438 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



to six feet apart, according to the height of the variety sown. I then sow 

 one or two quarts (the quantity sown at one time will depend entirely on the 

 demands of the family) of the same sort as was sown in pots, a quart of the 

 best second early, a quart of Dwarf Imperials, a quart of Champion of Eng- 

 land, two quarts of tall Marrows, the best variety according to taste of con- 

 sumers ; these, if all sown on the same day, will come in succession, care 

 being taken to keep up the supply by sowing Imperials, Champion of Eng- 

 land, and the Marrows, as each previous sowing respectively comes up ; the 

 early sorts will now be discontinued, as it will in general be found that the 

 tall Marrows give the latest supply. If dry weather sets in, a trench about 

 one foot from either side, and along the row, should be made and saturated 

 with water to keep the tall peas in a healthy state ; every one knows the 

 utility of having the peas well staked, so that a free circulation of air may 

 be maintained among them. — [Gai-d, Chron. 1855, p. 101.) 



Cultivation of Hyacinths. — The season for importing Dutch bulbs 

 is fast approaching, and among these the Hyacinth always stands pre- 

 eminent. Treatise after treatise, and directions upon directions have been 

 published for the management of this plant, and yet people somehow fail 

 more frequently than succeed with it. In the hands of the trade, indeed, 

 no difficulty is experienced ; but even there it is notorious that some growers 

 are much more successful than others. So far as London is concerned, the 

 exhibitions of the Horticultural Society have long since established the 

 fact that in the Pine-apple Nursery, collections are annually raised, which 

 may be equalled, but are never excelled, either for the beauty of the speci- 

 mens or the skill with which the best varieties are selected. Under these 

 circumstances we shall incur no risk of being said to deal with a stale 

 subject if we give a prominent place to some account of the practical man- 

 agement of the bulb, for which we are indebted to one of Messrs. Hender- 

 son's most skilful foremen. 



" As soon," he Avrites, " as we receive the bulbs from Holland, each is 

 carefully examined, and all that are not perfectly sound are discarded. 

 The remainder are brushed over with a soft brush, and replaced in bags for 

 sale or for our own potting. We usually pot our first batch about the mid- 

 dle of September, and another in November ; always in a compost consist- 

 ing of one half maiden soil (the top spit of an old pasture) and a similar 

 quantity of a mixture composed of equal parts of rotten dung, leaf soil, and 

 good sharp sand. This compost is turned over several times, till all the 

 parts become thoroughly incorporated; then only is it fit for use. 



"The pots we generally use are 5 inches and 6 inches in diameter. 

 We find that in potting Hyacinths, the less the bulb is covered with soil 

 the better, care being taken to press down the soil firmly with the fingers. 

 After they are potted we give them a good watering, and place them in 

 beds 5 feet wide, where they are allowed to stand for two or three days, 

 until the surface begins to dry, when old tan is thrown over them to the 

 depth of 5 or 6 inches ; and this is allowed to remain until the pots are 

 quite full of roots, and the tops have made a growth of one or two inches. 



