ground, then prefs the earth clofe to the roots ; af- 
ter this they will require no farther care, but to keep 
them conftantly clean from weeds; and if the fol- 
Jowing fpring fliotil’d prove dry, they fhould be 
duly watered, which will greatly forward their 
growth. In this border the plants may ftand two 
years, by which time they will be lit to tranfplant 
where they are defigned' to remain ; therefore in au- 
tumn, fo foon as their leaves decay, they may be re- 
moved ; but as the roots of thefe plants run deep into 
the ground, like Carrots, there muft be great care 
taken in digging them up, not to cut or break their 
roots, for that will greatly weaken, if it does not kill 
them. After the plants are well fixed in their places, 
they require no other culture, but to dig the ground 
about them early in the fpring before they begin to 
ihoot, and in the fummer to keep them clean ffrom 
weeds. The roots of thefe plants will continue 
many years, but the ftalks decay every autumn ; the 
fame roots do not flower two years together, nor fel- 
dom oftener than every third year ; but when they 
flower ftrong, they make a fine appearance ; and as 
thefe delight in fiiady moift .ground, where but few 
ornamental plants will thrive, fo they fhould not be 
wanting in good gardens. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in moift paftur.es in 
many parts of England, but particularly in the north ; 
this riles with an upright ftalk about a foot high, 
glrnifhed with frnooth leaves an inch and a half 
long, and lefs than a quarter of an inch broad ; they 
are placed oppofite, and have no foot-ftalks. The 
flowers are produced on the top of the ftalk, three or 
four in number, ftanding upon foot-ftalks alternately 
above each other ; they are large, bell-fhaped, and 
divided into five points at their brim, and are of a 
deep blue colour, fo make a fine appearance ; thefe 
come out the latter end of July in the warm parts 
of England, but in the north they are full a month 
later. 
It may be propagated by feeds in the fame manner as 
the firft fort, and the plants may be treated in the 
fame way ; but as this fort does not fhoot its roots 
deep into the ground, it may be tranfplanted with lefs 
. hazard ; however, if thefe are removed with a ball of 
earth to their roots, they will not feel their removal 
fo much as when the earth is all taken from them. 
This fort fhould be planted in a ftrong, moift, loamy 
foil, in which the plants will thrive and flower annu- 
ally, but in a warm dry foil they will not thrive or 
flower. , 
The third fort grows naturally upon the Helvetian 
mountains ; this rifes with an upright ftalk near a 
foot high, garnifhed with frrlooth leaves about two 
inches long, and three quarters of an inch broad at 
their bafe, where they embrace the ftalk, but they end 
in acute points ; they are placed oppofite, and are of 
a fine green, and diminifh in their fize as they are 
nearer the top ; they have five longitudinal veins, 
which join at both ends, but diverge from each other 
in the middle. The flowers come out by pairs op- 
pofite, from the bottoms of the leaves, ftanding on 
fhort foot-ftalks ; they are pretty large, bell-fhaped, 
and of a fine blue colour, fo make a fine appearance 
when they are open. This fort flowers in June and 
July. 
It may be propagated by feeds in the fame manner 
as the firft fort, and the plants may be treated in the 
fame way, but they muft have a moift loamy foil, 
otherwife they will not thrive. It may alfo be pro- 
pagated by offsets, which may be divided from the 
roots ; thefe fhould be taken off in autumn, which 
Is the belt feafon for removing all thefe forts of . 
plants ; but thefe fhould not be removed, or parted 
oftener than every third year, where they are expe&ed 
to produce ftrong flowers. 
The fourth fort grows naturally on the Alps and 
Helvetian mountains, but has been long cultivated 
in molt of the curious gardens in Europe ; this is com- 
monly known by the title of Gcntianella. It is a low 
plants the ftalks feldom growing more than three or 
i- • r • 
tour incites high ; they are garnifhed with frnooth 
leaves placed oppofite, which are two inches long, 
and half an inch broad, fitting clofe to the 'ftalk. The 
flowers grow creed on the top of the ftalk, To ftand 
quite above them; thefe are often Angle, but fom'e- 
times, when the plants are ftrong, there will be four 
or five at tfie end of each ftalk ; they are large, belh 
Draped, and of a deep azure blue, fo is the fineft of 
that colour of any flower yet known. It ufually 
flowers in May, but fometimes the plants flower 
again in autumn. 
'I his is commonly propagated by parting of the roots, 
in the fame manner as is before directed for the third 
fort, but thefe muft not be often tranfplanted, or 
parted, if they are wanted to flower ftrong ; this fort 
fhould have a foft loamy foil and a fhady fitua- 
tion, where the plants will thrive and flower well 
every year. 
It may alfo be propagated by feeds, which, in a 
good foil, the plants will produce in plenty ; thefe 
fhould be fown in autumn, in the fame manner as is 
before directed for the firft fort ; and if the plants 
are planted in a good foil, they will be ftrong enough 
to flower the fecond year after they come up, and 
thefe feedling plants will flower much ftronger than 
thofe which are propagated by offsets. 
The fifth and eighth forts are low annual plants, 
which grow naturally upon the Alps and other moun- 
tainous places in Europe, and are very rarely cultivated 
in gardens. The fifth feldom rifes more than two inches 
high, branching out from the root into feveral flender 
ftalks, garnifhed with very fmall leaves placed by 
pairs, and each ftalk is terminated by one fmaller blue 
flower ftanding ereft. The eighth fort grows about 
four inches high, with a Angle upright ftalk of a pur- 
ple colour. The leaves at the root are oval, but 
thofe upon the ftalk are narrow, and ftand oppofite. 
The ftalk is terminated by one blue flower, with a 
large bellied empalement, which is plaited, and the 
petal of the flower rifes but a little above the empale- 
ment, fo does not make much appearance. After the 
top flower decays, there are frequently two fmaller 
flowers which come out from the fide of the ftalk, at 
the two upper joints ; thefe flower after each other, 
the upper one coming firft, fo that there is a fucceffion 
of flowers till autumn. 
As thefe plants ufually grow upon moift fpongy 
ground, it is very difficult to cultivate them in gar- 
dens ; for unlefs they have a foil approaching near to 
that in which they naturally grow, they will not 
thrive ; the only method to obtain them is, either to 
low their feeds in pots, or upon a moift boggy ground 
in autumn, but it muft be in the fliade ; and when 
the plants come up, they may be thinned, and the 
furface of the ground about them covered with 
mofs, which fhould be conftantly kept moift ; with 
this management I have feen the plants thrive and 
flower very well. 
The fixth fort is a perennial plant, which, grows na- 
turally upon the Appenines and the Helvetian moun- 
tains ; this rifes with an upright ftalk about fix inches 
high, garnifhed with frnooth fpear-fhaped leaves 
about two inches long, and one broad in the middle, 
fitting clofe to the ftalk ; they are placed oppofite, 
and each pair of leaves crofs one another, from whence 
it is called Croffwort Gentian. The flowers are pro- 
duced in whorls round the ftalks at the tipper joints, 
fitting very clofe to the ftalks, and at the top there 
is a large duller growing in the fame form ; thefe 
are of a light blue colour, and appear in May. This 
may be propagated by feeds, or offsets, in the fame 
manner as the third and fourth forts, and the plants 
muft be treated in the fame way. 
The feventh fort grows naturally upon the Alps, and 
other mountainous parts of Europe ; this is a low pe- 
rennial plant,- whole ftalks are very flender, and rarely 
rife more than three or four inches high, garnifhed 
with fmall, narrow, acute-pointed leaves, placed in 
pairs ; each ftalk is terminated by one large blue 
flower, which is hairy on the infide at the Trim. This 
' . flowers 
