182 The Ranunculus. 



should bear a flower at least two inches in diameter, well filled 

 with concave petals, that diminish in size as they approach the 

 centre. The corolla should be of a hemispherical form; its 

 component petals should be imbricated in such a manner as 

 neither to be too close and compact, nor too widely separated, but 

 have rather more of a perpendicular than a horizontal direction, 

 to display their colors with better effect. The petals should be 

 broad, and quite free from fringe or indentures at the edges ; the 

 beauty of their coloring consists in their being dark, clear, rich, 

 or brilliant; either of one regular color throughout, or otherwise 

 variously diversified, on white, ash, pale yellow, gold or fine 

 colored ground, either in regular stripes, or spots, or marble 

 mottled. 



The aspect most congenial to them is that of the east, where 

 the situation is open, but free from draughts and sheltered from 

 the violent westerly winds that generally prevail during the early 

 part of their growth. The soil recommended by Maddock, the 

 greatest cultivator known of the Ranunculus, is a fresh, strong, 

 rich, loamy earth. An earth that cakes on the surface is the worst 

 that can be used to cover the tubers, and where the soil is of that 

 nature we should recommend a mixture of sand, more particu- 

 larly as the fibres of the tubers do not depend on the surface soil 

 for nourishment, but run deep into the earth. On this account 

 the earth should be dug out two feet in making the beds, and a 

 stratum of six inches be placed of well rotted manure ; the hole 

 then filled up with common pulverized earth ; on this the tubers 

 should be placed about four inches from each other, with their 

 claws downwards ; and where the earth is of a cold or wet na- 

 ture, a little sand should be placed beneath each plant, and the 

 whole covered with a fine, light soil, as nearly as possible one 

 inch and a half in depth, which may be so much higher than the 

 bed of the border where they are planted in clumps. This should 

 be done in very early spring, and should severe frosts come on, 

 cover the spots of ground with loose moss or straw, which must, 

 however, be removed at the earliest opportunity, as it may make 

 them mouldy, and finally kill them if too long smothered. A 

 light cover of moss laid between the plants when they appear 

 above the surface, will be useful in breaking the force of hasty 

 showers and the waterings it is sometimes desirable to make. 

 When the foliage is changed and partly decayed, it will be well 



