386 Revieio of Loudon's Gardener'' s Magazine. 



it being one of the most select and numerous in Berlin as to sorts. 

 M. Bouchi has long been celebrated as a florist; and, certainly, his gar- 

 den is worth visiting, not only for the neat and orderly manner in which 

 it is kept, but for the rich collection of auriculas which it contains, and, 

 above all, the original and interesting habits of its owner. 



" The Berlin growers generally begin to plant their hyacinth bulbs 

 about the latter part of October, or beginning of November; the ground 

 having been, the previous spring, trenched to the depth of two feet, and 

 enriched with good short dung, which is planted in summer with cauli- 

 flowers, kohlrabi, or stocks, the seeds of which are made an article of 

 trade. The bulbs are planted about six inches deep, in rows parallel 

 with the beds; the distance between the rows being regulated according 

 to the habits of the kinds; so that they stand free of each other when 

 in flower. Many fine sorts have been raised from seeds here; and, in 

 general, the seedlings flower the third year. The beds are covered, in 

 winter, with a thick layer of stable litter, which is removed early in 

 spring. The ground appeared to be composed of two thirds of brown 

 sand, with a portion of black vegetable earth; and the subsoil is a 

 moist white sand. Although an immense quantity of hyacinths is re- 

 quired to supply the demand in Berlin itself, yet the greatest part of 

 those grown in that city if* sold to the Vienna and Saxony growers. 

 In passing the streets of Bei'lin, scarcely a dwelling-house window is to 

 be seen that is not decorated with flowering bulbs, from January till 

 May." 



Our readers will }3erceive, by the latter part of the above ex- 

 tract, how general the taste for bulbous roots is in the city of 

 Berhn. Indeed it is astonishing to notice the enormous number 

 of hyacinths sold in that market, amounting to five times the 

 number that are cultivated in the whole extent of this country. 

 We have often been astonished to notice with what apparent 

 carelessness many persons look upon the beauty of a fine collec- 

 tion of hyacinths; and how lightly their dehcious fragrance is 

 estimated. We know of no flowers that repay so well the labor 

 bestowed on their cultivation; and their blooming at a season 

 when there is not a vestige of summer to be seen, unless in the 

 parlor or green-house, their value is doubly enhanced; added to 

 this, their easy growth, the little room they occupy at the win- 

 dow or on the mantel of any house, the long period at which 

 their flowers continue in beauty, and they possess attractions to 

 be found in very few flowers. One reason, we suspect, why 

 good hyacinths are less often seen, is, that most of the number 

 that are grown are procured at auction, and are small, miserable 

 roots, with not strength enough to produce a good bloom; these, 

 in a majority of cases, afford only disappointment to the pur- 

 chaser, who expected to have an elegant display; and he is thus 

 often deterred from again attempting to cultivate them. On the 

 contrary, if the roots were procured from some responsible 

 seedsman, who receives his annual assortment of bulbs from 

 some house in Holland, on whom he can rely for the excellency 

 of his roots, they seldom fail to disappoint the grower, but gen- 

 erally flower in such beauty as to induce him to give them more 



