254 The Gardener's New Director. 

 enough to' fill up all their fpaces or diflances at which 

 they are firfl planted, either by their ofF-fets, or by 

 the leed, which you mufl: cover with one inch of earth, 

 as foon as you perceive it to fall ; the third or fourth 

 year you may expect to fee them fiovver ; it is neceflary 

 to cover the feed imnnediately arter falling, otherwife it 

 will be loft, I would advife you not to remove your Cro- 

 eufes oftener than once in four years ; but when' their 

 leaves are withered, cover them every year with two inches 

 of new frefh mould, which will ftrengthen their roots, 

 and make the new-falkn feeds germinate foon. Their 

 feeds may alfo be fown regularly in the fame manner as 

 fhall be directed for the Bulbous Ins: but there being 

 now abundance of their varieties raifed, and their prices 

 fo low, it is fcarce worth a florift's trouble or pains to 

 fow them in any other manner than has been jufl: men- 

 tioned. 



"ss*-3.»">'>"^»<''» '.**■» •••''» V 'i* •;♦ 1* ';• 'i* 'i* V ** i* ? *^ I* •'* ** 



Perftan Iris. 



BOtanically named, Xiphion, Perjjcum pracoxt fiore 

 elcgantiffime variegato, Tournef. This flower is 

 juftly termed one of the moll fplendid flowers of the 

 fpring. As I never fowed its leed, fo cannot fay any 

 thing of its culture that way ; poflibly there may be 

 varieties obtained from feed : when I was in Holland 

 and Flanders, the florifts there told me, they never had 

 obtained any variety from fov/ing the feed, excepting 

 the deceafed Jan van Lewen at Rotterdam:, who told me, 

 that one of his feediings had produced him a flower, 

 whofe ground of colour and erect petals were of a fine 

 blue, and that the tips or uppermoil parts of its petals were 

 fpotted in the fame elegant manner as the common fort 

 are. I always planted them in a light foil, and in clumps, 

 with other vernal flowers, where they blolToraed very 

 well ; but I cbferved, when they put out many off-fets, 

 the mother-roots and ofF-fets fhewed only leaves: but as 

 it is a root which oflF-fets freely, and will not fucceed if 

 often tranfplanted, or kept any time out of the ground, 

 I ufed the following method, by which it flowered con- 



ftantly : 



