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There are four or five varieties of this fpecies which 
differ in the colour of their flowers, but the moil 
common colour is blue. 
Thefe are propagated by offsets from their roots ; but 
to obtain new varieties, they mud be propagated by 
feeds in the following manner. 
Having procured a parcel of feeds from good flowers, 
the beginning of September you fhould provide fome 
flat pans or boxes, which muft have holes in their 
bottoms to let the moifture pafs off-, thefe fhould have 
pieces of tile br oyfter fhells laid over each hole, to 
prevent their being flopped ; then they muft be filled 
with frefh light fandv earth* and the feeds fown there- 
on pretty thick, obferving to flatter them as equally 
as poflible then cover them over about half an inch 
thick with the fame light frefh earth, and place the 
boxes or pans where they may have the morning fun 
till eleven o’clock and if the feafon fhould prove very 
dry, they muft be now and then refrefhed with water. 
In this fituation they may remain until the middle of 
October, when they fhould be removed into a warmer 
fituation, where they may have the full fun moft part 
of the day, and fcreened from levere frofts in which 
place they muft abide all the winter, obferving to keep 
them clear from weeds and Mofs, which, at this fea- 
fon, are very apt to fpread over the furface of the 
earth in pots, when they are expofed to the open air. 
In the fpring the plants will appear above ground, 
when, if the feafon is dry, they muft be now and then 
refrefhed with water, and conftantly kept clear from 
weeds ; and as the feafon advances, and the weather 
becomes warm, they fhould be again removed into their 
former fhady fituation, where they may enjoy the morn- 
ing fun only. When the leaves begin to decay (which 
will be in June,) they muft be cleared from weeds and. 
dead leaves, and fome frefn earth fifted over them 
about half an inch thick, ftill fuffering them to abide 
in the fame fitiiation all the fummer feafon ; during 
which time, they will require no farther care but to 
keep them clear from weeds until the beginning of 
October, when they muft be again removed into a 
warm fituation, and the furface of the earth lightly 
taken off, and fome frefh earth fifted over them. 
In this place they muft remain all the winter as be- 
fore, and in the fpring they muft be treated as was 
directed for the former years. 
When the leaves are decayed, the bulbs fhould be 
carefully taken up (which may be beft done by fifting 
the earth through a fine fieve) and a bed or two of 
good light frefh earth fhould be prepared, into which 
the bulbs muft be planted, at about three inches afun- 
der each way, and three inches deep. Thefe beds muft 
be conftantly kept clean from weeds and Mofs ; and 
if the winter fhould prove fevere, the beds fhould be 
covered with rotten tanners bark, or Peas haulm, to 
keep out the froft and in the fpring, juft before the 
plants come up, the furface of the beds fhould be ftir- 
red, and fome frefh earth fifted over them about half 
an inch thick, which will greatly ftrengthen the roots. 
During the fpring and fummer they muft be conftantly 
weeded ; and at Michaelmas the earth fhould be again 
jftirred, and fome frefh fifted over the beds again, as 
before, obferving in winter and fpring ftill to keep the 
beds clean, which is the whole management they will 
require; and in June following the greateft part of the 
roots will flower, at which time you fhould carefully 
look over them, and put down a flick by all thofe whofe 
flowers are beautiful, to mark them ; and as foon as 
their leaves are decayed, thefe roots may be taken up to 
plant in the flower-garden amongft other choice forts. 
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But the nurfery-bcds fhould ftill remain, obferving to 
keep them clear from weeds, as alfo to fife frefh earth 
over them, as was before directed and the follow- 
ing feafon the remaining part of the roots, which did 
not flower the foregoing feafon, will now (hew their 
bloftbms ; fo that you may know which of them are 
worth preferving in the flower-garden, which ihould 
now be marked ; and when their leaves are decayed, 
they muft be taken up, and planted with the other 
fine forts, in an eaft border of light frefh earth ; but 
the ordinary forts may be intermixed with other bul- 
bous rooted flowers in the larger borders of the plea-^ 
fure-gatden, where, during their continuance in flower, 
they will afford an agreeable variety. 
But after thefe choice flowers are obtained from feeds, 
they may be increafed by offsets, as other bulbous 
flowers are. The offsets fhould be planted in a fepa- 
rate border from the blowing roots, for one year, un- 
til they have ftrength enough to produce flowers, 
when they may be placed in the flower-garden with 
the old roots. 
Thefe bulbs need not be taken up oftener than every 
other year, which fhould always be done foon after 
their leaves decay, otherwife they will fend forth frefh 
fibres, when it will be too late to remove them ; nor 
fhould they be kept long out of the ground, a month 
is full enough for when they are kept longer, their 
bulbs are fubjed to fhrink, which caufes their flowers 
to be weak the following year. 
The earth which the flowers thrive beft in, is a light 
fandy loam and if it be taken from a pafture ground 
with the fward, and laid in a heap until the Grafs is 
thoroughly rotted, it will be ftill better ; for thefe 
bulbs do not delight in a rich dunged foil, nor fhould 
they be planted in a fituation where they may be too 
much expofed to the fun ; for in fuch places their 
flowers will continue but a few days in beauty, and 
their roots are apt to decay ; but in an eaft border, 
where they have the fun until eleven o’clock, they 
will thrive and flower extremely well, efpecially if the 
foil be neither too wet, nor over dry. From the moft 
beautiful of thefe flowers fhould feeds be faved, and 
fown every year, which will always furnifh new varie- 
ties, fome of which will greatly exceed the original 
kinds. 
The Perfian Iris is greatly efteemed for the beauty and 
extreme fweetnefs of its flowers, as alfo for its early 
appearance in the fpring, it generally being in per- 
fection in February, or the beginning of March, ac- 
cording to the forwardnefs of the feafon, at which 
time there are few other plants in beauty. 
This may be propagated by feeds, in the fame manner 
as the other forts : but the boxes in which they are 
fown, fhould be put under a garden frame in winter, 
to fhelter them from hatd froft ; becaufe, while the 
plants are young, they are fomewhat tender. From 
the feeds of this kind I could never obtain any varie- 
ties, their flowers being always the fame. 
Thefe plants are alfo propagated by offsets, in the fame 
manner as the other forts, but their roots fhould not 
be tranfplanted oftener than every third year ; nor 
fhould they be ever kept out of the ground long, be- 
caufe their roots will fhrink and entirely decay & when 
they are long above ground, fo as not to be recovered 
again. This fort was formerly more common in the 
gardens near London than at prefent ; which, I fup- 
pofe, has been occafioned by the keeping the roots 
above ground too long, which deftroyed them. 
XYLON. See Bombax. 
YEW- 
