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THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



well open at the base. The bells should 

 occupy half the stem, the uppermost bell 

 being perfectly erect, so as to form, when 

 fully open, a perfect pyramid. The flowers, 

 whether of one colour, mottled, or striped 

 should be distinct. 



In the first place, much depends upon the 

 quality of the bulb, which should be per- 

 fectly ripe, and the sooner obtained after 

 arrival the better, for it is highly objection- 

 able to expose them much to the air except- 

 ing so much as may be needed to disperse 

 any moisture that they may have attained 

 during their transmission. Always select the 

 largest and best shaped bulbs, rejecting, as 

 a rule, those that are loose in their texture 

 and small ; but we find, generally, that if the 

 base of the bulb is sound and ripe, the other 

 portion can be depended upon. In fact, this 

 is the only guide amongst such sorts as 

 Porcelain Sceptre, Prince Albert, Grootvoorst, 

 and numerous others of the best sorts which 

 have wretched roots ; indeed, sometimes we 

 have seen them cast aside as useless. It is, 

 therefore, best to leave the selection to those 

 acquainted with them, until, by experience, 

 the amateur can trust his own judgment. 



The compost is another important point. 

 This should consist of an equal portion of 

 turfy loam and well decayed cow dung, 

 previously prepared by exposure to air, but 

 not rain, and should be well incorporated; 

 to this add about one-third silver sand, for 

 they delight in a gritty cpen soil. Use 6 inch 

 or 32-sized pots, as there is not sufficient room 

 in smaller sizes for their strong roots ; fill the 

 pots about one-third with draining materials 

 — either broken pots or oyster shells, the 

 latter is best — and the remaining two-thirds 

 witli the above compost; clear the bulb of 

 all offsets and loose parts, and press lightly 

 into the soil, leaving one-third above the 

 surface ; then water sufficient to settle the 

 soil, and plunge thein a foot at least under 



coal ashes, or old tan out of doors, or a cold 

 frame may be placed over them, still plung- 

 ing them, for this is done to cause them to 

 make root before the crown starts ; this is a 

 very essential point, for unless the pot is un 1 1 

 rilled with roots, a good flower cannot be 

 obtained. In a month or six weeks, the 

 latter being the better time, take up as many 

 as are required for earliest blooms, and 

 gradually inure them to the light before 

 placing in the forcing pit ; then, as soon as 

 they show their colour, proceed with others 

 in the same manner. The end of September 

 is soon enough to pot the earliest sorts, re- 

 peating the operation every fortnight till the 

 end of November, by which means a suc- 

 cession of flowers may be had until April. 

 The finest flowers will be obtained from those 

 not too strongly forced. If for exhibition, 

 pot not later than the middle of October, 

 and gradually bring them forward as before 

 described ; give them plenty of water, and 

 use liquid manure in a, very weak state twice 

 a week. 



Where they are grown in water procure 

 Tyes registered glasses which are the most 

 suitable for them, and are also very orna- 

 mental. The bulbs should be placed in the 

 glasses by the middle of October — although 

 later may do — and take care the water only 

 just reaches the base ; then place them in a 

 dark closet, away from frost, for three weeks 

 or a month, until the roots make some pro- 

 gress, after which inure them gradually to 

 the light, and change the water once a week 

 until they are out of flower. When patting 

 the water in the glasses, pour some over the 

 crowns; it washes off dnst and other im- 

 purities from the foliage, and conduces to 

 the general health of the plant. If these 

 directions are followed, very different results 

 will attend the labours of the cultivator 

 than those which unhappily are so general. 



Old English Vineyards. — It is surprising that so many modern gardeners, preferring 

 their own experience to the most indisputable testimony, deny the existence of vineyards 

 in this country in former days, and contend that something different from a field for grow- 

 ing grapes was meant by this name, or that some other us.e than the manufacture of wine 

 was made of the produce. A passage in one of these letters exactly explains the state of 

 the case. Busino, at Burleigh, was taken by Lord Exeter into his vineyard, and there, 

 on tasting the grapes, and comparing their state of forwardness with the time of year, he 

 expressed his fear that they " would never come to anything ;" nevertheless, his noble 

 entertainer told him that it was the family opinion they would make excellent wine. 

 Possibly artificial means were then used to correct the excessive acidity, or it may have 

 been relished from habit, just as the labourers in many districts enjoy the sour cider which 

 cannot be tolerated by an unpractised palate and stomach. When the commerce and 

 agriculture of the country improved, it was probably found that neither in quality nor in 

 price could the home-made wines compete with those of foreign growth, and that the 

 ground could be more profitably employed for other purposes. — Quarterly Review. 



