———— 
of the common wild Hyacinth, and 
some of the Narcissi, receive little 
injury from remaining in the ground | 
all the year ; but improved varieties 
of indigenous bulbs, and all bulbs | 
from warm climates, such as those 
of the Hyacinth, the Ixias, &c., 
are greatly injured by the moisture | 
of our summers; and when left in | 
the ground, require the interposition | 
of art to keep the soil tolerably dry. 
From the circumstanee of bulbs 
BULBS. 
“are formed every year in the Tulip 
and Hyacinth, at the side of the old 
bulb ; in the Crocus and the Gladi- 
olus, and many of the Cape Irida- 
cee, over the bulb; and in the 
bulbous Irises, &c., under the bulb. 
Hence, in the cultivation of bulbs 
in the open garden, there is a con- 
stant tendency in some species to 
sink deeply into the ground, and 
in others to rise to the surface, 
which must be carefully counteract- 
growing with great rapidity when | ed by the cultivator, by taking up 
in a state of vegetation, they require 
a __- abundance of water; and thisis the | 
oe ~ reason why the soil in which they | 
are planted : should always be deep, | 
so as to retain moisture. 
essentially a bud, and contains with. 
in itself the germs of the leaves and 
flowers which are to be produced 
the following season. 
vegetables, those with netted leaves; 
or what are called Dicotyledones, a 
plant which is weak in the begin- 
ning of the year may, by increased 
care and nourishment, be made to 
flower in the course of the season ; 
but this is by no means the case 
with bulbs, not one additional leaf 
or flower being in their case capable | Hya 
of being produced during the season, 
that is not previously in an embryo 
state in the bulb. The , in one 
sense, bulbs are of more culture 
than any other class Siiplants be- 
cause the germ being previously 
formed, and the nourishment bein 
sx "provided i in the body of the bulb, it 
; 2 is only necessary to supply heat and 
-- moisture to cause t 
se to develop. 
eee the | practice of growing 
Se of teak Tulips, Nar- 
es, Snowérops, | c 
ced * water 
enware, 
ver last 
‘one year, a new one 
season the plant 
ae ¢ se ering, as the old bulb 
.. ae ca le Hence new bulbs 
- scone ee Biles 
In plants be- 
longing to the other division of | 
bulb being always produced at one 
Tyee) 
and replanting; thus, the bulbous 
Iris, when left three or four years 
in the ground, produces weak leaves, 
and ceases to flower freely, from 
A bulb is | the sinking of the bulbs; the Cro- 
cus, on the other hand, produces 
weal: flowers and leaves from the 
bulbs rising above the surface ; and 
e Tulip} if left in the ground for 
few years, in consequence of the 
side, i is never found to come up 
twice exactly in the same spot. 
Experience proves, that certain 
bulbs — are ma state far re. 
moved from wild. nature, require 
the ae care to preserve them 
isease, such as the cultivated 
Hyacinth. These, therefore, must 
be taken up; every: year, and eare- 
fally preserved ; while others, com- 
paratively incapable of much, cul- 
tivation, such as the Snowdrop, may 
be left in the ground a number of 
years without inju-y. Bulbs are 
egenerally propagated by little bulbs, 
produc ced by the side of the old ones, 
which are called offsets ; but, like 
all other plants, they may be pro- 
pagated by seeds, and from these, 
in the case of the Crocus and Hya- 
inth, the Crown Imperial, and Iris 
Xiphiumh, and [Iris Xiphiodes, an 
endless number of beautiful varieties 
may be produced. This furn’shes 
a fine source of interesting amuse- 
ment to the amateur. The seeds 
should be sown in beds of light 
earth, where the plants may remain 
> 
