ox REARING FLOWERS. 



159 



possible to the light ; and when the flowers begin to fade, 

 the bulbs may be removed to the open ground to mature 

 themselves. Like those gi^own in pots, they must be 

 almost daily turned into a fresh position ; and as the per- 

 fection of their appearance consists in having them dwarf 

 and strong, they cannot have too much light. "When, 

 from being kept in a very warm room, and brought early 

 into flower, they require supporting, this may be done by 

 means of strong wire, attached to the neck of the glasses, 

 and rising perpendicularly on one or both sides of the 

 stem. Glasses are now easily procured with this appen- 

 dage very neatly afiixed to them. But if the plants are 

 properly attended to as regards light, and almost daily 

 shifting, and are not too much forced, they ought not to 

 require such aid. 



Ranunculuses and anemones have tuberous roots, and 

 therefore require a still difi'erent mode of treatment. 

 Being sufficiently hardy to endure the open air in our 

 climate without protection, and also being highly beautiful 

 and ornamental, as well as much more easily procured 

 than tulips or auriculas, they should find a place in every 

 garden, at least some of the more common sorts. Propa- 

 gation may be eff'ected, either by seeds, or by dividing the 

 roots ; but the latter is by far the most speedy and 

 effectual method. Ranunculuses and anemones will thrive 

 well under the same mode of treatment, therefore the 

 following brief remarks may be considered equally 

 applicable to each. 



The tubers should be planted about the month of 

 October, for a general rule ; while some others may be 

 put in early in February, by which means a succession of 

 flowers will be obtained. The soil most suitable for them 

 is a rich loam, with a slight admixture of well-rotted 

 dung; and they should be planted in narrow beds, at 

 six inches apart either way. The best mode of planting 

 them is to draw shallow drills along the surface of the 

 bed, and lightly press the tubers into the soil at the 

 proper distance in the drill ; this is preferable to planting 

 them with a dibble. They should be covered with about 

 two inches' depth of soil ; and in selecting the tubers 

 . for the purpose of flowering, both large and small ones 



I 



