Book II. RANUNCULUS. 



835 



the flower, or other extraneous matter to be mixed with It, which would create a mouldiness when sown 

 of very destructive consequence : when the seed is scraped in a proper manner, it will have much of the 

 appearance of clean coarse bran, with a little brown or purple speck in the centre of each cuticle, which 

 is the kernel. \\ hen the seed is thus prepared, it should be sown in a shallow frame, provided with sashes - 

 the soil should have been previously taken out, three feet deep, and spread thin upon the ground till it 

 has been perfectly frozen throughout, in order to destroy any vermin it may have contained, more' parti 

 cularly the common earthworms. When the pit is filled up again with the frozen lumps of earth it 

 should remain till the whole mass has thawed, and subsided to its pristine bulk, or nearlv so ; its surface 

 should then be made perfectly smooth and even, and the seed sown upon it with the utmost regularity in 

 such quantity as nearly to cover it ; the glasses should be placed over it immediately, and the frame kept 

 closely covered with them, for two or three days, till the seed begins to swell and soften ; a little light 

 earth should then be sifted upon it, through a fine sieve, but not sufficient to cover it ; this should be re- 

 peated once or twice a-week, till the greater part of the seed disappears : it is proper to remark in this 

 place, that such seeds as happen to be covered deeper than the thickness of a half-crown piece, will never 

 vegetate, and must of course, inevitably perish. 



6262. It is necessary to keep the seed moderately moist, by gentle waterings with soft water, that has 

 been exposed to the sun till it is a little warmed ; the rose of the watering-pot should be hemispherical, 

 and perforated with a great number of very small holes, that will discharge fine streams of water, in a 

 very distinct and regular manner. About the time that the plants begin to make their appearance, it is 

 proper to stir the surface of the earth with a pin, or silver bodkin, just sufficiently to admit air, and give 

 liberty to the young plants to pass easily through ; this operation should be very carefully performed, to 

 prevent breaking off" the fibres, or raising and leaving any of the plants out of the earth, because one hour's 

 sun upon such would inevitably destroy them. When the sun shines very hot, it is necessary to admit 

 some fresh air under the glasses, and shade the frame with mats ; but it should be close shut up with the 

 glasses when the air is cold, and always at night 



6263. After the plants are all up, and their two interior leaves appear, more air must be given, by hav- 

 ing hurdles or lattice-work substituted for the glasses ; waterings must be regularly continued, in the 

 manner before described, when the long continuance of dry weather renders it necessary : but fine warm 

 showers of rain are always preferable, when they happen in due time. This kind of management is to be 

 continued till the roots are matured, and fit to take up, which is known by the foliage becoming perfectly 

 brown, drv, and nearly consumed. 



6264. The speediest and safest method of taking up these small roots is to pare off the earth, three inches 

 deep, with a trowel or shovel, having previously carefully picked off the dried leaves, and any other ex- 

 traneous matter that may be found upon it. The earth and roots, thus collected, are to be thrown into a 

 fine brass-wire sieve, that will not permit the smallest roots to pass through it ; the sieve is then to be 

 worked in a large vessel or tub, nearly filled with water ; the earthy part will, in consequence, be dissolved 

 and washed away, and the roots will remain in the sieve, where, bv a little management, they may be 

 easily separated from the stones, &c. which are mixed with them. The upper rim of the sieve must, at 

 all times, be held above the surface of the water, otherwise some of the smallest roots will be lost, as 

 they are frequently found floating on the surface, till they have imbibed a sufficient quantity of water to 

 make them sink. The roots are to be dried and preserved, and are to be planted at the latter end of Oc- 

 tober, or beginning of November ; the greater part, or such as have two or more claws, will blow strong 

 the following summer. The Rev. W. Williamson sows half his seed in autumn, and the other half in 

 January, in the open air. He prefers the autumnal sowing, if the winter proves mild. 



6265. By offsets. Unlike the offsets of the hyacinth and tulip, those of the ranunculus generally attain 

 perfection in the season of their formation on the parent plant, and are therefore fit to be planted as fuU- 

 grown tubers the same season in which they are removed. Smaller ones, which are unfit to bloom the 

 following year, may be planted in a bed prepared as to be directed for the full-sized roots. 



6266. By dividing the tubers. " In minutely examining the crown of a ranunculus-root, several small 

 protuberances will be found ; from each of which a shoot will arise, and the root may therefore be 

 divided by a sharp knife into as many parts as there are protuberances ; and thus the danger of losing 

 any rare variety is much diminished. These sections will not bloom till the second year." (Hort. 

 Trans, iv. 380.) 



6267. Choice of full-grown roots. Select such as are sound and full in every part, and have plump 

 and prominent buds. 



6268. So/7 and situation. According to Maddock, a fresh, strong, rich, loamy soil is preferable to all 

 others. Hogg recommends fresh loam, with a considerable portion of rotten horse or cow dung. The 

 Rev. W. Williamson (Hort. Trans, iv. 375.) uses a stiff clayey loam with a fourth part of rotten dung. 

 The situation should be open, but not exposed to violent winds or currents of air. " The bed should be 

 dug from eighteen inches to two feet deep, and not raised more than four inches above the level of the 

 walks, to preserve the moisture more effectually : at about five inches below the surface should be placed 

 a stratum of two-vear-old rotten cow-dung, mixed with earth, six or eight inches thick ; but the earth 

 above this stratum, where the roots are to be planted, should be perfectly free from dung, which would 

 prove injurious, rather than of benefit, if too near them. The fibres will draw sufficient nourishment 

 from it at the depth above mentioned ; but if the dung was placed deeper, it would not receive so much 

 advantage from the action of the air, which is an object of consequence." 



6269. Planting. " This may be done either before or after winter : if the soil and situation is remark- 

 ably cold and wet, it will be better to defer planting till the middle or end of January or beginning of Fe- 

 bruary, as the weather may favor ; but, in other situations, the latter end of October or beginning of 

 November is to be preferred, as the roots will have more time to vegetate and form themselves, and will 

 in consequence bloom rather stronger, though only a few days earlier than those later planted. A bed, 

 consisting of the variety called the scarlet-turbaned ranunculus, will produce a most brilliant effect ; if 

 planted at the same time as the tulip-bed, they will bloom together ; they are hardier than any other ra- 

 nunculuses, but may, in other respects, be treated in the same manner. The surface of the bed should 

 be raked perfectly even and flat, and the roots planted in rows, at the distance of about five inches from 

 each other. It is better to plant in shallow trenches, made nearly two inches deep, than to make holes 

 for the reception of the roots : there should be a little clean coarse sand sprinkled into the trench, and the 

 roots should be placed with their claws downwards, from three to four inches asunder, according to their 

 size : when the trench has received its roots, it should be carefully filled up level with the same earth that 

 was taken out, so as to cover the root exactly one inch and a half deep, which is the only true depth to 

 procure a good bloom : it is pointed out by nature in a singular manner ; for when these roots have been 

 planted too shallow or too deep, in either case, a second root is formed at the proper depth, by which the 

 plant is weakened to such a degree that it seldom survives a repetition of it. Williamson plants in spring, 

 but never after the tenth of February ; and he frequently plants the roots in the same place for several 

 years successively." (Hort. Trans, iv. 376.) 



6270. Future culture and management. Ranunculus-roots will remain several days 

 in the ground after planting, before they begin to vegetate ; during this period, they be- 

 come very much swelled, by imbibing the moisture of the soil, and are, in this state, 

 extremely susceptible of injury from frost, much more so than when vegetation has actu- 

 ally taken place. As soon as the bed is planted, a sufficient quantity of barley or oat 

 straw should be placed near it, ready for a covering : in case of frost, it may perhaps be 



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