22 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



liLI.HS FOR WIXTKR BLOOMIN(;. 



HOW TO SELECT THE.M AND THE BEST METHOD OF I'KI.I'ARATION 

 AND CULTURE. 



Xl.liSS one has had some experience, it is hard to select from a 

 catalogue bulbs that will do well for the house. Many of the im- 

 ported bulbs are dry and worthless, and what are advertised as 

 home-grown are too old to do well in the hands of an amateur, but 

 if your dealer is reliable and can assure you of the freshness of his 

 stock, it will be safe to select the following as among the best for 

 winter blooming : — Single Tulips, Jonquil, Crocus and Lily of the ^'alley, Giant 

 Oxalis, both yellow and pink. Fairy Lily, a species of Amaryllis, Hyacinths, 

 Cyclamen, a^Calla and Prince of Orange Amaryllis. The Tulips, Jonquil, Cro- 

 cus, and Lily of the \'allcy must be potted in the autumn and 



I'.URIKD WHERE THEV WILL FREEZE 



two or three times before they are brought indoors, then put them in the cellar 

 where they will thaw and become well rooted. When they are well above the 

 soil bring them up and put them in the window, not the most sunny one, but a 

 north or west window, and as far from the stove as possible ; keep quite moist 

 and you will soon have Crocus, 'I'ulips and Jonquil will follow, and Lily of the 

 Valley for the last. Hyacinths should not be grown in glasses, they are unsatis- 

 factory and the bulbs are worthless for further use. Pot them in good rich soil 

 eight or ten weeks before you wish to put them in the window, and 



BURY THEM IN THE CELLAR. 



When they are rooted sufficiently the tops will pusli above the ground, and when 

 an inch or two high bring up and give rather more light and heat than the first 

 named bulbs. The Roman Hyacinth is easiest of culture, and each bulb will 

 throw up two or three flower stalks. 



The Fairy Lily, Oxalis, and P>eesias need much the .same treatment. Four 

 or five bulbs of either kind may be allowed to a five inch pot ; give them good 

 soil, plenty of sun and a good degree of warmth and they bloom very soon. The 

 Freesia is the finest thing I ha\e ever grown for winter blooming, requiring little 

 care, sure to blossom, and beautiful to look at, while nothing can compare with 



ns DELICIOUS FRAGRANCE. 



Procure your Cyclamen of the florist, well started for winter growth ; they are 

 very fine and remain in blossom a long time. A Prince of Orange Amaryllis 

 will blossom twice in the year, in August and again in December. After the 

 summer blooming set it away in a somewhat cool and dark place, gi.ing little 

 water until the new growth starts, then give plenty of water and a sunny corner 

 and the bud stalk will soon appear. If your ("alia tloes not show signs of bloom- 

 ing after a reasonable time, water (juite freely with warm water, nearly as hot as 

 you can bear your hand in. 



There is a fascination aljuut the growth of bulbous plants, the unfolding of 

 leaf and bud under one's very eye, that nothing else can give, and I much prefer 

 them to any other class of plants, both for out-door culture and for winter bloom- 

 ng. — Afyra C. Durfec. 



