PROPAGATION 



special bed, and left to look after themselves until they throw up 

 flower-stems. 



In the case of the florists' Hyacinth, although these little bulbs 

 are not produced in the same way as on the Lilium scales, they 

 can be induced to develop on the base of the old bulb. This is 

 cut across in several places, and sometimes even the "disc" or 

 woody base plate is cut out altogether. The old bulbs are then 



Fig. 20.— Hyacinth bulb, 

 back view. 



Fig. '21.— Hyacinth bulb, showing 

 cuts. 



spread out to dry, and by and by small buds or bulblets are 



produced on the cut surfaces. "When large enough to handle 



easily these baby bulbs are detached and 



planted an inch or two deep in rich 



and very sandy soil. The sketches show 



liow the bulbs are cut across the base 



with a sharp knife, and how the young 



bulbs develop in the scars later on. Fig. 



20 shows the base of a Hyacinth bulb 



before cutting. Fig. 21 shows how the 



bulb has four cuts made right across, 



making eight slits altogether. The cut 



surface soon heals up, and in due course 



a number of vegetative buds appear in 



the slits, as shown in Fig. 22. From these buds new Hyacinth 



bulbs are eventually produced. 



BULBILS. — These are roundish vegetative growths often seen in 

 the axils of the leaves on the aerial stems of some Liliums and 

 a few other plants. Why these bulbils should be produced is a 

 mystery, but it is thought that they appear in cases where the 

 conditions for reproduction by seeds or other methods are not 

 favourable. By the end of the growing season these bulbils are 



21 



Fig. 22.— Hyacinth bulb, showing 

 buds in cuts. 



