3l OX THE CII.TURE OK THE ANEMONE. 



usually lay a mat over the bed in very severe frost, and regularly take 

 it off for about four hours at the middle of each day ; but when the frost 

 is not very severe I place no mat over them, which, if kept on when 

 not much occasion for it, rather injures than benefits them. When 

 the leaves are above ground, I choose a dry day to press the soil close, 

 to the plants, as the leaves generally remove the soil in coming up, 

 which is very injurious to the roots if exposed. In dry weather they 

 require watering. I generally give them a good soaking with liquid 

 manure; for it is wrong to wait till the leaves begin to flag for want 

 of water, because leaves from a tuberous root show a vigour which 

 does not entirely arise from the state of the soil, therefore the soil 

 should be examined and treated accordingly. As the flowers expand 

 they [must be shaded both from the sun and rain. I usually shade 

 them with a covering raised two feet from the ground, so that air can 

 freely pass underneath, to prevent the stems being weakened and 

 unable to support the weight of the flowers. After the bloom is over, 

 watering is no longer necessary, but the bed should be shaded in the 

 middle of hot days, and from wet, or the tubers will be kept in a 

 state of excitement, and be thereby materially weakened and injured. 

 By these means the foliage will soon begin to change its colour, and 

 become brown and dry, which will point out the time to take up the 

 roots, which I usually do about a month after the bloom is over. I 

 find it necessary to handle the roots very gently as they are exceed- 

 ingly brittle, in clearing away the fibres and soil that adheres to them. 

 The pieces that happen to break off I do not throw away, for in a few 

 vears they will become fine blooming roots. Finally, the tubers are 

 cleaned, and put in a drawer, which is placed in an airy part of a 

 room secure from frost, where they remain till the planting season. 

 I beg, however, to observe, if any of the roots are large I divide 

 them, taking care to have two or three eyes to each piece ; such usually 

 blow the first year. In selecting roots for a flowering bed, I choose 

 such as are fresh and plump, of a medium size, for large overgrown 

 roots are hollow, and decayed in the centre ; these I take care to avoid, 

 as they never bloom strong, the flowers being very small. If the 

 flower was originally very full and double, with age it loses that pro- 

 perty ; the petals become small, irregular, and diminish in number, 

 and finally, the sort perishes. 



