26 Culture of the Ranunculus. 



A very small degree of artificial heat will be found sufficient throughout 

 the night; but, as soon as the sun arises in the morning, and shines upon the 

 house, by increasing tiie temjierature, and giving a sutficient quantity of air, 

 the moisture will be exjielled, and the atmosphere of the house will become 

 dry. It may not be unnecessary to remark, that the fruit should be often ex- 

 amined ; and, if there are any of the berries on whicli the damp has taken 

 effect, they should be carefully picked off; as, if they are suffered to remain, 

 the damp will soon spread over the whole buncii. — A Young GARDErJER, 

 Mid-Lothian, Sept. 18, 1834.— Garrf. Mag. for May. 



The Cereits speciosissimus at Woodhall gardens, in Renfrewshire, attains 

 an extraordinary size and beauty. Tiie late excellent Mr. Henderson, gar- 

 dener there, used soil composed of two parts of ricli loam, three of decom- 

 posed manure, and one consisting of equal quantities of |teat, sand, and broken 

 tiles. The plant is placed in a large pot, and trained to the back trellis of a 

 pine stove; wliere, in July, 1833, when I saw it, it occupied a surface of 

 eighty-four square feet, and hail three hundred flowers ail open at the same 

 time. 3Ir. Deiiholm, the j)resent gardener, gives this and other species of 

 the Cactus family a more ample supply of water than is usually done, while 

 they are maturing their flower-buds; and to this he attributes, in a great 

 measure, the vigor of the bloom. In winter, wiien the plant is in a state of 

 rest, little or no water is given. — Juvems, Glasgow, March 7, 1834. — Card. 

 Mag. for May. 



Jin Orchard in Pots. Take some large pots, eights or twelves of the Lon- 

 don potteries, some strong yellow loam, mixed with one third of good rotten 

 dung in lumps; well drain the pots with large pieces of t'les or broken pots, 

 and in this compost, plant selected small dwarfs of Hawthorndean, courtpen- 

 du plat, Kerry pippin, golden Harvey, Cole's golden drop, Keswick codlin, 

 and scarlet nonpareil ap])les; Passe Colmar, sickle, Beurre de Cainaumont, 

 Marie Louise, and Esister beurre pears; also two or three dwarf jM-olific nuts. 

 Let the jiots stand in the centre, if a confined garden ; and by all means keep 

 on their surface, all sunnner, lum[)S of rotten manure. Thus treated, it is 

 astonishing how they will flourish ; and, if well supplied with water, (if ma- 

 nured wpier, the better) they will bear plentifully. In very severe winters, 

 a little straw should be jnit over the pots, to prevent the roots being injured 

 by the extreme frost. This may certainly be called a cockney orchard ; but 

 I know, that if it is not profitable, it is very pretty. — J. Rivers, Jr., Saw- 

 bridgeivorth JVursery, Feb. 1834. — Gard. Mag. for July. 



Culture of the Ranunculus. Reiriove twelve inches of the surface earth 

 from yoiu- beds, taking the level fi-om your walks, then have the earth at bot- 

 tom well dug, or broken U[) eighteen inches; or, if it will admit of it, two feet 

 more in depth. Then lay in manure seven inches in thickness over this, say 

 three parts of cow-dung, six months old, and a fourth part of sand, or mud, 

 obtained, if possible, from the bank of a river, well mixed together. If this 

 manure be prepared a few months before it is used, and occasionally turned, 

 the better; over this, place a compost of five inches of the following mate- 

 rials : — Cow-dung moidd, three years old, if possible, one sixth ; sea sand, 

 one eighth; tuif mould, one eighth ; leaf mould, well reduced, one eighth ; 

 fresh, sound earth, one third. Your beds will now be some inches above the 

 level of your walks, but in a week or ten days they will sink down consider- 

 ably ; you might give the beds a slight fall, say one fourth inch to a foot ; but 

 as the ranunculus requires a continual supply of moisture, a greater fidl than 

 this would be injudicious. When your beds are in a proper state, make im- 

 pressions or drills across them with the handle of a hoe, liy pressure, about 

 one and one fourth inches deep, and five inches asunder, and plant your 

 roots at four inches distance from each other ; then fill up your drills with 



