A N N 



ANT 



The humble and sensitive plants should, in 

 general, be continued constantly under glasses in 

 a green-house, &c. or in a room window within, 

 in the full sun, as, if fully exposed to the open 

 air, it would deprive them of much of their 

 lively sensitive motion; in which curious singu- 

 larity, as has been observed, their principal 

 merit consists. 



But in order to raise some of the more curious 

 sorts of this kind of annuals in the greatest per- 

 fection, it will be necessary to have three dif- 

 ferent successional hot-beds under frames and 

 glasses, at a month's interval; that is, a small 

 one in March, to sow the seeds and raise the 

 plants on an inch or two high ; a second in April 

 of larger dimensions, in which to prick out the 

 young plants from the seed-bed, three, four, 

 five, or six inches asunder ; and a third in May, 

 for a larger frame to receive them when trans- 

 planted in pots, to remain till June, and they 

 grow to the full size. While they are in the se- 

 cond and last hot-beds, the frames should be oc- 

 casionally raised or augmented in depth, accord- 

 ing as the plants rise in height. 



The first hot-bed for the seed should be made, 

 as already directed, of suitable dimensions, and 

 about two feet and a half deep in dung; the 

 frame and glasses then put on, leaving one end 

 of them open, to let out the rank steam of the 

 dung ; and in a few days, or when the first great 

 steam and heat of the bed is gone off, the earth, 

 which must be rich, lia;ht, and dry, should be 

 put on, four or live inches thick. The seeds of 

 different sorts may now be sown, each kind se- 

 parately, in small shallow drills, drawn with the 

 linger, covering them with fine mould, from a 

 quarter to half an inch deep, or with the very 

 small seeds but very thinly. The glasses are 

 then to be put on again, setting one end of them 

 a little open, for the evaporation of the rising 

 steam of the bed, covering them every night with 

 garden mats. The plants mostly appear in a 

 few days, when fresh air must be judiciously and 

 with caution admitted, by propping up the ends 

 of the glasses about an inch or two every mild 

 day ; and when the earth becomes dry, a very 

 slight sprinkling of water should be given in 

 a sunny forenoon. The glasses should mostly 

 be kept close in the nights ; but if a strong 

 steam and heat take place, they may be raised 

 a little at one corner, for air to enter, and the 

 steam to pass away, hanging the end of a mat 

 over the tilted part, and continuing to cover the 

 glasses with mats every night. 



The care of the seedling plants is to be con- 

 tinued in this manner in the beds for about three 

 weeks, or till they are advanced one, two, or 



three inches in growth, according to the dif- 

 ferent sorts ; they are then to be pricked out 

 into another new-made hot-bed. 



This hot-bed should be put in readiness to 

 receive them, making it for a two-or three-light 

 frame, according to the quantity of plants that 

 are ready for the purpose. When the bed has 

 imparted a proper degree of warmth to the 

 earth, take up the plants with care, and in the 

 same manner as directed above, pricking them 

 out into this, four or five inches distant, then 

 giving them a very light watering, and occa- 

 sionally shading them in the middle of sunny 

 days till they have struck fresh root; and ad- 

 mitting air as before every fine day, by raising 

 the upper ends of the glasses one or two inches ; 

 also occasional light waterings two or three 

 times a week in warm weather, and defending 

 them in the nights with mats, raising the 

 frames, according as they extend in height, as 

 before advised. After having had four or five 

 weeks growth in this bed, if they have advanced 

 considerably, so as to meet and crowd one an- 

 other much, it will be advisable, as already no- 

 ticed, to remove them into a third and final hot- 

 bed, where it can be conveniently obtained ; 

 some being planted in the bed, others pre- 

 viously potted and then placed in it, to be co- 

 vered by glasses, as directed above. 



The frames, glasses, or other conveniences 

 for these uses, should be sufficiently lar^e, espe- 

 cially for the tall plants, and capable of being 

 raised at pleasure as they advance in growth. 

 The other management being the same as di- 

 rected above. (See Hot-bed.) 



ANTHEMIS, a genus furnishing several spe- 

 cies of annual and perennial plants of the her- 

 baceous kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Syngenes'ia 

 Polygamia SUperflua, and ranks in the natural 

 order of Composite Discoidece. 



The general characters of which are : that it 

 has a common, hemispherical calyx, consisting 

 of numerous, linear, subequal scales : the corolla 

 compound, with radiate florets in the disk, her- 

 maphrodite and tubular; those in the radius fe- 

 male, and more than five : the former are fun- 

 nel-shaped and five-toothed. In the hermaphro- 

 dite florets the filaments are five, capillary, very 

 short, supporting cylindrical, tubular anthers : 

 the germen oblong : the style filiform : stigmas 

 two, reflex : the seeds solitary : the receptacle 

 chaffy, and convex. 



The species of most importance for the pur- 

 pose of garden culture are : 1. A. nolilis, Com- 

 mon or Sweet Chamomile; 2- A. maritima, Sea 

 Chamomile; 3. A. lomentosa, Downy Chamo- 

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