DECEMBER 133 



In the corner of the greenhouse there is a good group 

 of Poinsettia pulcherrima. Some people say they do not 

 like these rather curious plants. They are useless for 

 putting into water, but I think they look very bright and 

 'cheerful on these dark days. They do best if grown every 

 year from cuttings. 



December 19th. We have been more successful this 

 year with the forcing of bulbs Roman Hyacinths and 

 Paper-white Narcissus than ever before, and I think it 

 is a good deal owing to having carefully obeyed the 

 instructions given in a little pamphlet, ' How I came to 

 grow Bulbs,' which I have mentioned before. Mr. Robert 

 Sydenham is as instructive about pot-culture as he is 

 about outdoor culture. He gives exactly the information 

 required; and if this is carefully read there can be no 

 confusion as regards the different treatment required by 

 Narcissi, Tulips, and Hyacinths. A great many nursery- 

 men profess to sell the Chinese Lily, really a Tazetta 

 Narcissus with a yellow centre, which grows with extreme 

 rapidity in bowls of water ; but instead of the true thing 

 they often send out the Paper-white Narcissus. 



Late though it is, I have been moving pieces of 

 Kerria japonica and planting them against the bare stems 

 of moderate-sized trees. They do admirably, and look so 

 gay and bright in spring. They can be tied to the trunk 

 for support, and the branches of the tree above protect 

 them from spring frosts. They are most amiable plants, 

 and in no way resent being moved about. The single and 

 variegated Kerrias are not such strong growers as the 

 double. If the latter get to look untidy they can be 

 removed after flowering. 



I saw a curious account in a newspaper lately about 

 the colour of glass greatly affecting the growth of plants. 

 The discoverer of this theory is Camille Flammarion, the 

 French astronomer. He has found that plants grown in 



