IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



need to be filled up once or twice as it evaporates. As soon 

 as growth begins, however, the bowl must be at once 

 removed to the sunny window (or a greenhouse, being 

 placed close to the glass) of a room in which there is 

 a daily fire, a south-east aspect being the best for it. No 

 gas must be burned in this room, or the flowers will dwindle 

 away instead of developing sturdily. Tepid water should 

 be used to fill the bowls (which will now require an addition 

 of water more often than before), and as soon as the flower 

 spikes show colour a covering of fresh green moss should 

 be placed over the bulbs, and the bowl may be used for 

 decorative purposes. After flowering, we cut off the flower 

 stems before they have time to form seed (as this exhausts 

 the plants), and when the weather is sufficiently mild the 

 bulbs are transferred to the garden without much disturb- 

 ance of their roots, planting them 2 inches below the 

 surface. They do not blossom much the following season ; 

 but after that time they recover entirely, and provide plenty 

 of bloom in the early spring. 



In the warm vinery the early vines in pots will be in 

 bloom, and will need a buoyant and rather drier atmosphere 

 for a few days, although the roots must be well supplied 

 with water, if in a pot. Every day, at noon, the rods 

 should be smartly tapped with a stick to disperse the pollen ; 

 and where Muscat grapes are grown it will be found a good 

 plan to have the tails from two rabbits tied on to the end 

 of a bamboo or stick, and to pass these gently over the 

 bunches of bloom when fully open. Still more effectual 

 will this be if the pollen from black Hamburg vines is 

 collected as it drops, and kept dry in a small box until the 

 Muscat vines are in bloom, when the rabbits' tails should 

 be dipped into this pollen to distribute it on the Muscat 

 flowers, which are shy of setting properly if left alone. 

 They need a higher temperature, too, than harder varieties, 

 and should always be given the warmest position in the vinery. 



Pot vines, which can be grown in any sunny glass 

 structure,, must be very highly fed, and will then do well. 

 Rich top- dressings, with an occasional sprinkling of lime, a, 



44 



