234 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



JjlotDcrB. 



CULTIVATION OF THE NAR- 

 CISSUS. 



BY H. SIMMERS, TORONTO, ONT. 



(Continued from the last number.) 



fHE next most useful variety for 

 forcing is the Polyanthus Nar- 

 cissus, or Many-flowered Nar- 

 cissus. This species is the one best 

 adapted for house culture, and for the 





THE NARCISSUS. 



amateur to have blooming during the 

 winter months. The flowers ai'e beau- 

 tifully scented, and remain in bloom 

 from four to six weeks. The house 

 culture is exactly the same as that 

 under the heading of hyacinth. The 

 varieties that give most satisfaction are 

 Grand Monarque, white, with yellow 

 cu}) ; Staten General, yellow, with 

 white cup ; Bazelman Minor, yellow, 

 gradually shading to white ; Grand 

 Soleil D'Or, golden yellow, exceedingly 

 handsome. These are probabl}' the 

 varieties the most used, the world over, 

 for forcing. Many other varieties are 

 generally listed in the bulb catalogues, 

 but I do not claim they will produce 



such handsome spikes. If any person 

 requires a larger selection, try an 

 assorted lot intermixed with the others 

 for winter bloom. Planting Polyanthus 

 Narcissus this month, you cannot ex- 

 pect them to flower until February or 

 March ; but in spite of the time it 

 takes them to flower, do not delay in 

 starting the bulb, for, as I have previ- 

 ously advised, the longer they remain 

 in the dark the better rooted, and as a 

 result the flower spikes will be lai'ger. 

 Jonquils, double and single, are 

 allied to the Narcissi, and are natives 

 of the south of Europe. Perfumed 

 waters are made from Jonquil flowers, 

 giving the impression to the reader that 

 they must be very fragrant. Either 

 the double or single Jonquil is well 

 adapted to open-air culture, and may 

 be treated in the same manner as the 

 Narcissus, except that the bulbs being 

 smaller they are only planted three 

 inches below the surface of the ground. 

 They are easily forced, and if planted 

 this month they will flower by Chi-ist- 

 mas. Being cheaper, they should be 

 tried by every amateur. The Chinese 

 Narcissus is a variety I overlooked to 

 mention under head of Polyanthus 

 Narcissus. This is the sacred flower 

 of China : nearly every shop in the 

 Chinese cities has these bulbs growing 

 in a saucer of water and pebbles. They 

 throw i;p several flower stalks, thickly 

 studded with bloom, white, with yellow 

 centre. The bulbs are of a whitish 

 ajipearance, thus differing from Poly- 

 anthus Narcissus in that they have a 

 dark brown skin. Many charitable 

 ladies around Toronto have sometimes 

 received presents of this variety from 

 the Chinese located here, for chatitable 

 services rendered to them ; and they 

 have frequently wondered what the 

 name was, the Chinaman being able to 

 explain the culture, but not the name. 



