242 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAPtDEXING. 



feathery seeds, which his servant, following close 

 upon his heels, brushed off his master's robe, and 

 secretly appropriated; and 



before long 

 mortification of 



the 



mg- 

 seeino- his 



gardly florist had the 

 highly prized 

 "strain" in 

 the posses- 

 sion of his 

 neighbours 

 and rivals. 



There is no 

 doubt that 

 the improve- 

 ment in the 

 flower was 

 due in great 

 measure to 

 the florists 

 of Holland, 

 France, and 

 Flanders. 

 Large quan- 

 tities of Ane- 

 mones arc 

 grown in 

 Holland, and 

 annually im- 

 ported to this 

 country in a 

 dry state dur- 

 ing August 

 and Septem- 

 ber. When 

 planted, they 

 swell largely 

 and in conge- 

 nial soil make 

 large roots 

 that produce 

 strong plants 

 flowering 

 superbly. 

 There are 

 double and 

 single varie- 

 ties, of great 

 and diversi- 

 fied beauty. 



The genus 



Anemone comprehends a large group of species and 

 their varieties. We are now dealing with Anemone 

 coro7iaria, the Poppy Anemone of southern Europe. 

 This is the florists' Anemone, and it is the varieties 

 of this species he has tended with so much care for 

 years past. It would be difficult to enumerate the 

 variations in colour this gay spring flower assumes. 



Anemone nakcissiflora 



So sportive is its nature in this respect that there is 

 a marked diversity of the mixing of the whole with 

 the various shades of scarlet, carmine, rose, red, 

 violet, blue, slate, ikc, in each individual flower 



raised from 

 seed, by 

 which arc 

 produced the 

 double, semi- 

 double, and 

 single varie- 

 ties; and few 

 of them fail 

 to claim our 

 admiration. 

 It is matter 

 for wonder 

 that this 

 beautiful 

 flower should 

 have d e - 

 CTPased in 

 cultivation 

 to such an 

 extent, for it 

 is not diffi- 

 cult to grow. 

 thri"\-ing well 

 in o r d i - 

 nary garden 

 mould when 

 of a sandy 

 quality and 

 tolerabl}' 

 rich, a 1 - 

 though it is 

 always the 

 practice of 

 the florist to 

 prepare, as 

 in the case of 

 the Ranun- 

 culus, a spe- 

 cial compost 

 for the Ane- 

 mone. 



We wall in 

 a few words 

 set forth tho 



ingredients of a compost that is within the reach of 

 all : — Take fresh earth from a common, or some other 

 pasture land, that is of a light or sandy quality, 

 whether of a yellow hazel or the darker colour does 

 not matter. It should be taken not more than four 

 or six inches deep, with the turf adhering to it. 

 Such soil will be sweet, and fit for immediate use ; 



