ON THE CULTURE OF DUTCH BULBS. 
143 
Horticultural Essays, 
By the Members of the Regents Park Gardeners' Society. 
ON THE CULTURE OF DUTCH BULBS. 
By Mr. W. Ansell. 
( Continued from page 111.) 
The Ranunculus. — The species of Ranunculus are natives 
of the south of Europe and North America; and many of them 
are natives of Britain. The parent of the florist’s flowers is 
extensively cultivated in the East, and also by the Dutch, toge¬ 
ther with its varieties, with the same success as the hyacinth 
and the tulip. 
Planting the full-grown Tubers. They should be planted as 
early as convenient in October, selecting the medium-sized 
tubers, for they are better than large ones, the large ones being 
very apt to divide into offsets, and therefore seldom flower so 
strongly. When a number of offsets are required, large-sized 
tubers are consequently to be preferred. 
The place selected for the culture of the Ranunculus should 
not be quite so dry and airy as recommended for the hyacinth 
and tulip. About the middle of September, the bed should be 
excavated to the depth of eighteen inches; then place in the 
bottom a stratum of well-rotten cow-dung, and mix it with 
the mould below, as before recommended; fill the bed to the 
ground level with good strong loam that has lain in heap 
for twelve months. Clay has been used with good success. 
When quite ready for planting, the bed should be marked out 
by means of a rod, with lines four or five inches asunder. 
Never plant the roots in holes or drills, as is often practised, 
but place them on the angles of the lines previously drawn, 
and with some sand above and below each ; over the whole about 
two inches of soil should be laid. 
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