396 THE PLEASURE, OR [May. 



The blossom or corolla, should be at least two inches and a half 

 in diameter, consisting of an exterior row of large substantial well 

 rounded petals or guard leaves, at first horizontally extended, and 

 then turning a little upwards so as to form a broad shallow cup, the 

 interior part of which should contain a great number of long nar- 

 row petals imbricating each other, and rather reverting from the 

 centre of the blossom; there are a great number of small slender 

 stamens intermixed with these petals, but they are short, and not 

 easily discernible. 



The colour should be clear and distinct when diversified in the 

 same flower, or brilliant and striking if it consists only of one 

 colour, as blue, crimson, or scarlet, &c, in which case the bottoms 

 of the broad exterior petals are generally white; but the beauty and 

 contrast is considerably increased when both the exterior and inte- 

 rior petals are regularly marked with alternate blue and white, or 

 pink and white stripes, &c. which in the broad petals should not 

 extend quite to the margin. 



Early Flowering Bulbs. 



Any curious bulbs that are now in flower, may be much pro- 

 longed in bloom and beauty by occasional shade from the sun. 



Spring crocuses, snow-drops, fritillaries, crown-imperials, dens 

 canises, and all other early flowering bulbs that have done flower- 

 ing, should, where intended, be taken up as soon as their leaves 

 decay. 



This ought to be constantly practised with such as have stood 

 unremoved two or three years, in order to separate the offsets, and 

 to select the best roots for new planting, for without this care the 

 bulbs would become numerous, and so small as to render the 

 flowers very insignificant. The offsets, when separated, may be 

 immediately planted in beds or prepared borders, to increase the 

 stock and enlarge their size; or they may be kept up as well as the 

 largest of the roots till found convenient to plant them. 



All these kinds, when taken up, should be placed in the shade 

 to dry, and when sufficiently so, preserved in dry sand or saw-dust, 

 &c. till the time of planting, which, for these, should not be delayed 

 later than October, nor even till then if not taken good care of, as 

 they do not keep well out of ground, especially if exposed long to 

 the air. 



Autumn Flowering Bulbs. 



The autumnal crocuses, amaryllises, and colchicums, should be 

 taken up as soon as their leaves decay, the offsets separated, and 

 all replanted again before the end of July: they are by no means to 

 be kept longer out of the ground, as that would prevent their flower- 

 ing in due perfection in autumn, which is their proper season. 



Care of Seedling Bulbs. 



The boxes of seedling tulips, hyacinths, narcissuses, and other 



