Cultivation and MaJiagement of the Ranuncvlus. 361 



cies. The rows also should be the same distance apart from 

 each other as the roots are iii the rows, viz., four inches. It 

 adds materially to the general effect of a well-bloomed col- 

 lection, to see this uniformity of space : a wide gap between 

 the rows is unsightly, and, as I shall show, is not required 

 for any one purpose — assuredly not for watering. 



There remains but one other duty to be fulfilled, till the 

 gorgeous period of flowering — and it is one of vast import- 

 ance : when the plants have all appeared above ground, the 

 bed must be covered, about an inch in depth, with sand ; 

 which, when the foliage expands, must further, by moderate 

 compression and manipulation with the fingers, be carefully 

 disposed also around the crown of the roots or insertion of 

 the leaf-stalks. The sand serves the very important purpose 

 of preventing crackiiig of the soil in hot, droughty weather; 

 and this it accomplishes by its virtue of preserving it moist 

 — a condition of it essential to success. It may further be 

 added, that its application appears unpalatable to the dis- 

 porting of those large worms, which often commit consider- 

 able mischief by forming wide holes amongst, and partially 

 undermining the roots ; such holes, moreover, are readily 

 filled up by it: whilst old manure, used as a top dressing, 

 rather encourages their gambols, and itself cracks also after 

 having been wet, and is therefore less commendable. 



But I now proceed to notice the most serious error in the 

 management of the ranunculus — an error that is committed 

 by all, and was by myself also until a later period; I mean 

 artificial watering. Let not one droj) he given in hot, 

 droughty weather. I am aware that this will appear a 

 " hard" saying, to florists ; but of its justness, both experi- 

 ence, observation, and experiment have wholly satisfied me. 

 The untoward results of watering the soil have been ob- 

 served by every writer on the ranunculus ; but its baneful 

 effect of turning the foliage yellow has ever been attributed 

 to a wrong cause, namely, to the " water falling upon the 

 leaves :" hence the repeated injunctions, to be most careful 

 to water only between the rows. In my experiments, it was 

 always found as I anticipated, that less injury resulted to the 

 foliage when water was cast over the whole with the rose of 

 the watering-pan, than when poured only between the rows. 



VOL. XV. — NO. VIII. 46 



