THE HYACINTH AND NARCISSUS. 



22S 



thing looks worse or more completely mars 

 ihe effect of a bed, than to have some 

 blooming, and others not showing colour in 

 the early season, and some decayed, while 

 the others are in flower when it is later. 

 The colour should be diversified according 

 to arrangement, and it would be well to 

 get all the varieties of the same length or 

 near it. The arrangement that would be 

 most effective is that described below ; it 

 is impossible to give a better contrast in 

 each row, or from row to row. It is also 

 desirable to limit the varieties to one of each 

 colour, that is to say, the dark blue only one 

 sort, the light blue only one sort, and so on, 

 each colour being represented by only one 

 kind. The subjoined is the arrangement 

 proposed : 



The same may be repeated as often as 

 the length of the bed requires. Experience 

 may enable a person in time to improve 

 greatly upon the first appearance, by adopt- 

 ing more than one variety of each colour, 

 but it is better not to attempt it at first. 

 The compost being quite level with the 

 other part of the garden, the bulbs are to 

 be placed six inches apart every Avay, and 

 the best way to mark the place is to strain 

 a line down the centre of the bed, and draw 

 a slight drill or make a mark by merely 

 pressing the line to the soil, by drawing the 

 back of the rake along it ; then stretch it 

 in the same way six inches off, and by the 

 repeating this, making the seven long 

 marks. The cross marks may be made by 

 pressing a straight rod in the soil slightly 

 at six inches apart all the way down. On 

 the points where the lines cross each other 

 place the bulbs, and press them gently into 

 the soil, so that they may not move when 

 you cover them up ; when they are all 

 placed, put in some pegs at the different 



Fig. 32. The Double Hyacinth. 



parts of the bed, the tops standing six in- 

 ches above the base of the bulbs, and make 

 up the soil to that height all over the bed. 

 By rights, the bed should be boarded round 

 with a six inch rim to fix on, for then the 

 compost to cover in with would be so easily 

 regulated. Have hoops or irons across the 

 bed, to enable you to cover them against 

 frost and heavy falls of snow or hail, and 

 it is worth while to have a stage over them, 

 and a cloth like those for tulips and car- 

 nations. 



Management i/p to Bloomhig time. — The 

 only necessary attention now is, to protect 

 them against bad weather through the win- 

 ter months ; and for this purpose litter of 

 any kind will answer all November, De- 

 cember and January. In February or 

 March, according to the season, they will 

 be above ground, and then the mats or 

 cloths must be used ; because the bloom 

 buds, if affected no other way, will be 

 greatly stunted in size by frost, [In this 

 climate the spring opens much later, and 

 there is little or no danger of injury to the 



