38 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [July m,i». 
eeting of the season’s crusade. The next will be held under the 
auspices of the British Fruit Growers’ Association in Beddington 
Park, near Croydon, Sir James Whitehead presiding, and a large 
gathe ing is anticipate3. 
PERSIAN RANUNCULUS. 
Why do not people grow these more ? Such is the question 
that has come to my lips very often during this month as I have 
looked out upon my two beds of these most charming flowers. 
Do you delight in variety of colour ? I say advisedly I do not 
know any class of flowers where the range is so great—from 
black, at least as black as we get in any flower, to pure white, 
through every shade of red and yellow, olive green with yellow 
ground edged with darkest markings like a variety of Picotee ; 
some striped like a Carnation, others spotted, veined ; in fact there 
is hardly a tint of colour which exists in flowers that may not he 
found in a good bed of Ranunculus. Then do you admire 
symmetry of form ? What can be more exquisite than the beau¬ 
tifully moulded petals of this flower ? Some may term it formal, 
and all double flowers as compared with single ones are liable to 
this charge ; but withal there is an exquisite finish in the form of 
these flowers that wins admiration, perhaps even from the rigid 
botanist who declaims against all these things as monstrosities and 
violations of the laws of Nature. 
One objection to growing the Ranunculus has been their sup¬ 
posed difficulty of cultivation, and as it was practised formerly, 
and as I practised it for some years, there was some difficulty. 
One used to imagine that the depth at which they were to be 
planted was to be so exactly gauged (an inch and a quarter) that 
I used to have my beds boarded round and then a board cut to the 
required depth was forced into the beds, making a drill of that 
depth, at the bottom of which the tubers were placed, and then 
covered over ; but I have found that this exactness was altogether 
unnecessary, and I plant now without any contrivance of this 
kind. I endeavour to plant them about this depth, and am con¬ 
vinced that shallow planting is required, but I do it in the ordinary 
way—draw a drill with a small hoe and then plant. 
The plan which I adopt with regard to my beds, which are about 
35 feet long and 4 wide is to prepare them in the autumn. 
The soil is ordinary light garden soil, and in the month of October 
if it is in a fit condition I dig in a good supply of old hotbed refuse, 
between three and four barrowfuls to each bed. This is left through 
the winter, and if there is frost it is turned up roughly so that it may 
get the full benefit of it, levelling the soil, and perhaps destroying 
grubs, &c. I say perhaps, because I am somewhat doubtful as to the 
effects of frost. About the 12th of February I prepare for planting, 
but I am not particular as to date. If the weather is favourable before 
that I do not hesitate to plant, and if it is unfavourable at that time 
to defer it for a little longer. It is, I think, essential that the soil 
should be in good condition at planting time. The bed is then 
raked down and levelled, the rows are drawn about 4 inches apart, 
and as I have said from 14 to 2 inches in depth. I have previously 
gone through my boxes, for I do not keep to names, but grow in 
mixture, and pick out for the principal bed the largest tubers. 
Allowing for three rows to a foot and twelve in each row, the bed 
will take about 1250. Of course smaller beds can be made. As the 
Ranunculus, like most of its family, is fond of water, a dry spring 
is against them, and I found at one time that my blooms would be 
defective, but abundant rains came and I only gave water once ; 
and during the many years that I have grown them I do not think 
I have ever had blooms so much to my satisfaction. Formerly I 
used to take a good deal of trouble to place an awning on the beds ; 
for some years I have discontinued it, and am quite satisfied to do 
so for the future. The flowering season may be a little shortened, 
but a good deal of trouble is saved and the beds look better. 
The harvesting of the roots is a matter of supreme importance. 
They must not be taken up before they are ripe, or they will shrink 
very much, and be feeble next year; nor must they be left too 
long, which is even more fatal to them, as they then begin to start, 
and when this is the case the tubers are good for nothing next year ; 
so that should showery weather occur, as it very often does in the early 
part of July, a good deal of watchfulness is needed to catch the 
right time for lifting them. They should be placed after the 
foliage has been cut off in a cool shady place, where they can get 
all the influence of the air without being exposed to direct sunlight. 
A cool open shed is a capital place. They can be laid out thinly, 
and when they have been thoroughly cleared of all dirt they 
may be placed in boxes and brought into the house and placed 
anywhere free from frost. 
As to varieties, there was a time when we had two great home 
growers, who had largely contributed, by raising seedlings, to the 
j beauty of our beds—Mr. Carey Tyso of Wallingford, and Mr. George- 
Lightbody of Falkirk. They have long since passed away, and 
now one has to go to that grand emporium of bulbs, Holland, to 
procure a collection. Some years ago I obtained from Messrs. 
Ant. Roozen & Son of Overveen, Holland, a few hundreds of 
Persian and Scotch (so-called) varieties They were all named, 
and. have, with some remains of L ; ghtbody’s collection, formed 
the foundation of my present one. I put them into mixture, 
knowing that I should probably have to weed out a good many,, 
and so the event proved. Neither in these nor in Tulips are they 
so particular as to correctness of form, and admit amongst their 
Ranunculuses many that are not sufficiently double, and which 
show the black centre much too soon. These I have gradually 
weeded out, and I can now look on my beds with much satisfaction. 
I have often mentioned those which I saw as a boy, and which 
bear out the love that I suppose was in me, and like our tarts and 
Apples of those days, think there are none like them now. But I 
give way now, and think that this year mine were as good. Whether 
I shall ever see it so again, who can say ? Enough to have enjoyed 
the present, and leave the future. 
Of late years there has been a race introduced which is called 
the Giant French Ranunculus The flowers are much larger 
than the ordinary Persian varieties, but they are not so double, 
and have the great defect of showing the eye very soon. They 
are brilliant in colour, but not so varied. They make a good 
show in the garden, but will not please the critical taste of a 
connoisseur. 
I hope that what I have said may induce some to try to grow 
this beautiful flower. They will not do in stiff or clayey soil, but 
succeed in good ordinary garden soil, and I think we know quit8 
well that nothing can do well in gardening or in anything else 
without care.—D., Deal. 
A CALL AT READING. 
As indicated on another page a call was made at the interesting 
trial grounds of Messrs. Sutton & Sons early in the month. They 
may be described as constituting a museum of flowers and 
vegetables, arranged in the most orderly manner, and in which the 
work is most carefully and systematically conducted. There is 
nothing of promise that can be had either from home or foreign 
sources that does not find fair trial there, and the results are 
accurately registered. Hundreds of varieties of Peas, Lettuces, 
Potatoes, Beans, and other crops are grown under equal conditions, 
their characters determined, and selections made. Only early 
varieties were sufficiently advanced for displaying their relative 
merits. 
Just to name one or two of each kind, it may be said that 
among Peas the Improved or selected Ringleader was perhaps th® 
first, but the new Early Wrinkled Marrow, Sutton’s Al, was close 
at its heels, while the massive pods and large tender peas took the 
shine out of all. It was the Pea of Peas then ready in the extensive 
collection, and has no doubt a great future before it. A round, 
blue-seeded Pea, Bountiful, is expected to prove one of the best 
for market gardens. Among the Potatoes not Ashleafs, Ring¬ 
leader is a distinct advance, first-class in quality when dug and 
cooked immediately, and first-class also after the tubers have been 
stored for twelve months, as was proved by its raiser, Mr. Fenn, 
who had both new and old on his table with the Cabbage and 
bacon at home. Then following it quickly for early use is the 
round and superior Early Regent, also a Fennian and a favourite. 
Next we passed down the Lettuce ranks, and here, out of the 
hundreds in Cos varieties, Sutton’s White Heart must be written 
down as the best. It may be described as green outside and white 
in, distinct from all others, uniform, self-folding, firm and good. 
In the Cabbage section there was great diversity, some firm, some 
spreading, some bolting, and it can only be said here that Sutton’s 
Favourite and Commodore Nutt had no superiors at the time. 
Beans and various root crops were not ready. 
In the flower trial grounds and the houses in which Gloxinias 
Begonias, Cyclamens, and other plants are so admirably grown 
there was much more to be seen than can be described in a passing 
call. Gloxinias were in full beauty, a forest of upright flowers 
from 3 to 6 inches in diameter, in colours the most diverse that can 
be imagined from the purest whites to the richest purples and 
crimsons, many chastely spotted and others marked as if with a 
network of lace ; while the plants were equally noteworthy for 
their robust leafage and general vigour. It will be perfectly fair, 
just, and true to describe them in a sentence as splendid varieties 
splendidly grown—a description which is absolute’y devoid of even 
an approach to exaggeration. Begonias were just unfolding their 
stout symmetrical flowers in soft and brilliant hues, and are by 
this time probably as imposing in their way as were the Gloxinias. 
