86 A Year's Culture of the Hyacinth, 



propagating, and are convinced that they are perfectly healthy, 

 without cutting any part off, make four crosscuts in the root 

 end half-way up the bulb, after which the bulbs should be laid in 

 the Kduil, and taken out again like the others. 



These cuts open pretty wide the same autumn, and send out 

 young bulbs at the cut scales. They must then be planted in 

 this state by themselves ; and the next year, after having been 

 dried on the boards, they are separated and trimmed. While 

 they are increasing in size, very little foliage, or none at all, ap- 

 pears on the surface of the bed, as the old bulb has no longer 

 any influence, and the young ones only exert their strength to- 

 wards their own increase. 



The manner of propagating by hollowing out the bulb shall 

 be treated of presently. 



July. — According to the above-mentioned treatment, the re- 

 moval of the bulbs from the Kduil takes place either in the 

 beeinninff or the middle of this month. You must take care 

 that the weather is fine, so as not to run the risk of a serious 

 loss, and also that the rays of the sun do not fall for too great 

 a length of time on the bulbs, because it might easily happen 

 that great injury might be done, particularly between eleven and 

 three o'clock, and it is therefore better that this work should be 

 performed every morning between five and eleven. The removal 

 of the bulbs from the Kduil is easily understood. The two or 

 three inches of earth that were thrown over the bulbs are raked 

 off, when the bulbs are easily taken out ; they are then laid sepa- 

 rately, so that the air and the sun may dry them in the course of 

 two or three hours. They are afterwards put into a parchment 

 sieve, and carefully shaken, which frees them of all the dry roots 

 and scaleso If the sieve is not of parchment, it may be of any 

 soft material, and the sides should be stuffed, to prevent the bulbs 

 from sustaining any injury. They are then brought into the 

 bulb-house and laid on the drying-boards, where they may lie 

 close to each other, but not on each other. Whenever the bulbs 

 are handled, great care must be taken that all those that are 

 diseased or dead, and particularly those that have the rotz, are 

 removed from the others. 



The beds which are now empty may be planted with vege- 

 tables. 



August. — Time of packing. Those bulbs that are intended 

 for sale must be selected and examined as above mentioned, to 

 see that none are sickly among them. If this month be not 

 moist, propagating by means of hollowing out the bulb may be 

 performed ; but, if the contrary, it must stand over, and, when 

 this is the case, it is better to wait till the following August. It 

 is very desirable, as has been already mentioned, that healthy 

 and strong bulbs should be chosen for propagating, as it not only 



