RAN 
middle of April, and continues near a month id 
beauty, if planted in a fhady place. It is propagated 
by parting of the roots in autumn, foon after the 
leaves decay, and may be planted on a fnady border, 
where it will thrive exceedingly. 
The ninth fort was dffcovered by Dr. Tournefort in 
the Levant ; this hath a perennial root, from which 
arife feveral leaves, cut into many points like thofe of 
Wolffbane ; the ftalk rifes a foot high, and is garnifhed 
with two leaves which fit clofe together, and are al- 
ternate. This is terminated by one fingle yellow 
flower, much larger than that of the Butterflower, and 
blows in May. It is propagated by parting the roots 
in autumn, and fhould be planted in a light loamy 
foil. 
The tenth fort is common in the Englifh gardens, and 
was fome years paft more fo than at prefent ; for flnce 
the Perfian Ranunculus has been introduced here, and 
fo many fine varieties have been obtained from feeds, 
they have almoft banifhed this fort out of the gardens. 
It hath a grumous root like the Perfian fort ; the 
leaves are divided by threes, and thofe are twice 
again divided by threes, and are obtufe-pointed ; the 
ftalk rifes about nine inches high, terminated by one 
large double red flower. This appears the latter end 
of April, and have fometimes one or two very fmall 
flowers branching out from the fide. 
The eleventh fort was originally brought from Perfia, 
but flnce it has been in Europe, has been greatly im- 
proved by culture, and many new flowers obtained 
from feeds, amongft which are many with femidouble 
flowers, which produce feeds ; and from thefe there 
are fuch prodigious varieties of new flowers annually 
obtained, which are fo large, and of fuch variety of 
beautiful colours, as to exceed all other flowers of that 
feafon, and even vie with the moft beautiful Carna- 
tions ; thefe are many of them finely fcented, and the 
roots, when ftrong, generally produce twenty or 
thirty flowers upon each ; which, fucceeding each 
other, continue in beauty a full month or longer, ac- 
cording to the heat of the feafon, or the care taken to 
defend them from the injuries of the weather ; all 
which excellent qualities have rendered them fo valu- 
able, that the old forts are almoft difregarded except 
In fome old gardens. 
All the very double flowers never produce feeds, fo 
that they are only multiplied by offsets from their 
roots, which they generally produce in great plenty, 
if planted on a good foil, and duly attended in winter. 
The feafon for planting their roots is any time in Oc- 
tober, for if they are planted fooner, they are apt to 
come up in a fhort time, and grow pretty rank before 
winter, whereby they will be in greater danger of fuf- 
fering by froft ; and if they are planted much later, 
they will be in danger of perifhing under ground ; fo 
that you fhould not keep them out of the ground 
any longer than the beginning or middle of O&ober. 
The beds in which the Perfian Ranunculus roots are 
planted, fhould be made with frefh, light, fandy 
earth, at leaft three feet deep : the beft foil for them 
may be compofed in this manner, viz. Take a quan- 
tity of frefh earth from a rich upland pafture, about 
fix inches deep, together with the green fward ; this 
fhould be laid in a heap to rot for twelve months be- 
fore it is mixed, obferving to turn it over very often, 
to fweeten it and break the clods ; to this you fhould 
add a fourth part of very rotten neats dung, and a 
proportionable quantity of fea or drift-fand, according 
as the earth is lighter or ftiffer •, if it be light and in- 
clining to a fand, there fhould be no fand added ; 
but if it be a hazel loam, one load of fand ’will be 
fufficient for eight loads of earth ; but if the earth is 
ftrong and heavy, the fand fhould be added in a 
greater proportion •, this fhould be mixed eight 
months or a year before it is ufed, and fhould be of- 
ten turned over, in order to unite their parts well to- 
gether before it is put into the beds. 
The depth which this fhould be laid in the beds, muft 
be about three feet, and fhould be below the furf ace, 
in proportion to the drynefs or moifture of the place 
where Ihe beds are lituated ; for in dry ground it fhould- 
be two feet eight indies below the iurface, and the 
beds raifed four inches above $, but in a moift place 
they fhould be two feet below, and one foot above 
the ground ; and in this cafe, it will be very proper 
to lay fome rubbifh and {tones in the bottom of each 
bed, to drain off the moifture ; and if upon this, at 
the bottom of the beds, fome very rotten neats dung 
is laid two or three inches thick, the roots will 
reach this in the fpring, and the flowers will be the 
fairer. This earth I would by no means advife to 
be fcreened very fine, only in turning it over each 
time, you fhould be careful to break the clods, and 
throw out all large ftones, which will be fufficient ; 
for if it is made very fine, when the great rains in 
winter come on, it will caufe the earth to bind into 
one folid lump, whereby the moifture will be detained, 
and the roots, not being able to extend their tender 
fibres, will rot. Of this I have had many examples, but 
one particularly to my coil : when I had procured a 
fine parcel of thefe roots from abroad, and being 
defirous of having them thrive very well, I took 
great pains to fcreen the earth of my beds very fine, 
which I had laid above two feet deep, and planted ^ 
good part of my roots therein but the feafon ad- 
vancing, and having a great deal of other bufinefs 
upon my hands, I did not fcreen the earth of all my 
beds, but planted fome of them without doing any 
thing more than raking them ; and the fuccefs was, 
that the roots in thofe beds which were fcreened did, 
great part of them, entirely rot ; and the remaining 
part were fo weak, as not to produce any good flowers ; 
whereas thofe which were planted in the beds which 
were not fcreened, did thrive and flower very well, 
and fcarce any of the roots failed, though the earth of 
all the beds was the fame, and were in the fame fitu- 
ation, both with regard to wind and fun ; fo that the 
damage which thofe roots fuftained, was owing en- 
tirely to the finenefs of the earth j and this I have fe- 
veral times flnce obferved in other gardens. 
I am aware that this depth of three feet, which I have 
here directed to make the beds of thefe flowers, will 
be obje&ed to by many perfons, on account of the ex- 
pence and trouble of preparing them, as alfo fup- 
pofing it neceffary to make the beds fo deep, for 
flowers whofe roots are fmall but if they will give 
themfelves the trouble of making the experiment, by 
preparing one bed in this manner, and another in the 
common way, and plant them both with the fame 
flowers, they will foon be convinced of their error, 
by the fuccefs of the flowers. For in the beds which 
have been prepared of this depth, I have feen one 
root produce upward of fifty flowers, each of which 
grew near a foot high, and were extremely large and 
fair ; whereas in the common method of culture, they 
are thought to do very well when they produce eight 
or ten flowers on each root, and thefe grow fix inches 
high ; but if a perfon will trace the length of the 
fmall fibres of thefe roots, he will find them extend 
three or four feet downwards. And as it is by thefe 
diftant fibres that the nourifhment is taken in, for the 
increafe and ftrength of the flowers ; fo if thefe meet 
with a poor barren foil below, they fhrink, and the 
flowers are ftarved for want of proper nourifhment 
in the fpring, when it is moft required. 
The beds being thus prepared, fhould lie a fortnight 
to fettle before the roots are planted, that there may 
be no danger of the earth fettling unequally after they 
are planted •, which would prejudice the roots, by 
having hollow places in fome parts of the bed, to which 
the water would run and lodge, and fo rot the roots 
there. Then having levelled the earth, laying the 
furface a little rounding, the beds fhould be marked 
out in rows by a line, at about fix inches diftance each 
way, fo that the roots may be planted every way in 
ftrait lines ; then you fhould open the earth with your 
fingers at each crofs, where the roots are to be plant- 
ed, at about two inches deep, placing the roots ex- 
actly in the middle, with their crowns upright , then 
with the head of a rake you fhould draw the earth up- 
on 
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