96 CULTURE OF BULBOUS ROOTS IN ROOMS. 



draw the roots entirely out of the glasses, rinse the fibres in 

 clean water, and also the glasses inside ; care should be 

 taken not to suffer the water to freeze, as it not only bursts 

 the glasses, but often causes the fibres to decay. Whether 

 the water be hard or soft, is of no great consequence ; but 

 soft, or rain water, is generally j^referred, and it must be 

 perfectly clear. 



Forced bulbs are seldom good for any thing afterward ; 

 however, those who wish to preserve them, may immerse 

 them wholly in water for a few days ; and then, having 

 taken them out, and dried them in the shade for a short 

 time, they may be planted in a good soil, in the garden, where 

 they will sometimes flower the next year. It does not 

 clearly appear in what way the water operates when the 

 bulb is wholly immersed ; but it is certain that bulbs so 

 treated increase in size and solidity, and have an incompaia- 

 bly better chance of flowering the second year, than those 

 which have not been so treated ; most probably their total 

 immersion enables them to obtain a greater proportion of 

 oxygen from the water. 



Nosegays should have the water in which their ends are 

 inserted changed, on the same principal as bulbous roots ; 

 and a much faded nosegay, if not dried up, may often be 

 recovered for a time, by covering it with a glass bell, or cup, 

 or by substituting salt water for fresh. 



Very fine Hyacinths have been grown in a drawing-room, 

 in the following novel manner. A quantity of moss, classi- 

 cally called hypnum, and vulgarly fog, was placed in a water- 

 tight box, about eight or nine inches deep, into which the 

 bulbs were placed, at the end of September, without mould, 

 and duly watered j the result of this experiment was highly 

 favourable. 



