JUNE. 



157 



species, but generally speaking from five to nine plants will be quite 

 sufficient to form a cluster. China Asters, Ten-week Stocks, French 

 Marigolds, and other kinds, whose beauty is enhanced by their 

 flowers being double, might be left thicker than they are meant to 

 remain, until the opening of the first fiowers exhibits the character 

 of each plant, when the worst varieties can be pulled up. The same 

 rule applies to tender annuals, which may have been sown in pans, 

 for flowering under glass. These should always be pricked out 

 early into other pans, preparatory to being potted singly. When 

 large specimens are wanted of Balsams, and similar free-growing 

 things, liberal shifts and rich compost must be used. At present, 

 however, our business is more particularly with out-door plants ; 

 therefore we shall proceed to indicate some of the most desirable 

 species of the extensive genus Narcissus, most of which are exceed- 

 ingly pretty, and many delightfully fragrant. From the great diver- 

 sity in the form of the flower among Narcissi, some botanists have 

 subdivided them into many genera, under the names of Ajax, Cor- 

 bularia, Queltia, &c. ; but the majority of botanical authors agree in 

 retaining the old family name. 



Among the most interesting are — 



N. Sabini (Ajax), petals white, cup 

 yellow ; April, 



Narcissus biflorus, petals pale straw- 

 colour, cup yellow; fragrant; season 

 April and May. 



N. triflorus, white, cup yellow ; fra- 

 grant ; April and May. 



N. spathulatus, white, cup yellow, 

 margined with red ; fragrant ; May. 



N. majalis plenus, white ; fragrant ; 

 May : one of the best. 



N. recur vus, like spathulatus, but 

 larger flowers ; fragrant; May. 



N. Jonquilla (the Jonquil), yellow ; 

 very fragrant ; April and May : there 

 is also a double variety, which is rather 

 tender. 



N. albicans (Ajax), sulphur ; April : 

 very pretty. 



N. bicolor (Ajax), petals white, cup 

 yellow ; April. 



N. pumilus (Ajax), yellow; dwarf 

 and pretty, and one of the earliest. 



N. cernuus plenus (Ajax), sulphur; 

 April : one of the prettiest. 



N, Telamonius plenus (Ajax), yel- 

 low ; April : very showy. 



N. pulchellus (Ganymedes), petals 

 sulphur, reflexed, cup paler ; April 

 and May : very distinct and pretty. 



N. conspicuus (Corbularia), petals 

 narrow and inconspicuous ; cup very 

 large ; deep yellow ; April : very dis- 

 tinct. 



N. Campemelli (Philogyne), yel- 

 low ; April and May. 



N. aurantius plenus (Queltia), 

 orange ; April : very showy. 



N. concolor plenus (Queltia), sul- 

 phur ; April : very showy. 



N. orientalis (Queltia), whitish pe- 

 tals, orange cup ; April. 



The above sorts are selected partly from a collection of living 

 plants, and partly from drawings made under the inspection of a 

 person who cultivated all the so-called species which were procur- 

 able in this country, and thereby ascertained that many of the 

 names given in modern catalogues are mere synonyms of other species. 

 Any lady would be amply repaid for the trouble of collecting the 

 kinds we have enumerated ; all the culture they require being to take 

 up and divide the bulbs of the strongest growers every second or 

 third autumn after the leaves have died. Those marked " fragrant" 

 are deliciously sweet, and deserve notice on that account only, inde- 

 pendently of their great beauty. 



J. B. Whiting. 



