THE HYACINTH. 327 



patient exercise of skill and industry, the " prentice hand " 

 in gardening may reasonably expect to attain to fair and 

 satisfactory results. In a word, the plant is more manage- 

 able than many of its compeers, and hence there is less 

 fear of failure from the oversight of any of those little 

 kindnesses and attentions which the skilled horticulturist 

 knows so well when and how to apply. 



In treating of the culture of Hyacinths, three separate 

 points occur to me: (i) The possession of good bulbs; 

 (2) the season of planting ; (3) after culture ; and these 

 1 shall proceed to discuss separately. 



I. GOOD BULBS. 



The best Hyacinths are imported from Holland. A 

 more beautiful sight could scarcely be conceived than the 

 gardens in and around Haarlem in the spring and early 

 summer months, with their acres of ground radiant with 

 millions of Crocuses, Tulips, and Hyacinths ; blue, white, 

 red, and yellow, of the richest and most varied hues, the 

 more grateful to the eye, and the more impressive, because 

 following so closely on the footsteps of winter. As is well 

 known, the culture of the Hyacinth and its allies is a 

 specialty in Holland. I do not see why it should not be 

 the same here, as the differences in some localities, 

 climates, and soils of England, appear to me insufficient to 

 account for it not being so. 



Perhaps our horticulturists are too much occupied with 

 other matters, and certainly it would be commercially 

 unwise to enter the field against such skilful and indefa- 

 tigable contemporaries without first acquiring a thorough 

 knowledge of so distinct a branch of the art of gardening. 

 We may, and I believe do, grow and bloom them as well 

 here as there. But the question remains, can we bring 

 bulbs of our own growth into the market of the same 

 quality and at the same price? The answer is, not at 

 present. We can, in the present state of our knowledge 

 and practice, buy and sell cheaper than we can produce. 



