THE FLORISTS' FLOWER GARDEN. 



803 



order that the roots may be kept regularly cool 

 and moist ; and as the ranunculus thrives on a 

 firm bottom, the compost should not be dis- 

 turbed at the time of planting more than is 

 just needful for that operation. During winter 

 the surface may be pointed up rough to take 

 the benefit of frosts, but in no case should this 

 be done more than 2 inches deep. The beds 

 may be neatly edged with inch boards painted 

 lead- colour (Caithness pavement cut in narrow 

 slips would be more durable, and in the end 

 far more economical), and, in case named 

 sorts are planted, should be numbered with 

 white paint, to correspond with the numbers in 

 the list. As a bed well constructed at the com- 

 mencement will admit of several successive 

 plantings with an annual addition of fertilising 

 materials, it is worthy of the particular care 

 of the cultivator, though the preparation at 

 first may involve some little trouble and ex- 

 pense." 



General remarks. — Mark all seedlings while 

 in bloom that come double and show points of 

 merit, and reserve them for planting, for it is 

 often not until the second or third year's cul- 

 tivation that perfection is arrived at. The 

 ranunculus may be grown to its fullest perfec- 

 tion in pots, and in this way should they be in 

 some cases exhibited. To this end two or three 

 roots will be sufficient for an 8 -inch pot. 

 Those who are partial to this flower may have 

 a long continuance of bloom by pottiug in Octo- 

 ber or November, and plunging the pots in a 

 cool pit till the roots are advanced, when they 

 may be taken into a warmer pit and brought 

 into bloom in March. When the bloom begins 

 to expand in the open-air beds, slight shading 

 will be of advantage during bright sunshine. 

 To this end gauze netting, elevated somewhat 

 above the flowers, so that air may not be at all 

 obstructed, will be found convenient, but much 

 more so if a framework of iron or wood be 

 constructed over the bed, having a 3-feet pas- 

 sage round it, set in the span-roofed fashion, 

 and sufficiently high at the sides that the culti- 

 vator can walk around. The shading should be 

 so constructed that it may be rolled up and let 

 down at pleasure. The sides and ends should 

 be covered with thin canvass, to break the force 

 of the wind ; and where flowers are grown 

 for exhibition, a waterproof covering over the 

 roof would be expedient, to avert the conse- 

 quences of heavy rains. The light-coloured 

 varieties sustain less injury from a powerful 

 sun, as well as from rain, than the dark. After 

 the plants have attained the height of 3 

 inches, covering over the surface of the bed 

 with decomposed manure about an inch thick 

 will be of advantage to them. As the ranuncu- 

 lus is liable to sustain injury from frosts in 

 spring, those who grow for exhibition, or those 

 who wish for their own gi'atification to possess 

 a bed of fine flowers, should provide themselves 

 with a framework as mentioned above, so that 

 in spring the beds may be protected by canvass 

 of a thicker description than that employed for 

 the purpose of shade during a more advanced 

 period of the season. Protecting and shading 

 by means of branches, hurdles, mats, &c. a is 



far behind the age we live in, is not effective, 

 and in the end is far more expensive. 



The anemone. — The varieties of cultivated 

 anemones, so far as regards floriculture in its 

 proper sense, are numerous, and, like the ranun- 

 culus, it has been brought to great perfection, 

 according to the standard by which florists judge 

 them. They derive their origin from two 

 species, Anemone hortensis and A. coronaria, 

 the former a native of Italy, and introduced 

 from Holland, where it had long before been 

 largely cultivated, in 1596 ; the latter a native of 

 the Levant, also introduced from Holland, where 

 it also had been long cultivated, in 1 597. The 

 cultivation of the anemone as a florist's flower 

 is so similar to that of the ranunculus, that to 

 describe it here would be a needless repetition. 

 Nor does it stand in the same estimation amongst 

 florists generally as the ranunculus. Neverthe- 

 less it is extremely ornamental as an early 

 blooming border-flower, and a bed of them treated 

 as above for the ranunculus has a very showy ap- 

 pearance. They are sometimes brought forward 

 to exhibitions, and are no doubt worthy of a 

 higher degree of culture than has in general 

 been bestowed upon them. 



The dahlia. — The dahlia is a native of Mexico, 

 found in sandy meadows at an altitude of from 

 4800 to 5600 feet above the sea, which circum- 

 stance led, on their first cultivation in England, 

 to the practice of growing them in beds formed 

 of road-scrapings, as was the case in the Ham- 

 mersmith nursery in 1815. The first plants 

 introduced to England were brought from Mad- 

 rid in 1789 by the Marchioness of Bute. These 

 having been lost, the late Lady Holland reintro- 

 duced the plants again in 1804. The present 

 stock, however, originated from plants brought 

 from France in 1814. Those who, like ourselves, 

 recollect the poor single-flowered, bad-coloured 

 dahlias of the latter date, consisting of four or 

 five worthless varieties, little thought to see their 

 offspring ranking as one of the most, if not the 

 most perfect specimen of floricultural skill, the 

 most perfect flower both as regards form and 

 colour in the whole catalogue of florists' flowers. 



Propagation. — 'The dahlia is propagated by 

 seed, cuttings, grafting, and division of the root. 

 The first, with a view to produce new or im- 

 proved varieties ; the second, to obtain stock in 

 large quantities ; and the fourth, where there is 

 not the convenience of propagating by cuttings, 

 &c. 



Propagation by seed. — Seed should be saved 

 from the most perfect flowers, and those grown 

 on plants of the best habit, of which compact- 

 ness of growth forms an important element. 

 Cross impregnation should be attended to when 

 certain forms or colours are desired. New 

 forms and colours can only by this means be 

 obtained. The seed ripens in September and 

 October, but as soon as the petals begin to drop 

 off, and the seed-vessel begins to swell, which is 

 a certain indication that fertilisation or impreg- 

 nation has taken place, the petals should be re- 

 moved, and every means used to admit sun and 

 air to the swelling seed-vessels, while wet should 

 be carefully excluded, as in damp seasons it is 

 apt to cause the seed-vessel to rot. When 



