The root is composed of several thick fleshy fangs or claws, uniting at top into a head. When the plant becomes strong, several subordinate or lateral heads are formed, and each of these may be taken off 'with their proper claws, to form a new plant. These offsets, it may be observed, form better flowering plants than the central head, which is ex hausted by flowering.
The soil preferred for the ranunculus bed is fresh rich loam, inclining to clayey. It should be deep, perhaps little short of three feet ; for it is surprising to what a depth the fine fibres from the tubers penetrate downwards. Some gardeners raise the bed a few inches above the surround ing ground. if manure be at any time added, it should be well rotted, and must he introduced at the very bottom of the bed at least two feet and a half below the tubers. Miller mentions three feet as the proper depth of soil for the beds, adding; that on such beds plants produce forty or fifty flowers, which in a shallow soil would not af ford a dozen. The beds arc kept flat on the surface, not raised in the middle as for tulips. Miller directs, that the roots should be planted six inches apart each way ; but this is too wide c Five inches between the rows, and three or four inches between each plant in the rows, are sufficient. In sonic situations, the plants grow stronger than in others; and a good general rule is, to observe the size which the leaves commonly acquire, and then, in that garden, to plant so close as that the grass or foliage of contiguous rows may just meet ; the ground being kept in a desirable state of moisture by this close covering of leaves. The tubers should not be more than an inch and a half deep in the earth ; and they should be placed with the claws point ing downwards or the bud upwards. It is not right to plant ranunculuses year after year in the same bed. a little fresh soil be introduced, they may do twice ; but alter this, the earth of the bed should be entirely changed, or a new bed should be made in a different part of the garden.
The time of planting is either the latter end of October, or the first mild and dry weather in February. When put in in October, the buds sometimes appear above ground in November ; in this case, a thin covering of half an inch of light soil is cast over them before severe weather sets in.
Autumn planted ranunculuses also require attention in the spring ; if hard frosts occur when the flower-stems ap pear, a covering of hoops and mats may be proper for a few days.
The beds are weeded with the hand, and by careful cul tivators the earth between the rows is stirred up only with the fingers, a hoe being very apt to cut and injure the tu bers, or break too many of the line roots. When the flow ers begin to expand, the florist does not fail to guard equally against nightly frosts and scorching sun-beams, by means of a canvas awning, or at least of mats laid over large hoops. When drought occurs, liberal watering proves very beneficial to the ranunculus bed.
When the flowering is over, and the leaves have begun to decay, the tubers are carefully lifted on a dry day; be ing thoroughly cleared of earth, they are dried in the shade, and then deposited in separate drawers or boxes, or in paper bags, till wanted for replanting.
When it is wished to raise seedling ranunculuses, the seed is collected from flowers having not fewer than five or six rows of petals, of good colour. It is sown in Au gust, in boxes or pots, on the very surface of the eat th, and a little very fine mould is sifted over it, so as hardly to cover the seeds. The young plants are kept under a glass frame during winter; and most of them flower the second year.
498. The garden anemone is of two kinds, the broad leaved, (?. hortensis,) and the narrow-leaved, (4. corona ria.) The former is the more hardy, being a native of Italy and the south of France ; the latter grows naturally in the islands of the Archipelago, where it appears of all colours.
499. A fine double anemone should have a strong up right stem, eight or nine inches high ; the flower should be from two to near three inches in diameter ; the outer petals should be firm, spreading horizontally, except that they turn up a little at the end, and the smaller petals with in these should be so disposed as to form an elegant whole. The plain colours should be brilliant and striking ; the va riegated ones, clear and distinct. The flowers arc gene rally divided by florists into red and pink, rosy and crim son, white and white spotted, dark and light blue.