124 FLORA HISTORICA. 



manner of foreign commodities into Russia, and by 

 this support they were encouraged to visit the 

 several provinces of the East more carefully than 

 other nations could do. 



The Dutch, who at that period were the greatest 

 florists in Europe, soon turned these bulbs to 

 account ; and it is rather singular that neither the 

 French nor the English should ever have made the 

 attempt of raising flower-bulbs for the market : to 

 this day, the rearing them from seed in private gar- 

 dens is seldom, if ever, practised in this country, 

 even in situations offering all the advantages of soil 

 which the Dutch are said to possess in so high a 

 degree for bulbous flowering plants. 



We are satisfied that if it should become the 

 practice to raise our own bulbs from seed produced 

 in this country, our Hyacinths would not be found, 

 to degenerate so soon, and we should produce much 

 finer flowers of this kind than those which at present 

 ..embellish our borders. They would be more per- 

 fectly naturalized to our soil and climate, and more 

 interest would be excited in our florists to rival 

 each other in producing the finest plants of this 

 beautiful flower. It is admitted that the time re- 

 quired (namely, five years) to raise these bulbs 

 from seed to a state fit for the market, is a long 

 period for a planter to wait for a return ; but when 

 once this is accomplished, the succession goes on 



