BAN 



[ 766 ] 



BAN 



R. Pyrendtu (Pyrenean). 1. White. May. 



Pyrenees. 1807. 

 - bupleurifo'lius (Bupleurum- 



leaved). i. White. June. Pyrenees. 



1818. 



recurva'tus (curled-back-seedecZ). June. 



N.America. 1827. 



re'pens flo're - ple'nn (creeping . double- 



flowered). |. July. 



rhomboi'deus (diamond-feared). April. N. 



America. 1825. 



ru'fulus (reddish-haired). July. Portugal. 



1825. 



rutvfo'lius (Rue-leaved). . White. June, 



Austria. 1759. 



Sabi'ni (Sabine's). July. N.America. 1827. 



salsugino'sus (salt). 1. April. Siberia. 1822. 



Seguie'ri (Seguier's). . White. June. 



Piedmont. 1819. 



Steve'nii (Steven's). !. June. Volhima. 



1819. 



tomento'sus (woolly). 1. June. N.America. 



1820. 



Villa'rsii (Villars's). 1. June. S.Europe. 



1819. 



BANUNCULUS (R. Asid'ticus} AS A 

 FLORIST'S FLOWER. 



Varieties. These are very numerous 

 and annually increased. 



Soil. This should be of a fine tex- 

 ture, easily broken and moderately light. 

 It should feel soft to the hand, and 

 have a little but a little sand amongst 

 it The best is generally found near 

 to rivers. Let it be laid on a long heap, 

 not too thick, and turned over once a 

 month for a year. It will then be in 

 good condition for use. Bemove the 

 old soil away from the bed you intend 

 for ranunculuses to the depth, if the 

 situation is dry, of fifteen inches ; if 

 wet, ten inches will do. Put in a layer 

 of very rotten cowdung, two inches 

 thick ; then bring the soil, put in a 

 layer of four inches, upon that put a 

 layer of rotten hotbed dung one inch 

 thick, and so proceed till the bed is full 

 and raised two or three inches above 

 the surface. Let the bed be edged 

 with boards or slates. Hoop it over to 

 protect it from heavy rain, snows, and 

 hailstones. Turn it over, mixing the 

 materials together well, only take care 

 not to disturb the layer of cowdung at 

 the bottom. Let this turning opera- 

 tion be performed two or three times, 

 at the intervals of three or four weeks 

 between ; finishing the last about the 

 end of January, so as to allow the 

 bed to settle by the planting time in 

 February,. 



j Planting. The best time for doing 

 | this is between the 8th and 20th of 

 I February. The soil of the bed ought 

 j to be neither wet nor dry. To prove 

 its state, take up a handful, gently 

 i squeeze it, and let it fall about half-a- 

 1 yard : if it is in a right condition, it 

 will fall in pieces. "With a rake level 

 ! the soil ; then, with a triangular-shaped 

 i and rather small hoe, or with the corner 

 j of a common hand hoe, draw a drill 

 i across the bed, two inches deep ; draw 

 I the next five inches distant from the 

 I first, and so on till the whole bed is 

 I finished. Commence this some fine 

 morning, when there is a prospect of 

 the day continuing fine. When the 

 drills are all finished, sprinkle, at the 

 bottom of each drill, some fine sand ; 

 then bring out your ranunculus roots, 

 with a numbered label, made either of 

 lead, with the number stamped upon it, 

 or of wood, with each number written 

 upon it with a black-lead-pencil, upon a 

 coating of white-lead. Begin then to 

 plant the variety written in your book 

 opposite No. 1 : take each root between 

 your finger and thumb, and place it at 

 the bottom of the drill, very gently 

 pressing it down in the sand to about 

 half the length of the claws of each root. 

 Having placed the first to your mind, 

 put the next at four inches distance 

 from it, and so proceed till you have 

 planted all the first kind ; then thrust 

 in the numbered label, either with the 

 number facing the kind, or with its 

 back to it. Both ways are practised by 

 florists, but we prefer the number to 

 face the variety it belongs to. If our 

 plan is followed the number should 

 be always put in first, the whole of 

 the variety planted, and then the 

 second number put in, and the 

 second kind planted. Follow on in this 

 manner till the bed is filled. As soon 

 as that is completed, cover the roots 

 just over the crowns with some more of 

 the fine sand : this sand prevents the 

 roots from getting too wet, or moulding. 

 Then, with a rake carefully level down 

 the soil into the drills. If your bed is 

 not edged with boards or slates (as re- 

 commended before), stretch a line on 

 one side of the bed, about four inches 

 from the roots, and with the back of 



