4 1 6 
THE RAMP10N. 
has clone flowering ; in die latter situation it 
should have as free a circulation of air as can be 
given to it, and during the hottest part of the 
day should be shaded from the sun, while at 
night, if the weather is mild and not likely to 
be stormy, and during the cooler parts of the 
day, they should be entirely removed : — To 
give it a rough open compost, of three parts 
turfy peat, and one part turfy loam, with sand 
and lumps of charcoal intermixed, and abun- 
dant and perfect drainage : — To pay especial 
attention to watering ; not to allow the soil 
ever to get thoroughly, or even very nearly, 
dry ; but as carefully to avoid making it sod- 
dened with wet at any time : this will depend 
upon the drainage ; if that is good, the super- 
fluous water will all pass off readily, and there 
will be no fear of its getting stagnant ; but if 
that is imperfect, or becomes so from any cause, 
it must be renewed and made efficient. In 
l lotting, liberal shifts should be given, for it is 
injurious to cramp the roots within small pots, 
or to transfer them to others scarcely larger : 
while small, the pots into which they are 
shifted should afford space for at least an inch 
all round of fresh soil ; and when they get 
larger and stronger, two inches is better ; but 
they must then get abundance of light and 
air, and must be carefully watered. In the 
process of potting, set the base of the plant 
about level with the rim, and let the soil slope 
a little, so as to be below the rim where it 
meets the edge ; press it firmly down, but do 
not ram it in, or make it hard ; it should be 
just as firm as moderate pressure will make it. 
In the autumn the plants will take their posi- 
tion in the green-house, and during the winter 
require to be very carefully watered, for there 
is then equal danger of both extremes, as in 
the summer ; — there is risk of letting them get 
too dry from fear of giving them too much, by 
which means the interior often gets as dry as 
dust while the top perhaps looks wet ; and 
there is risk of giving them too much, for 
evaporation goes on slowly then, and unless 
the actual state of the soil, as regards moisture, 
is looked to, it will be no difficult thing to 
overwater them. Either of these errors will 
bring the plants into a sickly state. 
P. spectabilis is the newest of this family, 
and is now much grown for exhibition ; it 
bears large heads — four or five times as large 
as those indicated in the accompanying engrav- 
ing — of delicate flesh-coloured flowers, and is 
rather a strong grower. P. hispida is a beau- 
tiful kind, not so robust as the last, but when 
well grown bearing heads of pink flowers 
nearly as large as those it bears. P. Hender- 
sonii is a much deeper coloured one, the colour 
being a deep bright rose, and the heads of 
flowers are smaller. The old P. decussata is a 
very dense, bushy-growing plant, and has deep 
pink flowers. P. iucana is a very distinct 
kind ; it has whitish, or hoary-looking stems, 
and small roundish leaves, dark green above 
and hoary beneath, owing to the presence of 
short close wool ; the flowers are white, with 
red stamens. These are all handsome a/id 
distinct kinds, and every one oi them worth 
cultivating. 
THE RAMPION. 
The Rampion {Camjxuiula Hapunculus of 
Linnasus) is a wild British plant, found 
growing about the borders of fields, and on 
banks. It was formerly much cultivated, but 
is not now much attended to, no doubt in 
consequence of the number of superior salads 
now grown. It is a biennial plant, and as 
the young roots and leaves are the parts used 
as salads, it is necessary to raise fresh crops 
every 3'ear. When it flowers it generally 
attains the height of about two feet, producing 
a spike of ornamental blue flowers. The long 
spindle-shaped root is the part chiefly used, 
being eaten raw, and it is of a very pleasant 
nutty flavour. The leaves as well as the 
roots are sometimes cut up in winter salads, 
to which they make a pleasing addition. 
In order to obtain the roots in perfection, 
a shady piece of ground should be chosen, as 
a north border, for instance, and dug or 
trenched, being well manured, if not in good 
order ; and then the surface should be made 
rather firm, and the seeds sown upon it in 
drills about eight inches apart. The seeds 
being very light and small, little or no soil 
should be raked over them, in order that they 
may not be buried too deep to vegetate. This 
should be done about the latter end of May, 
as, if the seed is sown earlier the plants are 
very liable to flower during the first season, 
and thus the crop would be lost. When the 
plants are sufficiently advanced, they should 
be thinned out to about four inches apart in 
the row, and the ground must be kept clear 
of weeds, and be stirred deeply, care being 
taken that the roots do not get injured. At- 
tention must be paid to watering, which should 
be done with a fine rose pot directly the seed 
is sown, and the bed should never be allowed 
to get quite dry, as the size and succulency 
of the roots depend materially on this point. 
If these directions are followed, and the 
ground be not too hard or strong, so as to 
induce the roots to fork or branch out in large 
fangs, a fine crop may be expected in Novem- 
ber, which will keep fit for use until April, 
when they will begin to flower, and when a 
few may be left for seed, and the rest be 
cleared away. They should be taken up as 
wanted, as they retain their qualities much 
better than if taken up in autumn and stored 
away. 
