232 glenny's handbook 



PYRUS. See Cydonia. 



QUAKING GRASS. See Brtza. 



QUAMOCLIT. [Convolvulacefe.] Twining plants, the 

 annual species of which should be raised in a mild hotbed 

 about March, kept in frames until May, and so hardened off 

 before final planting out as to bear the exposure without 

 injury. They make pretty objects for the flower garden ; for, 

 though their flowers are small, they are brilliantly coloured. 



QUERCUS. Oak. [Corylace^.] A large genus of 

 valuable timber trees, some of the pendulous varieties of 

 which, and all the evergreen species, especially Q. ilex and 

 its varieties, are ornamental. Deep rich loam. Propagated 

 by seeds ; the varieties chiefly by grafting. 



QUINCE. See Cydonia. 



RANUNCULUS. Crowfoot. [Ranunculaceae.] A large 

 genus, comprising many annual weeds and aquatics, but 

 chiefly consisting of hardy herbaceous perennials, some of 

 which are ornamental : it includes the common Crowfoot, 

 the buttercups of the meadows, as well as the florists* 

 Ranunculuses, which have sprung from H. Asiaticus. The 

 cultivation of these beautiful flowers has puzzled florists a 

 good deal. There is, however, one kind of compost in which 

 they will thrive, and it is worth while to be at some pains 

 to get it. It is obtained thus : — Cut from a good loamy 

 pasture the surface sod three inches thick ; let these be piled 

 on one another in ridges for a year, and then sliced down 

 with a sharp spade so as to form a crumbly mass : set a 

 sharp boy or two to turn this over and pick out all the wire- 

 worms, grubs, and earwigs, and any other living pest they 

 can discover. This done, let it be packed into a heap again, 

 and remain another year, by which time all the herbage will 

 have resolved itself into that kind of mould which, if sepa- 

 rate, we should call vegetable mould. At the end of the 

 second year let it be again turned and examined in the same 

 way to clear completely any remaining intruders. This soil, 

 thus cleared of vermin, will grow the Ranunculus well. Com- 

 posts of a stimulating and exciting character are used by 

 some for the sake of getting the flowers a little larger, but 

 there is always the risk of doing mischief; and those who 

 have grown them on the stimulating plan have occasionally 



