266 FLOWER GARDEN. 
hemispherical form; its “component petals imbricated, 
neither too closely nor too much separated, and having 
rather a perpendicular than a horizontal direction. he 
petals should be broad, and have perfectly entire well- 
rounded edges; their colors should be dark, clear, rich, or 
brilliant, either consisting of one color: throughout, or be 
otherwise variously diversified on an agh, white, sulphur, 
or fire-colored ground, or regularly striped, spotted, or sie 
tled, in an elegant manner. 
The ranunculus requires a stronger and moister soil than 
most other flowers. Maddock prefers a fresh, strong, rich 
loam. Hogg recommends a fresh loam, with a considerable 
portion of rotted cow or horse-dung. 
The Rev. Mr. Williamson (Hort. Trans., vol. iv.) uses 
a stiff clay loam, with a fourth of rotton dung. “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-year-old rotten cow-dung, mixed with earth, six or 
eight inches thick ; but the earth above this stratum, where 
the roots are to be placed, should be perfeetly free from 
dung, which would prove injurious if nearer. The fibres 
will draw sufficient nourishment at the depth above men- 
tioned ; but if the dung were placed deeper, it would not 
reccive s0 much advantage from the action of the air.” 
Other florists have recommended to put the manure at 
least two feet and a half below the surface of the earth. 
The principal object, however, is to maintain ‘throughout 
the bed a genial moisture; and this is to be done by avoid- 
ing all hot gravelly earths, and particularly soils that are 
apt to cake. The tubers are planted late in autumn, or 
early in spring, in rows five or six inches apart, and three 
