2i 4 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



the weather is sunny, they will probably want water 

 every day. Certainly it is much more easy to under- 

 water than to overwater Hyacinths in bloom. With 

 their abundance of thick, fleshy roots they develop a 

 thirst that is almost as difficult to quench as a cement 

 worker's, and he, poor fellow, has a very dry job of 

 it indeed. 



In Water. The success of Hyacinths in water is a 

 proof of what this simple chemical compound means 

 to them. They are able to dispense alike with soil and 

 manure. Perhaps a good bulb does not give quite equal 

 results in the amateur's glass to those that it yields in 

 pots under the hands of a skilful gardener, but it pro- 

 duces a very fine truss all the same. One cannot very 

 well plunge glass-grown Hyacinths, but the same end 

 may be gained by putting them in a dark cupboard 

 until roots have reached the bottom of the receptacles. 

 It does not seem to matter much whether the base of 

 the bulb actually touches the water or not, roots push 

 just the same. Some growers prefer to have the base 

 just clear of the water, on the ground that there is less 

 fear of the bulb rotting. The water should be quite 

 clean, and a couple of small lumps of charcoal should 

 be put in it. If the water remains clear it need never 

 be changed, but if it becomes turbid or slimy it had 

 better be poured away very carefully by tilting the 

 glass, and a fresh supply put in. The plant should be 

 kept steady during the operation. 



Glass culture is a little more expensive than pot 

 culture, because there is not only the cost of the glasses, 

 but also of supports for the spikes ; however, the whole 

 amount is not very serious. The supports, like the 

 glasses, can be bought of the bulb dealer. They are 

 made for the purpose, with a basal ring to encircle the 



