24 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



were planted — to find out which were reliable and most desirable. 

 On the contrary, taking those of hybrid or garden origin, there 

 are few indeed that Avill fail in American gardens, and by a for- 

 tunate coincidence these are by far the best Daffodils. There 

 are raisers today who cultivate and hybridize Narcissuses as 

 carefully as the raisers of hybrid Orchids, the pedigree is as 

 carefully recorded, and all pains taken to improve the race. The 

 reason is simple enough, for there is very little credit or profit 

 in giving to the Avorld such as are not of easy propagation and 

 of vigorous constitution. If they lack these two requisites, we 

 never see them disseminated, and we conclude that all Nar- 

 cissuses of garden origin are vigorous. There is a phase of 

 Narcissus culture that is too rarely seen in American gardens, 

 and that is naturalized among grass in semi-wild or shady places. 

 The Poet's Narcissus, and the numerous forms that have alle- 

 giance to it, all the incomjyarabilis section, and in fact all that 

 have flowers of starry outline, look best and thrive well when 

 planted among grass that is not too rank-growing ; and even if 

 this has to be cut off about midsummer, at haying time, the 

 foliage will be ripening off then, and no injury will result from 

 cutting off the tops at that time. There is also less liability to 

 decay from the dreaded base rot than when cultivated in rich 

 soil in borders, though I am inclined to believe that Ave shall 

 never have so much trouble from this source as is experienced 

 in European gardens. We have never had an authentic case of 

 it in our garden ; what was feared at one time to be a case, was 

 simply the deterioration before-mentioned of kinds that were 

 unfitted to the climate. 



For cutting for indoor decoration there are few to excel such 

 as Empress, Horsfieldii, Michael Foster, and William Wilks, all of 

 which are bicolors and bloom in succession. Countess of Annes- 

 ley, Emperor, Sir Watkin, Princeps, and Golden Spur are all of 

 the larger-flowered yellow varieties, and to these may be added the 

 incomjKirahilis and Barrii sections that are so plentiful in varie- 

 ties, but prove to be well adapted to our climate. We have 

 always preferred to keep these bulbs out of the mixed or her- 

 baceous border proper, and keep them in a separate border, which 

 in summer is planted with annuals for cutting purposes ; these 

 sliade the soil from the burning sun in summer and give also a 

 double croi), as it were, from the sanie piece of ground. The 



