42.S The Gardener's New Director. 



fome bafs-mattirg, about the beginning of 'June, fome of 

 your early blowers will begin to burfl: their pods on one 

 fide, when with a knife you fhoiild gently open them in 

 ftreight lines where the pods indent on the edges, too near 

 the^ f^ttoiYi, this will afPift the flowers to lay their leaves 

 regular, which is one of their gre-atcfl: ornaments. In the 

 fea'on of flowering great care fhould be taken, that they 

 do not want water, and that the principal flower may 

 fliow well, let all others be taken away, as has been di- 

 refted. 



Your next care is that of preferving your flower from 

 its greatefl: enemy, an infefl: called the Ear-wigg: for 

 this purpofe there are the following contrivances. Some 

 i'et two pans of about fourteen or fixteen inches over, and 

 three deep, one befide the other, at the diflance of two 

 feet ; thefe they fill with water, and in each fet a flower 

 pot reverfed ; this is continued at the difl:ance of every 

 eight feet, on the reverfed pots boards are laid to receive 

 the pots with the flowers. Others have benches fup- 

 ported on four feet, which they fet in fo many pans of 

 water; but when a flower is to fl:and fingly, the pot is 

 firfl: fet in a fmall dry pan, which is then iet in a larger 

 filled with water ; fuch are the contrivance? for their pro- 

 tedion ; while others do no more than place Something of 

 a conical form on the top of the flick that fupports the 

 flower; thefe tops are taken off every morning, to be 

 cleared of fuch vermin, as have retreated there ; here 

 your care is not to end for the protedion of this fine 

 flower, as by being too much expofed to rain, or the 

 fun's rays would hurry it out of blow, and cut fhort the 

 reign of its beauty ; therefore conical caps have been con- 

 trived fpr the purpofe, to (land at the diftance of five 

 inches above the flower, of which fome are made by the 

 g'aziers, and others of oiled paper, of a diameter fuffi- 

 cier.t to cover the flower; they are to be fupported in 

 their pl.^xes by being faftened to the upright flick, to 

 which the ftem of the flower is tied, thofe in particular 

 who ufe the glazed caps, mufl: cover them with cabbr.ge 

 leaves, when the fun's rays are very flrong, and that 

 the leavts . of the flower may be fupported in the mofl 

 beautiful manner, cut cards of a circular form, of abcut 



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