ANN 



ANN 



prick out into pots, three or four in each, for 

 the earliest flowering ; or some may be sown in 

 March in the natural earth, or a warm border, 

 under glasses, or other occasional shelter, for 

 early transplanting in April or May into pots and 

 flower-borders, &c. 



In the gourd kinds, when designed to raise 

 them in hot-beds, they should not be sown be- 

 fore April ; for if sown earlier they are apt to 

 grow too large before the season becomes suffi- 

 ciently warm to admit of planting them out in 

 the open ground ; but in the beginning or middle 

 of May, some may be sown in the natural 

 ground, both for transplanting and in patches to 

 remain. 



But where hot-beds, frames, glasses, and 

 other similar conveniences are not at hand, 

 many of the species and varieties of this class, 

 as has been seen, may be raised in the open 

 ground, especially, if not generally sown till the 

 Beginning, or towards the middle or latter end 

 of^April, according to the state of the season, 

 sowing them on a warm border, or other pro^ 

 tected situation, in good light mould, or in pots 

 of light earth in similar situations. In these 

 cases, when the plants are properly advanced, 

 they should be pricked out into beds, or planted 

 out where they are to remain, in the latter end 

 of May or beginning of June. These often 

 flower in tolerable perfection, though not so 

 early, or in so fine a manner as in the hot-bed 

 method. In finally setting out the plants in 

 May or the following month, much advantage 

 is derived by performing the work in a moist 

 season ; and when balls of earth can be preserved 

 round the roots, they will succeed the better in 

 many of the sorts. The planting may be exe- 

 cuted with a trowel or dibble, according to cir- 

 cumstances; and the larger sorts set out singly, 

 and the whole in a diversified manner, according 

 to their nature. In some of the smaller sorts, 

 setting several together may be preferable, as 

 producing a better effect when in flower : water 

 should be given at the time of planting them 

 out, and occasionally till they have taken fresh 

 root. In the after culture they chiefly require 

 to be kept clear from weeds, supported in their 

 growth by proper sticks, and properly turned 

 up in some of the sorts. The potted plants will 

 require frequent watering in dry weather, when 

 set out in their different situations. 



Most of the plants of this tribe are in flower 

 in June and July, frequently continuing till Sep- 

 tember or the following month, and are highly 

 ornamental ; but there are some that are curi- 

 ous for the appearance of their fruit. 



As most of' the kinds produce seeds in au- 

 tumn, care should be taken to provide proper 



supplies of such as is well ripened from the best 

 flowering plants of the different kinds ; which, 

 when rendered perfectly dry, should be put up 

 in bags for the purpose. 



Tenderest Annuals. — The plants of this class 

 are not so numerous as the above, but more or- 

 namental and curious, and more tender in their 

 nature ; they are chiefly the following : — Ama- 

 ranthus, tricolor, bicolor, maximus or tree ama- 

 ranthus, bloody, &c. — Balsamine or Balsam, 

 double-striped, double scarlet, double purple, 

 double bizarre. — Brmuallia. — Cock's Comb, tall 

 purple-headed, dwarf purple, crimson, buff-co- 

 loured, yellow, branching. — Convolvulus, scarlet. 

 — Egg Plant. — Globe Amarantkus. — Humble 

 Plant. — Ice Plant, or Diamond Ficoides. oval- 

 leaved, pinnatifid-leaved. — Marvel of Peru. — 

 Martynia, purple-flowered, red, white. — Melon, 

 snake-shaped. — -Stramonium, double, white, 

 double purple, double striped. — Sensitive Plant, 

 double-flowered annual, common shrubby, 

 humble. — Zinnia, varieties of. 



These very tender annuals must all be raised 

 on hot-beds in the spring till May or June, un- 

 der frames ; and to obtain them in a tolerable 

 degree of perfection, two different hot-beds, at 

 three, four, or five weeks intervals, will be ne- 

 cessary for sowing and raising them in ; one the 

 latter end of February, or any time in March, 

 but not later than the beginning of April : the 

 young plants, when about one, two, or three 

 inches in height, being pricked out, some into 

 small pots singly, others in the earth of the bed, 

 three or four inches asunder, the whole being in 

 the same bed if there be room enough, if not 

 into another hot-bed ; and when they have ad- 

 vanced in growth, so as to crowd one another, 

 they should be removed into another hot-bed, 

 under a deeper frame, or the frame raised at bot- 

 tom occasionally, as the plants rise in height. 

 Some should be put into large pots, and others 

 potted that were not so before, plunging the pots 

 in the earth of the bed ; or some may be put in 

 the bed, six or eight inches asunder ; water is 

 then to be given, in general, and the glasses put 

 on. The whole from their first growth must 

 have an admission of fresh air every day by 

 raising the upper end of the glasses one, two, 

 or three inches, supplying them with moderate 

 waterings. In this way they may be forwarded 

 until the latter end of May or some time in 

 June, according to their growth, or the tempe- 

 rature of the season, as before suggested ; but 

 in the mean time, in their advancing state, 

 inure or harden them by degrees to the weather, 

 particularly by gradually admitting a larger share 

 of air, or by sometimes taking the glasses off 

 entirely in warm days, &c. 



