FOREIGN NOTICES. 



191 



can be more suitable? Thoy produce a jrorp-eous 

 display either in-doors or out; and as they are 

 quite hardy they may be liberally planted in the 

 open border, and thus constitute one of our best 

 autumnal flower garden plants. 



Their propagation is simple and certain. The 

 bulbs may be separated, and each scale will 

 eventually form a new bulb. This separation 

 should be effected when the flower stems are 

 withered; the scales should be stuck into pans of 

 silver sand, and placed in a cold frame or pit. 

 After remaining one season in this position, they 

 should be planted in a prepared bed of peat soil, 

 and a little silver sand intermixed with it; thus 

 treated the bulbs will soon grow large enough to 

 flower. 



'J'he cultivation of them in pots is by no means 

 difficut. I shall detail the practice I have pur- 

 sued with success for some years. Immediately 

 when the bulbs go to rest in the autumn is the 

 proper time to repot them. By no means destroy 

 tlie old roots, but carefully place them amongst 

 the fresh soil. If large examples for particular 

 display are required, large pots may be employed, 

 and half a dozen large flowering bulbs placed in 

 each pot. The soil I use is rough peat. The 

 pots should be well drained, and the crown of the 

 bulb just covered with the soil; when potted they 

 should be placed in a cold pit or frame, in order 

 to prevent the soil from freezing, although frost 

 will not injure the bulb. Where room under glass 

 is an object in winter, they may be plunged in 

 the open air in coal ashes, in a manner similar to 

 potted Hyacinths. I have at this time a large 

 number coming into flower, wliich have never 

 been under glass until within these few days; 

 they have sustained no injury from exposure, and 

 they present every appearance of makinnr a grand 

 display. There is scarcely any plant which is so 

 much benefitted by liquid manure as the Lily, 

 more especially before expanding its flowers. If 

 used in a clear state, and considerably diluted, 

 this water alone may be applied for at least a 

 month before it comes into flower. 



If the object should be out-door cultivation en- 

 tirely, I snould recommend them to be planted in 

 beds; their eflect is exceedingly grand. Exca- 

 vate the soil 18 inches deep, and till in the bot- 

 tom a foot deep with very coarse peat, intermixed 

 with one-fifth of decayed manure or leaf mould. 

 The remaining 6 inches may be entirely peat. If 

 the bulbs are large enough to bloom, plant them 

 12 inches apart every way. and if beds of each 

 kind are brought into contact with one another, 

 the eflect will be magnificent. 



The following are the kinds I cultivate : Lilium 

 lancifolium album, L. punctatum, and L. specio- 

 sum. The old Japonicum is also well worth grow- 

 ing. Dr. Lindley, in Gard. Chronicle. 



House-Bugs and Ants. — Your columns have 

 recommended the getting rid of bugs, and certain- 



ly extreme cleanliness alone will effect this de- 

 sirable purpose ; besides this, in some warm coun- 

 tries it is a common practice to destroy these noi- 

 some insects by pouring quite boiling water on tiie 

 parts of furniture infested with them. In this way a 

 first operation may not always be sufficient, but it 

 is easily repeated until all the insects and their 

 eggs are destroyed. Furniture and places the 

 most infested with them may be speedily cleared 

 by solutions of either corrosive sublimate, or of 

 sulphate of copper. Corrosive sublimate leaves 

 no stain after its application, and therefore would 

 be to be preferred, were it not extremely poison- 

 ous, and its use is the more dangerous as its solu- 

 tion is colourless. Sulphate of copper is also a 

 poison, but only when taken in considerable quan- 

 tity ;.it has been employed with the most com- 

 plete success for washing old walls, ceilings, floors, 

 and furniture swarming with bugs. The mode in 

 which it was u^ed was to put a few ounces of 

 sulphate of copper into a basin, pouring upon it 

 soft water, stirring the whole occasionally until 

 the whole solution became saturated ; a small 

 quantity of the sulphate remaining undissolved in- 

 dicates that the solution is saturated. Has corro- 

 sive sublimate in solution been tried for the de- 

 struction of ants in dwelling houses ? A strong 

 lessive from wood ashes was some years ago re- 

 sorted to to get rid of a small species of this in- 

 sect, and was found to dislodge them from the 

 apartment they had invaded In the south of 

 France oil of Juniper berries, called in the patois 

 of the country huile de cade is frequently used in 

 granaries to protect the corn in them from ants. 

 For this purpose the oil is sjjrinklcd on bare parts 

 of the granary floor, but occasional renewals of the 

 oil are refjuisite. It is also often mixed with the 

 eart,li in preparing the aire on which corn is thresh- 

 ed, and in houses ants have been dislodged hy huile 

 de cade being put in the crevices of floors, and at 

 their junction with the walls. lb. 



Double Flowers. — The day is not yet so far 

 distant when our scientific botanists were experi- 

 encinir something like fever heat, from witnessing 

 the growing partiality for these truly beautiful, 

 though to them hateful, monstrosities — a fever 

 only secondary in its evils to the nightmare anti- 

 pathy with which they viewed the labors of thi 

 hybridising florist, who, in the extreme number 

 as well as diversified forms of the varieties he in- 

 troduced, seemed to make havock of nomencla- 

 ture, and ride rough-shod through all their nicelv 

 drawn-up specific distinctions and definitions. 

 Even they, however, our learned instructors — for 

 though they were not free from prejudices any 

 more than other men, we must not forget the 

 debt we owe them — even they can now join the 

 florist in expatiating upon, and defining the merits 

 of, a beautiful hybrid; and, what is more, cat! 

 mingle with the vulgar throng and behold a pecu- 

 liar beauty in these double monstrosities, allege 



