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tom, and arc difpofed on every fide the ftalk. The 
ftalks rife about nine inches high, and when the roots 
are ftrong, the thyrfe of flowers is large. This 
flowers about the fame time with the firft fort, and 
was formerly preferved in gardens, but lince there have 
been fo many finer flowers raifed from the ieeds of the 
Eaftern Hyacinths, thefe have been almoft totally ne- 
glected, fo that they are feldomfeen but in old gardens 
The fourth fort feems to be a variety of the firft, the 
flowers being ranged tor tne moft part upon one 
fide of the ftalk, and the top of the fpike is always 
bent on one fide. The flowers are of a blufh Peach 
colour, and appear about the fame time as the firft fort. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Spain ; this hath a 
frnaller flower than either of the former forts, and 
comes earlier in the feafon. The petal is cut into fix 
parts half the length, and is reflexed at the brim ; 
the lower part is cylindrical, a little fwelling at the 
bafe, and is of a deeper blue than either of the for- 
mer. This was formerly called by the gardeners the 
Coventry blue Hyacinth. 
The fixth fort is the Eaftern Hyacinth, of which we 
formerly had no other varieties in the Englifh gar- 
dens, but the Angle and double white and blue flower- 
ing ; but from the feeds of thefe there were a few 
others raifed in England ; and alfo by the Flemifh 
gardeners, who came over annually with their flower- 
roots to vend in England •, but the gardeners in Hol- 
land have within the laft fifty years raifed fo many 
fine varieties, as to render the former forts of little 
or no value. 
But thofe who are defirous to preferve any of the old 
forts, need not be at much trouble about it, for their 
roots propagate in great plenty in any foil or fituation, 
and will require no other care but to take up their roots 
every other or third year, focn after their leaves decay, 
and plant them again in autumn ; for if they are per- 
mitted to remain longer in the ground, their roots will 
have multiplied to fo great a degree, as to render their 
flowers very fmall and weak, fo of little worth. 
All the different forts of Hyacinths are propagated by 
feeds or offsets from the old bulbs ; the former me- 
thod has been but little praftifed in England till very 
lately, but in Holland and Flanders it hath been fol- 
lowed for many years, whereby they have obtained a 
very great variety of the moft beautiful flowers of this 
kind : and it is owing to the induftry of the florifts in 
thofe countries, that the lovers and delighters in gar- 
dening are fo agreeably entertained, not only with the 
curious variety of this, but of moft other bulbous 
rooted flowers, few other florifts thinking it worth 
their trouble to wait four or five years for the flowers 
of a plant, which when produced, perhaps there might 
not be one in forty that may deferve to be preferved ; 
but they did not confider that it was only the lofs of 
the four or five firft years after fowing, for if they con- 
tinued fowing every year after they began, there would 
be a fuccefiion of flowers annually, which would con- 
ftantly produce at leaft fome forts that might be diffe- 
rent from what they had before feen ; and new flowers 
being always the moft valuable to fkilful florifts (pro- 
vided they have good properties to recommend them) 
it would always be a fuffieient recompence for their 
trouble and lofs of time. 
The method of raifing thefe flowers from feed is' as 
foilow;s : having provided yourfelf with fome good 
feed (which flhould be favedf om either femi-double, 
or fuch fingle flowers as are large, and have good pro- 
perties) you rnuft have a parcel of fquare fhallow boxes 
or pots, with holes in their bottoms to let off moifture, 
which muft be filled with frefh light fandy foil, laying 
the furface very level ; then fowyour feeds thereon as 
equally as pofilble, covering it about half an inch thick 
with the fame light earth * 5 the time for this work is 
about the middle or latter end of Auguft. Thefe 
boxes, or pots, fhould be placed where they may en- 
joy the morning fun only until the latter end of Sep- 
tember, at which time they 111 op Id be removed into a 
warmer fituation, and towards the end of October they 
fin u id be placed under a common hot-bed frame, 
where they may remain during the winter and fpring 
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months, that they may be protected from hard {foils j 
though they fhould be expofed to the open air wired 
tire weather is mild, by taking off the glafies. . In the 
latter end of February or the beginning of March* 
the young plants will begin to appear above ground? 
at which time they muft be carefully fcreened from 
frofts, otherwife they will be boon cieftroyed when 
they are fo young •, but you muft never cover them at 
that feafon but in the night, or in very bad weather j 
far when the plants are come up, if they are clofe co- 
vered, they will draw up very tall and {lender, and 
thereby prevent the growth of their roots. About the 
middle of April, if the weather proves good, you may 
remove the boxes out of the frame, placing them in a 
warm fituation, obferving, if the leafon be dry, to re- 
frefti them now and then gently with a little water, as 
alfo to keep them very clear from weeds, which would 
foon overfpread the tender plants, and deftroy them, 
if permitted to remain. 
Towards the- beginning of May thefe boxes fhould be 
removed into a cooler fituation ; for the heat of the 
fun at that feafon would be too steat for thefe tender 
plants, eaufing their blades to decay much fooner than 
they would naturally do, if they were fcreened from its 
violence. In this lhady fituation they fhould remain du- 
ring the heat of hummer, obferving to keep them con- 
ftantly dear from weeds j but you muft not place them 
under the dripping, of trees, &c. nor fhould you give 
them any water after their blades are decayed, for 
that would infallibly rot the roots. About the latter 
end of Auguft you fhould Aft a little light rich earth 
over the furface of the boxes, and then remove them 
again into a warmer fituation, and treat them, during 
the winter, fpring, and fummer months, as was before 
directed : and about the middle of Auguft following 
you fhould prepare a bed of light rich fandy foil, in pro- 
portion to thequantityof yourfeedlingplants; and hav- 
ing levelled the furface very even, you fhould take the 
earth from the boxes in which your plants were raifed, 
into a fieve, in order to get out all the roots, which 
by this time, (if they have grown well) will be about 
the thicknefs of a fmall quill; thefe roots fhould foe 
placed upon the bed at about two or three inches 
afunder, obferving to fet the bottom part of their 
roots downwards ; then cover-them over two inches 
thick with the fame light earth j but as it will be im- 
poftible to get all the fmall roots out of the earth iri 
the boxes, you fhould fpread the earth upon another 
bed equally, and cover it over with light earth ; by 
which method you will not lofe any of the roots, be 
they ever fo fmall. 
Thefe beds muft be arched over with hoops, and in 
very hard frofty weather they muft be covered with 
mats, &c. to p rot eft them from froft 5 and in the 
fpring, when the green leaves are above ground, if 
the weather fhould be very dry, you muft refrefh them 
with water ; but do this fparingiy, for nothing is more 
injurious to thefe bulbs than too great quantities of 
moifture.- During the fummer feafon you muft. con- 
ftantly keep the beds clear from weeds •, but after the 
blades are decayed, you muft never give them any 
water ; and in autumn you fhould ftir the furface of 
the bed with a very fnort hand-fork, being exceeding 
careful not to thruft it fo deep as to touch the roots, 
which, if hurt, are very fubject to perifh foon after. 
Then fift a little frefh, light, rich earth over the bed 
about an inch thick, or fomewhat more, and in winter 
cover them again (as was before directed.) In this bed 
the roots may continue two years,- obferving to treat 
them, both in fummer and winter, as before •, then 
the third year the roots fhould be carefully taken up 
a little before their leaves decay, laying the roots ho-' 
rizontally in the ground to ripen for three weeks, af- 
ter which they may be kept out of the ground till the 
end of Auguft, when they fhould be planted into nety 
beds prepared as before, placing them at the diftance. 
of fix inches afunder ; in thefe beds the roots may re- 
main till they flower, during which time they fhould fo® 
treated as before, with this difference only, that inftead 
of covering them with mats in the winter, the furfaco 
of the ground fhould be covered with tanners bark. 
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