72 WINTER GREENERIES At HOME. 



flowers can hardly be as perfect as by the more natural 

 process ; but perhaps you will like to try it for the sake 

 of variety, if not of fashion. Select colored glasses, keep 

 the water barely in contact with the bottom of the bulb, 

 changing it occasionally, and let the rooting be done in 

 some dark and cool place. Or, first root the bulbs in 

 clean sand in the manner described for pot culture, and 

 then, having washed the sand from the roots, transfer 

 them to the glass. For another experiment, nearly fill a 

 glass-jar or other dish with clean pebbles, set the bulb on 

 the top, pour in water, and give the same treatment as 

 with the ordinary glass. A few drops of Hartshorn (the 

 Aqua AmmonicB of the druggist), or other liquid fer- 

 tilizer, added to the water, will be of some advantage. 

 Hyacinths will grow and bloom even in moss closely 

 packed in a vase or hanging-basket and kept sufficiently 

 wet. As in all these cases, the generous bulb must take 

 the place of soil in supplying the capital required, do 

 you wonder that it is soon forced into bankruptcy ? 



The other Holland Bulbs require the same kind of soil, 

 the same preparatory process of rooting, and the same gen- 

 eral conditions and treatment as the Hyacinth. They 

 need, however, much less pot-room ? varying somewhat 

 with the kinds. For example, into a pot six inches in 

 diameter and depth, may be put three of the Polyanthus 

 Narcissus, or five of the Von TJiol Tulips, or eight or 

 ten Crocuses. After flowering, the supply of water should 

 be somewhat diminished, but not entirely withdrawn until 

 the leaves have had time to ripen. Then the bulbs may 

 be dried off and removed from the pots ; but the Narcis- 

 sus and Crocus are said to do better if plunged in the 

 garden-beds, and allowed to remain in the same pots for 

 two or three years, or until they have become so crowded 

 as to need dividing and repotting. The Polyanthus 

 Narcissus is perhaps equal to the Hyacinth in value for 

 winter-blooming, and is certainly preferable to the more 



