35^ The Gardener's New Director. 



which I obtained thefe beautiful flowers to their greateli 

 perfe£lion of bloom. 



Having provided myfelf vi'ith good feeds from abroad, 

 I fowed them upon a hot-bed of horfe-dung the end of 

 February I and in frofly nights covered them with mats 

 laid over the glalTes; I alfo fowed them very thin, that 

 ■when I had occafion to tranfplant them, (which miiO: be 

 done) I lifted them w^ith good balls of earth to preferve 

 their roots. 



If the hot-bed is in good proportion of heat, thofe 

 plants will appear above ground in a fortnight's time, 

 when you (hould prepare another hot-bed near the feed- 

 bed ; that, in tranfplanting, the plants may not fufier by- 

 being carried too tar when they are young, and their 

 roots tender: When this laft bed is in a right tempera- 

 ture of heat, lift the Amaranths from their feed-bed with 

 a trov/el, and with as much earth as you can ; cover 

 this nurfery-bed with fix inches of good, rich, frefli 

 earth, where they are to be planted in rows, five inches 

 afunder every way, and water them with a fmall bottle, 

 .and a few flraws upon its mouth, whereby the water will 

 drop and not gufh out ; and this method is better than to 

 ufe a watering-pot, by which thefe very young plants are 

 fometimes beat dov/n, when they rot and dije. 1 took 

 care to (hade them in the heat of the day, by laying 

 mats over the glafles, until I perceived the plants to 

 have flruck frefh root; and in warm weather, I lifted up 

 the glalTes to give them air, and thefe I turned infide 

 out, to dry the fleam which might be colledcd upon 

 them from the fermentation of the dung, for iliould it 

 fall upon the young plants, it would be very prejudicial 

 to tliem. Cover the glaffes in the night, to prevent the 

 cold injuring them : In three weeks thefe plants will grow 

 large and near meet, and then I would advife planting 

 each in a two-penny pot, and in a hot-bed of tanners 

 bark, or in a glafs-cafe made for the purpofe of raifmg 

 tender annuals. I chofe to fow thefe plants on dung in 

 preference to tan, on account of laying the earth over 

 tiie dung, which I could not do on tan, and they fpring 

 better in earth laid on dung, than in pots funk in tan. 



Dire^iom 



