50 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



fresh soil. The flowers appear about 

 the end of May. They give a bright, 

 cheerful appearance to the vase or table 

 bouquet, and fill the x-oom with delight- 

 ful odors. This species is a native of 

 the South of Europe, but is siifficiently 

 hai'dy to enchire our climate. 



The two other flowers, one of them 

 double and the other single, belong to 

 the species known as the paper-white 

 narcissus, N. 2^<^Pl/'>'C'Ceus. They are 

 both very fragrant and exceedingly de 

 sirable for window culture, but are not 

 .sufficiently hardy to endure our climate 

 in the open border Three bulbs may 

 be planted in a live-inch pot, in rich, 

 friable soil, with plenty of drainage in 

 the bottom of the pot. They should be 

 planted deep enough to bring the neck 

 of the bulbs just at the surface. After 

 planting, water sufficiently to moisten 

 the earth thoroughly, and then set the 

 pots away in a cool, dark place, until 

 they are filled with roots. This will 

 take place in about three weeks. When 

 the soil in the pots is well filled with 

 roots, they should be brought into the 

 light and kept in a temperature as near 

 sixty degrees (Farenheit) as possible. 

 If the heat be much greater, the flowers 

 will not be so well developed. As the 

 {jlants grow they need watering, jiist 

 often enough to keep the ground moist. 

 The beauty and fragrance of the flowers 

 will amply repay the care required. 



There are many other species and 

 varieties of narcissus. Johnson, in his 

 " Gardener's Dictionary," ennumerates 

 upwards of ninety. The two-flowered 

 narcissus, iV. hiflorus, so called from its 



producing two or more flowers on each 

 stem is also perfectly hardy in our 

 climate. The flowers ai-e white or pale 

 straw color, with a short, yellow crown, 

 having a white rim, and very fragrant. 



N. hulhocodium is the handsome 

 hoop-petticoat narcissus, known in 

 France as " Medusa's trumpet." The 

 flowers of this species are bright yellow, 

 the cup is very conspicuous, widening 

 rapidly toward the brim. It is a native 

 of Portugal, and needs a light protec- 

 tion of leaves in winter and to be planted 

 in a sheltered situation. 



The jonquil, N. jonquilla, produces 

 bright yellow, fragrant flowers, two to 

 five on a stem. It is quite hardy and 

 thrives well both in the open border 

 and as a window plant. There is also 

 a double-flowered variety. 



The dafibdil, N. pseudonarcissus, is 

 also hardy, and very showy, coming 

 into bloom about the end of April. 

 Thei'e are numerous varieties. The 

 type is a single large flower with a 

 large cup, and both of a yellow color. 

 One of the varieties has white petals 

 with a yellow cup ; another has a yellow 

 flower with a deep golden cup ; and 

 another has several cups, one Avithin 

 the other. 



The polyanthus narcissus, iV. tazzetfa, 

 is considered the most desirable of them 

 all, but it is not hardy in this climate. 

 We must content ourselves to employ 

 it for window gardening, for which it 

 is well adapted. The flowers are borne 

 in trusses of from six to twenty in a 

 truss, are large and very fragrant. 

 There are many varieties, some white 



