THE PARLOR GARDENER. 115 



pale and delicate. The first year, these shades 

 will necessarily be mingled together at hazard. 

 When you come to pull up the roots, after the 

 bloom, you must observe the color of the flowers 

 of each plant, and write these colors in a list, 

 with a number affixed to each color. Prepare 

 papers, in which to wrap the roots, by marking 

 each paper with one of the numbers on your list ; 

 and when you wrap up the roots, for putting by 

 till the following spring, place all of the same 

 color and shade together in one paper, bearing 

 the proper number. By this means, when they 

 are to be planted the second year, you will be 

 enabled to arrange the deep and light colors artis- 

 tically. The deep colors are always the least 

 numerous. 



Observe, I beg of you, ladies, that if you take 

 care of your ranunculuses when in bloom, water- 

 ing them at the proper times, and do not allow 

 them to be wasted in bouquets by indiscreet vis- 

 itors, the finest among them will give you a good 

 supply of fertile seed. The plants that you will 

 obtain by sowing these seeds will not reproduce 

 exactly the colors of the parent flowers ; but, by 



