272 



THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



riety ; Grand Vedette, light porcelain blue, 

 a handsome and fine variety ; Laurens 

 Koster, shaded purple and blue, large close 

 spike, an exceedingly fine and handsome 

 variety ; Sir John Fi-anklin, shaded porce- 

 lain blue, large bells and spike, very fine ; 

 Van Speyk, a very fine variety, light porce- 

 lain bl ue, with large bells and very fine spike. 

 SiiiijU Varieties.— QiOXkXonxiQ de GjUe, 

 light porcelain blue, a splendid variety, 

 with large bells and very large spike, extra 

 fine ; Grand Vedette, light porcelain blue, 

 large bells and full spike, fine ; Grand 

 Lilac, delicate azure blue, with large bells 

 and very large spike, a beautiful and very 

 fine variety ; La Surpassante, rich blue 

 purple, a distinct and beautiful shade of 

 colour, close spike ; Lord Raglan, shaded 

 porcelain blue, darker than Giiarles Dickens 

 and Eegulus, large spike, extra fine ; 

 Prince Albert, rich glossy blackish purple, 

 large belU and large and very close spike, 

 a very fine and most beautiful hyacinth ; 

 Regnlus, shaded lavender and blue, large 

 bells and very large spike, an exceedingly 

 fine and beautiful variety; Uncle Tom, 

 very dark blue, extra fine. 



Double Varieties. — La Deesse, beautiful 

 waxy white, distinct and fine ; Princess 



Alice, a very fine and handsome new va- 

 riety ; Queen of England, white with bright 

 pink eye, fine. 



Single Varieties. — Elfrida, beautiful pale 

 creamy blush, very large well shaped bells, 

 good spike, a vei'y fine variety ; Grandeur 

 a Merveille, French white, with very large 

 wax-like pip, and very fine close spike, a 

 splendid variety ; Grande Vainqueur, pure 

 white, a fine and beautiful variety ; Grande 

 Vedette, a very handsome and fine variety, 

 with large bells ; La Baleine, white flushed 

 with delicate flesh colour, lai'ge bells and 

 good spike, fine ; Madame de Stael, extra 

 fine white, superior to Grande Vainqueur ; 

 Madame Van dsr Hoop, pure white, large 

 bells and immense spike, an extra fine 

 variet}'- ; Voltaire, blush white, very large 

 bells, fine. 



We have avoided the high-priced kinds, 

 which range from 3s Q l. to \0s., because 

 they are really not worth the extra money, 

 but bear these prices because the stock is 

 limited. Many persons have a prejudice 

 against siw/le hyacinths, and absurdly ob- 

 ject to growing them. If such persons had 

 the experience of those who cultivate for 

 exhibition and market purposes, they would 

 very soon find out that the majority of our 

 finest hyacinths are the single-blossomed 

 varieties. — Gossip for the Garden. 



STEAWBEREIES FOECED ON A NEW PLAN. 



The following method may be adopted by 

 any wlao are preparing to force strawber- 

 ries next spring, if their plants are now in 

 pots with well ripened crowns. By this 

 method finer forced fruit can be produced 

 than by any other. I lav runners in the 

 usual way, in 60-size pots, about the latter 

 end of June; and here I will just state, that 

 they should be laj'ered, if possible, from 

 one-year-old plants, that are very strong 

 and health}', as they will produce the best 

 runners. I keep them well watered, repot 

 the last week in July, or first week in 

 August, in thirty-two's, or six-inch pots. 

 Soil, turfy loam two parts, road sand two 

 parts, cow-dung one part, with a sprinkling 

 of soot ; well drain the pots, and when 

 potted off place them in a good open situa- 

 tion, fully exposed to the sun. I give them 

 plenty of water, never allowing them to 

 flag by any means. By October you will 

 have strong plants, with large solid crowns, 

 and the pots full of roots. Now they must 

 be watered very sparingly, and kept almost 

 dry, that they may ripen their crowns well, 

 and go to rest. I pack them in ridges, 



and well protect them in frosty weather. 

 For early purposes, I plunge them in a pit, 

 with bottom-heat, abouc 65' or 70% and as 

 soon as they show their buds, I plant them 

 out in the troughs. The troughs are made 

 of rough deal, from six to twelve feet in 

 length (or any length that may be most 

 convenient), eight inches in depth, seven 

 inches wide ou the top, five in the bottom, 

 with holes in the bottom for the water to 

 pass off. Over these holes I put large 

 sherds, with their convex sides downwards, 

 then small ones all over the bottom of the 

 troughs. On these a layer of fibre, turfy- 

 loam, broken in pieces about the size of 

 small hen's eggs : turn the plants out, re- 

 move all the drainage I can without injury 

 to the roots. Plant them in the troughs, 

 with a space of two inches between the ball 

 of each plant. I fill up with three parts 

 turfy loam and one of roads and, that has 

 been well incorporated together, working 

 in verj- solid around the plants with a 

 short stick, or rammer, the crowns of the 

 plants being just level with the top of the 

 trough; place them on the back shelves of 



