91 '^ NAT. OlIDER. AMARANLACEjE. 



nature of (lie plants. Tlie earlier the sowing can be perfonned, the 

 be'tcr growth the plants will attain in the summer season. 



In raising the second and third sorts in the greatest lustre and 

 perfection, the aid of two or three dilTerent hot-beds is necessary, 

 which should be covered with frames and glasses, so as to slide with 

 case and convenience. The first of these hot-beds should be small 

 and made in the ordinary way, for the purpose of receiving the seed, 

 and which may likewise serve for that of other annuals of the ten- 

 der kind of similar growth. They should be earthed over the tops 

 within the frames, to the depth of five or six inches, with good light 

 dry mould. In this the seed sliould be sown in small shallow drills, 

 and covered over very liglitly with fine sifted mould ; the glasses are 

 then to be placed over them. In these situations the plants should 

 be suffered to remain till they have attained the height of two or 

 three inches, air being admitted in fine days, and the glasses covered 

 with mats at night. When the plants are in this situation, a second 

 hot-bed is to be prepared in the same manner, into which the young 

 plants are to be pricked out to the distance of about four inches from 

 each other, moderate waterings being occasionally given, and the 

 plants well shaded from the sun until they have taken fresh root. 

 Air siiould now be admitted more freely when the w'eatlier is fine, 

 by raising one end of the glasses, and the night coverings be carefully 

 applied. After the plants have remained in these beds a month or 

 six weeks, and have become tolerably strong in their growth, so as 

 to require more space, the final hot-beds should be made ready. 

 These ought to be of much larger dimensions. When the frames 

 are placed over them, earth to the depth of four or five inches should 

 be laid over, and the plants, after being taken up with balls of earth 

 about their roots, planted in pots of good sized dimensions, water 

 being immediately applied in a sparing manner, and the pots plunged 

 in the earth of the beds, the frames being raised occasionally as the 

 plants advance in growth. The lights are to be constantly kept on, 

 but air freely admitted by raising the ends daily, and water applied 



