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' FOR 
in a treatife upon gardening, it would not To well 
pleafe 5 for as the Leek has' always been ■diftinguifh- 
ed from Gariick and Onion by gardeners, fo it 
would rather confufe than inftruti the practitioners, 
if they were joined ; and as the fpecies of Gariick 
are numerous, fo where their fpecies are leflfened, by 
dividing them into genera, it will be no lefs uleful 
to bota'nifts. 
The Species are, 
1. For rum (Sqtivum) radice oblonga tunicata, caule 
planifolio, ftoribus capitatis, ftaminibus tricufpidatis. 
Leek with an oblong coated root , a plain leaf on the J, talk , 
flowers colledled in heads* and three-pointed flamina. Por- 
rurh commune capitatum. C. B. P. 72. Common-headed 
Lei f, commonly called London Leek. 
2. Porrum ( Ampeloprafum ) caule planifolio umbellife 
ro, imibella.globosa, ftaminibus corolla longioribns. 
Leek with a plain leaf on the ftalk , which - fupp or ts a glo- 
bular umbel of flowers , whofe flamina are longer than the 
petals. Porrum Si berienfe, ftoribus purpurafcentibus. 
Gmel. Siberian Leek having purplifh flowers. 
The . ftrft, fort is commonly cultivated' in the Englifh 
gardens ; of this there has been generally fuppofed 
two forts, but I have made trial of them both, by 
' lowing their feeds feveral times, and find they are the 
fame ; the difference which has rifen between them, 
has been occafioned by fome perfons having laved 
the feeds from old roots, and not from the leeching 
Leeks, whereby they have degenerated them, and 
rendered them fmaller and narrower leaved j but by 
care this may be recovered again, as I have expe- 
rienced. 
The other fort grows naturally in Siberia ; this hath 
narrower leaves than the common fort, the Italics are 
fmaller, and do not rife fohigh •, the heads of flowers 
are alfo fmaller, and of a purplifh colour j the (lami- 
na ftands out beyond the flower. 
Leeks are cultivated by fowing their feeds in the 
' fpring, in the fame manner as was directed for Oni- 
ons, with which thefe are commonly fown, the two 
forts of feeds being mixed according to the proportion 
which is defired of either fort; though the moft com- 
mon method is, to mix an equal quantity of both, 
for the Onions will greatly out-grow the Leeks in the 
fpring ; but thefe being drawn off early in Auguft, 
the Leeks will have time to grow large afterwards, fo 
that there may be a moderate crop of both forts. 
The management of Leeks being exaftly the fame 
with Onions, l fhall not repeat it in this place ; but 
fhd.ll only add, that many perfons fow their Leeks 
very thick in beds- in the fpring ; and in June, after 
fome of their early crops are taken off, they dig up 
the ground, and plant their Leeks out thereon, in 
rows a f6ot apart, and fix inches afunder in the rows, 
obferving to water them until they have taken root ; 
after- which they will require no further culture, but 
to clear the ground from weeds. The Leeks thus 
planted will grow to a moderate fize, provided the 
ground be good, and this method is very proper for 
fuch perfons who have little room. 
* If you would fave the feeds of this plant, you fihould 
make choice of fome of the largeft and beft Leeks 
you have, which mull remain in the place where they 
grew until February, when they fhould be transplant- 
ed in a row againft a warm hedge, pale, or wall, at 
about eight inches afunder; and when their Items 
advance, they Ihould be fupported by a firing, to 
prevent their being broken down, to which they are 
very liable, efpecially when in head ; and the defer 
they are drawn to the fence in autumn, the better 
the* feeds will ripen ; for it fometimes happens in cold 
futnmers or autumns, that thofe which grow in the 
open garden, do not perfect their feeds in this coun- 
try, efpecially if there fhould be (harp frofts early in 
autumn, which will entirely ipoil the feed. 
"yy hen it is ripe (which may be known by the heads 
' changing brown) you fhould cut off their heads with 
about a foot or more of the ftalk to each, and tie them 
iiV bundles, three or four heads in each, and hang 
them up in a dry place, where they may remain till 
FOR 
Chriftmas or after, when you may threfh out theTeeds 
for ufe. The hulk of thefe feeds is very tough, which 
renders it very difficult to get out the feeds ; there- 
fore fome perfons who have but a fmali quantity, rub 
it hard againft a rough tile, which will break the hulks, 
and get the feeds out better than moft other methods 
I have known ufech 
PORTULACA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 236. tab. 
1 T 8. Lin. Gen. Plant. 531. Purllane ; in French, 
Pourpier. 
The Characters are, 
Lhe empalemcnt of the flower is fmali \ bifid , ' and per- 
manent , fitting upon the germen. 1 loe flower has five 
plain , eredi , obtufle petals , and many hair-like fiamina , 
about half the length of the petals , terminated by Jingle 
Jummits ; and a 'roundijh germen , fupporting a Jhort ftyle , 
crowned by five oblong fiigmas. the germen afterward 
becomes an oval capfule with one cell , containing mam 
fmali feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the ftrft fe&ion of 
Linnaeus’s eleventh clafs, which contains the plants 
whofe flowers have from eleven to nineteen fiamina 
inclufive, and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Portulaca ( Oleracea ) foliis cuneiformibus, ftoribus 
feffilibus. Prod. Leyd. 473- Purflane with wedge-Jhap- 
ed leaves, and flowers growing clofe to the folks. Portu- 
laca latifolia feu fativa. C. B. P. 288. Broad-leaved , or 
Garden Purflane. 
2. Portulaca (. Pilofa ) foliis fubulatis alternis, axillis 
pilofts, ftoribus feffilibus termi'nalibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
445. Purflane with awl- flo aped leaves placed alternately , 
hairy joints , and flowers fitting clofe to the jialks. Por- 
tulaca Curaffavica angufto longo lucidoque folio, 
procumbens. Hort. Amft. 1. p. 2. Trailing Purflane 
of Curajfo , with long , narrow , Jhining leaves. 
3. Portulaca ( Anacampfcrcs ) foliis ovatis gibbis, pe- 
dunculo multifloro, caule fruticofo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
445. Purflane with oval gibbous leaves , foot-ftalks hav- 
ing many flowers, and a Jhrubby ftalk. Telephiaftrum 
folio globoid. Hort. Elth. 376. Baftard Orpine with a 
globular leaf. 
The ftrft fort grows qatu rally in America, and moft 
of the hot parts of the globe. This is the common. 
Purflane which is cultivated in the gardens, and is fo 
generally known as to need no defeription. There 
are two varieties of this, one with deep green leaves, 
and the other hath yellow leaves, which is called 
Golden Purflane ; but as both thefe arife from the 
fame feeds, fo they are only feminal variations. There 
is alfo a third variety with fmaller and lefs fuc- 
culent leaves, which is called wild Purflane, becaufe 
wherever it is once fown in a garden, and the plants 
permitted to icatter feeds, the plants will come up as 
weeds the following year ; but this I am fure is a de- 
generacy from the Garden Purflane, for I have fown 
it feveral times and let the plants fired their feeds, and 
it has come up from thofe feeds in two years, dege- 
nerated to the wild fort. 
Purflane is propagated from feeds, which may be 
fown upon beds of light rich earth during any of the 
fummer months ; but if you intend to have it early in 
the feafon, it fhould be fown upon a hot-bed ; for it 
is too tender to be fown in the open air before April, 
and then it muft be in a warm fituation. This feed is 
very fmali, fo that little of it will be fufticient to lim- 
ply a family. There is no other culture which this 
plant requires, but to keep it clear from weeds, and 
in dry weather to water it two or three times a week. 
In warm weather this plant will be fit for ufe in fix 
weeks after fov/ing, fo that 'in order to continue z 
fuccefiion of it, you fhould fow it at three or four dif- 
ferent feafons, allowing a fortnight or three weeks 
between each fowing, which will be fufticient to laft 
the fummer, fo long as, it is proper to be eaten ; for 
being of a very cold nature, it is unfafe to be eaten, 
except in the heat of fummer in England ; for which 
reafon, it is not to any purpofe to fow it upon a 
hot-bed, fince it will come early enough for ufe in 
the open air. 
If 
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