92 
Treatise too long. — Besides tlie selected sorts 1 
kept to shew^ for prizes, I used to lay by not less 
than forty or fifty other sorts^ perhaps three and 
four plants of each sort ; and, together, the 
variety was great. I seldom or ever had a less 
quantity of blooming plants than from two 
hundred and fifty to three hundred; by this 
means I had a succession of blooms throughout 
the season : as they will not all be in perfection 
at one time, by some this might be thought to 
occupy too much time and trouble. I do assure 
you, in my opinion, they by no means occupy 
more than half the time and trouble as the 
same number of common geraniums do — they 
do not require watering so often ; another great 
advantage in this beautiful spring flower, is, 
it requires no fire heat, not even a common 
green-house, during the severity of the winter, 
and but little* labour: it need only to be 
kept diy in the winter, with plenty of natural 
air. 
To prevent the humble, or any other bee, 
getting to your bloom while under the hand- 
glasses (for they will do great injury to the eye 
of the flowers you intend to shew for prizes, 
I have had so much damage done by them to 
a first-rate flower, as not to be able to shew it) 
i got two or three yards of yellow or green 
