HYACINTH. 145 
they are not hardy, and their cultivation would be more 
general if this fact were so stated in the catalogues, upon . 
which the amateur, in a great measure, depends for his 
information. The Hyacinth may live, but it will not 
thrive in the open border unless thoroughly protected. 
Many growers haye become discouraged, from losses due 
to freezing, which they have, unwisely, attributed to 
some other cause; not knowing what the trouble was, 
they had no remedy ; consequently they have abandoned, 
in a great measure, its cultivation as a border plant. A 
greater mistake is not common. They need never fail, 
and their absence from the garden is a loss that cannot 
be supplied by any other flower. 
The catalogues are equally responsible for another 
mistake of equal magnitude, namely: that a special soil 
is necessary for the perfect development of the flower. 
While the Hyacinth cannot be propagated profitably in 
other than a sandy soil, it can be grown, or flowered, in 
any soil. It is not the quality, but the condition of - 
the soil, that is essential. And the only conditions nec- 
essary are to plant the bulbs sufficiently early in a 
deep and rich soil to allow them a chance to make 
a good root growth; then to protect thoroughly against 
frost. Whether the soil is clayey, loamy or sandy, 
the result will be the same. A minor consideration 
is to afford the bed good drainage, if in a situation 
where water has a tendency to stand at any time. If 
the soil is heavy the bulbs should not be covered more 
than from two to three inches; if light, from four to 
six inches. Be governed, as to depth of planting, by 
the lightness or heaviness of soil, and remember, the 
soil one has is the best one has; there is no choice, and 
need be none. As frost is the only obstacle to success, 
how can this be guarded against? Simply enough, asa 
rule, for usually where there is a garden there are trees, 
the newly fallen leaves of which are the best and the 
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