180 



PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



Nantes White Spring Hyacinth, classed as a Roman,, 

 and used for late work, completes the list of varieties. 



Lily-of-the- Valley roots are not received until much later 

 than the Holland bulbs, usually about the middle of Octo- 

 ber. Tfiey are generally imported in separate pips, in 

 bunches of twenty-five or fifty. When received the bunches 

 should be placed close together in boxes, with a little fine 

 soil sifted over them, placed like 

 the bulbs, in the open air, and 

 covered up in the same manner. 

 Unlike Hyacinths, or Tulips, Lily- 

 of-the-Valley will make no roots 

 outside. The object of placing 

 them outside, is to rest them before 

 forcing into flower, and the longer 

 this rest, and the nearer it comes 

 to its natural time of flowering, the 

 better is the crop. It is found that 

 if attempted to be had as early as 

 Christmas the results are often 

 hardly half a crop. If wanted for 

 Christmas, they should be placed 

 in heat about December 1st, as it 

 takes, on an average, at that sea- 

 son, about three weeks to get 

 them into flower. In placing the Lily-of-the- Valley to 

 force, the best place is a greenhouse facing north ; or if 

 that is not at hand, the ordinary greenhouse must be 

 shaded in the part they are placed. They should be 

 planted in benches or boxes of sand, deep enough to let the 

 pips be one inch or so above the sand ; these are placed 

 almost touching. Planting is best done by cutting trenches 

 in the sand, deep enough to receive the roots, making the 

 lines only an inch or so apart. Water the sand freely 

 twice a day with tepid water, and keep the temperature 

 of the sand at not less than ninety degrees at night, 



Fig. 41. HYACINTH 

 WHITE ROMAN. 



