_ RANUNCULUSES. 149 
them. Mouldiness must be guarded against, by turning the roots 
occasionally till they are perfectly dry. Keep them in a dry place till 
planting-time comes round again. 
Raising Seedling Ranunculus-—The soil I use is rich maiden 
loam ; in summer it is exposed to sun and air till it is quite dry; it is 
then broken fine by hand, and all worms and extraneous matter 
removed ; it is then kept in a warm dry place till wanted. About the 
beginning of January I begin to prepare my boxes for sowing. I do 
this by mixing some finely sifted leaf-mould, also in a dry state, with 
the prepared loam, searching carefully for worms. This mixture is 
placed in the lower part of the box. On the upper the fine loam alone 
is placed so as to be in contact with the seed. Fill the box within 
half an inch of the top, then press the surface level with a piece of 
smooth board. The best time for sowing is about the end of January. 
Previous to doing so, moderately saturate the soil with tepid water 
through a very fine rose, that will cause the water to fall like dew. 
Should the watering occasion any inequalities on the surface, fill them 
up and press all smooth again with the board. The best way to sow 
the seed is to take but a few in hand, and let them fall singly if pos- 
sible, distributing them equally just clear of each other over the 
surface of the box. When this is done, cover the seeds lightly with 
some of the fine mould till they are hid; then give another watering: 
this will bring many of the seeds into view. Cover those that are 
exposed and place the box into its situation. The best situation is the 
front shelf of a greenhouse, or, for want of this, the window of a fire- 
room looking to the south. Water every second day at first, and cover 
any seeds that appear: when the sun becomes powerful give daily 
waterings. 
Guard against frost, for should the soil be frozen while the seeds are 
germinating, they will to a certainty be destroyed. 
In four or five weeks, according to the amount of sunshine, the 
young plants will begin to appear. In coming up, many of them will 
appear with the bran of the seed attached to the young leaves, dis- 
placing the soil about the neck of the plant. In this case some of the 
fine soil will require to be let fall about the plant to fill up the cavity. 
Many of the young plants will also (like the Auricula) throw them- 
selves cut. Look over the box occasionally, and put those that are out 
into the soil again, by making a small cleft, and pressing the soil 
gently about the neck of the plant. When the plants have about three 
leaves, turn the box every second day, to prevent the plants being 
drawn. About the third week in March top-dress the box. First, 
remove carefully, without injury to the foliage or pulling up the young 
plants, all the green slime on the surface. Replace this with some 
finely-sifted old cow-dung in a dry state; let it fall equally among the 
plants, then give a good watering ; after the top dressing they will have 
quite a gay appearance, and will begin to grow rapidly. 
The first week in April the box may be removed to a cold frame, 
where it may have sun and air, Protect at night from frost. 
About the end of the month, when danger from severe frost is over, 
the box may be removed to some sheltered situation where it will get 
