The Gardener's New Director. 297 

 mixture of clay, the root becomes inactive, and infte^d of 

 fifty, have not five fibres to draw noiMiiLmcnt tor the 

 flower. 



2d. Hyacinths fliou'd never be planttd where there is 

 flagnated water, whether above or below tlie furface. 



3d. You mull u{(2. no t)ther dung for your compoft but 

 that of cows, which muil be well rotted, and of two or 

 three years old ; but for want of this dung, old rotted 

 tan-bark, or rotted leaves ot trees will do. 



4th. : You muft not u^'i for the comnofl:, that earth 

 wherein Hyacinths h.ave been often planted, nor fufFer 

 their roots to continue in the grouijd, tor they mufl be 

 lifted every year. 



5th. Do not plant pood and found roots with fuch as 

 are not found, otherwife the latter wili infc£l the former. 



6th. Obferve to fow Hyacinth feed every year, for 

 from tiiem vou may raife many <lifr"erent forts of flowers, 

 as good, and more to be depended upon, than fuch as 

 are imported from Holland. 



yth. Where the fowing the feed may be thought too 

 tedious, and that you chufe to propagate fomc favourite 

 flowers, do it by ofF-fets, which of fome flowers are dif- 

 ficult to procure ; but purfuing the tollov.'ing expedient, 

 they may he had, which frequently produce as good 

 flowers as any imported from HoIi,inii : A fortnight or 

 three weeks after they are pafl their bloom, take fuch 

 roots out of the ground as you chufe to have off-fets from, 

 cut ofF their long leaves and flower ftems, but do not 

 take off their fibres; aud juft above the circle froin 

 whence fpring thefe fibres, cut the bulb acrofs in four 

 quarters, a third part into its fubflance, but fo as not to 

 touch its innermort coats or its heart, then ^v iping it'witli 

 a cloth, put it into the ground again, and cover it wiiii 

 no more than one inch of earth ; lilt this root ac,ain in 

 three or four weeks, and lay it in the root-room wiilt 

 the others, and at the ufual feafon let it be replanted. 

 This root will not bear :i flower the enfuing feafon, but 

 in its place will, at the lifting feafon, give you fix, eight, 

 or ten large olT-fets, which, as they are bred (I may fay) 

 in our foil and climate, are much more to be depended 

 upon for bJoflTomin^j v/ell, and for continuing to do fo, 

 than thofe imported from Holland. Nor is theie any 

 fear of their roots degenerating, provided they arc lilted 

 X 3 out 



