OProCLRR D ENA SE. 
June. 
When this is done, let a little Earth be drawn | 
up about the Stem, and the Plant is in Perfection 
for flowering. So long as the Buds remain un- 
opened, the Waterings muft be large, and they 
fhould be given all over the Plant ; but when the 
Flowers. open they muft be more moderate in 
Quantity, and given with greater Care. 
The general Rule is this :, 
A Plant in flower fhould be watered as often as 
one in the Bud, but lefs fhould be allowed at a 
Time: for the Buds themfelves are vaft- 
ly favoured by the Water coming upon them be- 
fore they begin to difclofe the Petals of the 
Flower, yet when that begins to open, this Me- 
thod muft not be fuffered any more. 
In fingle Flowers, the Water coming upon 
them when blown, will wafh the Duft of the But- 
tons upon the Petals, and by that Means fpoil the 
Colour of both: and in double Flowers fome 
Drops of it will always lodge among the Foldings 
of thofe multiplied Petals, which will rot the Re- 
_ ceptacle, or the Bafes of the Petals, and the | 
Flower will fade before its Time. 
In thofe Plants which are intended to ftand for 
Seed, the Article of Watering while in Flower 
muft be more ftri¢tly regarded than in all others, 
for the Ripening of the Seed depends in a great 
Meafure upon the regular fhedding of the Duft 
from thofe Heads; and this cannot fail to be in- - 
terrupted by yenne them, in this Way of Water- 
ing. | 
Seeds will eo ease ripen under great Difadvan- 
tages : but even tho’ they ripen under them, they 
will be affected by them: they will acquire their full 
Growth and Form, but the Phen of Vegeta- 
tation will be weak. 
This would be a great Hurt to the Florift who. 
fhould fix upon fuch a Plant for Seed; and unlefs 
the Method of watering upon the Flowers be ut- 
_ terly abolifhed, there cannot eafily be any Secu- 
rity againft it; for he makes his Choice of thofe 
_ Plants that are to ftand for Seed when the Flowers | 
. are full blown ; 
and this Damage is often done 
while they are opening. 
For this Reafon, and in ean aS of the 
Beauty of the Flower, there fhould be an invari- 
able Rule, never to water the Top of a Plant 
when the Flowers are opened. It will be eafy for 
a judicious Hand, with a good Pot, to throw the 
‘Water in among the Leaves and Branches of a 
Plant, without letting any touch the Head, or 
other Parts where the Flowers are placed. 
This is the true Method of watering Plants in 
flower; and this, according to their Kinds and 
natural Place of Growth, and according to the 
Seafon, fhould be repeated every Evening, one 
Hour before Sun-fet, all the Time they are in 
flower. 
This Care being taken of thofe Flowers which 
bear Culture in the open Ground, let our Gardener 
look to his Greenhoufe Plants which are now fet 
out for Summer ; ; and into the Stove. 
Let him ftir the Earth on the Surface in all the 
Pots; and, where there is Occafion, bring in a 
little from fome Compoft fuited to the Nature of 
the Plant, fpreading it over the Surface, and ga- | 
N° 41. 
thering it up about the Stem. This done, let 
them pick off all dead or decaying Leaves, rub - 
and wafh away any Foulnefs upon their Stems, 
and even upon the Leaves of thofe Kinds which - 
have large ones, and according to the Condition 
ED RR EEE eR ee cata ee} 
4°9 
June. 
and Nature of the Plants, let them have the Be- ~ 
nefit of Water ing. 
In thefe fev feral Articles, which are all neceffary | 
to the Welfare of the Plants, let Difcretion guide - 
the Gardener; and let him fet it down here, as 
well as in other Inftances, as an everlafting Rule, | 
That it is better to do too little, than too much; 
tho’ he never fhould neglect to do fométhing. 
For Inftance : in the ftirring of the Earth about 
the Roots of thefe Plants, let a great deal of 
Care be taken not to wound or too much difturb 
them. Our own Natives will bear very rude U- 
fage, as we fee in the Autumnal Management of 
fibrous-rooted Plants ; but thefe, which are all of 
them Natives of milder Climates, are much more 
tender, and more eafily hurt. 
The Point of a Trowel is commonly ufed for 
this Purpofe of ftirring the Earth at the Surface 
of the Pots and Tubs; but it would be eafy to 
Invent a more proper Inftrument. The three- 
pronged Fork, ufed for digging up the Borders in 
which Fruit Trees grow, sould be a good Model : 
fuch a Thing made in Miniature, with the 
Tongs blunt at the Points and Edges, would be 
the beft of all Tools for fuch a Purpofe: this would 
| ftir the Mould without wounding the Roots; And 
if it raifed any. of the fmall Parts with the Soil 
which covered them, they would get no Harm 
by it, becaufe their Bark would not be wounded. 
‘They would fall regularly in the Pot again; and 
the fmall Covering of new Mould would preferve 
them from the Injuries of the Air till they had 
taken good Root again. 
With this Inftrument, or with aco tes 
Kind the Gardener ufes, he mutt obferve this 
Caution: firft let him confider whether the Plant 
be one whofe Root is fibrous, or tuberous ;_ whe- 
ther it be one that fhoots deep, or free under 
the Surface; and let him proportion the Depth to — 
which he removes, or ftirs the Earth accordingly. 
In all thefe Cafes, it will be an Advantage to. 
the Plant to remove as much of the old Pees as 
can be fafely taken off; and to this Purpofe fome 
frefh Soil from one = the Heaps of Compott 
muft be brought to the Place before the Work i is 
begun, that it may be immediately laid in upon 
removing the other. 
_ The Method I have found moft fuccefsful in 
doing this ufeful Bufinefs, is this : 
After chufing the Compoft from fuch a Heap 
as was either made purpofely for the Plant, or is 
| of a Nature fuited to it, I move the Earth gently 
to fuch Depth as it can be done without Injury to 
the Roots: then with my Fingers draw this of to 
one Side, and pour it out of the Pot. Inftantly 
I put in as much of the Compoft as fupplies the 
| Place of what was taken away; and then give a 
gentle Watering, with Water that has ftood all — 
Day in the Sun. This fixes and fettles the new 
Mould about the Ends of the Roots; and upon this 
Quantity thus wetted, I throw a little more Mould. 
oe The 
