9i 
NAT. ORDER. AMARANLACE^. 
nature of the plants. The earlier the sowing can be performed, the 
better growth the plants will attain in the summer season. 
In raising the second and third sorts in the greatest lustre and 
perfection, the aid of two or three different hot-beds is necessary, 
which should be covered with frames and glasses, so as to slide with 
ease and convenience. The first of these hot-beds should be small 
and made in the ordinary way, for the purpose of receiving the seed, 
and which may likewise serve for that of other annuals of the ten- 
der kind of similar growth. They should be earthed over the tops 
within the frames, to the depth of five or six inches, with good light 
dry mould. In this the seed should be sown in small shallow drills, 
and covered over very lightly with fine sifted mould ; the glasses are 
then to be placed over them. In these situations the plants should 
be suffered to remain till they have attained the height of two or 
three inches, air being admitted in fine days, and the glasses covered 
with mats at night. When the plants are in this situation, a second 
hot-bed is to be prepared in the same manner, into which the young 
plants are to be pricked out to the distance of about four inches from 
each other, moderate waterings being occasionally given, and the 
plants well shaded from the sun until they have taken fresh root. 
Air should now be admitted more freely when the weather is fine, 
by raising one end of the glasses, and the night coverings be carefully 
applied. After the plants have remained in these beds a month or 
six weeks, and have become tolerably strong in their growth, so as 
to require more space, the final hot-beds should be made ready. 
These ought to be of much larger dimensions. When the frames 
are placed over them, earth to the depth of four or five inches should 
be laid over, and the plants, after being taken up with balls of earth 
about their roots, planted in pots of good sized dimensions, water 
being immediately applied in a sparing manner, and the pots plunged 
in the earth of the beds, the frames being raised occasionally as the 
plants advance in growth. The lights are to be constantly kept on, 
but air freely admitted by raising the ends daily, and water applied 
