160 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 3, 1832. 
useless with the Ranunculus; and, I suspect, with some other plants 
too, and not to bo compared with methods to prevent excessive 
evaporation. The tendency, and often the effect, of watering is 
to make Ranunculus foliage the worse for it, even to turning it 
yellow. Left alone, even in bright sunshine, the leaves are bright 
and glistening. They seem as if set in a state of resistance to 
drying influences, very likely still refreshed by the dews of the 
previous night. The dew does not waste itself on substances that 
have no need of it. It will bedew the tiniest blade of grass, but 
leave the dusty road untouched. Moisture may rise to the 
surface by capillary attraction from below, but does not settle on 
it from the dew above. That is only formed or condensed on 
surfaces soon cooled like the tips and surfaces of leaves. While 
the ground is yet warmer than the night air, no dew can distil 
upon it. 
By watering the Ranunculus bed in hot dry weather, and doing 
it by day, you surround the leaves of the plants with a state of 
atmosphere suddenly contrary to that which each leaf has prepared 
itself to meet. Its organs are ready for one emergency, and in a 
moment you plunge them into another of quite the contrary kind. 
Whatever be the true philosophy of this, the practical outcome is 
that you have given to the Ranunculus leaf a surfeit or a chill. 
It may be that the sudden moisture absorbed by the roots is passed 
into the leaf tissues before its pores are in a state to deal with it. 
We learn that in general, “these pores are largest and most 
numerous on plants that delight in moist and shaded situations, 
and on such plants are found to exist on both sides of the leaf ; 
indeed, they exist on the under side of all green leaves, but are 
few or absent on the upper leaf surface of plants naturally much 
exposed to the sun.” 
In dry weather, leaf pores instinctively contract or close their 
orifices, as a safeguard against excessive evaporation ; in fact they 
are so many self-acting valves, always adjusting themselves to 
the circumstances of temperature, dryness and moisture of the air, 
and so regulating the exhalation of leaves. There would seem to 
be something in the temperament of the Ranunculus leaf that 
renders it impatient of abrupt changes artificially brought about, 
.and contrary to the existing conditions in the atmosphere. It 
might be that the valve action in its leaf pores becomes over¬ 
taxed, in a short and unexpected notice, producing effects like 
congestion of the lungs or pneumonia, and the leaf turn sickly 
and yellow. 
If you water the plants, not by day but in the evening of dry 
weather, there is another check to which the Ranunculus leaf seems 
to be susceptible. A thermometer placed on the soil surface of a 
watered bed at night will show, if all around is dry, how seriously 
the surface temperature of the soil is lowered by evaporation. 
Virtually a reTrigerating agent is applied round every plant, almost 
as effective as a piece of ice down the back of every leaf. 
Perhaps here is the cause of the perplexity that gardening people, 
I don’t mean gardeners, express when they say that their plants, 
generally more or less half-hardy bedders, look not a bit better for 
being watered, but if anything, worse. “ And we do it at night, 
too,” say they, “we do not do it when the sun is on them.” There 
is a peculiar charm in this, and the delightful sensation of “ know¬ 
ing a thing or two.” And when the charm does not act, and a 
great tip has gone wrong, as most empirical tips are wont to do, 
then our gardening person is “ capped.” 
The comical aspect of the matter is that with such folk a 
failure is often done over again, as if in the hope that what was 
wrong this time may be right next, though circumstances are similar! 
The only wise time for watering the Ranunculus, possessing 
this touchiness in its nature, is when a rainy day or night occurs. 
It will not come so suddenly but that, unperceived by us, all 
vegetation is prepared for, and in harmony with the welcome 
change. All conditions of the atmosphere are softened. There 
are no harsh opposites of a wetted soil and a dry air, no extreme 
of consequent evaporation that withdraws warmth along with it. 
When it rains, and does not rain enough, then you may take off 
the muzzling order from the nozzle of your watering-can, and 
water your Ranunculuses, or any of your plants that need it, with¬ 
out fear ; and if you can give them the rain water as it comes 
fresh so much the better. 
We will very briefly turn to the plants in bloom; and the 
flowers of the Ranunculus will themselves suggest that they should 
be shaded from the sun, and also protected from the rain, for the 
petals will hold as much water as will bend the flowers to the 
ground, and often break their stalks. The shading material should 
therefore turn both sun and rain. As to properties of the florist 
Ranunculu-i, the colours cannot very well be wrong. They have 
a wondrous range. There are seifs in all shades of white, blush, 
pink, red, crimson, scarlet; primrose, lemon, orange; lilac, light 
purples and dark, with some shades of crimson and purple, so deep 
as to appear blacks—a most lovely class in the Ranunculus. Then 
we have edged and mottled and striped flowers on white or 
yellow grounds—all of them lovely types. There are also 
strange mixtures, best described as roans, of olive brown and other 
shades. 
Form is very important. Of course the best flowers are double, 
though in their old age they will at times develop a few stamens 
and small pericarp. Petals must not be narrow or strappy, but 
broad, smooth edged, of good substance, gently cupped, tending to 
form a deep globular flower, with petals set with a gentle curvature 
inwards, and not reflexed like a double Zinnia. 
Where seed is wanted it can, of course, be only obtained where 
a few anthers have not been metamorphosed into petals, and 
where a seed vessel, often abortive and generally small, in our best 
Ranunculus can be discovered. A few good broad and not 
flimsy petalled half-double sorts are useful as pollen parents ; and 
these half-doubles have also good seed vessels, though nothing so 
tremendous as the single forms possess. 
But for quality in the seedlings I would rather have the shy 
pod of a first-rate double flower, and a few seeds only, by a half¬ 
double male parent, than a whole packet from single parents or two 
half-doubles. The seed is a mere bran, with a flattish pin head 
of a germ set in the middle, something like a head in a Panama 
hat, and grows freely. It is most easily managed if sown in 
February, when the old roots are planted, and needs no artificial 
heat. A young tuber of two or three claws, or even one large one, 
will flower from its second year’s growth if properly cared for, 
and others, probably the best, a year later. 
A bed of seedlings is a lovely sight, both from their vigour in 
young life, and the brilliant tints of the large single forms, that 
put the Anemone very often in the shade, to say nothing of the 
infinite variety of other forms, with here and there a gem after the 
florist’s own heart. 
My last words shall be in memoriam of a beloved and once well 
known, but I fear now extinct. Ranunculus—Naxara, Black Naxara ; 
truest model for the Ranunculus, fullest, deepest, roundest of them 
all—a peerless flower, never equalled in its contour and the carriage 
of its flowers, that kept a brave heart to the end, and went down 
like some noble ship stricken with her sails all set, and going down 
all standing. That was Naxara—dark, handsome Naxara—the 
truest black, the truest florist Ranunculus ever seen or known. 
Those of us who have known her will never forget Naxara. I 
fear we shall never look upon her like again, or, if we do, never 
upon Naxara herself. I have sought after her, and bought the 
boasted blacks in foreign lists. There is not one that is a 
patch upon the cheeks of Naxara. I hoped she might have got 
among them by some chance, and changed her maiden name, but 
she had not. 
The only garden robbery I ever suffered was committed many 
years ago on the Ranunculus bed, and Naxara blooms were stolen, 
and her tubers either pulled up or so checked that I never flowered 
her again, and I do n^t think I have ever seen her since. 
I fear I have not fulfilled my opening prophecy of shortness, 
but the tone of sadness you will admit is here. 
ORCHARD PLANTING, 
I HAVE during several past years planted new orchards on 
grass land with standards of Apples and stewing Pears as outside 
rows, the other rows consisting of Apples and a Pear or Plum at 
intervals for variety. When doing this I showed the natives how 
trees should be planted. The turf was first pared off in a circle 
8 feet across, the hole dug to a depth of 2 feet, the good soil being 
placed on one side, and the bad wheeled away. I then placed in as 
drainage 9 inches of old tiles, &c., covering these with the turf 
grass downwards. We next prepared a compost of soil, old mortar, 
and bones, and placed some of this over the turf. A stake was 
driven in not quite in the middle of the hole, the tree was planted, 
all bruised roots being previously cut away. Wire 4 feet high was 
S3cured round the stake and tree to prevent rabbits destroying the 
bark, finishing off by tying with haybands. If cattle molest the 
bands a little tree protective composition applied will prevent a 
repetition, and always apply a mulching of manure as a finish. 
The land had been previously drained at 20 feet apart with 3 -inch 
pipes. I have not lost one tree out of the hundreds planted. 
Most of the trees have made growths 2 feet and more in length, 
and are now bristling with fruit buds. I always allow a few fruits 
on each tree to test the sort, and to keep rank growth in check. I 
advocate planting about 6 inches below the level of the grass, and 
applying soil in future as required to keep the roots near the 
surface. 
It may be asked what varieties I recommend ; different 
districts require different sorts, only to be ascertained by experience. 
Those found to do best here are, for cooking, Alexander, Alfriston, 
