N A R 
The fourth fort grows naturally in the fouth of France 
and in Italy, and has been found growing in the 
fields in fome parts of England, but it is likely to have i 
been from fome' roots which have been thrown out of 
gardens with rubbifh. The roots of this fort are not 
fo large as thofe of the firft, and are rounder j the 
leaves are Jong, of a gray colour, and fmoother than 
thofe of the firft ; the flower-ftalks are of the fame 
length with the leaves, and have commonly but one 
flower in a fheath, but fometimes when the roots are 
ftrong, they have two. The flower nods downward, 
the fegments of the petal are a little waved on their 
edges, ^ the nedtarium or cup is fhort, and bordered 
with yellow •, it flowers in May. The lcent of thefe 
flowers is not very agreeable, and as they are not very 
beautiful, fo they are feldom cultivated in gardens, 
fince the finer forts have been plenty. There is no 
variety .of this fo far as I have been able to trace, for 
I could never obferve any variation in the flowers. 
The fifth fort has fome refemblance of the fourth, but 
the flowers are whiter, the fegments of the petal are 
refiexed, and the border of the nedtarium or cup is 
of a gold yellow colour j this has fome affinity to the 
fecond fort. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Portugal, from 
whence I have received the roots. The bulbs of this 
kind are fmall, the leaves are very narrow, having 
fome refemblance to thofe of the Ruffi, but are a little 
compreflfed, and have a longitudinal furrow on one 
fide ; thefe are feldom more than eight or nine inches 
long. The flower-ftalk is flender, taper, and about 
fix inches long, fuftaining at the top one flower, 
which is at firft inclofed in a fheath ; the petal is 
fcarce half an inch long, and is cut into fix acute 
, fegments the nedfarium or cup is more than two 
inches long, very broad at the brim, lefiening gra- 
dually to the bafe, being fome what formed like the 
ladies hoop petticoats, from whence the flower is io 
called. It flowers in April, but does not produce 
feeds here. There are no varieties of this fort. 
The feventh fort grows naturally in Spain ; this hath 
a fmall bulbous root ; the leaves are but few in num- 
ber, and are narrow •, the (talk is jointed, and riles 
about nine inches high, fuftaining at the top one 
flower, which at firft is inclofed in the fpatha, or 
fheath ; the flower is cut into fix narrow fegments, 
which are white ; the nedfarium, or cup, is yellow. 
It flowers late in the autumn, and the roots are ten- 
der, fo are often killed by hard frofts in England, 
which renders it fcarce here. 
The eighth fort grows naturally in Portugal, and in 
the iflands of the Archipelago : of this there are a 
greater variety than of all the other fpecies •, for as 
the flowers are very ornamental, and come early in 
the fp ring, fo the florifts in Holland, Flanders, and 
France, have taken great pains in cultivating and 
improving them •, fo that at prefent the catalogues 
printed by the Dutch florifts, contain more than thirty 
varieties, the principal of which are thefe hereafter 
mentioned. 
Thefe have yellow petals, with Orange, yellow, or 
fulphur-coloured cups, or nedtariums. 
The Great Algiers. 
The Ladies Nofegay. 
The Greater Bell. 
The Golden Royal. 
The Golden Scepter. 
The Triumphant. 
The Moft Beautiful. 
The Golden Star. 
The Mignon. 
The Zeylander. 
The Madoufe. 
The Golden Sun. 
The following have white petals, with yellow or ful- 
phur-coloured cups or nedtariums. 
The Archdutchefs. The Greater Bozelman. 
The Triumphant Nofegay. The Czarina. 
The New Dorothy. The Grand Monarque. 
i he Pa fie Bozelman. The Czar of Mufcovy. 
I he Superb. The Surpaffante. 
There are fome with white petals and white cups, 
but thefe are not fo much efteemed as the others, 
N A R 
though there, are two or three varieties with large 
bunches of fmall white flowers,, which have a very 
agreeable odour, fo are as valuable as any of the 
other, and are later in flower than moft of the other 
forts. There is alfo one with very double flowers, 
whofe outer petals are white, and thofe in the mid- 
dle are fome white, and others of an Grange-colour, 
which have a very agreeable fcent, and is the ear • 
lieft in flowering ; it is generally called the Cyprus 
Narciffus, and feems to be a diftindt fpecies from the 
others. This, like moft other double flowers, never 
produces any feeds, fo is only propagated by offsets, 
and is the moft beautiful of all the Narciffus, when 
blown upon glafies of water in a room ; but when it 
is planted in the ground, if the bed in which they are 
planted is not covered with mats in frofty weather, to 
prevent their flower- buds from being deftroyed, they 
feldom flower •, for the leaves begin to ffioot early in 
the autumn, and the flower-buds appear about Chrift- 
mas, which are tender, fo that if hard froft happen 
when they are coming out of the ground, it generally 
kills them •, but if they are properly fcreened from 
froft, they will flower in February, and in mild feafons 
often in January. 
The ninth fort is the Jonquil, a , flower fo well 
known as to need no defcription ^ of this there is the 
great and fmall Jonquil with Angle flowers, and the 
common fort with double flowers, which is moft 
efteemed. 
I ffiall firft treat of the method for railing the fine 
forts of Polyanthus Narciffus from feeds, which is the 
way to obtain new varieties. 
The not praftifing this has occafloned our fending 
abroad annually for great quantities of flower-roots, 
which have been kept up to a high price, on account 
of the great demand for them in England whereas 
if we were as induftrious to propagate them as our 
neighbours, we might foon vie with them, if not out- 
do them, in moft forts of flowers ; as may be feen, by 
the vaft variety of Carnations, Auriculas, Ranuncu- 
las, &c. which have been produced from feeds in 
England, and exceed moft of thofe kinds in any part 
of Europe. 
You muft be very careful in faving your feeds, to 
gather none but from fuch flowers as have good pro- 
perties, and particularly from fuch only as have ma- 
ny flowers upon a ftalk, that flower tall, and have 
beautiful cups to their flowers ; from fuch you may 
expedl to have good flowers produced ; but if you 
fow ordinary feed, it is only putting yourfelf to 
trouble and expence to no purpofe, fince from fuch 
feeds there can be no hopes of procuring any valua- 
ble flowers. 
Having provided yourfelf with good feeds, you muft 
procure either fome fhallow cafes or flat pans, made 
on purpofe for the raffing of feedlings, which ffiould 
have holes in their bottoms, to let the moifture pafs 
off ; thefe muft be filled withfreffi, light, fandy earth 
about the beginning of Auguft (that being the feafon 
for flowing the feeds of moft bulbous-rooted flowers ;) 
the earth in thefe muft be levelled very even ; then 
fow the feeds thereon pretty thick, covering them over 
with fine fifted light earth about half an inch thick, 
and place the cafes or pans in a fituation where they 
may have only the morning fun till about ten o’clock, 
where they ffiould remain until the beginning of Oc- 
tober, when they muft be removed into a warmer fi- 
tuation, placing them upon bricks, that the air may 
freely pafs under the cafes, which will preferve them 
from being too moift. 
They ffiould alfo be expofed to the full fun, but 
fcreened from the north and eaft winds ; and if the 
froft fhould be fevere, they muft be covered, other- 
wife there will be danger of their being deftroyed •, in 
this fituation they may remain until the beginning of 
April, by which time the plants will be up, when 
you muft carefully clear them from weeds ; and if 
the ieafon ffiould prove dry, they muft be frequently 
watered : the cafes ffiould alfo now be removed into 
their former ffiady pofition, or ffiaded in the middle 
9 H of 
42,4 
