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ther of the former forts, as do aifo the leaves, from 
whence it is called by the gardeners upright Myrtle. 
The flowers of this loft are not large, and the petals 
are marked with purple at their points, while they re- 
main clofed •, the berries are fmall, oval, and of a pur- 
ple colour. There is a variety of this with white ber- 
ries, in which it only differs? from this •, and I believe 
the Nutmeg Myrtle is only a variety of this, for I have 
raifed feveral of the plants from feed, many of which 
were fo like the Italian Myrtle, as not to be diftin- 
guilhedfrom it. 
The fixth fort is commonly called the Box-leaved 
Myrtle ; the leaves of this are oval, fmall, and fit 
clofeon the branches-, they are of a lucid green, end- 
ing in obtufe points ; the branches are weak, and fre- 
quently hang downward, when they are permitted to 
grow without fhortening, and have a grayifh bark. 
The flowers are fmall, and come late in the fummer, 
the berries are fmall and round. 
The feventh fort is called the Rofemary-leaved My- 
tie, and by fome it is called the Thyme-leaved Myrtle. 
The branches of this grow pretty erect ; the leaves 
are placed clofe on the branches ; they are fmall, nar- 
row, and end in acute points ; they are of a lucid 
green, and have a fragrant odour when bruifed. The 
flowers of this are fmall, and come late in the feafon, 
and are but feldom fucceeded by berries here. 
There are fome other varieties of thefe Myrtles, 
which are propagated in the gardens for fale ; but as 
their difference has been occafioned by culture, fo it 
would be multiplying their titles to little purpofe. 
Thofe which are here enumerated I believe to be 
really diftinft, for I have raifed molt of them from 
feeds, and have not found them change from one to 
another, though there has been other fmall variations 
among the plants. 
The eighth fort is a native of the Ifland of Ceylon : 
this is much tenderer than either of the former forts, 
fo cannot be kept through the winter in England, 
without fome artificial heat. This hath a ftrong up- 
right (talk, covered with a fmooth gray bark, di- 
viding upward into many (lender ftiff branches, gar- 
nished with oval leaves placed oppofite, which are 
near two inches long, and an inch and a quarter broad, 
ending in points ; they are of a lucid green, and have 
very fliort foot-ftalks. The flowers come* out at the 
ends of the branches, feveral of them being fuftained 
upon one common foot-ftalk, which branches out, 
and each flower Hands on a very (lender diftintft foot- 
ftalk ; they are very like the flowers of Italian Myr- 
tle, but always appear in December and January, and 
are never fucceeded by berries here. 
I (hall firft treat of the method of cultivating and pro- 
pagating the common forts of Myrtle, as they all re- 
quire nearly the fame management, and (hall after- 
ward take notice of that of the lall mentioned, which 
require a different treatment ; but as the varieties of 
the common forts of Myrtle are cultivated in the gar- 
dens for fale, I (hall juft mention the titles by which 
they are known, that the curious may be informed 
how many there are. 
Two forts of Nutmeg Myrtles, one with a broader 
leaf than the other. 
The Bird’s Neft Myrtle, the ftriped Nutmeg Myr- 
tle, the ftriped upright Myrtle, the ftriped Rofe- 
mary-leaved Myrtle, the ftriped Box-leaved Myrtle, 
and the ftriped broad-leaved Myrtle. 
Thefe plants may be all propagated from cuttings, the 
bed feafon for which is in the beginning of July, when 
you (hould make choice of fome of the ftraiteft and 
moft vigorous young (hoots, which (hould be about 
fix or eight inches long, and the leaves on the lower 
part mud be (tripped oft' about two or three inches 
high, and the part twifted which is to be placed in 
the ground ; then having filled a parcel of pots (in 
proportion to the quantity of cuttings deflgned) with 
light rich earth, you (hould plant the cuttings therein, 
at about two inches diftance from each other, obferv- 
ing to clofe the earth fad about them, and give them 
fome water to fettle it to the cuttings •, then place the 
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pots under a common hot-bed frame, plunging them 
either into fome old dung, or tanners bark, which will 
prevent the. earth from drying too faff ; but you muft 
carefully (hade them with mats in the heat of the clay, 
and give them air in proportion to the warmth of the 
feafon, not forgetting to water them every two or three 
days, as you (hail find the earth in the pots require it. 
With this management, in about fix weeks, the cut- 
tings will be rooted, and begin to (hoot, when you 
muft inure them to the open air by degrees, into which 
they (hould be removed towards the latter end of 
Auguft, or the beginning of September, placing them 
in a (ituation where they may be (heltered from cold 
winds, in which place they may remain till the mid- 
dle or latter end of October, when the pots fhould be 
removed into the green-houfe, but (hould be placed 
in the cooled part thereof, that they may have air 
given to them whenever the weather is mild, for they 
require only to be protected from fevere cold, except 
the Orange-leaved, and the ftriped Nutmeg Myrtles, 
which are fomewhat tenderer than the reft, and (hould 
have a warmer filiation. 
During the winter feafon, they muft be frequently, 
but gently watered ; and, if any decayed leaves ap- 
pear, they (hould be conftantly picked off, as alfo 
the pots kept clear from weeds, which, if permitted 
to grow, will foon overfpread the young plants, and 
deltroy them. 
If thefe pots are placed under a common hot-bed 
frame in winter, where they may be fereened from 
froft, and have the free air in mild weather, the 
young plants- will fucceed better than in a green- 
houfe, provided they do not receive too much wet, 
and are not kept clofely covered, which will oc- 
cafion their growing mouldy, and dropping their 
leaves. 
The fpring following thefe plants (hould be taken 
out of the pots very carefully, preferving a ball of 
earth to the roots of each of them, and every one 
(hould be placed into a feparate fmall pot filled 
With rich light earth, obferving to water them well 
to fettle the earth to their roots, and place them un- 
der a frame until they have taken root-, after which 
they (hould be inured to the open air, and in May 
they muft be placed abroad for the fummer, in a 
flickered (ituation, where they may be defended from 
ftrong winds. 
During the fummer feafon they will require to be 
plentifully watered, efpecially being in fuch fmall pots, 
which in that feafon foon dry therefore you (hould 
obferve to place them where they (hould receive the 
morning fun, for when they are too much expofed to 
the fun in the heat of the day, the moifture contain- 
ed in the earth of thefe fmall pots will foon be ex- 
haled, and the plants greatly retarded in their growth 
thereby. 
In Auguft following you (hould examine your pots, 
to fee if the roots of the plants have not made way out 
through the hole in the bottom of the pots, which 
if you obferve, you muft then fliift them into pots a 
flze larger, filling them up with the like rich earth, 
and obferve to trim the roots which were matted to 
the fide of the pots, as alfo to loofen the earth from 
the outfide of the ball with your hands, fome of 
which (hould be taken off, that the roots may the 
eafier find paffage into the frefh earth ; then you 
muft water them well, and place the pots in a fitu- 
tion where they may be defended from ftrong winds ; 
and at this time you may trim the plants, in order 
to reduce them to a regular figure ; and if they are 
inclinable to make crooked items, you (hould thruft 
down a (lender (trait (tick clofe by them, to which 
their (terns (hould be fattened, fo as to bring them 
upright. 
If care be taken to train them thus while they are 
young, the (terns afterward, when they have acquired 
ftrength, will continue (trait without any fupport, 
and their branches may be pruned, fo as to form either 
balls or pyramids, which for fuch plants as are pre- 
ferved in the green-houfe, and require to be kept in 
9 G fmall 
