RAN 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY, 



RAN 



447 



cient, and in very moist soils only two feet, the remaining 

 one foot being above the surface of the natural earth. In 

 very moist ground, it will also be proper to lay some rubbish 

 and stones in the bottom of each bed, to drain off the mois- 

 ture ; and if upon this, at the bottom of the beds, some very 

 rotten cow -dung be laid two or three inches thick, the roots 

 will reach this in the spring, and the flowers will be the 

 fairer in consequence. The earth for the bed need not be 

 screened very fine, for then the great winter rains would 

 bind it in one solid lump, detaining the moisture and rotting 

 the roots. The beds being thus prepared, should lie a fort- 

 night to settle before the roots are planted, that there may 

 be no danger of the earth settling unequally after they are 

 planted; which would prejudice the roots, by leaving hollow 

 places in some parts of the beds, in which the water would 

 always lodge. In autumn, having levelled the earth, laying 

 the surface a little rounding, the beds should be marked out 

 in rows by a line, at about six inches' distance every way, so 

 that the roots may be planted every way in straight lines : open 

 the earth with your ringers at each cross, where the roots are 

 to be planted, at about two inches deep, placing them ex- 

 actly in tho middle, with their crowns upright ; then with 

 the head of a rake draw the earth upon the surface of the 

 bed level, so that the tops of the roots will be covered about 

 two inches deep, that being sufficient. This work should 

 be done in dry weather, because the earth will then work 

 better than if it were wet ; but the sooner after the planting 

 there happens to be rain, the better it will be for the roots. 

 If no rain should happen in a fortnight's time, it will be pro- 

 per to water the beds, to prevent the roots from decaying. 

 When the roots are thus planted, there will no more oare 

 be required until toward the end of November, by which 

 time they will begin to heave the ground, and the buds of 

 their leaves will appear; then lay a little of the fresh earth 

 of which the beds are composed, about half an inch thick, 

 over the beds, which will defend the crown of the root from 

 frost ; and when you perceive the buds to break through 

 this second covering, if it should prove very hard frost, it 

 will be proper to arch the beds over with hoops, and cover 

 them with mats, but especially in the spnng, when the 

 buds will begin to appear ; for if exposed to severe frost or 

 blighting winds at that season, their flowers seldom open 

 fairly, and many times their roots are destroyed. In the be- 

 ginning of March, the flower-stems will begin to rise; then 

 carefully weed the beds, and stir the earth with your fingers 

 between the roots, taking care not to injure them. This 

 will improve the appearance of the beds, and greatly 

 strengthen the flowers in their blowing; and if the nights 

 prove frosty, the beds should be covered with mats every 

 evening, and shaded from the sun in the heat of the day. 

 When the flowers are past, and the leaves withered, take up 

 the roots, and carefully clear them from the earth, then 

 spread them upon a mat to dry in a shady place; after which 

 they may be put up in bags or boxes in a dry room until 

 the October following, which is the season for planting them 

 again. These Persian sorts are not only propagated by off- 

 sets from the old roots, but are also multiplied by seeds, 

 which the semi-double kinds produce in plenty. Whoever 

 wishes to have them in perfection, should sow the seeds 

 annually, which wrll every year produce new varieties. All 

 however depends upon the careful selection of the seeds. 

 The flowers left to seed, ought at least to have five or six 

 rows of petals, and to be well coloured ; for as these flowers 

 increase plentifully, it is not worth while to sow indifferent 

 seeds, from which no good flowers can be obtained. Being 

 prepared with seeds about the middle of August, which is the 

 VOL. ii. 103. 



proper season for sowing them, provide some large pots, flat 

 seed-pams, or boxes. These should be filled with light rich 

 earth, levelling the surface very even ; then sow the seeds 

 thereon pretty thick, and cover it about a quarter of an inch 

 thick with the same light earth; after which you should 

 remove these pots, pans, or boxes, into a shady situation, 

 where they may have the morning sun till ten o'clock. In 

 dry se-asons refresh them gently with water, taking care not 

 to wash the seeds out of the ground. In this situation the 

 ppts should remain until the beginning of October, by which 

 time the plants will begin to come up, though it is sometimes 

 the end of November before they begin to appear ; then re- 

 move them into a more open exposure, where they may have 

 the full sun. Towards the middle of November, when you 

 are apprehensive of frost, remove the pots under a common 

 hot-bed frame, where they may be covered with glasses in 

 the night-time, and also in bad weather; but in the day, 

 when the weather is mild, they should be entirely opened, to 

 prevent the plants from being drawn up too weak. The only 

 dangers they are exposed to are violent rains and frosts ; 

 the rain often rotting the tender plants, and the frost turning 

 them out of the ground. In the spring, as the season grows 

 warm, these pots should be exposed to the open air, placing 

 them at first near the shelter of a hedge, to protect them 

 from the cold winds; but at the beginning of April they 

 should be removed into a more shady situation, according to 

 the warmth of the season. In the latter end of April, place 

 them where they can only have the morning sun, and let 

 them remain there till their leaves decay, when they may be 

 take out of the earth, and their roots dried in a shady place; 

 after winch they may be put up in bags, and preserved in 

 a dry place till the October following, and then they must 

 be treated as above directed for the old plants. When 

 these roots flower in the following spring, carefully mark 

 such of them as are worthy to be preserved. You should 

 not suffer those flowers, which you intend to blow fine the 

 succeeding year, to bear seeds ; if they appear inclined to 

 do so, cut off tli flowers when they begin to decay, for 

 those roots which have produced seeds seldom flower well 

 till afterwards ; nor will the principal old root, which has 

 flowered strong one year, ever blow so fair as the offsets, 

 which is what should be principally observed when a person 

 purchases any of these roots, as the sellers generally palm off 

 the old roots upon their customers, judiciously reserving the 

 offsets for their own use. In planting these roots, particu- 

 larly observe to place the semi-double kinds, from which you 

 intend to reserve seeds, in separate beds by themselves, and 

 not intermix them with the double flowers, because they re- 

 quire different management. When the seed begins to ripen, 

 which may be easily known by its separating from the axils 

 and falling, look over the plants daily, gathering it as it 

 ripens; for there will be a considerable difference in the 

 seeds of the same bed coming to maturity, at least a fort- 

 night, and sometimes three weeks or a month. The seed 

 when gathered should not be exposed to the sun, but spread 

 to dry in a shady place, and afterwards laid up out of the 

 reach of vermin. This method of sowing seeds every year 

 not only increases the stock of roots, but also raises new va- 

 rieties, which maybe greatly improved by changing the seeds 

 into fresh ground. It will also be necessary to take away 

 all the earth out of the beds in which the roots were blown, 

 if you intend to plant these flowers there again ; otherwise 

 they will never thrive half so well, as all the curious florists 

 continually observe. In case of severe weather after plant- 

 ing, it will be proper to cover the bed with straw or pease- 

 haulm, to guard them against frost; but this covering should 

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