THE NARCISSUS. 



•N this gfenus we have a long list of 

 established favorites, remarkable alike 

 for the elegance, fragrance, and earli- 

 i:^ ness of their flowers. In one respect 

 the species are all alike ; they delight in rich 

 soil made porous with plenty of sand and 

 well-rotted manure. All of them are also 

 quite hardy, and from the early period at 

 which their flowers are produced, they are 

 of the utmost consequence to the flower 

 gardener. 



Several of the species are bound to bear 

 forcing well, and for this purpose have be- 

 come a staple article in the Dutch flor- 

 ists' trade, and several varieties have been 

 originated by them, suited by the selection 

 of thei.r parentage, to bear this trying 

 course of treatment. The following are 

 commonly grown for forcing : Bazel- 

 man Major, Soleil d' Or, Grande Primo, and 

 Grande Monarque. These, with the double 

 Roman and others, should be potted in 

 September in a mixture of equal parts of 

 fresh loam, rotted manure, and leaf mould, 

 with half of either quantity of sand. In 

 potting, the neck of the bulb should be kept 

 above the surface of the soil, that the roots 

 may have that much more space in the pot ; 

 and when the rooting is completed they 

 should be placed together, either in a cold 

 frame or in some convenient place, so that 

 they may be covered a foot thick with fresh 

 leaves. These exclude light and prevent 

 frost from getting to the roots, both an 

 essential to a speedy excitement of root 

 growth. 



In about five or six weeks it will be found 

 that many of them have filled the pots with 

 roots, and these may be taken to a tempera- 

 ture of 55 degrees to bring on their flowers ; 

 and if repotted when the first two leaves 

 have grown a few inches, the flowers will be 

 considerably larger ; but before any plant is 

 taken from the bed of leaves, be sure that it 



has made a good stock of healthy roots, or it 

 will be spoiled in the forcing process. Nar- 

 cissi do not require a powerful heat to bring 

 out their flowers (55 degrees will do it bet- 

 ter than any other), and the supply of water 

 should be sufficient but by no means ex- 

 cessive. 



The Paper narcissus (A^. papyraceiis) is 

 now, perhaps, more extensively forced than 

 either of the above mentioned. It is grown 

 jn immense quantities by the florists of New 

 York and other large cities, and next to the 

 Roman hyacinth is the bulb most extens- 

 ively grown for this purpose. When grown 

 on a large scale it is planted in boxes of soil 

 about five inches deep, at a distance of three 

 to four inches apart, and treated as recom- 

 mended above. This, like nearly all other 

 bulbs, is of no value after being forced, and 

 the roots may be thrown away. 



When grown in the open borders the 

 bulbs should be planted in October, in newly 

 dug and well manured ground, at a depth 

 of three inches, reckoning from the top of 

 the bulb to the surface of the soil. This 

 will not be too much for any, except the 

 jonquils, which, from having smaller bulbs, 

 may be placed an inch nearer the top. At 

 this depth, and with plenty of manure about 

 them water will not be required, but they 

 will grow strong and flower finely. When 

 planted in beds, and it becomes necessary 

 to remove them to make room for other 

 plants, it should be done as soon as their 

 beauty is past. As the bulbs are by no 

 means mature at this time, they should be 

 "laid in " in some slightly shaded place un- 

 til the foliage is quite withered, when they 

 may be taken up, dried, and stored away 

 until wanted for the next planting seson. 



Most of the species are from the south of 

 Europe, and are propagated by offsets. 

 They were among the earliest cultivated gar- 

 den flowers. — Garden and Farm Topics. 



