358 Cultivation and Management of the Ranunculus. 



riant and diversified foliage, bespreading the ground; its 

 graceful flower-stem, erect and elegant, rising from the midst, 

 and canopied with its symmetrical crown of bloom, of every 

 tint and hue of color combined, intermingled, yet uncon- 

 founded and distinct, commands our preference and admira- 

 tion. Nay, further, it may be observed, that, though the 

 cultivated varieties of the ranunculus now amount to some 

 thousands, yet all differ from each other in their marking or 

 colors. 



The circumstance of this flower not being universally grown 

 by florists may be attributed to the uninviting character of its 

 being a rather capricious flower; but rather it should be said, 

 that it is one which will not do well unless it be suitably 

 managed. There is little, however, really discouraging in 

 this ; for it will be found that nothing can be more simple and 

 easy of fulfilment than the practice adopted by those who are 

 uniformly successful in its cultivation. 



The Ranunculus asiaticus, the variety grown in our gar- 

 dens, is a native of the Levant, and of the natural order 

 Ranunculaceae of Jussieu ; and this circumstance at once aids 

 us in determining the kind of soil and situation most suitable 

 for it. The wild ranunculus, or buttercup, affects a cool, 

 moist, and shaded locality; these conditions, therefore, it is 

 desirable to realise in the culture of the garden variety. 

 Hence it is indicated that the bed should be formed of a re- 

 tentive soil, should not be in an elevated part of the garden, 

 and not subjected to the hot rays of the mid-day sun. It 

 may, moreover, be about four feet in width, and should have 

 board, or slate, rather than box edging, that refuge may not 

 be afforded to slugs, which often eat the newly-formed flow- 

 er-bud. As the roots of the ranunculus strike deep, two and 

 a half feet of soil is required. 



The natural soil of the garden having been dug out, let it 

 be replaced by a compound of pasture soil and cow manure. 

 The surface-soil of a rich old pasture, well turned over and 

 exposed to a winter's frost, and thoroughly enriched and uni- 

 formly incorporated with cow manure, not less than a year 

 old, forms an appropriate compost ; and by adding, year by 

 year, about three inches of such manure to the surface, and 

 digging it into the soil about a spade's depth, a fit medium for 



