OF GARDENING. 
May: the Moon is in her Decreafe. 
———- this repeatedly, and declare with one Voice they 
have found it true: what Experience I have had | 
alfo confirms it. Therefore whatever {ays 
/ 
fophy or Fancy, let the Gardener follow this | 
Practice: the. Advantage is certain, and perhaps | 
fome Time the Caufe may be underftood. 
Therefore let the Gardener chufe fuch a Day 
and an Hour before Sun-fet: and let him fcatter on 
the Bed the Seeds moderately thick. 
Sift over them a Finger’s Breadth of the fame 
Compoft, and give a very flight Watering. 
Lay on the Ground a few light Hawthorn 
Bufhes, and leave the reft to Nature: During | 
Winter, the few Weeds that rife on the Bed muft 
be now and then carefully pull’d up, while they 
are young; for, when they have more confirm’d 
Roots, the taking them up will deftroy the Seeds. 
Let the Reed-Hedge be brought forward for 
Shelter all the hard Weather, but in Spring - it 
be thrown open. 
Of the Management of the Plants. 
In Spring let the Bufhes be taken off, and the 
Ground once a Week carefully weeded and looked 
over. The young Plants will foon appear in great 
Numbers: their firft Leaves are like Grafs, but 
they will be known by bringing up the Hufk of 
the Seed with them. 
_ This muft be a Time of Caution : an ignorant 
Fiand might take up thé Seédlings; and they 
will require not only to be weeded very frequently, 
but to be water’d once in four Days; a little at a 
Time, and from. a fine-nos’d Pot. 
Soon. after this the Bulb will form. itfelf. 
three Inches deep in the Ground, and out of 
Reach of Injuries. 
The firft Appearance of the Plants will be at 
the latter End of March, and in about ten Weeks, 
that is, toward the Middle of une, thefe green 
Leaves will decay. 
Then let the Surface of the Bed be raked, 
and half an Inch of frefh Compoft be fifted over 
them. 
Thus they may remain till the fame Time the 
fucceeding Year; but then it will be of great Ad- 
vantage to remove them. 
For this Purpofe, let a frefh Parcel of Cary, 
poft, like the firft, be mix’d up in Autumn, and 
fet it lie all Winter. po 
In the latter End of Sak the ae Near let 
the Border be ftir’d, and the Mould with the 
Roots taken out. _ 
Then let the frefh Compof be put in, and the 
Mould fifted, to feparate the Roots. | 
This done, let the frefh Border have a very 
gentle Moiftening, and then let the Roots be 
planted on it with Care, at about three Fi ingers 
Breadth Diftance. Let them be covered with two 
Inches Depth of the fame Compoft, and thus left 
for the fucceeding Winter. 
The next Year, at the fame Seafon, let the 
{fame Operation be repeated. 
Thus they are to be manag’d the four firft 
Years. On this, ‘which is a Method very little 
N° 34, , 
depend. . In all thefe Tranfplantings the Compoft 
| fhould’ be’ laid about five Inches thick; and the 
Philo- | Bottom fhould bé trod hard before it is put in. 
After the fourth Year, the Quantity of nee 
_ pot muft be four times as much as at firft; 
Border much larger and deeper; and the boa 
mult be planted at a full Finger’s Length Diz 
{tance. 
The fifth’ Year they muft have more Room, 
more Depth of Soil, and frefh Compoft ; and this 
| Seafon fome of them will probably flower; the 
_fixth Year, the generality; and the feventh. or 
eighth, all. 
“After this, they are to be treated as the other 
| old Roots. | 
_ The Soil that is OaAt dinede to be us’d 
for thefe, is Pafture-Earth, with the Turf rotted 
in it; and fome Sand and Lime Rubbith.. . This 
I have try’d, and found fucceed in the ufual Man- 
her, but greatly inferior to the Compoft we have 
here directed ; which fhould always be made of the 
fame Ingredients, tho’ frefh every Year. 
Al the Difference of their Management is, that 
they muft be planted a few Weeks fooner than the 
old Roots, and fomething deeper i in the Ground, 
Of breaking the Tulips.” 
A. gteat mahy Falfities havé been publith’d 
with Regard to the Method of breaking Tulips; 
401 
The Dutch try’d' | known, the Succef of the Seedlings will gredtly May. 
that is, of brifiging them to their Stripes and Va-_ 
regations. Something may be done in it, but 
lefs than is ufually pitichded : Nature is the great 
Artificer ; ahd they write falfely who pretend to 
do it all by their own Management. The giving 
them frefh Soil is a principal Article, for without 
this Nature cahnot perform her Work: 
On one Foundatiofi all refts, and that was difcd: 
vered long fince by Cuusius: If the bett Tulip 
be fuffered to ftand a great many Years in the 
fame Spot, without taking up, or other Manage- 
ment, it will lofe all its Stripes, and return to the 
original plain Colour: and, on the contrary, 
frequent Removal brings the Stripes and Paint- 
ings. a 
"We have now led our Student to the Flower: 
ing of his Seedling Tulips; and he is out of the 
Number to make his Choice of fuch as ate to be the 
Subjects of his future Care. This will depend 
upon two Circumftances ; the Colour of the Bot- 
tom, and that of the Buttons. 
We have obferv’d, that the true Colour of the 
Bottom is white or yellow. Altho’ the Seeds have 
been fav’d from only fuch as had thefe Characters, 
there will be among the Seedlings fome with 
thofe deep-colour’d Bafes which never change. 
Thefe muft be all taken up and deftroy’d, for 
they will never come to any thing. 
Next the Buttons are to be examined. {It is ef- 
fential to a good Tulip that thefe be brown: they 
are often yellow: they will be fo in many of 
thefe Seedlings; and as this Colour never will 
change, thofe which have it fhould alfo be taken 
up. 
Laftly, if eheke be any of the green or clive 
5K Tulips 
