©6 On raising Seedling Ranunculuses. 



Art. XVII. On raising Seedling Ranunculuses. 

 By the Rev. Joseph Tyso. 



Sir, 



Several of your correspondents have noticed my com- 

 munications on raising seedling ranunculuses (Vol. VI. p. 548., 

 Vol. VII. p. 565.) ; and others, by private letter, have in- 

 formed me that they have adopted my plans with success. 

 As I am anxious to promote the growth of seedling flowers 

 in general, and of ranunculuses in particular, I shall readily 

 communicate to you any additional knowledge I may acquire 

 from observation and experience. During the last season, I 

 sowed about forty boxes of seed. My first sowing was on 

 the 8th of August, 1831 ; my second on the 15th : both these 

 failed, which I attribute to the dryness of the atmosphere. 

 My third sowing was performed on the 22d, which did well, 

 and produced a quantity of fine large roots. The fourth 

 sowing, on Sept. 24., did well ; the fifth, on Sept, 30., did 

 equally well ; the sixth, on Oct. 10., did well. At the seventh 

 sowing, on Oct. 13., I sowed three boxes: all came up well, 

 but two failed soon after the seeds came up. On close inspec- 

 tion, I found that all my boxes were infested with a great 

 number of very small brown insects, scarcely visible to the 

 naked eye, except when in motion. They resemble lobsters 

 in shape, and had the power of hopping about by the sudden 

 pressure of their tails against the ground. I should guess 

 there might be sixty or eighty in every square foot. I applied 

 tobacco smoke, and found they were easily destroyed; but, 

 in a month or six weeks, I found them increasing upon the 

 boxes again. I applied the same remedy, with the same suc- 

 cess, until they disappeared. They may be discovered by 

 breathing; or blowing on the surface of the box. I examined 

 several of them in a microscope, and I found the power of 

 motion lay in their forked tails. I have not been able to 

 ascertain their name ; but, to my great regret, I found that 

 they had made great havoc among the young plants ; and, 

 I believe, they were the cause of an entire failure in many of 

 my boxes. The eighth sowing, Oct. 21., did well: I took 

 xip 228 roots in one box, which was 16 in. by 14 in., and 4 in. 

 deep. The ninth sowing, Oct. 27., did middling ; the tenth, 

 Nov. 7., good ; the eleventh, Nov. 10., very good \ the twelfth, 

 Jan. 7. 1832, a complete failure; the thirteenth, Jan. 17., a 

 complete failure, the weather being too cold to produce ger- 

 mination ; the fourteenth sowing, Jan. 24., did well ; the fif- 

 teenth sowing, Feb. 20., did badly. 



I do not attribute the success or non-success entirely to 



