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the Complaints made by thofe who 

 have bought theic Roots at a dear 

 Rate, is principally owing to this j 

 for the Peribns who Ibid them be- 

 ing appriz'd of this Matter, have 

 parted with their oid Roots to their 

 Purchafers, and reicrv'd the Oft-lets 

 for their own Ufej which old 

 Roots have otten fo much degene- 

 rated from what they were the 

 preceding Year, as to caufe a Su- 

 ipicion, whether the Peribns they 

 were purchas'd from had not 

 changed the Roots j and this Dege- 

 neracy always attends thefe Flow- 

 ers, after having flower'd extreme- 

 ly large and fair, or that they have 

 been permitted to feed: So that it 

 is abfolutely neceflary to fow Seeds 

 every Year, in order to preferve a 

 SuccefTion of good Flowers. 



The Soil which thefe delight 

 moft in, is a rich, light, fandy 

 Earth; but whatever Dung is add- 

 ed to the Earth, (hould be very 

 rotten, and ought to be mix'd with 

 the Earth at leaft lix Months before 

 it beus'd : During which Time it 

 fhould be often turn*d over to mix 

 the Parts well together j and the 

 lighter this Earth is, the better 

 will the Flowers thrive : But, as I 

 before faid, it is by no means ad- 

 vifeable to fift or fcreen it too f.ne, 

 for the Reafons already given. Some 

 there are who mix rotten Tan, or 

 Saw-dufl with their Earth, to ren- 

 der it light i but this is alfo bad 

 for thefe Flowers, as I have feveral 

 times experienced, efpecially if ei- 

 ther of thefe be not fo rotten as to 

 have quite loft its Appearance, and 

 reduc'd to Earth : for tho' the 

 Roots will often come up very 

 ftrong, and flour ifh very vigoroully 

 till the Beginning of February^ yet 

 at that Seafbn it is very common 

 to have them die off in large Pat- 

 ches: Which* v/hen I have ob- 



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ferv'd, I have fearch'd to the Bot- 

 tom of the Roots, and found fome 

 Part of the Tan or Saw-duft lying 

 near them, which has detained the 

 Moiflure, and thereby rotted the 

 Roots. 



The Manner of preparing the 

 Beds, and the Dillance and Me- 

 thod of planting the Roots, being 

 exad:ly the lame as hath been al- 

 ready diredled for the old Sorts, I 

 fhall not repeat it here, but will 

 only obferve, that thefe Flow- 

 ers being more tender than the o- 

 thers, mud be prote6led from hard 

 Frofts and cutting Iharp Winds, 

 efpecially after C hrifimas^ when 

 their Flower-buds are forming 5 for 

 if they are negle£led at that Seafon, 

 their Flowers will rarely prove 

 fair j nor fliould you fuffer them to 

 receive too much Wet in Winter 

 or Spring, which is equally as inju- 

 rious to them as Froll. In plant- 

 ing of thefe Roots you fliould ob- 

 ferve to place the femi-doubie Kindsj 

 from which you intend to fave 

 Seeds, in feparate Beds by them- 

 felves, and not intermix them with 

 the double Flowers, becaufe they 

 will require to be treated in a dif- 

 ferent manner ; for when the Flow- 

 ers of the femi-double Kinds begin 

 to fade, you fhould carefully guard 

 them from Wetj tor if they are 

 permitted to receive hard Rains, 

 or are water'd at that Scaibn, the 

 Seeds do rarely come to- Maturity, 

 or are fo weak, that fcarce one in 

 fifty of them will grow. 



When the Seed begins to ripen 

 (which may be eafiiy known by 

 feparating from the Axis, and fail- 

 ing) you fliould loolc it over eve- 

 ry Day, gathering it as it ripens, 

 for there will be a confiderabJe Di- 

 ftance in the Seeds of the fame 

 Bed coming to Maturity, at leaft a 

 Fortnight, and ibmetimes three 



Weeks 



