454 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Dutch Bulbs—Some Little Known. 
No other early spring flowers afford such a 
wealth of bloom as what are commonly known as 
“Dutch Bulbs.” These include hyacinths, nar¬ 
cissuses, tulips, crocuses, and some others. The 
Fig. 1.— DOUBLE GARDEN ANEMONE. 
seedsmen offer their stocks often in September, 
but sometimes not until the present month. Those 
accustomed to purchase and plant these bulbs do 
not need to be told of the importance of buying 
them and of planting them as early as possible. 
If one is not particular about names, he can get 
“assorted bulbs,” which come at a much lower 
price than the named kinds, and which will make a 
splendid show. We have re¬ 
cently given directions for 
planting, and no more need 
be said on that head. When 
a bulb is planted, it at once 
prepares for its spring flower¬ 
ing. It throws out a mass of 
roots into the soil, and makes 
itself ready to produce its 
mass of bloom. This should 
afford a hint to those who 
would have the bulbs bloom 
in winter in pots Plant them 
early in good soil, and place 
the pots in a frame or in a 
cellar, where they can have 
needed watering, and give 
them a chance to form abun¬ 
dant roots. With the bulbs 
we have named, and others, 
the dealers import, in small 
quantities, certain plants 
which, though often called 
bulbs, are not properly such. 
Prominent among these are 
the Anemone and Ranuncu¬ 
lus, which afford most bril¬ 
liant flowers, but have not 
become popular among our 
flower-growers. Nothing can 
be more unpromising than the 
anemone roots, as they are 
offered for sale. They are flat¬ 
tened masses, which look as if they had been trod¬ 
den upon. These, which are varieties of Anemone 
hortensis, will give, with proper treatment, most 
brilliant flowers with a great variety of color, from 
pure white to the most intense reds and purples, 
usually of the forms shown in figure 1. The 
imported ranunculus roots, which look like 
many-pronged teeth, and appear to be quite life¬ 
less, are varieties of H. Asialicus. The flowers of 
these present a great variety of the richest possi¬ 
ble colors, and are of the general shape shown in 
figure 2. The great drawback to the culture of 
both the Anemone and the Ranunculus, in the 
Northern States at least, has been, the roots are not 
always hardy. If the soil is well prepared in the 
fall, working in an abundance of old cow manure, 
the roots planted about six. inches apart each way, 
and then covered with a frame which is filled with 
leaves, the plants will usually come up and flower 
strong the next spring. For the green-house and 
the window-garden they are admirable. Plant half 
a dozen roots in light, rich soil, in six-inch pots. 
Keep the pots in a frame, or in a cool cellar, long 
enough to allow roots to be formed, and then bring 
them to the light. We have had fine results with 
this treatment, and a single flower of either the 
Anemone or Ranunculus is worth working for. 
The Ramie, or China-Grass. 
The fabric called China-grass Cloth is woven 
from the fibre of a plant generally known by the 
French name, Ramie. Its botanical name is Bohe- 
meria nivea, and it is a close relative of the com¬ 
mon nettles. The plant is a perennial, the general 
appearance of which, as to foliage, etc., is shown 
in the engraving, which represents the upper por¬ 
tion of a stalk. Established roots throw up nu¬ 
merous stems, four to six feet high, and in favor¬ 
able locations, eight and twelve feet. The fibre, 
which is found in the bark, is remarkably strong, 
and when separated into its ultimate threads, is 
soft, very fine, and with a silk-like lustre. Some 
of our older readers may recollect the excitement 
caused in the Southern States by Ramie, some 
fifteen or twenty years ago. Here was a new 
comer, which was to dethrone King Cotton. A 
number of persons found Ramie culture very 
profitable, though it was not by producing the fibre, 
but by raising the plants to sell to others. It was 
found very easy to grow Ramie, but to put it in a 
merchantable shape was another matter. The 
rough stalks were too bulky for profitable export, 
and, though several were invented, there were no 
RAMIE, OR CHINA GRASS. 
machines that would properly separate the fibre and 
bring it into a shape for market. Ramie culture 
was soon abandoned, and those who had embarked 
in it were asking how they could best clear their 
land of this undesirable plant. There was no dif¬ 
ficulty in raising the raw material; there was no 
doubt that the stems contained a valuable fibre, 
but labor was too high to follow the Oriental 
method of hand separation, and our inventors had 
furnished no effective machine. Now word comes 
from France that an American inventor has ex¬ 
hibited a machine that separates tile Ramie fibre in 
a rapid and most satisfactory manner. We hope 
Fig. 2.— ASIATIC RANUNCULUS. 
that this intelligence is true, as such a machine is 
all that is needed to revive the culture of the 
plant, and add another to the important crops of 
our Southern States. Our Southern friends, after 
their unfortunate experience, hardly need the cau¬ 
tion to make sure that they can certainly separate 
the fibre before engaging in its cultivation. 
Make Cuttings in Autumn. 
Among forest trees, the Willows, Poplars, and 
the Plane or Button-ball, are most readily grown 
from cuttings. This is the usual method of prop¬ 
agating the grape-vine, the quince, the currant, 
the gooseberry, etc. In all cases where, as in 
those cited, the cuttings are of ripe wood, they 
should be made as soon as vegetation is at rest, 
rather than to wait until early spring. It has been 
shown by experiment that, as between cuttings 
made in the fall and others of the same vine made 
in spring, a much larger percentage of the former 
grew and made stronger plants. The same has 
been found true of cions for grafting. After the 
leaves fall, and before freezing weather sets in, is 
the best time for making all hard-wood cuttings. 
Cuttings of willows, etc., should be about a foot 
long, and from the strong growth of the previous 
year. They should be made into convenient bun¬ 
dles, tied with a willow withe, or tarred cord, and 
buried in a well-drained place, below the reach of 
frost. The length of cuttings of the grape will 
depend upon that of the joints of the vine. For 
long-jointed varieties, a cutting of two buds will 
be enough; for others, with very short joints, it 
may require three or four buds to make a 
cutting a foot in length. Cuttings of varieties 
known to grow readily may either be buried 
or placed in boxes, with sand or dry earth among 
and over them, and kept in a very cool cel¬ 
lar for the winter. The Delaware and several 
other grapes are difficult to grow from cuttings in 
the open ground, and require special treatment. 
These, tied in convenient bundles, should have 
their lower ends dipped in a thin mud and placed 
in a frame, their lower ends uppermost. The 
spaces between the bundles are to be filled with soil, 
which should cover them an inch in thickness. 
