greater variety raifed, as there are fo many perfons 
en^ao-ed in the culture of this flower. 
The lever a! varieties of Poiyanthufes are produced by 
flowing of feeds, which fhould be flayed from fluch 
flowers as have large upright Items, pioducing many 
flowers upon a flfcalk, which are large, beau am Ly 
ftriped, open fiat, and not pin-eyed, from tne feeds 
of fluch flowers there is room to hope for a great va- 
riety of pood forts, but there fhould be no ordinary 
flowers ftand near them, left, by me mixture ui their 
farina, the feeds fhould be degenerated. 
Thefe feeds fhould be fown in boxes fh.ed v/ith light 
rich earth in December, being very careful not to 
bury the feed too deep for if it be only flightly co- 
vered with light earth, it will be fufficient. Thefe 
boxes fhould be placed where they may have the be- 
nefit of the morning fun until ten of me clock, but 
mult by no means be expoied to the heat of the day, 
efpecialiy when the plants begin to appeal ; foi at 
that time, one whole day’s fun will entirely deftroy 
them. In the fpring, if the feafon fliould prove dry, 
you rnuft often refrefh them with water, which fhould 
be given very moderately •, and, as the heat incieai.es, 
you fliould remove the boxes more in the fnad>. , for 
the heat is very injurious to them. 
By the middle of May thefe plants will be flrong 
enough to plant out, at which time you fliould pm- 
pare feme ftiady borders which fhould be made rich 
with neats dung, upon which you muft fet the plants 
about four inches afunder every way, observing to 
water them until they have taken loot , after which 
they will require no farther care but to keep them 
clear from weeds, until the latter enci oi Auguft iol- 
lowmg, when you fhould. prepare fome bolder^ which 
are expofed to the eaft, with good light rich earth, 
into which you muft tranfplant your Poiyanthufes, 
placing them fix inches afunder equally in rows, ob- 
ferving, if the feafon proves dry, to water them until 
they have taken root ; in thefe borders your plants 
wil flower the fucceeding fpring, at which time you 
muft obferve to mark fuch of them as are fine to pre- 
serve, and the reft may be traniplanted into wilder- 
nefles, and other fhady places in the garden, where, 
although they are not very valuable flowers, they will 
afford an agreeable variety. 
Thofle which you intend to preferve, may be remov- 
ed foon after they have done flowering (provided you 
do not intend to fave feeds from them), and may be 
then tranfplanted into a frefh border of the liite nch 
earth, allowing them the fame diftancc as before, ob- 
fervins alfo to water them until they have taken root y 
after which they will require no farther care, but on- 
ly to keep them clean from weeds, and the following 
fpring they will produce ftrong flowers, as their roots 
will be then in full vigour-, fo that if the kinds are 
good, they will be little inferior to a fhew of Auriculas. 
Thefe roots fhould be conftantly removed and parted 
every year, and the earth of the border changed, 
otherwife they will degenerate, and lofe the greateft 
part of their beauty. 
If you intend to fave feeds, which is the method to 
obtain a great variety, you muft mark fuch of them, 
which, as I faid before, have good properties. Thefe 
fhould be, if poffible,. feparated from all ordinary 
flowers, for if they ftand furrounded with plain-co- 
loured flowers, they will impregnate each other, 
whereby the feeds of the valuable flowers will not be 
Bear fo good, as if the plants had been in a feparate 
border, where no ordinary flowers grew ; therefore 
the beft way is to take out the roots of fuch as you 
do not efteem as foon as the flowers open, and plant 
them in another place, that thqre may be none left in 
the border, but fuch as you would chufe for feeds. 
The flowers of thefe fhould not be gathered, except 
fuch as are produced fmgly upon pedicles, leaving 
all fuch as grow in large bunches ; and if the feafon 
fhould prove dry, you muft now and then refrefh 
them with water, which will caufe their feed to be 
larger, and in greater quantity, than if they were 
PRO 
entirely neglected. In June the feed will be ripe, 
which may be eafily known by the pods changing 
brown and opening ; fo that you fhould at that time 
look over the plants three or four times a week, ga- 
thering each time fuch of the feed-veffels as are ripe, 
which fhould be laid upon a paper to dry, and may 
then be put up until the feafon of fowing. 
As the plants which arifefrom feeds, generally flow- 
er much better than offsets, thofe who would have 
thefe flowers in perfection, fhould annually fow their 
I ccds 
PRIMROS E-T R E E. See On aGr a . 
P R I N O S. Lin. Gen. Plant. 398. Winterberry. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a permanent emp dement of one leaf‘s 
which is cut into fix flm all plain fegments , and is perma- 
nent ; it hath one wheel-floapei petal with no tube , cut 
into fix plain flegrnents \ it hath fix awl-flhaped JlaMina 
flhorter than the petal , terminated by obtufe fummits , and 
an oval germen fitting upon the Jlyle , crowned by an obtufe 
fiigma. The germen afterward turns to a round berry open- 
ing in three parts, including one hard feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft faction of 
Linnieus’s fixth dafs, which includes thofe plants whofe 
flowers have fix ftamiita and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Prinos ( Verticillatus ) foliis longitudinaliter ferratis. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 330. Prinos , or Winterberry, with leaves 
fawed lengthways. 
2. Prinos ( Glaber ) foliis apice ferratis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
330. Prinos with leaves fawed at their points. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Virginia, and other 
parts of North America. This rifes with a fhrubby 
ftalk to the height of eight or ten feet, fending out 
many branches from the lides the whole length, which 
are garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves about three 
inches long, and one broad in the middle, terminating 
in acute points 5 they are of a deep green, veined on 
their under fide, and fawed on their edges, having 
flender foot-ftalks {landing alternately on the branches. 
The flowers come out from the fide of the branches, 
fometimes fingle, at others two or three at each joint ; 
they have no tube, but are wheel-fhaped, and cut 
into fix parts ; they have fix awl-fhaped ereCfc ftamina, 
terminated by obtufe fummits, and an oval germen 
fitting upon the ftyle, crowned by an obtufe ftigrna ; 
thefe are fucceeded by berries about the fize of thofe 
of Holly, which turn purple when ripe. It flowers 
in July, and the feeds ripen in the winter. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Canada ; this is of 
lower growth than the former. The leaves are fhorter, 
and fawed at their points, but the flowers of this I 
have not feen. 
They are propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown 
foon after they are ripe upon a bed of light earth, co- 
vering them about half an inch with the fame fort of 
earth. The feeds which are fo foon put into the 
ground, will many of them come up the following 
fpring whereas thofe which are kept longer out of 
the ground, will remain a whole year in the ground 
before the plants will appear in the fame manner as 
the Holly, Hawthorn, and fome others ; therefore the 
ground fhould not be difturbed, if the plants do not 
come up the firft year. When the young plants come 
up, they may be treated in the fame manner as hath 
been directed for the American Hawthorns, for thefe 
are full as hardy, but they delight in a moift foil and 
a fhady fituation ; for in hot land they make but 
little progrefs, and rarely produce any fruit. 
PRIVET. See Ligustrum. 
PRO TEA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 104. Conocarpoden- 
dron. Boerh. Ind. alt. 2. 195. Silver-tree. 
The Characters are, 
T he flowers are c oiled ed in an oval head ■, they have one 
common imbricated flealy perianthium. The flower is of 
one petal , having a tube the length of the empalement 5 
the brim is cut into four parts , which fpread open, and 
are equal. It has four brifily fiamina . the length of the 
petal , terminated by incumbent fummits , and a roundiflh 
germen 
