;28 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



the south side of my dwelling-. I rarely g-et 

 full satisfaction from them. Besides the sun 

 heatjithere is a furnace in the cellar, which 

 warms the wall so much that for a foot or 

 so from the wall the soil does not freeze. 

 The result is the flowers usually appear 

 in February or March. Should it be an 

 open spell, all goes well, and even if it 

 freezes at night, I get some satisfaction 

 from them by covering at night, but in later 

 plantings I see to it that the position is not 

 too sheltered. 



Hyacinths and tulips are first thought of 

 for the bulb beds. In arranging these, do 

 not forget that the hyacinth flowers first. 

 Tulips come later and last long-er ; therefore 

 the hyacinth bed can be used sooner in 

 spring for the planting of summer-blooming 

 plants, should it be desired to use it for such 

 a purpose. I have known spring planting 

 delayed considerably because of tulips oc- 

 cupying beds intended for the plants. 



For indoor blooming in pots, the treat- 

 ment of bulbs should be on the same princi- 

 ple as for thS outside bulbs. After being 

 potted, if the convenience of a frame is at 

 command, the pots should be plunged, or 

 else covered over with soil or some other 

 material such as moss or leaves, so as to 

 keep the bulbs moist and dark. The damp- 



ness and darkness produce a nice growth, 

 which is the foundation of good flowers. 

 Florists, who force these bulbs largely, use 

 spent hops for covering, and place it on 

 thick enough to keep out all light and frost. 

 In this way they are sate outside until such 

 times as they are needed for forcing. When 

 the bulbs have filled the pots with roots and 

 the tops are pushing up above the soil, the 

 plants may be given a place in a window, 

 as the flowering time is close at hand. 



On a small scale, where but a dozen or so 

 of pots are used, the cellar will answer the 

 purpose very well. The bulbs in this case 

 should be well below the surface of the soil. 

 Set the pots in a box deep enough to admit 

 of their being covered over several inches 

 with sand or soil, which must be kept damp 

 all the time. As soon as the tops show 

 themselves, the pots can be taken to the 

 light. 



Freshly imported bulbs of tulips and hya- 

 cinths bloom better than those left in the 

 ground all the time, but crocuses are an ex- 

 ception, as they seem to increase in vigor 

 year by year, old clumps making a grand 

 display in the early days of spring. 



Joseph Meehan, 

 in Country Gentleman. 



HOLLYHOCKS, 



'HESE handsome perennials will be 

 known to all the older gardening fra- 

 ternity, but I doubt if the majority of 

 '^pi amateurs are acquainted with them. 

 About a quarter of a century ago they were 

 regarded as one of the principal florists' 

 flowers, receiving great attention. The 

 named varieties were legion, and there can 

 be no doubt they were really grand. We 

 possessed some of the finest collections in 



the country here in Hertfordshire. Alas ! 

 where are they gone ? Gone ! but I trust 

 not forever. The Hollyhock disease, known 

 as Puccinia malvacearum — as ugly a name 

 as the dreadful parasite itself is — appeared 

 in this country in 1873, sweeping away 

 whole collections, and practically clearing 

 the country. Since that period the plants 

 have not been very much cultivated, until 

 the last two or three years, when an enter- 



