HARDY PLANTS FORCING 409 



Narcissi will flower every spring for years, when so pre- 

 pared, provided the grass is not mown until after the 

 foliage has ripened. Top-dressing every fall with stable 

 manure will prevent them from " running out." When 

 planted in formal beds, seedlings of annuals may be sown 

 among the bulbs. They develop while the bulb foliage is 

 ripening. 



672. Hyacinths, botanical classification. Order, Li- 

 liacese ; genus, Hyacinthus (named from a character in 

 Greek mythology); species; orientalis Dutch hyacinth, 

 orientalis var. Roman hyacinth. 



673. Hyacinths, botanical characters. Hyacinths are 

 bulbous plants with only radical leaves and tubular 

 flowers in a raceme or spike. Dutch hyacinths have 

 but one principal flower cluster, while Roman hyacinths 

 may have several. One of these spikes is of better 

 quality than the others, and is sold by florists for cut- 

 flowers. The others are termed seconds, and are used 

 in designs. The Romans flower much earlier than do 

 the Dutch. 



Habitat. Syria, Asia Minor, Greece and Dalmatia. 



674. Commercial importance. Single Roman hya- 

 cinths are extensively grown by many florists as a com- 

 mercial crop. They are generally grown in flats, and sold 

 as cut-flowers, although they make excellent plants for 

 sale when grown in pans. Dutch hyacinths are rarely 

 sold as cut-flowers. 



675. Indoor culture. This is practically the same as 

 that described for narcissi. It is, however, especially 

 important thrt Dutch hyacinths develop a strong root- 

 system before they are brought into the house for 

 forcing (Fig. 49). 



676. Outdoor culture. Roman hyacinths are seldom 



