JANUARY. 7 



peat, with about an eighth part of silver-sand, to which add a small 

 quantity of well decomposed leaf-soil, or very rotten coAV-dung, free 

 from worms. Let all the ingredients be dry and well mixed together, 

 without making it too fine ; the pots must be clean and dry : drain 

 them well by placing (according to their size) two or three inches in 

 depth of broken crocks and small pieces of charcoal; over which 

 place a handful of dry moss ; one, three, or five bulbs may be placed 

 in suitable sized pots: a 12-inch pot will grow five moderate-sized 

 roots of the Lancifolium section, and seven of Eximium or Longiflo- 

 rum ; next fill the pots about three parts full with the roughest of 

 the compost, and on this place the roots, filling up with soil to the 

 level of their crowns. The soil must not be pressed hard in the pots, 

 but left to settle down by degrees ; after potting, a blow or two on 

 the bench will be sufiicient ; the crown of the roots should be about 

 an inch below the rim of the pot when finished. They should next 

 be taken to the pit or frame, and placed on a dry, porous, bot- 

 tom, which will carry oiF wet and exclude worms ; fill up the space 

 between the pots with ashes or sawdust, covering the surface of the 

 pots an inch or two with the same material. The sashes may now 

 be put on, or, in their absence, boards or felt may be substituted; 

 the bulbs only want protection from frost and wet till the shoots 

 make their appearance, when glass will be necessary. This Avill be 

 the case towards April, when the ashes, &c., should be cleared away. 

 As active growth has now commenced, water in moderate quantities 

 must be given, increasing it as the plants advance; at this time the 

 pots Avill require to be filled up to the rim with similar compost to 

 what they are growing in. This mil encourage the growth of the 

 new roots which are annually formed at the base of the young shoots, 

 and will materially help their subsequent growth. It- is now essen- 

 tial to keep the plants near the glass for the shoots to obtain strength, 

 to assist which, air must be given by tilting up the sashes daily; by 

 the middle of April these may be drawn entirely off on sunny days, 

 and air left on the pit by night. As the shoots of the Lancifolium 

 section advance, they will require staking and tying out (where more 

 than one are gro^vn in a pot), in a symmetrical manner ; by the mid- 

 dle of ]May they will bear entire exposure, and should have a shel- 

 tered situation open to the east or south ; manure water in a clear 

 state may now be given once or twice a week. Eximium and Longi- 

 ilorum will show for bloom in July ; and a few pots of these, as well 

 as the others, may be placed against a south wall or building, if 

 wanted to flower a little earlier than the general stock ; and at the 

 same time a few may be placed in the shade, for the purpose of re- 

 tarding them, and thus prolonging the blooming season. 



When placing the stakes in the pots, keep them away from the 

 bulbs, which they might otherwise injure, and leave them long 

 enough to support the shoots throughout their growth ; for this they 

 will require to be from 3 to 4 feet long for the taller kinds. When 

 the flower-buds are formed, give them their final tying, as after the 

 flowers open they should be disturbed as little as possible, and the 

 bloom protected from wet, which soon spoils the beauty of the 



