CRO 
^he fecond fort grows naturally on the Alps and 
Helvetian mountains : this hath a fmaller bulbous 
root than the firft, which is more compreffed * the 
flowers appear about the fame feafon with the former, 
but they rife with a fhort foot-ftalk, having a fhort 
fpatha or fheath juft below the flower, which covers 
it before it expands. The tube of the flower is very 
fhort, the petal being divided almoft to the bottom, 
and the fegments terminate in acute points •, the fta- 
mina and flyle are fhort, and the leaves of the plant 
are very narrow. The flower is of a deep blue * out 
there is a variety of this with a iky blue flower, which 
is fuppofed to have been produced by feeds. _ Dr. 
Linnaeus has fuppofed thefe, and alfo all the varieties 
of the Spring Crocus, to be but one fpecies, but 
t^ere can be no doubt of thefe being dilhindh from 
thofe of the Spring. 
The third fort hath a pretty large, compreffed, bul- 
bous root, covered with a light, brown, netted fkin, 
from which arife four or five leaves, like thofe of the 
the other Vernal Crocufes, of a purplifh colour on 
their lower parts * from between thefe come out one 
or two flowers of a deep yellow colour, fitting clofe 
between the young leaves, never rifing above two 
inches high * thefe have an agreeable odour ; the 
outer fegments of the petal are marked with three 
black ftreaks or ftripes running lengthways from the 
bottom to the-top of the fegment * thefe are narrower 
than the inner fegments. From the double arrange- 
ment of thefe fegments fome have called it a double 
flower. Thefe fegments have dark purple bottoms, 
and the tube of the flower hath as many purple ftripes 
as there are fegments in the petal. Out of the center 
of the tube ariles a (lender flyle, crowned by a golden 
ftigma, which is broad and flat, and is attended by 
three (lender (lamina of the fame length, terminated 
by yellow fummits. After the flower is pad, the ger- 
men pufties out of the ground, and fwells to a round- 
i(h three-cornered feed-veflel, which opens in three 
parts, and is filled with roundifn brown feeds. This 
is one of the earlieft: Crocufes in the fpring. 
The fourth fort rifes with a few very narrow leaves, 
which are, together with the flower-buds, clofely 
wrapped round by a fpatha or fheath, out of which 
arife two flowers, one of which hath a longer tube 
than the other, but thefe are very (lender, and do 
not rife much above the fpatha * there the petal en- 
larges, and is divided into fix obtufe fegments, which 
are of equal flze •, they are of a dirty white on their 
outflde, with three or four purple ftripes in each •, the 
inflde of the petal is of a purer white •, the (lamina 
and flyle are nearly the fame as thofe of the former 
fort. This is one of the earlieft forts which flowers 
in the fpring. 
The Varieties of the autumnal Crocus are, 
1. The fweet-fmelling autumnal Crocus, whofe flowers 
come before the leaves. C. B. This is our fecond 
fort. 
а. The autumnal mountain Crocus. C. B. This hath 
a paler blue flower. 
3. The many flowering bluifh autumnal Crocus. C. B. 
This hath many (ley blue flowers. 
4. The fmall flowering autumnal Crocus. C. B. This 
hath a fmall deep blue flower. 
The Varieties of the Spring Crocus are, 
1. Broad-leaved, purple, variegated, Spring Crocus. 
C. B. This hath broad leaves and a deep blue flower 
jftriped. 
2. Broad-leaved Crocus of the fpring with a purple 
flower. C. B. This hath a plain purple flower. 
3. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with a Violet-coloured 
flower. C. B. This hath a large deep blue flower. 
4. Spring Crocus, v/ith a white flower and a purple 
bottom. C. B. 
£. Broad-leaved, white, variegated. Spring Crocus. 
" C.B. 
б. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus, with many purple Vi- 
olet flowers ftriped with white. C. B. 
7, Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with an Afti-coloured 
flower. 
8. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with a large yellow 
flower. C. B.' 
9. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus with a fmaller and paler 
yellow flower. C. B. 
10. Broad-leaved Spring Crocus, with fmaller yellow 
flowers ftriped with black. 
1 1. Narrow-leaved Spring Crocus with a fmaller brim- 
(lone-coloured flower. 
12. NarrowAeaved Spring Crocus with a fmall white 
flower. 
Thefe are the principal varieties which I have ob~ 
ferved in the Englifh gardens, but there are many 
more mentioned in the foreign catalogues of flowers, 
many of which are fo nearly alike, as fcarce to be dif- 
tinguiflied ; and if the feeds of thefe flowers were 
fown, there might be a greater variety of them ob- 
tained than is at prefent * but as they propagate very 
fail by offsets, the feeds are very rarely regarded. 
All thefe feveral varieties of Crocufes are very hardy* 
and will increafe exceedingly by their roots, efpecially 
if they are differed to remain two o.r three years ( unre- 
moved •, they will grow in almoft any foil or fituation* 
and are very great ornaments to a garden early in the 
fpring of the year, before many other flowers appear* 
They are commonly planted near the edges of borders 
on the (ides of walks •, in doing of which, you (hould 
be careful to plant fuch forts in the fame line as flower 
at the fame time, and are of an equal growth, other- 
wife the lines will feem imperfeA. Thefe roots, lofe- 
ing their fibres with their leaves, may then be taken 
up, and kept dry until the beginning of September, 
obferving to keep them from vermin, for the mice 
are very fond of them. When you plant thefe roots 
(after having drawn a line upon the border,) make 
holes with a dibble about two inches deep or more, 
according to the lightnefs of the foil* and two inches 
diftance from each other, in which you mud place 
the roots with the bud uppermoft * then with a rake 
fill up the holes in fuch a manner as that the upper 
part of the root may be covered an inch or more, be- 
ing careful not to leave any of the holes open * for 
this will entice the mice to them, which, when once 
they have found out, will deftroy all your roots, if 
they are not prevented. 
This is the way in which thefe flowers are commonly 
difpofed in gardens, but the better way is to plant 
them fix or eight near each other in bunches between 
fmall fhrubs, or on the borders of the flower-garden * 
where, if the varieties of thefe flowers are planted in 
different patches, and properly intermixed, they will 
make a much better appearance than when they are 
difpofed in the old method of (Irak edgings. 
In January, if the weather is mild, the Crocus will often 
appear above ground •, and in February their flowers 
will appear, before the green leaves are grown to any 
length, fo that the flower feems at firft to be naked * 
but foon after the flowers decay, the green leaves 
grow to be fix or sight inches long, which (hould not 
be cut off until they decay, notwithftanding they ap- 
pear a little unflghdy *, for by cutting off the leaves, 
the roots will be fo weakened as not to arrive at half 
their ufual bignefs, nor will their flowers the fucceed- 
ingyear be half fo large. Their feeds are commonly 
ripe about the latter end of April, or the beginning 
of May, when the green leaves begin to decay. 
The autumnal Crocufes are not fo great increafers as 
are thofe of the fpring, nor do they produce feeds in 
our climate •, fo that they arelefs common in the gar- 
dens, except the true Saffron, which is propagated 
for ufe in great plenty in many parts of England 5 
thefe muft be taken up every third year, as was di- 
rected for the Spring Crocufes, otherwife the roots 
will run lotlg, and produce no flowers * but they 
fnould not be kept out of the ground longer than the 
beginning of Auguft, for they commonly produce 
their flowers the beginning of October * fo that if 
they remain too long out of the ground, they will not 
produce their flowers fo ftrong, nor in fuch plenty, 
as when they are planted early. 
t" 
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