HYACINTH. 145 



they are not hardy, and their cultivation would be more 

 general if this fact were so stated in the catalogues, upon 

 which the amateur, in a great measure, depends for his 

 information. The Hyacinth may live, but it will not 

 thrive in the open border unless thoroughly protected. 

 Many growers have become discouraged, from losses due 

 to freezing, which they have, unwisely, attributed to 

 some other cause ; not knowing what the trouble was, 

 they had no^remedy ; consequently they have abandoned, 

 in a great measure, its cultivation as a border plant. A 

 greater mistake is not common. They need never fail, 

 and their absence from the garden is a loss that cannot 

 be supplied by any other flower. 



The catalogues are equally responsible for another 

 mistake of equal magnitude, namely : that a special soil 

 is necessary for the perfect development of the flower. 

 While the Hyacinth cannot be propagated profitably in 

 other than a sandy soil, it can be grown, or flowered, in 

 any soiL It is not the quality, but the condition of 

 the soil, that is essential. And the only conditions nec- 

 essary are to plant the bulbs sufficiently early in a 

 deep and rich soil to allow them a chance to make 

 a good root growth ; then to protect thoroughly against 

 frost. Whether the soil is clayey, loamy or sandy, 

 the result will be the same. A minor consideration 

 is to afford the bed good drainage, if in a situation 

 where water has a tendency to stand at any time. If 

 the soil is heavy the bulbs should not be covered more 

 than from two to three inches ; if light, from four to 

 six inches. Be governed, as to depth of planting, by 

 the lightness or heaviness of soil, and remember, the 

 soil one has is the best one has ; there is no choice, and 

 need be none. As frost is the only obstacle to success, 

 how can this be guarded against ? Simply enough, as a 

 rule, for usually where there is a garden there are trees, 

 the newly fallen leavfcs of which are the best and the 

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