5 60 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT. 



PLANTING VARIOUS KINDS OF BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS. 



A good, sound, fresh soil, either of the black or loamy kind (with 

 the addition of a little coarse sea or river sand placed round the roots 

 on planting), and manured with rotten cow-dung, two years old at 

 least, if the soil and situation be dry and warm, or rotten horse-dung, 

 if it be cold and moist, is all the compost or preparation required for 

 the greater part of those flowers; observing that the dung should 

 never come in contact with the bulbs, or be placed at so great a depth 

 from the surface of the soil as to lose the advantage of the due action 

 of the air upon it, which would render it poisonous instead of nutri- 

 tious : in short it should never be placed more than eight or ten 

 inches deep upon any occasion, where it can possibly be avoided. 



The polyanthus-narcissus consists of many varieties ; each sort pro- 

 duces several flowers on one stalk ; the roots may be planted any time 

 this month, about three or four inches deep ; they succeed best in 

 rather a warm dry soil and situation : but if the soil happens to be 

 the reverse, the bed should be raised seven or eight inches above the 

 common level, and in either case it would be well to cover the bed 

 with straw in case of severe frost, for the roots of these are more 

 tender and subject to be injured by the severity of the winter, than 

 either hyacinths or tulips. The bed should be formed rather round- 

 ing, to cast off the wet, for which a good fall or descent should be 

 in some convenient direction. The roots may remain two or three 

 years in the ground without being disturbed ; but then it will be 

 necessary to take them up to separate their offsets, which by being 

 longer connected with the old roots, would cause them to blow small 

 and weak. 



Double-narcissus (daffodils) consist of several varieties ; they are 

 hardier than the former, the Italian excepted, and may be treated in 

 a similar manner, but are in less danger from the effects of frost. 



Jonquils, English, Spanish, and Persian bulbous iris : the three 

 first consist of several varieties; they may be planted from two to 

 three inches deep, according to the looseness of the soil and strength 

 of the bulbs, and treated in the same manner as the polyanthus-nar- 

 cissus : they are all hardy. 



Crown imperials, lilies, pseonias, and the ornithogalum pyramidale, 

 or star of Bethlehem, should be planted now, if not done before, and 

 covered about four inches deep; these do not require to be taken up 

 oftener than once in two or three years, and then only to separate 

 their offsets. 



Martagons (lilies with revolute petals) consist of many species and 

 varieties, and may be treated as other lilies; they however make the 

 best appearance in beds by themselves, and will grow stronger if the 

 ground is well manured and the roots planted from five to six inches 

 deep. The lilies called martagons are, the Lilium chalcedonicum, 

 or scarlet mart-agon lily, L. cateslaei, or Catesby's lily, L. pompo- 

 niuniy or pomponian lily, L. superbum, or superb lily, L. martayon, 

 or purple martagon lily, L. canadense, or Canada martagon lily, and 

 L. japonicum, or Japan white lily, with their varieties; the latter 

 obtained by sowing the seeds of the different species. 



