Gero — smaeacsenagunestencrr etna ACCU TO OLCOTT A A Nt LT , : . 5 ' ~ | ; 
ae A COMPLEAT BODY. eg ates 
Dec. . our. Meadow: Crowfoots, being fometimes feven —Syftem; the Icofandrous and the Polyandrous. - Dec. 
————~ or more; but luxuriant Art makes them innu- In this Plant they rife from the Receptacle, es 
merable, and adds the pleafing Wonder of a fe- 
cond Production. 
On the Top of each Stalk, as it firft rifes from 
the Root, appears a green, oval Button, tipped 
with Gold : this as the {mall Stalk rifes in Height, 
fwells and expands, till by Degrees it grows in 
the full Luftre of a double Flower échipaied of 
-Multicudes of narrow and fharp-pointed Petals 
in various circular Series; and all of a delicate 
Yellow.en ross oe / 
Ta the midft are ‘buried he fine Threads tthe 
‘thin Buttons, which impregnate the Rudiments 
of many Seeds, appearing afterwards in an ob- 
long Clufter. 
In this State the Flower has great Beauty and 
- Singularity of Afpect: the pointed Form of the 
Petals, gives it this Peculiarity, and if brought | 
without the Leaves to a2 common Obferver, af 
would-call it a Yellow Hepatica. : 
This however is not all the Luftre to’ which 
it may be brought. Where the Soil fuits, and 
no Negligence or Ignorance of the Gardener 
prevents, there will in the moft vigorous Plants 3 
| beft -produced from Seeds. Thefe rarely ripen 
‘| in the proliferous Flowers ; but as there are ufu- 
In thefe, the firft Structure is the fame as in | 
appear on fome Stalks, the sroliferdus Flower, 
we have reprefented in the Figure. 
the others, but from the Centre there rifes a {mall 
Stalk, fupporting on its Top a Reprefentation » 
of the firft in Miniature. 
The little Flower is formed exactly as the 
larger, but the Colour is ‘fainter; the Bottom 
where it joins the Stalk, is White; the firft Se- 
ries of Petals, are alfo White tipped with Green, | 
and tinged with a little Yellow ; and the reft are 
a of a fainter. Yellow than thofe in the original « ori. 
oe lower Flower. ! 
Such is the elegant Afpect Of this Species in 
its beft State: -but even here what Nature gives 
in. one Inftance, ‘fhe reftrains in another; the 
Flower thus, rendered double and proliferous, 
lofes its natural and original Fragrance. 
 Toknow the Clafs to hich this Plant belongs in | 
the Linn 2ANn Syftem, the Student muft examine a | 
| featter on thefe Seeds. 
fingle Flower. He will find this placed in a Cup 
formed of five oval Leaves, lightly tinged with the 
Colour of the Flower, and they fall Be with it. 
yra.t he Body. of the Flower he will fee compofed 
according to the Condition of the Plant, and | 
- various Degree of Nourifhment, of an uncertain 
Number of Petals, but not. lefs than five, and 
in its Centre he will find a great Number of Fi- | 
jaments, crowned with oblong, obtufe, and 
doubled Buttons ; in the Centre of thefe he will 
fee a Clufter of Rudiments of Seeds 5 whofe | 
Styles. are fo fhort, that they are not diftinguith- — 
able, but with fmall reflex Stigmata, or Tops. 
One Obfervation more leads him to the Clafs 
‘ef the Plant; but without that he may under 
this Degree of Knowledge err: let him examine 
whether thefe numerous Filaments rife from the 
Receptacle, or from the Infice of the Cup. 
We have before explained to him, that this 
Circumftance makes the Diftin&tion between the 
twelfth: and thirteenth Clafs in the LinnZ An 
therefore it is one of the Polyandria; and the nu- 
merous Rudiments of Fruit, declare it alfo one 
of the Polygania. — 
We have before told the Student, that where 
the Styles are too fhort for Infpeétion, the Num- 
ber of thefe Rudiments and Stigmata (Parts pro- 
perly affixed to the Heads of Styles) fhews the - 
ferent Order. 
The Genus of. Ranunculus under this Clafs, is 
- diftinguithed by a peculiar Mark, the Neéari- 
um; this isa little Hollow containing in its Bot- 
tom a minute Gland, and fituated near the Bafe 
of each Petal. 3 
In the moft double F lowers, this is leaft con- 
fpicuous, but the Student is not to fuppofe the 
Plant of any other Genus, fhould this be wanting 
in fuch Flowers entirely ; for we have told him, 
where thefe are fo luxuriant, the diftinétive Parts 
are moft difficulty feen; and often loft entirely. 
Culture of this Crowroor. 
It may be raifed from! parted Roots; but it is 
ally fome which are not proliferous from the 
fame Root with thofe that are; let the Gardener 
fave his Seeds from thefe. . - 
Let him cut off the proliferous Flowers from 
fuch a Plant, as foon as they fhew their Nature ; 
and then digging about the Root, and gently 
Watering it, raife the other Flowers upon their 
Stalks, to the moft full Perfection for ripening 
the Seeds. oe 
Thefe let him collect by cutting off the Heads 
as foon as they change Colour : ie him lay them 
on a paper’d Shelf, and the Seeds will fall off after ~~ 
they are hardened. Then let him fpread them to 
harden more perfectly ; and after ten Days. te. <: 
them up in Papers. for the proper ‘Seafon. 
The laft Week in Auguft, dig up a Border in 
a warm Part of the Garden, cover it five Inches 
with frefh Mould, from a dry rich ‘Pafture, and 
Sift over them a quarter of an Inch of any of the 
| light Compofts we have directed for other Plants, . 
aa lay fome Pieces of Furze Buth apo the 
Ground. | 
Here let the Plants take their Courfe ; and 
they will do better than with all the idle Arts of 
Culture. _. 
When they er fome little Strength the fucceed- 
| ing Spring, thin them by taking up Me weakeft, and 
plant thefe in other Parts of the Garden; leaving 
the othets,at eight Inches Diftance in their ori- 
ginal Bed: a, this they are never to be remov- 
a until the Roots want parting, and here they 
will flower more elorioufly than with any Art. 
This is the Method I have prattifed: this 
the Inftruétion I with every where to lay before 
the Reader: Rules eftablifhed on my own Expe- 
rience, not taken from the common Books, Re- 
; tailers of one anothers Folly. 
2, SP PRA L 
