166 THE RANUNCULUS. 



( This flower is admired for its beautiful and 

 ' lively colours, which dazzle the sight when the sun 

 ' shines upon them. It must be planted the latter 

 ' end of October, in good loamy soil, that has been 

 f well dunged before. Dig the ground above a spit 

 ( deep where you intend to make the bed, and throw 

 ' it out on each side, then put in near a foot thick of 

 ' horse-dung, half rotten, that has not yet lost all its 

 6 strength ; upon this lay the earth you had taken 

 ( out before, but let it be well worked and broken to 

 ( pieces first : it should be often turned in the sum- 

 ' mer. Plant the roots two inches deep, and four 

 ' inches apart every way ; when this is done, lay on 

 ' the top of the bed night-soil an inch thick, quite 

 ' reduced to mould. He that has none, may use 

 < horse-dung in the same manner.' 



The making of your bed I would recommend to 

 be done in this way : let the depth of your mould 

 be nearly two feet, and the whole of that depth 

 turned and dug. The calculation, I believe, is 

 pretty accurate, when I say, that the length of the 

 roots or fibres of any tree or plant is in proportion to 



