisturbed after the har- 

 vest, will abound with this plant the following 

 year. Great quantities of the flowers are an- 

 nually brought to London, and sold by the name 

 of Red Morocco.'' — (Martyn.) Gerard tells us 

 that in his day the country people called it " Red 

 Camomill, and the London women do call it 

 Rosearubie." It is now generally termed Phea- 

 sant's-eye, from the resemblance the flower bears 

 to the beautiful eye of that bird. 



The seed of this hardy annual plant should be 

 sown in the autumn, for when sown in the spring 

 the plants seldom appear until the second year, 

 but the plants that spring from the self- scattered 

 seeds are generally the finest, which should teach 

 us not to bury the seed too deep in the earth. 

 They should also be sown in patches of some 

 size, and when the plants are a few inches high 

 they may be thinned out, leaving several in 

 each patch, but they will not succeed when trans- 

 planted, unless taken up with the earth when 

 very small. 



