ME. SPENCER ON THE TREATMENT OF THE AMARYLLIS. 179 



admit. The temperature of this house should be kept between 

 60 and 75 degrees. The increase of both light and heat will 

 cause the bulbs to grow rapidly, and great care should be 

 taken not to injure the foliage ; if any blooms appear they must 

 be removed, and water supplied when requisite ; by this treat- 

 ment the plants will in a short time possess a strong and healthy 

 foliage, at which time manure-water may safely be applied with 

 the best effects. Whenever the appearance of the leaves indi- 

 cates suspension of growth, water should gradually be withheld ; 

 but they must still be exposed to the utmost amount of light and 

 heat, until the leaves become of a partially brown or yellow 

 colour, when they may be removed to a dry cool place until 

 wanted for blooming. By the above treatment they will gene- 

 rally be in a perfectly ripened state by the end of April or early 

 in May. 



I do not agree with those who advise that, during the period 

 of the plants' rest, they may be shaken completely out of their 

 pots, for I find they bloom mucli stronger by being allowed to 

 remain in the pots in wliich they grew. It will be seen that 

 the roots, if taken proper care of, keep fresh and vigorous during 

 their rest, and shaking them out would greatly weaken their 

 after-flowering. It is not material where they are kept during 

 their repose, provided they are kept dry. 



Towards the end of August preparations may be made by com- 

 mencing with all or part of the stock : the pots should be well 

 soaked with water, and then plunged in a mild bottom heat in 

 any pit or frame that may be at work. When the flower stems 

 have advanced 6 or 7 inches in height they may be removed to a 

 stove to open their flowers, and afterwards placed either as orna- 

 ments for the conservatory or turned out into vases or ornamen- 

 tal pots for decorating the drawing-room — where the nobleness 

 of their flowers, and elegance of habit, make them suitable 

 decorations. By the above management I have found those 

 varieties enumerated below bloom quite as strong as they usually 

 do in the spring : Johnsoni, Reginae, Vittata, Reticulata, and 

 their allies, frequently have 3 or 4 spikes of bloom, and attain 

 the height of from 3 to 5 feet. 



Immediately after they have done blooming they should be 

 partially shaken out, disturbing the roots as little as possible, 

 and repotted as before advised ; placing them in a bottom heat 

 until the roots have taken hold of the soil. And then is to be 

 pursued a similar course of treatment, as before recommended. 



In conclusion I beg to add, that few flowers will better repay 

 the little extra trouble their successful cultivation requires 

 than the Amaryllis, and that none is susceptible of greater im- 

 provement : their cultivation appears to have retrograded of late 



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