64 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
ings; but all pretended to admire whatever they raised— 
whatever they had most of to sell. It was, therefore, 
natural to expect that any set points, if adhered to, 
would throw many varieties into the shade; whatever 
was said to be perfect, would render all that fell very 
short, worthless. The great struggle, therefore, against 
“ The Properties of Flowers and Plants,” was made by 
dealers; because, although the principles laid down en¬ 
hanced the value of those varieties which possessed 
them, a great number which did not possess them were 
a dead letter. But the publication of these principles 
among amateur gardeners, enabled a lady or gentleman 
to choose for themselves. They could tell as well as the 
dealer whether a new flowor was good or bad, and from 
that time did floriculture progress. The raisers of seed¬ 
lings produce new varieties; and when the test is ap¬ 
plied strictly to these, very few are worthy to be added 
to our collections. This does not suit the dealer; con¬ 
sequently, there is a constant fight, as it were, against 
the application of the rules on the part of those who sell, 
and a determination to uphold them, on the part of those 
who buy, with these exceptions; some buyers, or ama¬ 
teurs, are so mixed up with dealers, as to induce them 
to do as dealers do. Hence, we find amateurs judging 
the flowers of dealers favourably, and vice versa; so that 
hundreds of novelties, so called, without the least pre¬ 
tension to value, are sent out every year, not only with 
the recommendation of the seller, but also with certifi¬ 
cates of excellence, given at societies where the dealer’s 
influence prevails. The Cottage Gardener will check 
this evil among thinking men; but the constant struggle 
to lower the standard of merit, by adopting coarse 
flowers, and by placing the showers according to the 
size of the blooms they produce, instead of according to 
the quality, is persevered in by some florists, and all 
under their influence. But it becomes necessary to 
counteract this vulgar taste, and it can only be done by 
amateurs, aided by the few professional florists who take 
a pride in the quality of their productions. How, then, 
should they act ? First, they should, in spite of the taste 
for large coarse flowers, put up such as are conformable, 
as nearly as possible, to “the properties” laid down; 
secondly, they should promote the selection of judges 
who will carry out the pure taste by giving prizes to those 
the nearest perfection in all “ the properties,” and never 
give it to size, unless flowers are equal in all other respects; 
for the same variety of anything, that when grown mode¬ 
rately, is fine, will, when grown large, be coarse, and 
flowers that are naturally large are always proportion- 
ably coarse. Let us, then, hear no more of flowers being 
too small, and, above all things, let judges at floral shows 
look favourably at compactness, doubleness, symmetry, 
form, thickness of petal, smoothness of edge, circular 
instead of rosette, or starry, outline, and on no account 
let size beat unless in all the other respects equal. 
Among the very numerous packets of flowers we arc 
now receiving daily, too many are beneath criticism, 
and our numerous correspondents must conclude that 
we have no favourable notice to give; because a column 
of rejected subjects is, by no means, an agreeable article 
in a limited work. Some we make the subject of private 
communications, but if there be any promise, any hope, 
wo take a more public notice. 
Blooms of Campanula vulalli are no longer a novelty, 
in The Cottage Gardener we have already noticed the 
plant in a former number, and we hear that there are 
seeds in the country. The plant is to all appearance 
hardy, and a perennial, but makes a good potting sub¬ 
ject. 
Hollyhocks (IF. II.). — Vanguard, a splendid centre; 
the guard-petal larger than we liko, but thick, smooth, 
and well formed, with some little puckering, but, with all 
its faults, a good flower. Princess Royal, a lovely 
rose, centre splendid, guard-petals a good size, but not 
October 110. | 
so thick as we like; nevertheless, very beautiful altogether. 
Both these flowers have centres that have richness, 
thickness, and symmetry in their form, and they may be 
grown in good collections with advantage. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS CULTURE. 
The Ranunculus. — Planting. —“ There is a time to 
plant and a time to take up that which was planted.” 
This is a rule as old as the days of Solomon the Wise 
King of Israel, and it is a rule that applies especially to 
plants with bulbous or tuberous roots—and to none more 
so than the ranunculus, for, if the roots of this plant are 
left in the ground in this country, they soon deteriorate, 
and generally perish. Perhaps, in the warm soil of Asia, 
of which it is a native, it may bear to be left longer in 
the soil undisturbed, but as we have only to do with our 
own climate, we must treat our hardy plants to suit it. 
The season for planting the best kinds of ranunculus is 
in the early spring, as soon as the most severe frosts 
have passed away, and the ground has become tolerably 
dry. The beds of course we suppose to have been duly 
prepared, as directed in our last paper on the subject. 
Let two or three dry days pass over sometime about the 
end of February, or the first week in March. Then rake 
the surface of the bed the morning of the day previous 
to the one fixed upon for planting. This will cause it to 
dry much more than if it were left as it is. Look over 
the stock of roots, and prepare, if not already done, 
numbers for each variety, commencing of course with 
No. 1. Some recommend steeping the roots for twelve 
hours in water before planting, but we think this not 
necessary, except the planting season has been for some 
cause or other put off till the middle of April; then 
it may be useful; but if they are planted in the right 
time, there is moisture enough in the ground to cause 
them to swell and grow. Supposing then, that the 
weather is propitious, and all things properly prepared 
and arranged, bring out early some fine morning, as 
near the time as possible, the roots and tallies: com¬ 
mence by drawing, with a triangular-shaped hoe, a drill 
across the end of the bed, about 1^ in. deep; do not 
exceed that; if deeper, the roots will be weakened the 
succeeding year, by forming themselves on a kind of 
stem, nearer the surface; and if shallower, the plants are 
more liable to be struck with drought, should a dry 
season succeed. The drill being drawn the right depth, 
plant the whole of No. 1, and press each bulb, or tuber, 
slightly down into the ground; plant them, if large, 
four inches apart in the row—if small, three-and-a- 
half inclios will be a sufficient distance. Finish the 
first row, and if it holds all No. 1, place the tally, or 
number, facing the row of plants. If one row across 
the bed will not contain the whole of the first variety, 
draw a second drill five inches from the first, and place 
the tally at the end of the variety, whether in the 
middle of the bed or nearer the side. Be very particular 
about this point, and make the tally firm in the ground, 
so that it may not be easily displaced, and lead in con¬ 
sequence to confusion. As soon as the first kind are all 
planted, cover the crown of each tuber with fine sand. 
This will cause the tubers, when they are taken up in 
July, to come out of the ground quite clean, and in good 
condition for keeping. (If, however, there is any 
difficulty in obtaining the sand, it may be dispensed 
with). Then with a short-toothed rake draw the soil 
over the bulbs, and when it is level give a gentle 
pressure with the head of the rake, to press the soil 
pretty closely upon them. After that is done, draw 
another drill for No. 2; proceed in the same way in 
planting and covering up, and so on till the whole are 
planted. If possible finish all the planting the same 
day. Then fix over the bed, or beds, some hoops three or 
four feet apart, with rods running lengthwise, and tied 
