GER 
the wind from difplacing of the root before they are 
fixed in the new earth. 
The compoft in which I have always found thefe 
plants thrive belt (where there has not been a conve- 
niency of getting fome good kitchen-garden earth) 
was freffi hazel loam from a pafture, mixed with a 
fourth or fifth part of rotten dung •, if the earth is 
inclinable to bind, then a mixture of rotten tan is 
preferable to dung ; but if it is light and warm, then 
a mixture of neat’s-dung is bell: this compoft fhould 
be mixed three or four months before it is ufed, and 
fhould be turned over three or four times, that the 
parts may be well mixed and incorporated ; but where 
a quantity of good kitchen-garden earth can be had, 
which has been well worked, and is clean from the 
roots of bad weeds, there will need no compofttion, 
for in that they will thrive full as well as in any mix- 
ture which can be made for them, efpeeially if the 
earth has lain in a heap for fome time, and has been 
two or three times turned over to break the clods, 
and make it fine : thefe plants fhould not be planted 
in very rich earth, for that will caufe them to grow 
very luxuriant, but they will not flower fo well as in 
a poorer foil. 
The thirty-third fort hath herbaceous ftalks, fo is belt 
propagated by feeds, which the plants produce in 
great plenty, but the cuttings of this will take root as 
freely as either of the other, but the feedling plants 
are preferable to thofe propagated by cuttings •, and 
where the feeds of this and many other of the African 
forts are permitted to fcatter, there will be a fupply 
of young plants come up the fpring following, pro- 
vided the feeds are not buried too deep in the ground. 
The thirty-fourth fort may be propagated by feeds, 
or from heads flipped off from the fliort flefhy ftalk ; 
thefe heads fhould have their lower leaves ftripped off, 
that the ftalk which is to be planted may be clear of 
leaves *, then they may be planted lingle into a fmall 
pot, or if the heads are fmall, there may be two or 
three put into one fmall pot; then they may be plunged 
into a very moderate hot-bed, which will forward 
their putting out roots, and if they are fhaded from 
the fun and gently refrefhed with water, they will 
take root in a month or five weeks, when they muft 
be hardened gradually, and removed into the open air, 
where they may remain till autumn, when they muft 
be removed into fhelter for the winter feafon. 
The thirty-fifth, thirty-fixth, thirty-feventh, thirty- 
eighth and thirty-ninth forts are generally propagated 
by parting of their roots ; the beft time for doing 
this is in Auguft, that the young roots may be efta- 
blifhed before the cold comes on. Every tuber of 
thefe roots will grow, provided they have a bud or 
eye to them ; they may be planted in the fame fort of 
earth as was before directed, and if the pots are 
plunged into an old tan-bed, under a good frame in 
winter, the plants will thrive better than in a green- 
houfe ; the glaffes of the frame may be drawn off 
every day in mild weather, whereby the plants will 
enjoy the free air ; and if in hard froft the glaffes are 
well covered fo prevent the cold penetrating to the 
plants, it is all the fhelter they will require ; but in 
this fttuation they fhould have but little wet in win- 
ter, therefore the glaffes fhould be kept over them in 
heavy rains to keep them dry ; but in mild weather 
the glaffes may be raffed on the upper fide to ad- 
mit the frefh air to the plants, which will give them 
greater Hope to carry off the wet. With this ma- 
nagement the roots will thrive and flower very ftrong 
every yean Thefe forts may alfo be propagated by 
feeds. 
The fortieth font is an annual plant, and is only 
propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown upon a 
gentle hot-bed in the fpring, to bring the plants for- 
ward ; otherwife if the feafon fhould not prove very 
warm, the plants will not perfect their feeds in this 
country. When the plants are come up, and grown 
ftrong enough to remove, they fhould be each planted 
into a feparate fmall pot, and plunged into a moderate 
hot-bed again, obferving to fbade them till they have 
taken new root; then they muft be gradually hardened 
to bear die open air, into which they fhould be re- 
moved in June ; and when the plants have filled the 
fmall pots with their roots, they fhould be fnaken 0114 
and the ball of earth preferved to their roots, and put 
into pots a fixe larger, in which they will flower and 
ripen feeds, and foon after the plants will decay. 
The forty-fecond fort is alio propagated by feeds, 
which may be either fown upon a moderate hot-bed 
in the fpring, or upon a bed of light earth in the open 
air, where the plants will come up very well, though 
they will not be fo forward as thofe on the hot-bed. 
Thofe which are fown in the open air will require no 
other care but to keep them clean from weeds, and 
thin the plants where they are too clofe. Thefe plants 
will flower in July and Auguft, and if the autumn 
proves favourable, the feeds will ripen in September % 
but if thefe fhould fail, thofe which were railed on the 
hot-bed will come earlier to flower, fo there will be 
no danger of their perfecting feeds ; and thefe plants, 
if they are in pots, may be preferved through the 
winter, if they are plunged into an old tan-bed under 
a frame, and treated in the fame manner as the tu- 
berous-rooted forts before mentioned-. 
The fhrubby forts muft be looked over frequently 
during the winter, while they are in the green-houfe, 
to pick off all decayed leaves from them, which, if 
left on, will not only render the plants unfightly, but 
by their falling off, they will occafton litter among 
the other plants ; and if they are fuffered to rot iirthe 
houfe, they will occafion a foul, nafty, damp air, 
which will be very prejudicial to all the plants; there- 
fore to avoid this, they fhould be conftantly picked 
off every week ; and during the fummer feafon, they 
will require to be picked every fortnight or three 
weeks to keep them clean from dead leaves ; for as 
the branches advance, and new leaves are produced 
on their top, the under ones as conftantly decay ; and 
if left on till they drop off, will render the plants very 
unfightly. 
GERMANDER. See TEtrcRiuMi 
GEROPOGON. Goat’s-beard. 
The Characters are. 
The empalement is Jingle, compofed t)f niarij keel-floaped 
leaves which are longer than the corolla ; the flower is 
compofed of fever al hermaphrodite florets , which are im- 
bricated and Jhorter than the empalement , and are of one 
petal , divided into five figments at the top. Thefe havt 
each five floor t flamina, terminated by cylindrical fummits*, 
and an oblong germen with a fender fly le, fupporting two 
thread-like ftigma which are recurved ; the feeds are in- 
cluded in the empalement, and are crowned by five bearded 
flpr ending rays * 
This genus of plants is tanged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, intided Syrigenefia Poly- 
gamia JEqualis, the florets having five conneded fta- 
mina, and are fruitful. 
The Species are, 
1. Geropogon ( Glabrum ) folks glabris. Lin. Sp; lickp 
Goaf s-beard with fmooth leaves. Tragopogon gramineo 
folio glabrum, flore dilute incarnato. Raii Sup. 14 94 
2. Geropogon ( Hirfutnm ) foliis pilofis; Lin. Sp. 1 ropj 
Goaf s-beard with hairy leaves. Tragopogon gramineo 
folio, fuave rubente flore. Col. Eephr. 1. p. 232. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Italy; this hath an 
ered ftalk more than a foot high, garnifhed with 
fmooth, Grafs-like, long leaves; the ftalk branches up- 
ward into two or three divifions, each being terminated 
by one flefh-coloured flower, compofed of leveral 
florets ; 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Italy and Sicilyd 
This rifes with an ered ftalk a foot high, garnifhed 
with hairy narrow leaves, and feldom divides into 
branches, but is terminated by one flower compofed 
of four or five hermaphrodite florets, which are foe* 
ceeded by fo many bearded feeds. 
Thefe plants require the fame treatment as the Tra- 
gopogon, to which article the reader is defired to 
turn for their culture. 
GESNERAc 
l 
ZrO 
