ON florists' flowers. 87 



soil, about 2in. apart, and some sand placed over their crowns. 

 The drills should be filled with fine sandy soil. As the leaves 

 show above ground they will lift the soil with them, and as this 

 is also loosened by the action of frost, it is a good plan to go 

 over the bed and gently press the tubers into the ground with 

 the fingers They must be kept clear of weeds, and as soon 

 as dry weather sets in, the surface of the ground may be 

 mulched with decayed manure, and water supplied between the 

 rows, taking care not to wet the leaves. Ranunculuses require 

 no other attention. The old florists used to fix an awning over 

 the. beds to protect the blossoms from rain and too much sunshine. 

 Water must be withheld as soon as the flowers open. When 

 flowers and leaves decay, the tubers should be taken up and 

 stored in a dry place. 



,The florist's standard in this, as in all other flowers, is 

 smoothness and breadth of petal. A perfect flower would 

 represent half a globe, not less than 2in. in diameter at the base. 

 The petals should be sufficient to quite fill up the centre, and 

 whether there are two colours in the flower or one only, they 

 must be clear and distinct. 



The Polyanthus {Primula acaulis). 



Like the Auricula, the Polyanthus winds itself round the 

 affections of those who cultivate it. Sixty or seventy years ago 

 the Polyanthus was esteemed as a florists' flower, and many 

 beautiful varieties were in cultivation. The gardeners of that 

 day worked up to a standard of excellence of their own, and 

 grew only such kinds as are now known as Laced Polyanthus, 

 though this term was then unknown. 



Polyanthuses were very carefully cultivated as show flowers, 

 and some of the varieties have come down to us, evidencing 

 that they must have possessed considerable vigour of constitution. 

 Some of them are still grown, and I have before me a list of 

 the very best varieties which were grown about 1836 as exhibition 

 flowers. One of them, Burnard's Formosa, was much esteemed, 

 and a coloured plate of it was given in 1834, although I have 

 never seen a truss with anything like such good blossoms. Other 

 varieties were George the Fourth, Pearson's Alexander (this fine 

 variety was raised by the grandfather of the Brothers Pearson, 

 of Chilwell, Notts.), Invincible, Prince Regent, Lord Crewe, Bang 

 Europe, Princess, Countess, Lord John Russell, Commander-in- 

 Chief, Lord Nelson, Othello, Beauty of Over, and Mary Ann. 



