Wind-flower. Forty-seven species; numerous varieties. Some hardy herbaceous, others hardy tuberous; A. vitifolia is half-hardy, and A. capensis green-house. A. thalic-troides flore pleno is a very beautiful and chaste flower, an artificial product from a well known American species. Divi- I sion, offsets, or seeds. Light loam.

The anemone, the florist's flower of our gardens, is the offspring of the A. cororwriii (poppy anemone), and A. hor-tensis (star-leaved anemone). Sprung from these there are now about eighty varieties in our catalogues. A variety lasts about twelve years. The following is a good selection.

Agnita. Belle Hortense. Bellona.

Couleur de Sang. Court de France. Cramoisie Superbe Grand Duke. High Admirable. Imperatrice. Incomparable A zure. Olympia. Regina Augusta.

Hegina Rubrorum. Heine Caudalev

------ des Fleurs.

------ of Anemones.

Remarkable.

Rosalia.

Rose Agreeable.

------ Jolie.

------ Mernette.

------ Parfaite.

------ Surpassante.

Superbe Royale.

Triumphante.

Characteristics Of A Good Anemone

The stem should be strong, elastic, and erect, not less than nine inches high. The blossom or corolla should be at least two inches and a half in diameter, consisting of an exterior row of large substantial well-rounded petals or guard-leaves, at first horizontally extended, and then turning a little upwards, so as to form a broad shallow cup, the interior part of which should contain a great number of long small petals imbricating each other, and rather reverting from the centre of the blossom: there are a great number of small slender stamens intermixed with these petals, but they are short and not easily discernible. The colour should be clear and distinct when diversified in the same flower, or brilliant and striking if it consists only of one colour, as blue, crimson, or scarlet, etc, in which case the bottom of the broad exterior petals is generally white; but the beauty and contrast are considerably increased when both the exterior petals are regularly marked with alternate blue and white, or pink and white, etc, stripes, which, in the broad petals, should not extend quite to the margin.

Propagation

All the varieties are propagated by offsets from the root, and new varieties are obtained from seed.

By offsets all the kinds increase exceedingly every year, so the roots of all the best kinds should be taken up 3 annually at the decay of the leaf, and the root may be divided or broken into as many pieces or knobs as are furnished with an eye or bud, observing, however, that if they are divided very small, they flower very weak the first year; therefore, if you would have strong flowers from the main root, only break off those small ones that are slightly affixed thereto, but they should not be thus divided until autumn, or near the time for planting them again.

The time for taking up the roots is in May and June, when the leaf and stalk are withered, for then the roots cease to grow for a month or six weeks; but if they are permitted to stand to put forth fresh fibres again, they should not be removed that season.

They should be taken up in dry weather, and spread in an airy place out of the sun for about a week, then cleared from earth and put up in bags or boxes till the planting season arrive.

The seed should be sowed from the best single or semi-double flowers; the full doubles afford none.

The time to sow it is March, either in boxes, large pots, or pans, of light compost, or in a bed of such earth; sow it moderately thick, and cover it near a quarter of an inch deep with sifted mould. From this time occasional shade and moderate waterings in dry weather are necessary, and in six weeks the plants will appear. Keep them clear from weeds, and when the leaves decay, sift a quarter of an inch of earth over the bed, which is all that is necessary till the second summer, when they are to be taken up at the decay of the leaf, and managed as the old roots in the manner already directed.