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more water, and allow gentle showers to 

 lull upon them, but shelter them from 

 heavy rain. When the leaves are all 

 decayed, take the soil and carefully sift 

 it through a fine sieve, picking out every 

 bulb, however small. Prepare a bed in 

 the same manner, and of the same mate- 

 rials, as is described above for offsets. 

 Plant the seedling bulbs in it the first 

 week in September, in the same way as 

 the small offsets. Let them remain in 

 this bed for two years ; then take them 

 and replant them in a bed fresh prepared. 

 It is likely that some of the strongest 

 will then flower, and the very worst will 

 be worth planting in the borders. 



Summer Culture. The bulbs want very 

 little attention during summer. Keep 

 them clear of weeds, and when the flower- 

 stems are a foot high place a stick to 

 support them, as the winds are apt to 

 twist them off close to the bulbs. When 

 the bloom is over, and the leaves turn 

 yellow, take them up dry, and sort them, 

 separating the bulbs that are large enough 

 to flower from the offsets ; put them away 

 in drawers marked with the name of each 

 variety, keeping them dry and cool till the 

 planting season arrives again. 



Winter Culture. In September prepare 

 the beds by throwing out all the soil to 

 the depth of fifteen inches; if in the 

 same situation as beds were before, exa- 

 mine the drainage. If it is open and 

 ready to work well, it will need nothing 

 doing to it, but if it be choked up, remove 

 it entirely ; sift it, throwing in the rough 

 and removing the fine earthy part ; add 

 some fresh rubble, and then cover it with 

 litter; mix a goodly portion of thoroughly 

 decayed dung with the soil, or, which is 

 better, renew it entirely ; level the bed 

 leaving it a few inches higher. Plant the 

 first week in October, three inches deep 

 giving each of the bulbs six inches square 

 to grow in. Place a thin layer. of half- 

 rotten dung upon the bed, to protect the 

 bulbs in severe frost. They will require 

 no other care during this season. 



Vermin. Mice, wireworms, and the rec 

 spider prey upon them. Wireicoiins ma\ 

 be caught with slices of potatoes buriec 

 in the soil, and taken up occasionally 

 The red spider, happily, only appears 

 when there is a long continuance of dry 

 weather. Watch for its first appearance 

 and as soon as it is perceived causing the 

 leaves to appear spotted, let every leaf be 

 sponged over with water impregnated 



vith flower of sulphur. If dry weather 

 revails much, syringe the plants every 

 evening severely. 



Diseases. The bulbs sometimes are 

 attacked by a kind of dry rot, which turns 

 hem into a powdery substance, prevents 

 hem sending forth roots, and then the 

 .ops, if they have made any, turn yellow, 

 and the whole plant perishes. There is 

 ao known remedy. To prevent its spread- 

 ng, remove the infected bulbs, and a 

 portion of the soil near them. 



GLASS is the best agent employed by 

 the gardener to exclude the cold, whilst 

 the light is admitted to his plants which 

 are natives of hotter climates than that 

 n which he cultivates them. Now that 

 the excise -duty is removed from glass, 

 the gardener is enabled to employ the 

 best, and a thicker kind than formerly, 

 when the duty was high in proportion to 

 the good quality and weight. Anxiety 

 to obtain the best glass for hothouses, 

 &c., is every way laudable ; but, the bene- 

 fit sought for is frustrated if it be not 

 constantly well cleansed. The best glass, 

 if dirty, allows fewer rays of light to pass 

 through than inferior glass kept bright. 

 A thorough cleansing should be given 

 both to the outside and inside twice an- 

 nually, during the first weeks of Febru- 

 ary and of October, and a third cleans- 

 ing, on the outside only, at the end of 

 June. In proportion to the deficiency of 

 light does the plant under glass become, 

 in the gardener's phraseology, drawn; 

 that is, its surface of leaves becomes un- 

 naturally extended, in the vain effort to 

 have a sufficient elaboration of the sap 

 effected by means of a large surface ex- 

 posed to a diminished light, for which a 

 less surface would have been sufficient if 

 the light were more intense. Taking 

 into consideration the consequences of 

 breakage, and other contingencies to be 

 avoided as well as secured, we consider 

 glass of 21 ounces to the square toot, and 

 in panes of 18 inches by 12 inches, the 

 substance and size most desirable. Rough 

 plate-glass is desirable, because, without 

 diminishing the light, it reduces the dan- 

 ger of scorching the leaves. 



GLASS CASES are of various kinds. 

 One is formed of glazed wooden frames, 

 fitting together, to protect espaliers, wall- 

 trees, or shrubs, too large to be covered 

 with a hand-glass. 



Another glass case is made for protect- 

 ing a single branch. It is thus described 



