646 OMITTED IN DECEMBER. 



The ensuing season several of the largest roots will flower, 

 especially the Ranunculuses, and aii of them the third year ; at 

 which time, you should carefully mark such as are worthy of being 

 preserved, the others may be planted in small clumps in the warm 

 borders of the garden and pleasure-grounds, , there; to take chance. 

 The valuable kinds must be subsequently encreased by offsets 



Those who desire to raise these plants upon a small scale, may 

 sow the seeds in boxes, large pots, or garden pans, of good compost, 

 observing, to have the bottoms of the boxes, previous to their being 

 filled, bored with several augur holes, which are to be covered with 

 shells, or the like, to suffer any extra moisture to pass away freely. 

 But the former method is much more preferable. 



Sowing Auricula^ Polyanthus, and Cyclamen seeds. 



The surest and best method to obtain fine Auriculas from seed, 

 is as follows. In the first place the seed should be saved from 

 young, healthy, strong plants, of capital high-coloured sorts, pos- 

 sessing the first rate properties : these on the approach of bloom, 

 should be detached from the rest, to some distant part of the garden, 

 for fear of the farina of indifferent sorts contaminating them, and 

 there exposed to the full air, the sun (except when too violent) 

 and moderate rains ; from an excess of which, the plants are to be 

 protected by mats laid on hoops, or by small hand glasses. In dry- 

 weather these plants must be regularly watered, as often as they 

 appear to require it : much depends on a due attention to this 

 particular point. 



The seed will commonly ripen in June; it is advisable frequently 

 to visit the plants at that season, and carefully to gather such pods 

 or heads of seed as appear perfectly dry, brown, and begin to open ; 

 if all the pods on the same stem are ripe together, they may be cut 

 off with part of the stem to which they are connected ; but if some 

 of the pods are not sufficiently ripe, such as-are, should be carefully 

 picked from the rest as they become so. The seed, thus collected, 

 should remain in the pericarpiums or seed vessels, in a dry room, 

 till the season of sowing. 



In the last week of December^ any time in January, or in the 

 early part of February,- the seed may be sown with every prospect 

 of success, provided you have the necessary conveniencies. The 

 early sown seeds, if well managed, will vegetate better, and the 

 plants raise more numerously than the late ; besides, it will be 

 of serious importance, to give the plants the advantage of a long 

 spring vegetation, that they may be as strong as possible, before the 

 summer heat sets in, which to seedling Auriculas and Polyanthuses 

 is very destructive, and even to the full grown plants: but if there 

 is not a suitable convenience, and an opportunity of paying 

 the necessary attention, it will be better to defer the sowing till 

 February. 



A hot-bed must be prepared, as for early seedling cucumbers, 

 and a good frame and glass-light, set thereon, with five or six 



