I 
LYC 
.Carlo. Vaill. Wild white 'Campion with a large inflated 
empalement . 
' The firft fort is commonly known by the title of 
Scarlet Lychnis of which there is one with double 
flowers, which is mod eileemed for the fize of the 
flowers and multiplicity of the petals ; as alfo for 
the duration of the flowers, which continue much 
longer in beauty than the fingle flowers, fo that the 
latter is not much cultivated at prefent, though the 
flowers of this are very beautiful ; and as the plants 
are fo eafily propagated by feed, they may foon be 
had in greater plenty than thofe with double flowers, 
which do not produce feeds. Of the fingle fort there 
are three varieties, the deep fcarlet, the flefh-colour, 
and the white, but the firft is the mod beautiful. 
This is eafily propagated by feeds, which fhould be 
fown on a border expofed to the ead, in the middle 
of March. The plants will appear in April, when if 
th$ feafon is dry, they fhould be refrefhed with water 
two or three times a week. By the beginning of June 
the plants will be fit to remove, when- there fhould 
be a bed of common earth prepared to receive them ; 
into which they fhould be planted at about four inches 
apart, obferving to water and fhade them till they 
have taken root ; after which time they will require 
no other care but to keep them clean from weeds till 
the following autumn, when they diould be tranf • 
planted into the borders of the pleafure-garden, where 
they are to continue. The dimmer following thefe 
plants will flower and produce ripe feeds, but the 
roots will abide feveral years and continue to flower. 
This fort flowers in June and July, and the feeds 
ripen in autumn. It may alfo be propagated by off- 
fets, but as the feeds ripen fo freely, few perfons 
trouble themfelves to propagate the plants any other 
way. The French call this plant Jerufalem Crofs. 
The fort with double flowers is a valuable plant, the 
flowers are very double, and of a beautiful fcarlet 
colour. This hath a perennial root, from which arife 
two, three, or four dalks, according to the drength 
of the roots ; thefe in rich moid land, grow upwards 
of four feet high the dalks are drong, ere<d, and 
hairy. They are garnifhed the whole length with 
fpear-fhaped leaves fitting clofe to the dalks, placed 
oppofite ; and jud above each pair of leaves, there 
are four fmaller leaves danding round the dalk. 
The flowers are produced in clofe cluders fitting upon 
the top of the dalk ; when the roots are drong, the 
cluders of flowers will be very large, fo they make a 
fine appearance, the flowers being very double, and 
of a bright fcarlet colour. They appear the latter end 
of June, and in moderate feafons continue near a 
month in beauty. The dalks decay in autumn, and 
new ones arife in the fpring. This was originally pro- 
duced from the feeds of the fingle fort, and is propa- 
gated by flips taken from the roots in autumn ; but 
as this is a flow method of increafing the plants, the 
bed way to have them in plenty, is to cut ofi 7 the 
fiower-dalks in June before the flowers appear, which 
may be cut into fmall lengths, each of which fhould 
have three or four joints, which fhould be planted 
on an ead border of foft loamy earth, putting three 
of the joints into the ground, leaving one eye jud 
level with the furface ; thefe mud be watered, and 
then covered clofe with bell or hand-glaffes, fo as to 
exclude the outward air, and fhaded with mats when 
the fun dunes hot upon them. The cuttings fo ma- 
naged will put out roots in five or fix weeks, when 
they mud be expofed to the open air, and in very 
dry weather they fhould be now and then refrefhed 
with water, but it mud not be repeated too often, 
nor given in large quantities, for too much moidure 
will caufe them to rot. Thefe will make good plants 
by the following autumn, when they may be trans- 
planted into the borders of the pleafure-garden, where 
they will flower the following dimmer. 
Some people who are covetous to have their plants 
flower, differ the dalks to remain till the flowers are 
decayed, and then cut them off to plant ; but by that 
time the dalks are grown hard, fo. but few of them 
LYC 
fucceed, and thofe winch do, will not be near fo good 
plants as thole; which are planted earlier •, therefore 
it will be better to facrifice the flowers of fome roots 
for this purpofe. Thefe plants delight in a foft, rich, 
loamy foil, not too moid or did, in which they will 
thrive and flower very drong, but they do not care 
for much dung, which very often caufes the roots to 
canker and rot, fo that in the rich dunged lands 
about London, they do not thrive well. As thefe 
plants grow tall, they fhould be planted in the mid- 
dle of large borders, and not crowded with other 
plants, for their roots extend to a large didance • fo 
if they are incommoded by other roots, it will dint 
their growth. 
I have not feen any double flowers of the two other 
varieties, but have been informed that there are of 
both the white and the flefh-colour with double flowers 
in fome of the French gardens. Thefe make a vari- 
ety, but are not fo beautiful as the fcarlet, fo are not 
much edeemed. 
The fecond fort is commonly called Red German 
Catchfly. This hath been found growing naturally 
upon the rocks in Edinburgh Park, and in fome places 
in Wales. It was formerly cultivated in flower-gardens 
for ornament, but fince this fort with double flowers 
hath been produced, the fingle has been almod ba- 
nifhed out of the gardens. This hath long, narrow, 
Grafs-like leaves, which come out from the root with- 
out order, fitting clofe to the ground •, between thefe 
come up drait fingle dalks, which in good ground 
rife a foot and half high ; at each joint of the dalk 
come out two leaves oppofite, of the fame form as 
the lower, but decreafe in their fize upward ; under 
each pair of leaves, for an inch in length, there 
fweats out of the dalk a glutinous liquor, which is 
almod as clammy as birdlime, fo that the flies which, 
happen to light upon thefe places, are fadened to the 
dalk, where they die, from whence it had the title of 
Catchfly. The dalk is terminated by a clufter of 
purple flowers, and from the two upper joints come 
out on each fide of the dalk a clufter of the fame 
dowers, fo that the whole form a fort of loofe fpike. 
Thefe appear in the beginning of May, and the fingle 
flowers are fucceeded by round ifli feed-veffels, which, 
are full of fmall angular feeds ripening in July. 
It may be propagated in plenty by parting of the 
roots in autumn, at which time every flip will grow ; 
or if the feeds are fown in the fame manner as is di- 
rected for the fird fort, the plants with dngle flowers 
may be raifed in plenty. This delights in a light 
moid foil and a fhady fltuation. 
The double dowering of this fort was accidentally 
obtained from the feeds of the fingle. This hath not 
been known forty years in the Englifh gardens, but it 
is now fo common as to have excluded that with fingle 
flowers ; it differs only from that in the doublenefs 
of the flowers. As this never produces feeds, fo it can 
only be propagated by parting and flipping of the 
roots ; the bed time for this is in autumn, at which 
time every flip will grow. If this is performed in 
September, the flips will have taken good root be- 
fore the frod, and will flower well the following dim- 
mer ; but if they are expected to flower drong, the 
roots mud not be divided into fmall flips, though for 
multiplying the plants, it matters not how fmall the 
flips are. Thefe fliould be planted on a border ex- 
pofed to the morning fun, and fhaded when the fun 
is warm till they have taken root. If the flips are 
planted in the beginning of September, they will be 
rooted drong enough to plant in the borders of 
the flower-garden by the middle or latter end of Oc- 
tober. The roots of this fort multiply fo fad, as to 
make it neceffary to tranfplant and part them every 
year ; for when they are let remain longer, they are 
very apt to rot. Th’is fort requires the fame foil and 
fltuation as the former. 
The third fort grows naturally by the fide of ditches 
and in moid padures in many parts of England, fo 
is feldom admitted into gardens • it hath a perennial 
root, from which arife many branching diffufed dalks 
from 
