108 



LACHENALIA TRICOLOR. 



Amidst the numerous varieties of 

 bulbous-rooted plants whose flowers 

 adorn our greenhouses during the 

 earlier months of the year, few de- 

 serve or are better entitled to the 

 gardener's attention than the one 

 named above. Their beautiful spikes 

 of trumpet-shaped red and yellow 

 coloured flowers, whether intermixed 

 with other plants or otherwise, are 

 sure to be attractive. To me it is a 

 matter of surprise that their culture 

 among floriculturists is not more uni- 

 versal, as they are not of recent in- 

 troduction, having been brought into 

 this country from the Cape of Good 

 Hope in the year 1774 ; and, unlike 

 the Hyacinth, Narcissus, etc., they do 

 not require to be purchased annually 

 that sound and good flowering bulbs 

 may be secured, as the Lachenalia 

 increases every year in number and 

 strength, if the grower will bestow 

 some degree of care. This induces 

 me to offer a few simple rules for the 

 cultivator as practised successfully by 

 myself. 



Towards the latter part of July, I 

 turn them out of the pots in which 

 they had flowered the previous spring, 

 they having been allowed to remain 

 dormant in the same during the sum- 

 mer months ; in sorting them the 

 stronger bulbs are selected, and five 

 of each are planted in a six-inch size 

 pot, commonly known as 32's. Good 

 drainage and clean pots are indispen- 

 sable. With me they thrive best in 

 a strong loam (not clayey), but of a 

 silky or soft texture ; add to this 

 about a fourth part of dry rotten 

 manure, with a little sand. If the 

 manure be decayed cow-dung, so 

 much the better, provided it is free 

 from worms. They are then placed 

 in that part of a cool pit where the 

 influence of the solar rays act but 

 slightly on them — the object being in 



the present stage of their growth to 

 check too rapid an evaporation in the 

 soil, as frequent watering when there 

 is not an abundance of rootlets to 

 absorb the fluid would tend to dimi- 

 nish the nutritious properties of the 

 soil. "When they have begun to 

 vegetate freely, expose them more 

 fully to the light and air ; their rich 

 dark green speckled leaves will then 

 soon begin to strengthen in growth. 

 That a healthy vigour may be pre- 

 served during the winter months, 

 place them on the upper shelf of a 

 greenhouse, near the glass, but do 

 not neglect carefully watering them. 

 You will occasionally find water, from 

 drip and other causes, in the centre 

 of the bulb where the flower- stalk is 

 emitted ; it would be as well to dis- 

 lodge the same, although I do not 

 think its presence is of any material 

 consequence. As the flower-spikes 

 become perceptible, allow the pots as 

 much room as your means will admit 

 of for the display of their vigorous 

 foliage. During the blooming sea- 

 son, shade on hot sunny days ; this 

 will preserve the colour as well as the 

 flowers. When they have ceased 

 blooming, gradually ripen the bulbs 

 by reducing the quantity of water, 

 till you wholly discontinue the supply, 

 when they may be put in any corner 

 of the greenhouse till the period of 

 disturbing them as previously recom- 

 mended. 



The offsets or smaller bulbs may 

 be planted, ten or twelve or more in 

 number, according to their size, iu a 

 five-inch or 48-sized pot ; they will not 

 all flower, yet you may increase your 

 stock of strong-flowering bulbs for 

 selecting from in the ensuing season. 

 The Lachenalia will submit to be 

 forced, but it is at the expense of 

 weakening both the bulb and the 

 flower-spike. J. F. M'Elkoy. 



CELOSIAS FOR DECORATION. 



In the Gabden Oeacle for 1863 we 

 gave a short account of our experi- 



mental culture of some varieties of 

 Celosia pyramidalis, undertaken for 



