146 RANUNCULUSES. 
ample time for the consolidation of the beds, so as to make them re- 
tentive of moisture, to insure a strong bloom. 
There must be at the least two feet of good soil in depth; if there is 
not, the substrata will require to be removed and replaced with rich 
soil of a retentive nature. 
My practice is to remove the surface of my beds annually to the 
depth of nine inches. The subsoil is then turned up a whole space in 
depth, and well broken. I usually allow my beds to remain in this 
state for a day or two, to sweeten the subsoil as much as possible by 
exposure to sunand air. I then throw into the beds about four inches 
of old cow-dung not less than one year old, breaking it well. I then 
sprinkle over it some new slackened lime finely sifted; shake up the 
dung so that the lime may penetrate through every part of it to destroy 
all the worms ; after this rake the dung level, and fill up with the soil 
intended for the surface ; as the beds subside fill up with soil reserved 
for the purpose. 
The benefit resulting from the use of lime is, it corrects the acidity 
in the dung, and the cultivator will not be troubled with many earth 
worms in his beds, casting out his roots and making their ugly casts 
on the surface, also making the soil pervious to the drying winds of 
spring. 
For my subsoil I use a rich clayey friable loam, very retentive, but 
I prefer a rich light soil for the surface. 
During the preparation of the beds destroy everything that appears 
in the shape of vermin in the soil; soil for the Ranunculus cannot be 
too free from these pests. If there is wire worm spare no labour 
to eradicate them, catch them and break them, give them no quarter, 
for they are the most destructive enemy that the florist has to en- 
counter. 
The best edging for the beds is a neat wood, one rising about two 
inches above the level of the path; it harbours no vermin, and its 
utility will be perceptible when we come to the planting time. 
Rake the surface of the beds occasionally, and during frost break 
the surface with a spade and pile up the frozen clods to allow the frost 
to penetrate as far as it will, but don’t disturb the dung. Rake the 
soil level when a thaw takes place ; this helps to keep the soil sweet, 
and destroy any vermin that may be in it. 
Planting Time.— The time for planting will vary in the different 
portions of the island. In the southern part, spring is earlier by a 
fortnight than where I reside. A few degrees of latitude makes a 
sensible difference in climate, therefore cultivators must be guided by 
the climate of their respective locality. 
After the middle of February, when the surface soil will rake 
easily, and the weather is dry, I commence to plant. The beds must 
be full up to the wood edge, and quite level. This is best done by a 
piece of board extending across the bed; and two persons causing it to 
rest on the wood edge, and drawing it from end to end, will speedily 
remove any surplus soil and leave the bed perfectly level. Then mark 
on the wood edge the rows, say four inches and a half apart for the old 
varieties, and fiveand a half forthenew. If the beds are four feet wide, 
