64 The Garden of pleafant Flowers. 



You muft not fowe them too thicke, for fo doing hath loft many a pecke of good 

 feede, as I can tell ; for if the feede lye one vpon another, that it hath not roome vpon 

 the fprouting, to enter and take roote in the earth, it perifheth by and by. Some vfe to 

 tread downe the ground, where they meane to fowe their feede, and hauing fowne 

 them thereon, doe couer them ouer the thicknefle of a mans thumbe with fine fifted 

 earth, and they thinke they doe well, and haue good reafon for it : for confidering the 

 nature of the young Tulipa rootes, is to runne downe deeper into the ground, euery 

 yeare more then other, they thinke to hinder their quicke defcent by the faftnefle of 

 the ground, that fo they may encreafe the better. This way may pleafe fome, but I 

 doe not vfe it, nor can finde the reafon fufficient ; for they doe not confider, that the 

 fti.fFeneffe of the earth, doth caufe the rootes of the young Tulipas to bee long before 

 they grow great, in that a ftiffe ground doth more hinder the well thriuing of the 

 rootes, then a loofe doth, and although the rootes doe runne downe deeper in a loofe 

 earth, yet they may eafily by tranf planting be holpen, and raised vp high enough. I 

 haue alfo feene fome Tulipas not once remoued from their fowing to their flowring ; 

 but if you will not lofe them, you muft take them vp while their leafe or ftalk is frefh, 

 and not withered : for if you doe not follow the ftalke downe to the roote, be it neuer 

 fo deepe, you will leaue them behinde you. The ground alfo muft be refpefted ; for 

 the finer, fofter, and richer the mould is, wherein you fowe your feede, the greater 

 (hall be your encreafe and varietie : Sift it therefore from all ftones and rubbifh, and 

 let it be either fat naturall ground of it felfe, or being muckt, that it bee thoroughly 

 rotten : but fome I know, to mend their ground, doe make fuch a mixture of grounds, 

 that they marre it in the making. 



After the feede is thus fowne, the firft yeares fpringing bringeth forth leaues, little 

 bigger then the ordinary grafle leaues ; the fecond yeare bigger, and fo by degrees 

 euery yeare bigger then other. The leaues of the Prcecoces while they are young, may 

 be difcerned from the Medias by this note, which I haue obferued. The leaues of them 

 doe wholly ftand vp aboue the ground, mewing the fmall footftalkes, whereby euerie 

 leafe doth ftand, but the leaues of the Medias or Serotines doe neuer wholly appeare 

 out of the ground, but the lower part which is broad, abideth vnder the vpper face of 

 the earth. Thofe Tulipas now growing to bee three yeares old, (yet fome at the fe- 

 cond, if the ground and ayre be correfpondent) are to bee taken vp out of the ground, 

 wherein yee fhall finde they haue runne deepe, and to be anew planted, after they haue 

 been a little dryed and cleanfed, eyther in the fame, or another ground againe, pla- 

 cing them reafonable neare one vnto another, according to their greatneffe, which be- 

 ing planted and couered ouer with earth againe, of about an inch or two thicknefle, 

 may be left vntaken vp againe for two yeare longer, if you will, or elfe remoued euery 

 yeare after, as you pleafe ; and thus by tranfplanting them in their due feafon (which 

 is ftill in the end of luly, or beginning of Auguft, or thereabouts) you (hall according 

 to your feede and foyle, haue fome come to bearing, in the fifth yeare after the flow- 

 ring, (and fome haue had them in the fourth, but that hath beene but few, and none of 

 the beft, or in a rich ground) fome in the lixth and feuenth, and fome peraduenture, not 

 vntill the eighth or tenth yeare : but ftill remember, that as your rootes grow grea- 

 ter, that in re-planting you giue them the more roome to be diftant one from another, 

 or elfe the one will hinder, if not rot the other. 



The feede of the Preecoces, doe not thriue and come forward fo faft as the Medias or 

 Serotines, nor doe giue any of-fets in their running downe as the Medias doe, which 

 vfually leaue a fmall roote at the head of the other that is runne downe euery yeare ; 

 and betides, are more tender, and require more care and attendance then the Medias, 

 and therefore they are the more refpecled. 



This is a generall and certaine rule in all Tulipas, that all the while they beare but 

 one leafe, they will not beare flower, whether they bee feedlings, or the of-fets of 

 elder rootes, or the rootes themfelues, that haue heretofore borne flowers ; but when 

 they fhew a fecond leafe, breaking out of the firft, it is a certaine iigne, that it will 

 then beare a flower, vnlefle fome casualty hinder it, as froft or raine, to nip or fpoile 

 the bud, or other vntimely accident befall it. 



To fet or plant your beft and bearing Tulipas fomewhat deeper then other rootes, 

 I hold it the beft way ; for if the ground bee either cold, or lye too open to the cold 



Northerne 



