BULBOUS PLANTS. 121 



conservatories C. giganteum should be grown if only for the foliage. 

 The leaves are several feet in length, fully 6 inches broad in adult speci- 

 mens, and of a bright green color. The flowers are pure white and 

 sweet smelling, produced at irregular intervals. 



EUCHARIS AMAZONICA The Amazon Lilies have long been popular 

 stovH bulbous plants, their large, pure whiteflowers making them favor- 

 ites wherever grown. To the florist who does a general trade this is a 

 paying plant when properly grown in moderately large quantities. 

 Their culture seems a trifle difficult to many, but this idea has arisen 

 through trying to grow them under ad verse conditions. They are plants 

 which delight in a warm, moist atmosphere, shaded from strong sun- 

 shine. The temperature should never fall below 60 degrees, and it 

 should only be allowed to get in the neighborhood of that figure during 

 cold weather. The plants cannot be properly grown after the manner 

 of most bulbous subjects which florists handle, such as Liliums, Richar- 

 dias, Gladioli, Tulips, etc.; that is, potting them up at a certain time 

 to have them in bloom at a given date. Their culture has not been 

 brought down to such a fine point because tbeir nature does not permit 

 of it. They can be grown either with or without a short period of rest 

 in the Fall months. I prefer to keep them growing all the time; but to 

 do this successfully the roots must have close attention. From the 

 nature of the compost in which they grow it will become sodden if extra 

 precautions are not taken in the way of providing good drainage, also 

 in mixing with the soil a goodly quantity of broken charcoal to keep 

 the mass porous. The principal ingredients should consist of loam two 

 parts, leaf mould one, a fourth to consist of rough sand and well-rotted 

 cow manure. There are three kinds in general cultivation E. grandi- 

 flora, E. Candida and E. Sanderiana. The first is the best known of the 

 three, and the most profitable to grow, as the individual flowers are 

 larger and more of them are produced on a stalk. They are grown in 

 pots, tubs, or on benches. I prefer the first two methods, as the plants 

 can be more easily handled than when on benches. A good-sized clump 

 can be kept in a 10 or 12-inch pot for a good many years by periodical 

 examinations of the drainage, the decomposed soil removed from 

 around the ball with the aid of the hose, and a mixture of loam and 

 bone meal dusted over it. Put back in the pot and give a good top- 

 dressing. Clumps treated in this way have flowered with me three and 

 four times in a year regularly for 12 years. 



FORCING BULBS, such as Tulips, Hyacinths (Roman) and Narcissus, 

 are put in shallow boxes for forcing. The bulbs are inserted quite close 

 together, if of the poorer grades; but if they are the largest sizes a little 

 more room should be allowed for the development of the dowers. The 

 soil used is generally old material from benches in which Roses or Car- 

 nations have been growing. In preparing bulbs for forcing the princi- 

 pal point to be borne in mind is that they must make roots before being 

 put in heat. A place should be set apart for the boxes, where they may 

 be covered with about 8 inches of sifted ashes. On the approach of 

 freezing weather the ashes may be kept in a condition so that the boxes 

 may be removed when wan ted, by covering with rough stable litter; or, 



