THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



251 



Soils. — Where the highest cultivation 

 is aimed at, the composts should be formed 

 of approved materials, such as one com- 

 posed of equal parts of thoroughly decom- 

 posed cow-dung, well-rotted leaf-mould, 

 and either a light sandy loam, or what is 

 better, road-scrapings which contain a 

 good proportion of the turf from the sides 

 of the road, and huve been laid in a heap 

 and turned about fur two years. These 

 materials should be kept in separate heaps 

 in the compost-ground, and when required 

 for use should be united, adding one good 

 barrow.load of silver-sand to every six of 

 the compost ; and let the incorporation be 

 thoroughly performed. When the higliest 

 perfection nf bloom is not of paramount 

 importance, any good gai-den-soil, with the 

 addition of one-seventh part of silver- 

 sand, v\ill answer every purpose. 



Time op Planting. — This may be 

 performed from the beginning of Septem- 

 ber to the middle or end of November. 

 To obtain bloonis by Christmas it will be 

 necessary to plant the bulbs as soon as 

 they can be procured ; for a successional 

 show of blossom within doors, plant some 

 early in September, the middle of October, 

 and the middle of November, either in 

 pots or glasses, the best mode of doing 

 which will be found under the headings of 

 Culture in Pots and Glasses. It is ad- 

 visable that the bulk of the bulbs should 

 be planted in October to furnish the main 

 crop; for border or open-air planting, com- 

 mence as soon as the bedding-plants are 

 removed. 



Cdlture in Pots. — When this is done 

 on a large scale it would be advisable to 

 liave a number of pots made on purpose, as 

 the ordinary shaped flower-pots arenot deep 

 enough for Hyacinths, which root deeply, 

 and, to do well, require plenty of room. 

 Tiiese pots should be made nearly upright, 

 and of two sizes ; one, for three bulbs in 

 a pot, should be six inches in diameter (in- 

 side measm-e) and nine inches deep; another, 

 for one bulb in a pot, should be four 

 inches in diameter and seven inches deep. 

 Let these pots be well-drained and filled 

 with the compost above i-ecommended, or 

 garden mould, as the case may be, and in- 

 sert the bulbs, allowing the soil to be half 

 an inch below the rim of the pot and 

 ueai'ly half the bulb above the level of the 

 £oil. Wiien tiie potting is complete, let 

 the pots be placed on a dry level bottom of 

 coal ashes in an open place, and covered 

 over to a depth of from six to eight inches 

 above the bulbs with decayed leaves, sand, 

 or old tanner's bark, leaving it rather 



higher in the centi'c than at the sides, so 

 as to throw off heavy rains ; in about 

 eight weeks the most forward will be ready 

 I to be removed, first into a coo! greenhouse, 

 ] and after a few days into a house with a 

 , temperature ranging from 60" to G5', 

 placed on a shelf near the glass, and freely 

 watered. When the flower-stem is well 

 thrown up and the flowers begin to expand, 

 they sliovdd at once be removed into a 

 cooler temperature, whereby the duration 

 of bloom will be lengthened and the 

 colours improved. Should none of the fore- 

 going conveniences be at hand, and par- 

 lours and drawing rooms only be available, 

 it is only requisite that the bulbs be care- 

 fully potted in garden mould, the base of 

 the bulb surrounded with silver-sand, and 

 extremes of temperature carefully avoided. 

 Culture in Glasses. — For this pur- 

 pose single Hyacinths are to be preferred, 

 as they bloom more freely. Fill the glasses 

 with soft water imtil it barely touches the 

 base of the bulb ; then place them in a 

 dark cupboard, or, what is better, in a 

 cellar totally excluded from the light, until 

 the roots are well thrown out, which will 

 generally take place in two or three weeks, 

 when they may be placed in a window or 

 in a greenhouse, near the glass (but always 

 protected from sudden changes of tempera- 

 ture), and turn the glasses frequently, as 

 the llower has always a tendency to lean 

 towards the light. If these simi)le rules 

 be attended to, a fine bloom is almost sure 

 to be obtained; tlie water shoidd be 

 changed when it presents a cloudy appear- 

 ance ; the addition of a minute qiuuitity 

 of guano will generally strengthen the 

 plants, and improve the colour of the 

 flowers. 



Cultuke in the Open Air. — The 

 Hyacinths usually supplied for tliis pin-- 

 pose having been occasionally complained 

 of as being insufficient and uncertain of 

 colour, we have devoted careful and parti- 

 cular attention to the removal of this dis- 

 ability, ana are happy to say that we are 

 now in a position to supply Hyacinths of 

 brilliant and certain colours, viz., light or 

 dark blue, light or dark red, pure white, 

 and white v>itii coloured eyes, at 4*. per 

 do::eii ; this we trust will be esteemed a 

 desirable consummation, as it will render 

 possible at a moderate cost a beautiful and 

 effective out-door arrangement of this 

 richly-scented and favourite flower. When 

 the bedding-plants are removed the beds 

 should be innnediately dug up to the depth 

 of a foot or eighteen inches ; when finished 

 the beds should stand considerablv above 



