332 The Gardener's New Director. 

 water to run ofF as it falls. But where the foil is dry, 

 the beds may be funk eighteen or twenty inches'below the 

 furface, for in fuch places the beds need not be more 

 than four or fix inches above the furface, which will be 

 allowance enough for their fettling. 



** During the winter feafon there will be no farther 

 care required. The roots, being planted thus deep, will 

 be in no danger of fuffering by ordinary frofls, but if 

 the winter fhould prove very fevere, fome rotted tan or 

 peas haulm may be laid over the beds to keep out the 

 froft during its continuance, to he removed as foon as 

 the frofl is over ; and in the fpring, when their leaves 

 begin to appear above ground, the earth upon the fur- 

 face of the beds fhould be llirred to clear it from weeds, 

 mofs, &c. and when the flower buds begin to come up, 

 they fhould be guarded from froft, otherwife they are 

 very fubje6l: to blight and decay foon after they appear, 

 if the frofl: pinches their tops; but they need only be 

 covered in fuch nights, when there is a profpecl of froft, 

 for at all other times they fliould have as much open air 

 as pofiible, without which they v\'i!l draw up weak, and 

 produce very fmall flowers. 



** When thefe breeders are in flower, you fhould be 

 careful in examining them to obferve if any have broken 

 into beautiful ftripes, which, if they have, they fhoufd be 

 marked, that they may be feparated from the breeders, 

 to be planted amongil the flriped flowers the loHov. ing 

 vear; but you fhould carefully obferve, whetlier th.ey 

 liave throv.'n off their former colour entirely, as ah''o 

 xvhen they decay, if they continue beautiful to the 

 laft, and not appear fmeared over with the original co- 

 lour, in both which cafes they are very fubjed to go back 

 to their old colour the next year: But if their Itripes 

 are diflinfl: and clear to the bottom, and continue fo to 

 the laft (which is what the florifts call dyeing well,) there 

 is no great danger of their returning back again, as hath 

 been by fome confidently reported, for it one of th.efe 

 flowers is quite broken, (as it is termed) it v.'ill never lofe 

 its ftripes, though fometimes they will blow much fairer 

 than at others, and the flov crs of the ofF-fets \vill be 

 often more beautiful than thofe of the old roots. 



*< This alteration in the colour of thefe flowers may 

 be feen long before they are blown, for all the green 



leaves 



