RAN 



493 



RAN 



fine; Glacia, yellow-mottled, large and must be dense and distinct; the purer 

 very line ; Paxos, white, vvith deep the white or yellow, and the more con- 

 purple edge, extra fine ; Biddal-s Duke irasted the edging or spotting is, the 

 of Wellington, yellow, delicate-edged, better the flower; in self's the more 

 very fine; Macrobius, white spotted, brilliant the colour is, the more likely 



very fine*; Lightbody's Endymion, white, "- '^" .:..-. u... ... i.._ __ .l. 



with delicate rose edging, very good ; 



to be attractive ; but so long as the 



colour is decided, the only advantage 



Tyso's Premium, white, purple spot, that can be gained bycolour is novelty. 



The outside of the petal should be as 

 bright as the inside. 



If shown in a stand, there must not 

 be two alike : all the llowers in a row 

 should be of one size, and the back row 

 the largest." 



Propagation. — By Seed. — To the Rev. 

 Joseph Tyso we are indebted for the 

 following directions : — 



" Impregnate the double flowers with 

 the farina of the single ones. This can- 

 not be done with effect in every case ; 

 but whenever an old flower, with a 

 pericarpium or eye, gather a single or 

 semi-double flower, and apply the farina 

 to the eye of the double (lower. 



" The seedlings will bear a striking 

 resemblance to the mother plant, as to 

 colour and habit of growth. The seed 



very fine, high crown ; Aust's Queen 

 Victoria, white, with delicate edging, 

 very fine ; Saladin, fine yellow, with 

 faint spot; Sophia, cream, with rose 

 edge, very good ; Tyso's Vendome, 

 cream, with dark purple edge, e.iitra 

 fine, rather spotted : Waterstone's 

 Epirus, yellow - spotted, very fine. — 

 Gard. Chron. 



Character Sportive. — " There is in 

 the ranunculus what is by florists called 

 a sportive character — that is, they run 

 from their original colour. Some that 

 have yellow ground, delicately spotted, 

 will come plain yellow, and some red 

 and white striped will come plain red ; 

 sometimes the colours will mix, and 

 the flowers will become dingy." — 

 Gard. Chron. 



" Sometimes the flowers will be as may be sown at all seasons, from the 

 green as the grass of the plants from 1st of August to the 1st of March, 

 which they grow. Some of the finest the middle or latter end of October, 

 seedlings are weak, and therefore die and the beginning of January. Sow in 

 in a few years, though for a short time boxes eighteen inches by eleven inches. 



they had great renown. Such has been 

 the case with Abbe St. Andrew, Quixos 

 Viol le Vrai Noir, Grand Berger, and 

 Rose Incomparable, and some others of 



and four inches deep, full of loamy 

 earth, and the surface level. Sow the 

 seeds about an eighth of an inch apart; 

 cover them as thinly as possible, and 



later date. But there are others of water with a fine rose ; but place the 

 first-rate character which are remark- boxes under glass, without heat. The 

 ably strong, and increase abundantly, plants usually make their appearance 

 such as Attractor, Felix, Saladin, Ed- ; in about a month. Give air day and 



gar, Eureka, Victor, and many others. '■ 

 —Ihid. 



Characteristics of a Good Flower. — 

 "The form of the ranunculus should 



night, except in severe frost ; then cover 

 up with straw mats. With such pro- 

 tection, the young plants will endure 

 the severest seasons. Clean the surface 



be two-thirds of a ball; petals, broad, of the boxes from green moss in Feb- 



thick, free from notch ^r indentation, ruary, and top dress them. Put the 



cupping a little, and disposed that boxes in the open ground up to the 



each cover the place where the two second week in May, and water daily 



under ones join ; commonly concealing until the grass begins to wither; then 



the anthers, abundance of petals lying sufi'er the boxes to become quite dry ; 



close over each other, and forming a and in the middle of July, take them 



compact flower, open enough to show up, and preserve the roots in bags until 



the colour on their inside, but not February, and then plant them as the 



enough to be loose; and the under general stock. In the following June 



ones must hold well in their places, they flower in great profusion." — Gard. 



forming a square, if not a hollow back. Mag. 



The stem thick, strong, and elastic; By Offsets. — -'Unlike the ofisets of 



but the flower upright, and from one ' the hyacinth and tulip, those of the 



and a half to two inches in diameter, ranunculus generally attain perfection 

 The colour is a matter of taste, but ] in the season of their formation on the 



