On the Culture of AmaryllidQos. 343 



possible with heat, water, and frequent potting, adding more 

 of the turfy loam as the bulbs grow stronger; and in the 

 autumn they will have grown as large as a moderate-sized 

 polyanthus narcissus. The leaves of several of the plants will 

 now begin to turn yellow, which is the signal for diminished 

 stimulants of all sorts ; and, being shortly after denied water 

 altogether, the foliage will gradually disappear. The bulbs 

 may then be turned out of their pots, and kept perfectly dry, 

 until the point of a leaf shows itself, when they are to be re- 

 potted in a compost one half at least of turfy loam, chopped 

 moderately fine, and the other half as before. Place them in 

 the green-house, or in the stove if you want to force them, 

 without water, until they grow, and the flower scape will soon 

 make its appearance, although, of course, not so vigorous as 

 in older plants. Others of the bulbs, which in the autumn 

 seemed disposed to retain their leaves, should be treated as in 

 the first year's growth ; and the succeeding season they will 

 grow to a very large size, and flower the third year very strongly 

 and finely. 



The partially compressed atmosphere of a hot-bed forwards 

 the plants in their growth far more than any stove would do; 

 and this, with attention to frequent potting, will gain a con- 

 siderable time on M. Faldermann's system, in some instances 

 an entire year. When a bulb has bloomed, the foliage must 

 be perfected by the usual stimuli, which is easy to be seen by 

 a certain hardness which the leaves assume, with a tendency 

 to turn yellow. The supply of water must be now diminished, 

 and ultimately abstained from altogether, and the plants placed 

 in a dry place in the stove or green-house, or, in summer, out 

 of doors in the full sun, tying their leaves so as to prevent 

 their being broken by the wind. In a short time the foliage 

 will die down, when they may be put on any dry shelt^ or 

 turned out of the pot, and hung up until the fibres decay, and 

 then put away in boxes or other compartments, as for hyacinths, 

 &c. With this management, Hippeastrum vittatum and all 

 the allied species, except a few which do not like turning out or 

 losing their leaves, will never fail to bloom every year, and 

 will frequently throw up two nearly simultaneous scapes, each 

 containing six or seven flowers. Mr. Groom has only to follow 

 this system, and he is sure of success. It seems singular that 

 a person of M. Faldermann's experience should not be aware 

 that there are many most beautiful mules of which Hippeastrum 

 vittatum is the parent, viz. by psittacinum, equestre, reginfe, 

 pulverulentum, &c., as well as numerous other hybrids, which 

 have bloomed most successfully under the management of the 

 Hon. W. Herbert, whose Treatise on the various Genera of 



z 4 



