356 
April  26,  1900« 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
_ 
Bannucnlases. 
The  Ranuncnlns  is  one  of  our  most  beautiful  old-fashioned  flowers, 
yet  it  is  seldom  seen,  though  very  useful  for  cutting,  being  both  a 
good  traveller  and  lasting  several  days  in  fine  condition.  If  cut 
whilst  the  buds  are  young  or  about  a  third  expanded  they  wilt 
continue  to  unfold  the  same  as  if  growing  on  the  plant.  A  bed  of 
the  old  florists’  varieties  is  a  sight  to  be  remembered.  Many 
persons,  no  doubt,  are  under  the  impression  that  the  Ranunculus  is 
rather  fastidious.  They  want  attention,  I  admit,  but  they  only  require 
ordinary  treatment  if  the  mould  is  suitable.  Sandy  clayey  loam  is 
the  best  soil,  similar  to  that  in  which  the  common  Buttercup  grows 
freely,  and  if  this  flower  flourishes  in  the  district  it  may  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  Ranunculus  will  thrive  too  if  the  following  details 
are  carried  out. 
Whilst  growing  the  Ranunculus  requires  an  ample  supply  of 
moisture,  but  it  will  not  thrive  in  a  close  sodden  soil.  The  position 
for  the  bed  should  not  be  in  a  high  and  dry  place,  or  where  the  soil 
is  not  drained  and  in  a  well  pulverised  condition.  The  site  of  the 
bed  having  been  marked  out  stir  the  soil  deeply,  and  if  it  is  poor  I 
would  sooner  add  some  fresh  loam  than  use  manure ;  but  if  it  is 
decided  to  use  the  latter,  iu  the  autumn  cow  manure  should  be  dug 
in,  not  being  nearer  to  the  surface  than  6  inches.  The  most  suitable 
period  for  planting  is  any  time  after  the  middle  of  February,  when 
the  weather  is  favourable  and  the  soil  in  a  workable  condition,  and 
I  should  prefer  to  wait  a  week  rather  than  plant  when  the  ground 
is  in  a  wet  state. 
When  planting  some  people  draw  drills  about  l-J  inch  in  depth; 
but  what  we  have  found  the  quickest  and  best  way  is  to  make  the 
surface  of  the  bed  level,  placing  an  edging  of  thin  boards  around  the 
bed,  the  top  edge  of  the  board  to  be  1^  inch  above  the  level.  Instead 
of  drawing  drills  press  the  tubers  on  the  surface  in  rows  3  inches 
apart  and  4  inches  between  the  rows,  covering  each  with  a  pinch  of 
sand,  which  will  cause  them  to  turn  out  clean  when  the  time  arrives 
for  lifting.  When  the  tubers  are  all  laid  out  the  soil  should  be  placed 
carefully  over  the  tubers  to  the  top  edge  of  the  boards,  and  levelled 
off  firmly  with  the  back  of  a  small  rake.  If  those  growers  who 
have  hitherto  planted  Ranunculus  in  drills  were  to  adopt  this  plan 
they  would  not  regret  it,  and  the  tubers  would  all  be  of  an  uniform 
depth. 
There  is  one  point  in  the  preparation  of  the  tubers  before  planting 
that  needs  attention,  and  that  is  to  soak  them  in  water  for  about  twenty- 
four  hours.  When  this  is  not  done  the  tubers  are  apt  to  force  them- 
selves  upwards  too  near  the  surface,  and  often  out  of  the  ground 
altogether,  which  weakens  them  considerably,  and  if  not  detected  at 
once  they  perish,  this  being  the  cause  of  many  failures.  Another 
cause  of  failure  is  through  the  tubers  not  being  harvested  carefully, 
or  they  are  stored  in  a  damp  place.  A  blue  mould  or  mildew 
will  often  appear  amongst  them,  which,  if  not  promptly  observed, 
will  soon  cause  serious  havoc.  If  this  should  appear  the  tubers 
should  be  picked  out  at  once  and  the  remainder  laid  out  thinly  in  a 
dry  place. 
As  the  young  foliage  appears  above  the  ground  all  weeds  should  be 
removed,  and  on  the  first  dry  day  loosen  the  surface  of  the  bed  with  a 
small  stick  or  fork,  and  press  the  soil  lightly  about  the  roots.  All  the 
treatment  they  require  is  to  keep  them  free  from  weeds  and  to  give 
them  a  thorough  watering  occasionally  if  the  weather  prove  dry.  A 
slight  mulching  with  well  pulverised  manure  would  also  prove  bene¬ 
ficial  and  would  lessen  the  want  of  water,  keeping  the  roots  cool.  When 
the  blooms  commence  showing  colour  take  care  that  no  water  touches 
them,  as  the  construction  of  the  flower  causes  them  to  hold  water,  and 
if  the  sun  happens  to  shine  powerfully,  the  blooms  would  most  likely 
be  injured  unless  shading  could  be  provided.  As  the  blooms  fade 
they  must  be  removed,  or  the  tubers  may  be  weakened,  and  as  soon  as 
the  foliage  turns  yellow  and  withers  lift  the  tubers,  clear  them  of  soil 
and  old  foliage,  and  lay  them  out  to  dry  in  the  open  air  out  of  the  reach 
of  sun,  or,  what  may  be  better,  in  an  airy  shed.  When  perfectly  dry 
store  them  away.  If  the  tubers  are  left  in  the  ground  after  the  foliage 
decays  they  are  apt  to  commence  making  fresh  growth  or  roots,  which 
weakens  them  considerably. 
Though  as  florists’  flowers  strictly  Ranunculuses  have  fallen  upon 
evil  days,  many  thousandsjare  yearly  planted  in  various  gardens  in 
the  country.  As  a  rule  growers  select  between  the  French, '[Persian, 
and  Turban  (fig.  99)  types,  each  of  which  possesses  some  desirable 
attribute  of  form  or  colour  that  renders  it  worthy  of  inclusion  in  the 
garden. — A. 
- —<♦♦♦♦ - - 
Electric  Ligtit  and  Lilian)  I(arrisi. 
The  florist  will  doubtless  be  interested  to  learn  the  results  of  recent 
experiments  conducted  by  the  writer  with  the  electric  arc  light  upon  the 
growth  and  flowering  of  Lilium  Harrisi.  The  bulbs,  mostly  five  to 
seven,  were  potted  in  mid- October,  removed  to  cold  frames  in  late 
November,  plunged  in  the  solid  bed  in  the  greenhouse  late  in  December, 
and  the  electric  light  started  on  the  1st  of  January.  Up  to  this  time 
the  cultural  conditions  had  been  kept  as  uniforin  as  possible,  and  the 
plants  were  divided  up  as  evenly  as  could  be  judging  from  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  tops.  At  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  the  light,  a  globeless 
arc  lamp,  was  started,  and  at  six  in  the  morning  it  was  stopped.  The 
bed  was  divided  into  three  sections — one  exposed  to  the  full  effect  of 
the  rays  from  the  light,  another  still  in  the  light  but  behind  a  pane  of 
glass  which  cut  out  some  of  the  ultra-violet  rays,  otherwise  being  the 
same  as  the  first  section  ;  the  third  section  was  kept  dark  by  means  of 
an  opaque  curtain  drawn  across  the  house  each  evening  when  the  light 
was  turned  on. 
At  the  time  the  light  was  turned  on  the  plants  were  very  uniform  in 
each  section,  care  having  been  taken  to  divide  up  the  less  uniform 
ones  among  the  different  sections.  In  about  six  weeks  differences 
commenced  to  appear,  which  became  more  pronounced  as  the 
experiment  progressed.  In  the  lighted  sections  the  plants  became 
leggy,  the  leaves  very  much  curved,  narrower  than  customary;  a  sallow 
green  and  far  apart  on  the  stems.  Under  the  naked  light  these  points 
were  most  noticeable.  The  plants  in  the  darkened  section  were  more 
stocky  and  robust,  had  a  more  pleasing  appearance,  better  green  colour, 
and  seemed  healthier  and  more  evenly  developed.  After  the  formation 
of  the  blossom  buds  these  differences  seemed  to  increase  less 
noticeably,  but  the  buds  on  the  plants  in  the  naked  light  section  began 
to  develop  an  ugly  brown  streak  or  band  from  base  to  point  upon  the 
surface  exposed  to  the  light  directly,  generally  the  upper  surface.  This 
was  of  the  nature  of  a  burn,  and  grew  worse  as  flowering  time  drew 
near.  The  petals  so  afflicted  were  much  curved,  more  than  is  usual 
with  healthy  blossoms.  In  some  cases  the  stripes  were  a  full  quarter 
of  an  inch  wide.  In  the  second  section,  where  the  light  had  first 
passed  through  a  pane  of  glass,  no  such  effects  were  observed,  and,  of 
course,  none  in  the  darkened  part  of  the  house. 
The  effect  upon  the  time  of  blossoming  was  also  marked.  The  first 
flowers  opened  in  the  naked  light,  four  days  earlier  than  the  earliest 
blooms  in  the  second  section,  and  thirteen  days  earlier  than  flowers  in 
the  darkened  section.  They  lasted,  upon  the  average,  nine  days,  those 
in  the  second  section  nine  and  half  days,  in  the  third  or  darkened 
one  eleven  days.  These  last,  though  later,  were  more  robust,  but 
somewhat  smaller  than  the  others,  which,  like  the  plants  that  bore 
them,  were  spindling,  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  burned  ones, 
not  unsightly. 
Fortunately  for  the  experiment  a  plant  with  two  remarkably  evenly 
developed  stems  was  found.  This  was  placed  so  that  the  curtain  could 
be  drawn  between  the  stems,  thus  shutting  off  the  light  from  one  of 
them.  The  other  stem  was  in  the  second  section  under  the  light  that 
came  through  the  pane  of  glass.  Another  twin-stemmed  plant,  almost 
as  well  developed  as  the  one  mentioned,  was  placed  in  the  naked  light 
section,  and  the  larger  of  the  stems  covered  each  night  with  a  large 
Manila  paper  tube  to  keep  it  in  the  dark.  In  each  of  these  cases  the 
stem  in  the  dark  developed  its  flower  a  day  later  than  the  stem  in 
the  light. 
Other  plants  of  uniform  development  were  selected  from  time  to 
time,  marked  and  placed  in  the  different  sections,  with  the  results  that 
those  in  the  lighted  sections  were  first  to  blossom,  and  that  the  plants 
under  the  naked  light  showed  to  a  more  or  less  degree  the  brown 
burn  referred  to  above.  Plants  that  were  selected  for  this  part 
of  the  experiment  were  carrying  well-developed  buds  when  removed 
to  the  lighted  section.  The  ones  under  the  strained  light  lasted 
as  long — namely,  eleven  days,  and  were  as  well  formed  as  the 
flowers  grown  in  the  dark;  moreover,  they  were  from  one  to  three 
days  earlier. 
From  these  experiments,  which  have  not  been  oond^icted  for  a  long 
enough  period  to  warrant  definite  conclusions,  it  is  advised  that  the 
use  of  the  arc  light,  in  bringing  Easter  Lilies  into  blossom,  should  be 
attempted  upon  only  a  small  scale  commercially  until  more  fully 
investigated.  From  the  above  work  it  seems  likely  that  the  light 
might  be  used  to  advantage  after  the  buds  are  an  inch  long,  in  order  to 
make  them  expand  sooner  than  they  naturally  would,  but  the  light 
should  always  pass  through  a  glass  globe  before  reaching  the  plants. 
Probably  an  opalescent  glass  would  be  better  than  the  one  uaed  in  these 
experiments;  this,  however,  has  not  been  determined. — M.  G.  Kains 
(in  the  “  Florists’  Exchange.”) 
