272 



introduced by Mr. Koebele. Thus after 14 years of incessant 

 labor in introducing useful insects to these islands Mr. Koebele s 

 efforts are gaining scientific recognition, and the government of 

 these islands deserves credit for the wisdom of securing his ser- 

 vices and retaining them all these years. 



To those of us who are accustomed to receive all the State 

 bulletins gratis, and who are familiar with the prices charged for 

 bulletins by the Superintendent of Documents at Washington the 

 price set for Mr. Swezey's bulletin is rather high. Unless special 

 inducements are oft'ered to islanders it is hard' to see hoiv many 

 copies will get into their hands. That it would be desirable for 

 all concerned is beyond' c[uestion. 



GROJVING BULBS IN WATER. 



One of the most artistic and inexpensive methods of cultivat- 

 ing blooming plants for home use is to grow bulbs in w^ater. The 

 Chinese are expert in this work and at their New Year festival 

 the streets of Honolulu show a profusion of their sacred lily in 

 full bloom. \>ry many varieties of flowering bulbs may be suc- 

 cessfully grown in water and it is surprising that this easv 

 method of producing handsome blossoms should have been 

 allowed to remain so long neglected. 



In selecting bulbs for this purpose, large heavy ones should 

 be chosen. In many cities glasses are made especially for t!ie 

 purpose of growing the handsome flowers of the hyacinth, but 

 any open bowl or vase can be used for these and other bulbs. 



If grown in an open bowl, the bulbs selected for blooming 

 should be supported with a sufficient Cjuantity of clean small 

 stones or pebbles to allow the developed plants to retain then* 

 upright position. Water should then be poured over the stones 

 until it reaches the base of the bulbs. The bowl should' now be 

 kept in a cool dark place until the roots have attained a good 

 growth, care being taken to replace the water as it diminishes. 

 When the bulbs are required to bloom, the bowl should be re- 

 moved into a light warm atmosphere, when spikes of blossoms 

 will soon be thrown np. 



Besides the Chinese sacred lily or narcissus, many other bulbs 

 can be made to produce blossom in this manner. Among the^e 

 hyacinths, jonquils and crocuses have all produced satisfactory 

 results. 



