Aueuft. 
Art fo much Diftinétion :: but when it is brought | 
into Gardens and affifted by Culture, we fee it 
while fingle, ftriped with blue, red and white; and 
in its fineft State we have it very large and double. 
In this Cafe the Spur is loft, and the Number of 
Leaves is greatly multiplied: this, with the Va- 
riety of ftriping makes it extremely elegant. 
_ The Culture is often too carelefsly managed ; 
but in the beft Way there is nothing in it difficult. 
The Culture of the LarKspurs. 
Some let them fow themfelves, which they will 
do very well ; but then the Plants come up ftrag- 
_ giling and irregular; and they have not the Ad- 
_ vantages of a full Culture. 
Others fow them in Spring: but then they 
flower late and weak. * 
' The beft Method is to fow them in Autumn: 
and the Gardener is to know, that his moft ufe- 
ful Care will be employed now that they are in 
Flower, before the Time of feeding. : 
He wifhes to have his Plants ftand regularly 
the next Year; therefore let him fow them, not — 
leave that Work to Chance: and he would only 
have good Kinds; therefore let him allow no— 
Seeds of bad ones to ripen. | 
Let him not fcruple to facrifice now a few 
Plants to the Advantage of a fucceeding Year. 
Let him go the round of his Larxspurs while 
in Flower, and pull up all that are of an infe- _ 
rior Kind. Let him not leave one Plant that is | 
weak in Growth, or that has fmall or fingle 
Flowers. | 
When he has thus removed the poor Kinds, he is 
to let the Seed of the others ripen. When it is full 
- ripe on the Plants, let it be gently fhook out of 
Plate 1. 
Fig. 4. 
the Seed Veffels and fpread thin upon a Table, 
and expofed four Days to the Air, but not to the 
Sun. It will then be in perfect Order for fowing. — 
Let a Border of fine Earth be well dug, a full |— 
Spade depth, and every little Clod broken: the 
beft Breadth of this Border is five Feet, its 
Length may be at Pleafure; and it muft have 
an open and warm Expofure. 
This Plant has every Recommendation to 
the Regard of thofe who delight in Vege- 
tables: Beauty of Flower, Fragrance, and a 
peculiar Elegance in its whole Afpect. ge | 
cordingly an.univerfal Favourite; and of all 
Plants the moft generally received in Greenhoufes. | 
It is a fhrubby but tender Plant, three Feet 
high, and irregularly, but not unelegantly 
fpreading in its Branches. 
The Leaves are large and roundifh, but they 
are Hleart-like at the Bafe, and indented at the 
OF GARD 
_ Staves-Acre, 
4 AFRICAN GERANIUM, 
ING. 
opened all the Length of it; and the Seed fown 
| in them, not thick, but equally and carefully. Let 
it be covered an Inch and half deep, and {prinkle 
the whole Border lightly with Water as foon as it 
is in. | | 
Thus let the Seed remain till Nature have 
thrown up the Plants, and they have fome little 
Height ; then let the Space between the Drills be 
weeded, and the Plants well examined; let the 
f weak ones be pulledup, and let thofe ftout ones 
which remain ftand two Feet and a half diftant, 
After the clearing and thinning let them have a. 
fight Dath of Water, and-thus leave them again 
to. Nature. 
Defend the Border, if expofed to dangerous 
Winds, by fticking here and there fome F urze 
Bufhes in it;.and after this no more is. to be 
done, but to keep the Ground clear from Weeds, | 
The Plants will rife very bold and noble, and 
their Flowers will ftand thick, and grow to théir 
beft Bignefs. _ | t" 
The common Direétors bid the Gardener tranf- . 
plant. his Larkfpurs .from the Seed Bed; and 
thofe who have written with more Reputation, 
give him his Choice to thin them, or to tran 
plant them; but Experience fhews the Choice is 
not equal, and we guard him againft their Er- 
rors. The Larxspur_ never rifes to its full 
Perfe€tion, but when it is left to dower in the 
Seed Bed, and is there kept clear and diftant. 
He who follows this DireGion with Refpeé& 
to. thefe Plants, will find his Stock every. Year - 
improve in Elegance. 
_ If the curious Reader. chufe to. employ more 
Care and Attention upon the Larkfpur, he will 
find it very well returned : we thall direct:the Me- 
thod when we fpeak of the Secret of raifing 
{triped and double Flowers. one 
The feveral other Species are to be cultiva- 
ted the fame Way. | qi 3a 
The principal of them are: the great blue 
broad-leav’d Kind ; the tall Larkspur with — 
Monks-hood Leaves ; and the’ Kind ‘called 
~The Seed-Veffel is long, flender, and fharp- 
pointed: it refembles. the Beak of a Crane, or 
other long-beak’d Bird, and the whole Genus 
| has thence obtained the Englith Name of 
CRANES-BILL. 
Each Flower examined feparately is found to 
be compofed. of five Petals, which are broad, ir- 
regular and expanded. a 
This flands in a Cup formed of a fingle Leaf, 
and has in its Centre ten Filaments : thefe {pread 
afunder at the Tops; but toward the Bottom 
they unite, and. form a tubular Body, and they 
have oblong Buttons or Antherez, which turn 
upon them, 
The Student remembering what we have faid 
of 
The Border thus prepared, let three Drills be Auguft. 
