THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. 



Vol XX. 



JUNE, 1878. 



Number 234. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. 



COMMUNICA TJONS. 



THE AMARYLLIS. 



BY MISS A. G. 



(Continued from pa:;e 133). 



A florist told me he had discovered the secret 

 of blooming them well, which was to give the 

 bulbs plenty of sun and regular heat; and I 

 agree as to the regularity of the heat being one of 

 the causes cf bloom, as at times when we could 

 not command this, the buds, which had partially 

 emerged from the bulb, would remain stationary, 

 or, after several spasmodic growths, decayed. 

 Some rare vai'ieties, and seedlings, caused me 

 keen regret by this failure to develop the beauty 

 I was anticipating. Had I known then that 

 hot water was so elflcacious in their treatment, 

 I might not have failed so ignominiously. 

 They are sometimes, however, very accommo- 

 datuig. I have bought them in bud, removed 

 them from the pot, and at a point of my journey 

 re-potted them, again removed them to resume 

 travel, and at the end of the route again potted 

 them, when they resumed the process and 

 finished blooming as if undisturbed. I state this 

 that Ijuyers may not be discouraged from pur- 

 chasing or sending for them, if it is desirable, at 

 their blooming time. 



For a grand show of bloom and large rtowers, 

 I still prefer large pots for the Amaryllis, and 

 an undisturbed state of the roots— except for top- 

 dressing — for two or three years. A more gor- 

 geous sight than a stand of these in bloom can 

 •=^eldom be seen, even among flowers. I have 



seen crowds before a window thus adorned; and 

 those who had carped at a partiality for " the 

 odd bulbs," stand silenced before an unexpected 

 sight of these in their royal beauty : for " Solo- 

 mon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 

 these." 



To raise Amaryllis from seed is not difficult. 

 If the seed is well developed they all come up 

 with vigor. If intended to bloom early they 

 should not be disturbed. I did not know this 

 in time to save my thrifty seedlings. I did 

 not kill them, but they did not bloom, their vigor 

 being decreased by the frequent re-potting given 

 them, without care as to disturbing the soil about 

 the roots. One florist I know of, put his 

 Amaryllis seed into a pan and let them remain 

 till they bloomed ; this was in three years. They 

 were of the orange variety, forming a greenish 

 white star in the center. 



My Amaryllis seed were sown in pots, in 

 winter, and placed behind a stove. They came 

 up in two weeks, but one or two seeds failing 

 out of the whole. This seed was obtained from 

 Dreer, and said to be Van Iloutte's. Another 

 set was raised from seed matured on one of my 

 own bulbs (the rosy salmon, with a white stripe 

 in each petal, shaded off with maroon red pen- 

 cilings) obtained from Mr. Fairly, of Baltimore. 

 I cut off all the seed pods but one, which 

 ripened in about a month's time, and was full of 

 good seed. I raised thirty seedlings and gave 

 as many more seed away. At a florist's in Bal- 

 timore I saw several pods maturing on one 

 stem. I doubted the result which did prove 



