124 THE FLORIST. 



sometimes in January, it is often killed entirely by a severe frost or 

 much damp ; it should therefore be grown in an open dry situation ex- 

 posed to the sun. When it is wished to increase or remove it, ii should 

 be taken up between June and September, but not sooner or later, and 

 the fleshy stem should be cut with a sharp knife into pieces, having two 

 or three buds in each. 



3. Hepatica. — The common Hepatica is either blue or pink, and 

 both kinds become double by cultivation. The leaves are thick and 

 leathery, and of a dark green ; and the flowers, which are numerous, 

 are each borne on a separate stem, rising from the root like the Winter 

 Aconite. The Hepatica is a native of the north of Italy, and it is found 

 wild in various parts of Europe. It should be planted in peat or sandy 

 soil ; and as it has a tendency to push itself out of the ground, the 

 earth should be drawn up round its roots every autumn, early in 

 October, as the plant would be killed if the roots were exposed to the 

 frost. The Hepatica is propagated by dividing the roots, which should 

 be taken up for that purpose any time between June and September. It 

 grows well in pots, and is very suitable for rockwork. 



The American Hepatica has a smaller flower than the European kind, 

 but the flowers are pretty, being of a dark purple on the margin, and 

 softening down into white in the centre. This species is very abundant 

 in rocky situations in Canada ; but it does not succeed well in British 

 gardens, unless the situation is very open, and the air pure and quite 

 free from smoke. 



4. The Polyanthus. — The Polyanthus is a garden variety of the 

 Oxlip, a British flower very nearly allied to the Cowslip ; and the 

 common kinds are easily grown in any situation where the soil is good, 

 and where they are freely exposed to the sun and air. The finer kinds, 

 which are considered florists' flowers, require a rich stiff soil, and are 

 only valued when the anthers of the stamens completely hide the pistil ; 

 as when the stigma projects, which it does occasionally, like the head of 

 a large pin, the flower is called pin-eyed, and is considered worthless. 

 There is a double Polyanthus, but it is considered of no value by florists. 



5. The Crocus. — There are upwards of a hundred named varieties 

 of Crocus ; but there are only about thirty distinct species. All the 

 species have bulb-tubers, or corms, which differ from the common bulbs 

 in being solid, and they are propagated by offsets which form round the 

 base of the original tuber. The two kinds which appear earliest in 

 spring are the Scotch Crocus, which is striped white and purple, and 

 the Cloth of Gold, which is orange, with very dark purple stripes. 

 When Crocuses are planted they are generally put three inches deep, 

 as they have the habit of pushing themselves out of the ground. On 

 this account also, Crocuses should be frequently looked at, and every four 

 or five years they should be taken up and replanted. The corms are 

 often eaten by mice in dry situations, and destroyed by damp in situa- 

 tions that are not dry, so that they require to be frequently examined. 

 They look best planted in rows, or so as to form patterns of the different 

 colours. In the neighbourhood of London the flowers are often destroyed 

 by the sparrows. Crocuses ripen abundance of seed ; but seedlings do 

 not flower till the third or fourth year. 



