140 
THE FLORIST. 
REMINISCENCES BY DR. HORNER. 
THE RANUNCULUS. 
As the Ranunculus will this month be in bloom, and consequently 
especially attract the attention of florists, I beg to offer a few remarks 
on its management. 
This is indeed a flower of extraordinary characteristics, uniting 
in itself properties and endowments of rare and almost opposite com¬ 
binations. For we may say of it, that it is grand, yet elegant; gor¬ 
geous, yet simple; dazzling to behold, yet lovely to look upon, &c. 
And assuredly its richly luxuriant and diversified foliage, bespreading 
the ground; its graceful flower-stem, erect and elegant, rising from 
the midst, and canopied with its symmetrical crown of bloom, of 
every tint and hue of colour combined, intermingled, yet uncon¬ 
founded and distinct, commands our preference and admiration. 
Nay, further, it may be observed, that, though the cultivated varieties 
of the Ranunculus now amount to some thousands, yet all differ from 
each other in their marking or colours. 
The circumstance of this flower not being universally grown by 
florists may be attributed to the uninviting character of its being a 
rather capricious flower; but rather it should be said, that it is one 
which will not do well unless it be suitably managed. There is little, 
however, really discouraging in this; for it will be found that nothing 
can be more simple and easy of fulfilment than the practice adopted 
by those who are uniformly successful in its cultivation. 
The Ranunculus asiaticus, the variety grown in our gardens, is 
a native of the Levant, and of the natural order Ranunculaceae of 
Jussieu; and this circumstance at once aids us in determining the 
kind of soil and situation most suitable for it. The wild Ranunculus, 
or Buttercup, affects a cool, moist, and shaded locality; these con¬ 
ditions, therefore, it is desirable to realise in the culture of the garden 
variety. Hence it is indicated that the bed should be formed of a 
retentive soil, shoMd not be in an elevated part of the garden, and 
not subjected to the hot rays of the mid-day sun. It may, moreover, 
be about four feet in width, and should have board, or slate, rather 
than box edging, that refuge may not be afforded to slugs, which 
often eat the newly-formed flower-bud. As the roots of the Ranun¬ 
culus strike deep, two-and-a-half feet of soil is required. 
The natural soil of the garden having been dug out, let it be 
replaced by a compound of pasture soil and cow manure. The sur¬ 
face-soil of a rich old pasture, well turned over and exposed to a 
winter’s frost, and thoroughly enriched and uniformly incorporated 
with cow manure, not less than a year old, forms an appropriate 
compost; and by adding, year by year, about three inches of such 
manure to the surface, and digging it into the soil about a spade’s 
depth, a fit medium for their successful growth is perpetuated; and 
such is what I long practised and recommended. Sand should be 
added or withheld, according to the nature of the soil : if it contain 
a small portion naturally, it is the more suitable. A stiff or clayey 
