246 Notes and Gleanings. 



This plant will well repay careful culture, and does not merit the neglect with 

 which it has been treated in this country. 



A collection of a hundred varieties ordered from any Dutch florist would 

 probably contain many very fine kinds. — '■^ Bjilbs" by E. S. Rand, Jun. 



The Anemone. — The tubers should be planted late in October, in a bed 

 prepared by removing the old soil to the depth of sixteen or eighteen inches. 

 If the situation is cold and wet, drain it well, and do not go so deep ; if dry and 

 warm, the bed may be made deeper. Fill in four to six inches of cow-droppings, 

 such as may be gathered in the pastures. Upon this, place as much good fresh 

 earth as will raise the beds to their former level, or a little higher, to allow for 

 settling. On the approach of very frosty weather, cover with a frame, and 

 exclude the frost. 



Any common, moderately-light soil suits the anemone : a wet, stiff soil rots 

 the roots in winter. 



If necessary to make a soil, take maiden-loam from the surface of a pasture, 

 turf and all : to every load of this add-one of cow-dung, and half a load of clean, 

 sharp, fresh sand. Form this into a ridge, and let it remain a year ; turning it, 

 and picking out insects, every two months. A very good soil may be made of two 

 parts garden-loam, one part well-rotted cow-dung, and one-half part sharp sand* 



The anemone is somewhat more hardy than the ranunculus ; but the roots 

 will not bear being long kept out of the ground. 



They are easily forced, and may be had in bloom any month in the year by a 

 series of plantings. 



Both the ranunculus and anemone are propagated, to preserve varieties, by 

 division ; to produce new varieties, by seed. 



Every part of the crown, or root, which has a bud, will make a plant ; but it 

 is not well to divide anemones too much, as they flower very weak if too small. 

 The usual colors of anemones are red, white, and blue ; and the flowers are 

 single, semi-double, and double. 



The properties of a good single anemone are, — 



The stem strong, elastic, and erect, not less than nine inches high ; the flower 

 at least two inches and a half in diameter, consisting of large, substantial, well- 

 rounded petals, at first horizontally extended, and then turning a little upwards, 

 so as to form a broad, shallow cup ; the color clear and distinct when variegated 

 in the same flower, or brilliant and striking if it consists of but one color. 



A double anemone should have the outer petals quite flat, the second series a 

 little shorter, the third shorter still ; and so on till the centre is quite full, when 

 the whole should form a rather flat hemisphere. Every double flower should be 

 of one full color. 



Of anemones, there are about twenty species with tuberous roots, and some 

 forty herbaceous species. Many of these are very fine : among which we may 

 mention the pretty wood-anemone {A. nemorosa) and the double variety ; A. 

 Appenina, with blue flowers; A. narcissijlora j A . yaponica, 2.n6. the white 

 variety; Hono7'ine Joubert ; .(4. /?</.$•«////«, the well-known pasque-flower; and 

 A. vernalis. — '•'■ Bulbs, ^'' by E. S. Rand, Jun. 



