The Canmdian 1 foRricuLXURiST. 383 



refreshments were served, ami in llu; l»ii// ol coiiversalion which ensued, sonic 

 one asked the hostess liow long the llouers would last. 



" Until midnight," was the reply. " If left on tht- plant until morning, they 

 would he the most wretched lo(jking objects you ever laid eyes on." 



^\'hcn these snowy, majestic flowers were fully opened, they were as beau, 

 tiful a sight, of the kinti, as one would care to look upon. Considering the 

 great si^e of these flowers, the wondrous deliiacy and beauty of their construc- 

 tion is the most startling thing about them. It is much like being brought sud- 

 denly face to face with a botanical impossibility. When the guests arose to 

 dejiart, the hostess detached the flowers from their stems and sent them to 

 friends who were unable to be present. 



Klowerini. lU'ELih FOR PHK W'lNuow. — I'he Same joumal says that it is 

 a \ ery easy matter to prepare hyacinths, tulips, crocuses, freesia, and other bulbs 

 for winter blooming, and that failure is hardly possible if any kind of attention 

 is given to their wants. One hyacinth bulb should be placed in a four-inch pot, 

 three tulips, and a half-a-dozen each of crocuses and freesias may go in the same 

 si/ed pot. 'I'hey should be potted with rich soil, and the hyacinths set only 

 about one-half their depth in the earth. They should first be well watered and 

 then set in a dark, cool place, where they may be left about six weeks in order 

 to become well rooted At intervals of several weeks they may be brought out 

 and by this means a succession of flowers may be had during the whole winter. 

 .\s the bulbs swell, an occasional watering with a weak manure water will result 

 in more perfect flowers. 



S.ALT AS A Fertilizer. — It is not known by chemists how salt acts as a* 

 fertilizer, but the opinion is that salt has the power to liberate ammonia from 

 the soils that have been manured with nitrogenous manures. This is the case 

 in sandy soils, where the ammonia exists in fertile combinations. The salt acts 

 upon the ammoniacal salts by forming soda in the soil, and chloride of ammonia, 

 which i)asses into solution, and then becomes an active fertilizer. It is known 

 that on poor land devoid of humus and ammonia it acts as a very indifferent 

 manure, while on rich lands, where ammonia has been stored up in clay or humus, 

 it acts well by eliminating the ammonia and placing it in combination suitable 

 as soluble plant food. Salt is also beneficial on soils as fertilizer by aiding in 

 rendering insoluble potash and phosphate soluble, which dissolves the bone 

 phosphate and renders it into soluble phosphate of lime. Salt is a beneficial 

 solvent when added to the manure heap by drawing moisture, and keeping 

 down the fermenting heat in the nitrogenous manure, and making it more 

 soluble and better decomposed a-^ plant food when applieil to the soil and croji. 



