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iliouid be planted in a fhady border, and the ground 
fhouid be dug well, and all the clods broken, and if 
no rain tails, it fhouid be well foaked with water a 
few hours before the flips are planted ; then the flips 
fhouid be taken from the plants, and all their lower 
leaves dripped off, and planted as foon as poflible af- 
ter, for it they are luffered to lie long after they are 
taken from the plants, they will wither and fpoil ; 
thefe need not be planted at a greater distance than 
three inches fquare, and the ground muft be doled 
very hard about them ; then they muft be well wa- 
tered, and this muft be repeated as often as is found 
neceffary, till the cuttings have taken root; after 
which they will require no other care but to keep 
them clean from weeds till autumn, when they fhouid 
be tranlplanted to the borders of the flower-garden 
where they are to remain. There are feme who plant 
the flips of Pinks later in the feafon than is here di- 
rected ; but thofe plants are never fo ftrong nor flower 
fo well, as thofe which are early planted. 
We fhall next proceed to the culture of the Carna- 
tion ; thefe the florifts diftinguifh into four claffes. 
The fir ft they call Flakes ; thefe are of two colours 
only, and their ftripes are large, going quite through 
the leaves. 
The fecond are called Bizarrs ; thefe have flowers 
ilriped or variegated with three or four different co- 
lours, in irregular fpots and ftripes. 
The third are called Piquettes ; thefe flowers have 
always a white ground, and are ipotted (or pounced, 
as they call it) with fcarlet, red, purple, or other 
colours. 
The fourth are called painted Ladies ; thefe have 
their petals of a red or purple colour on the upper 
fide, and are white underneath. 
Of each of thefe claffes there are numerous varieties, 
but chiefly of the Piquettes, which feme years ago 
were chiefly in efteem with the florifts, but of late 
years the Flakes have been in greater requeft than any 
of the other kinds. To enumerate the varieties of 
the chief flowers in any one of thefe claffes, would 
be needlefs, fince every country produces new flowers 
aim oft every year ; fo that thofe flowers, which, at 
their firft railing, were greatly valued, are in two or 
three years become fo common, as to be of little 
worth, efpecially if they are defedtive in any one pro- 
perty. Therefore (where flowers are fo liable to mu- 
tability, either from the fancy of the owner, or that 
better kinds are yearly produced from feeds, which, 
with good florifts, always take place of older or worfe 
flowers, which are turned out of the garden to make 
room for them) it would be but fuperfluous in this 
place to give a lift of their names, which are gene- 
rally borrowed either from the names and titles of 
noblemen, or from the perfon’s name, or place of 
abode, who raifed it, 
Thefe flowers are propagated either from feeds (by 
which new flowers are obtained), or from layers, for 
the increafe of thofe forts which are worthy maintain- 
ing ; but [ fhall firft lay down the method of propa- 
gating them from feeds, which is thus : 
Having obtained fome good feeds, either of your 
own faving, or from a friend that you can confide in, 
about the middle of April, prepare fome pots or boxes 
(according to the quantity of feed you have to low) ; 
thefe fhouid be filled with frefh light earth mixed with 
rotten neats dung, which fhouid be well incorporated 
together ; then fow your feeds thereon (but not too 
thick) covering it about a quarter of an inch with the 
fame light earth, placing the pots or cafes fo as to re- 
ceive the morning fun only till eleven of the dock, 
obferving alfb to refrefh the earth with water as often 
•as it may require. In about a month’s time your 
plants will come up, and if kept clear from weeds, 
and duly watered, will be fit to tranfplant about the 
latter end of July ; at which time you fhouid prepare 
fome beds (of the fame fort of earth as was directed 
to few them in) in an open airy fituation, in which 
you fhouid plant , them at about three inches fquare, 
obferving to 'water and fhade them till they have taken 
6 
L I A 
new root, then you muft obferve to keep them clear 
from weeds ; in thefe beds they may remain until the 
end of Auguft, by which time they will have 
grown fo large as almoft to meet each other ; then 
prepare fome more beds of the like good earth (in 
quantity proportionable to the flowers you have raif- 
ed) in which you fhouid plant them at fix inches dif- 
tance each way, and not above four rows in each bed, 
tor the more conveniently laying fuch of them as may 
prove worthy preferving, for in thefe beds they fhouid 
remain to flower. 
The alleys between thefe beds fhouid be two feet 
wide, that you may pafs between the beds to weed 
and clean them. If the feafon fhouid prove very dry 
at this time, they fhouid not be tranfplanted till there 
is fome rain ; fo that it may happen to be the middle, 
or latter end of September fome years, before there 
may be wet enough to moiften the ground for this 
purpofe ; but if there is time enough for the plants 
to get good root before the froft comes on, it will be 
fufficient. If the winter fhouid prove fevere, the 
beds fhouid be arexhed over with hoops, that they may 
be covered with mats, otherwife many of the plants 
may be deft toyed, for the good flowers are not fo 
hardy as the ordinary ones of this genus. There will 
be no other culture wanting to thefe, but to keep 
them clean from weeds, and when they flioot up their 
ftalks to flower, they muft be fupported by flicks to 
prevent their breaking. When your flowers begin 
to blow, you muft look over them to fee which of 
them proffer to make good flowers, which as foon as 
you diicover, you fhouid lay down all the layers upon 
them •, thofe which are well marked, and blow whole 
without breaking their pods, fhouid be referved to 
plant in borders, to furnifh you with feed ; and thofe 
which burft their pods, and feem to have good pro- 
perties, fhouid be planted in pots, to try what their 
flowers will be, when managed according to art ; 
and it is not till the fecond year that you can pro- 
nounce what the value of a flower will be, which 
is in proportion to the goodnefs of its properties ; 
but, that you may be well acquainted with what the 
florifts call good properties, I fhall here fet them 
down. 
1. The ftem of the flower fhouid be ftrong, and able 
to fupport the weight >f the flower without hano-ino- 
1 x x ^ O fc> 
down. 
2. The petals (or leaves) of the flower fhouid be 
long, broad, and ftiff, and pretty eafy to expand, or 
(as the florifts term them) fhouid be free flowers. 
3. The middle pod of the flower fhouid not advance 
too high above the other petals of the flower. 
4. The colours fhouid be bright, and equally marked 
all over the flower. 
5. The flower fhouid be very full of leaves, fo as to 
render it, when blown, very thick and high in the 
middle, afld the outfide perfectly round. 
Having made choice of fuch of your flowers as pro- 
mile well for the large fort, thefe you fhouid mark fe- 
parately for pots, and the round whole blowing flow- 
ers for borders ; you fhouid pull up all Angle flowers, 
or fuch as are ill-coloured, and not worth preferving, 
that your good flowers may have the more air and 
room to grow ftrong ; thefe having been laid at a pro- 
per feafon, as foon as they have taken root (which will 
be fome time in Auguft) they fhouid be taken off, and 
planted out, thofe that blow large, in pots, and the 
other in borders (as hath been already direfted). 
Of late years the whole-blowing flowers have been 
much more efteemed than thofe large flowers which 
burft their pods, but efpecially thofe round flowers 
which have broad ftripes of beautiful colours, and 
round Rofe leaves, of which kinds there have been a 
great variety introduced from France within thefe few' 
years ; but as thefe French flowers are extremely apt 
to degenerate to plain colours, and being much ten- 
derer than thofe which are brought up in England, 
there are not fuch great prices given for the plants 
now, as have been a few years paft ; from the pre- 
fent tafte for thefe whole-blowing Flake flowers, many 
of 
