SUNFLOWER SWEET WILLIAM TULIP. 265 



better sorts which will thus make a splendid ap- 

 pearance, and yield the sweetest perfume fora very 

 long period. By sowing very early in a warm place, 

 a fine blow may be had in autumn. But in the 

 common way of giving this plant the same treatment 

 as other annuals, it is as commonly lost; the flower- 

 ing comes to nothing the first season, and before 

 seeing another the plant, having begun to shoot, is 

 sure to perish in the frost. 



Sunflowers. Sow the seed in a warm dry border, 

 much earlier than the general sowing of annuals; 

 and when the plants are two inches high, lift with 

 a trowel and set them out, at wide intervals, along 

 the shrubbery or flower border. In rich earth, the 

 giant sunflower will cover a square yard, and bear 

 twenty or thirty heads of flower; and thus early 

 sown, such as have the best exposure to the sun 

 will perfectly ripen their seeds. 



Sweet William, or Bearded Pink. Sow a good 

 breadth, and there will be a great variety of colours; 

 some remarkably beautiful, the double purple and 

 rose-coloured varieties are valuable. When a good 

 sort occurs remove it from the rest and save its 

 seed. Though there be no rule as to seeds, yet 

 the better sorts give a better chance. A fine double 

 plant need not be lost for a long period, as it may 

 be propagated either by slips, layers, or offsets from 

 the roots. 



Tulips. Of which there may be a thousand va- 

 rieties. The early sorts are little cultivated. One 

 of these, a distinct species, is sweet-scented and 



