W I N 



From the middle period of the above month, and through 

 the following, they muft alfo be defended from froil, in 

 order to promote the coming bloom. Great care and atten- 

 tion are efpecially neceflary for blooming the plants well from 

 the above time in March to near the end of the fucceeding 

 month, as in this time they will moftly attain their greateft 

 perfedlion and beauty. It is only neceflary, as it is thought, 

 for blooming fuch flower-plants in the greateft perfeftion, to 

 have them continually under glafs, night and day, for about 

 twenty-four of the laft days, as they will then have their 

 middle pips well expanded. In very ftrong fun they muft 

 be (lightly fliaded by a thin mat, but in other cafes they may 

 be thrown open and expofed to the full free air. 



After the beginning of April, as the fifth or fixth, the 

 glafles of the frames are to be kept completely over the 

 plants night and day, until they are in full bloom, only let- 

 ting in proper fupplies of air from behind the frames, and 

 giving the Ihade of old thin mats when neceflary. This 

 mode is to be purfued to about the middle of this month ; 

 but the plants are not to be over-haftened in their b'oom by 

 too much fun, as that may fade their fine colours ; but in 

 fuch cafes they muft be removed from the full fouUiern ex- 

 pofure to a full eaftern one, though by no means yet to 

 a northern afpeft, as that would endanger their bloom ; if 

 tiie feafou be fuitable, the protection of a privet-hedge, 

 wall, or paling-fence, is the moft proper, being covered by 

 hand-glafles ; when about the end of the month, they may 

 be removed to a northern expofure on ftages, or in other 

 proper places. 



In this finidiing blooming eaftern expofure, all the mats 

 and other coverings (hould be taken off" from the glafles that 

 are placed over the flowers, about feven o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and in funny weather the plants be fliaded from about 

 nine to twelve or one, the thin mats being then removed. 

 The covering-glafles are to be prepared by well wafliing, 

 and other means. 



The flowers in blooming are moftly much benefited by 

 having a fouth-weft expofure as much as poflible, and by 

 carefully attending to the north and north-eaft winds, as well 

 as by receiving all mild moderate rains from about the begin- 

 ning of February until towards the end of March. In the 

 latter part of this time, before the trufles are too forward, 

 and the blofToms open, three or four hours rather heavy mild 

 rain greatly promotes the fwelling of the pips, and much 

 increafes the fize of the foliage, efpecially if care be taken 

 immediately after it is over to fttut the flowers clofe down, 

 and cover them up in a v^arm manner, as below. Watei-insj 

 them from a pot with a fine rofe in a vv'arm funny day all 

 over the leaves in the afternoon, in the manner of rain, and 

 direftly covering them up warmly while the fun is upon 

 them, has likewife been found beneficial. They are now, too, 

 to be well guarded from late frofts, as they are fo foon de- 

 ftroycd by them. 



In the late winter, or early fpring, night-covering, as from 

 the middle of the above month, the following mode has 

 been found highly beneficial, in not only repelling the cold 

 frofty night-air, but in aflifting the bloom, and preventing 

 its being checked in any way thereby. 



The heat at this period being ufually from about forty- 

 five to fifty degrees in the day-time, die flowers may be ex- 

 pofed to the open air in it, and in covering them in for the 

 night, be kept nearly to that ftate ; which is only to be 

 effefted by an artificial covering of fome fort or other, for 

 other forts of heat do not anfwcr the purpofe ; as thofe 

 of the warm blanket, horfe-cloth, fticep-flcin, and other 

 fimilar kinds, laid next to the glafles, over which mats may 

 be placed fo as fully to proteft the flowers, and keep the 



WIN j 



other coverings from being injured by rain or other wetnefsf, ! 

 Where wood-frames and not brick ones are ufed, it is alfo i 

 often neceflary to have hay, fern, ftraw, or fome other fuch j 

 material, applied on the outfides of them, to guard againft : 

 the penetration of the cold frofty air, as is otherwife liable 

 to be the cafe in fevere feafons. But fuch full coverings | 

 ftiould not be had recourfe to in the winter feafon fooner than ; 

 about the middle of March, as they might not only injure ! 

 the fine ftrong blooming plants, but counteraft the good 1 

 effeft they are intended to have in aflifting nature to gra- | 

 dually bloom the flowers in fine condition as the feafon ap- ' 

 preaches. The keeping the flowers fc warm on the nights j 

 at this period of the feafon is fuppofed to prevent any check , 

 to the vegetation of the plants ; and another great effeft i 

 which it has is, tliat as foon as the pips open, they proceed 

 vigoroufly, expand freely, and come out level, fine, and 

 nearly flat ; while, if they once get a complete chill by cold 

 night air, their bloflbms will not expand flat, but on the con- 

 trary, ruffle or furbelow. 



In the leaves of the auricula and fome other kinds of , 

 plants, there is as much variety produced by tliefe means in I 

 the fliades of their green as in the colours of their flowers. 

 The green of the leaves, or grafs, as it is termed, in this fort i 

 of flower-plants, fliould conftantly be that which aff'ords the 

 beft contraft, and has the moft power in fetting ofl" the 

 flower to which it belongs. Diff^erent varieties in the (hape 

 of the leaves alfo proceed from the nature of the culture and 

 management, as well as from the raifing them from feed. 

 They have from thefe caufes leaves with fmooth even edges, 

 with thick and flefliy edges, and with thin edges. Thefe 

 varieties in the leaves of fuch plants are often of importance 

 to the florift in different ways. In the grafs or green leaves 

 of thefe plants, there is likewife fome variety in the mealy 

 duft or farina which is upon them : in fome the whole plant 

 is nearly covered with it ; but thofe with blueifh or pea-green 

 leaves are commonly the moft powdered with this fort of 

 duft, which contributes not only to the beauty of the ; 

 plants, but ferves in fome degree to preferve them from the 

 effefts of the fcorching heat of the fun during the fummer 

 feafon. 



The different other fine flower-plants are to have fome- 

 thing of the fame fort of winter-management purfued for 

 them, only making proper allowances and diftinftions, in fo 

 far as their differences in the nature of their growths or 

 other habits are concerned. 



The diverfities of the auricula, as well as moft other : 

 flower-plants, owe their prefent perfedlion, in a great mea- i 

 fure, to the care, ingenuity, cultivation, and management 

 of the florift-gardener, and fome of thofe private indivi- 

 duals who cultivate flowers for the amufement and delight 

 which they afford. By thefe means, this and many other 

 forts have been wonderfully improved, which were at firft 

 lingle and fimple, and their variety, fize, and beauty, have 

 been increafed in an aftoniihing manner. The fportivenefs 

 of nature has likewife done much, as is evident in fo many 

 flower-plants ; as in the daify, ranunculus, the anemone, the 

 (lock, the wall-flower, the pink, the carnation, the Siberian 

 larkfpur, and a vaft many more. 



There is, indeed, fomething extraordinary in the great 

 and uncommon diverfity of the colours, and the differences 

 of the fliades and hues of this as well as fome other flowers ; 

 and it is not lefs fingular or true that out of more than an 

 hundred flowers of this fort, which are raifed from feed in 

 this way, there will not, perhaps, be two which are exaftly 

 alike ; and that yet, in all thefe deviations, the changes take 

 place in the moft naturally pleafing, agreeable, and un- 

 thought-of manner poffible. 



By 



