10 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1892. 
CULTURE OF THE HYACINTH 
IN GLASSES. 
The Hyacinth is one of the most suit- 
able for this elegant, though somewhat 
unnatural system of culture ; and here 
we would just remark that failures 
may be more generally traced to mista- 
ken kindness than neglect. _Its roots, 
like those of other plants, shun the 
light with instinctive care; therefore, 
dark-colored glass should be selected. 
Place the bulbs in the glasses and fill 
with rain-water or drip water of the 
ice-box, so that it barely touches the 
bottom of the bulbs, and set them in a 
dark, cool, dry cellar or closet. When 
the bulb rests in the water at once, 
there is slight danger of moldiness en- 
suing. Examine them occasionally, 
and remove gently any scales that may 
be decaying, but be very careful not to 
injure the young roots. When the 
glasses are moderately filled with roots, 
which will be the case in three or four 
weeks, place them where they will re- 
ceive a moderate light; and as soon as 
the plants assume a healthy green color, 
remove to the lightest possible situation, 
and where they can have abundance of 
fresh air. A close, heated atmosphere 
is very unfavorable to the development 
of handsome spikes of bloom. 
When in actual growth sprinkle them 
freely, keep them as near the window 
as convenient, and turn them occasion- 
ally to prevent long, weakly, ill-shaped 
stems ; the water should be changed at 
least every three weeks, using pure 
rain water of about the same tempera- 
ture as that in which the bulbs are 
growing. The flowers will receive a 
check if you do not attend to this, A 
small piece of charcoal or a small pinch 
of salt in each glass will keep the water 
sweet longer. 
When the roots have nearly reached 
the bottom of the glass, there some- 
times collects at the extremity of each 
a pellicle or covering of mucous matter. 
This soon stops up the mouths of the 
roots, by which the food of the plant is 
conveyed to the leaves. To prevent 
this the roots should be drawn care- 
fully out of the glasses, and a wide ves- 
sel should be placed handy, filled with 
clean water from which the chill has been 
taken off and to which a little table salt 
has been added; in this immerse the 
roots of the bulb and draw the mass. 
carefully through the hand, pressing 
them gently. Do this two or three 
times, until the roots are white and 
clean. Whilst one person is doing this, 
let another be washing out the glass 
and wiping it quite clean and dry. 
Then gradually work the clean washed 
roots into the glass before putting in 
any water. To get them in when 
numerous it will be found necessary to 
twist them around until they reach 
their old quarters, and the bulb rests 
upon the neck of the glass, then fill 
with clear rain or soft water and replace 
itin the window. A ‘‘double’’ Hyacinth 
glass, lately introduced, is very handy 
in this respect. One washing will 
generally be sufficient. After this no 
more care will be necessary, except 
occasionally changing the water. The 
single Hyacinth is best adapted for 
water culture. 
For giving vigor to the plants and 
color to the flowers, we know of no 
better means than to dissolve into a 
quart of rain water an ounce of guano, 
and to pour one teaspoonful of that 
into each glass once in a fortnight after 
the flowers begin to appear. 
