August 1, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



83 









WEEKLY 



CALENDAR. 















Day 



Day 





Average Tempera- i Rain in 



Sun Sun 



Moon 



Moon 



Moon's 



Clock 



Day 



Month "Week. 



AUGUST 1—7, 1872. 



ture near London. 



43 years. 



Rises 



Sets. 



Rises. 



Sets. 



Age. 



Sun. 



Year. 











Night. 





Days. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m, h. 



m. b 



Days. 



m. s. 





1 



Th 





75.6 



50.4 



63.0 



19 



26af4 



43 af 7 



9af 1 



31 af 6 



27 



6 1 



214 



2 



F 





75.3 



50.9 



63.1 



20 



27 4 



4.3 7 



57 1 



15 7 



28 



5 53 



216 



8 



S 





74.9 



50.6 



62.8 



19 



28 4 



42 7 



56 2 



49 7 



29 



4 



Son 



10 Sunday after Trinity. 



75.9 



50.6 



62.8 



17 



30 4 



40 7 



1 4 



Hi 8 



® 



5 47 

 5 41 

 5 35 



217 



5 



M 



General Holiday. 



74.5 



50.9 



62.7 



19 



32 4 



89 7 



10 5 



39 8 



1 



219 



6 



T0 





73.2 



50.8 



62.0 



21 



33 4 



33 7 



20 6 



56 8 



2 



7 



W 



Royal Horticultural Rociciv, Fruit. Floral, 



74.6 



50.9 



62.7 



16 



35 4 



87 7 



29 7 



11 9 



3 



5 28 



220 







land General Meeting. 



















[From observations taken near London during forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 74.9' 1 ; and 



its night temperature 



50.7°. The greatest heat was S2'\ on the 2nd, 1806 ; and the lowest cold 31°, on the 2nd, 1864. The greatest fall of rain \ms 1.23 inch. 





HYACINTH CULTURE. 



OW is the time to arrange for purchasing the 

 supply of what are called Dutch roots to 

 make a display next season. 



The Hyacinth most deservedly heads the 

 list. This flower has long been a favourite 

 with all classes, and the price of the bulbs 

 places it within the reach of all. The cot- 

 tager and others of limited means can have 

 their bulbs at a few shillings a-dozen, while 

 those with more ample means can encou- 

 rage the introduction of new sorts by purchasing them 

 at a rate sufficiently high to recoup the growers for then- 

 trouble. 



The Hyacinth has been brought to such a state of 

 perfection that it is very difficult to make any improve- 

 ment on the old varieties, but that there is an improve- 

 ment taking place there can be no question. In single 

 blue, for instance, King of the Blues is well in advance of 

 any other sort of the same colour. La Grandesse is the 

 best white, Vuurbaak is the best bright red, and the recent 

 double variety Koh-i-Noor is the best double variety in 

 cultivation. I have also observed amongst some of the 

 more recent candidates for public favour that new colours 

 are prevalent. The best and most distinct last season 

 was Excelsior, a flower of great promise ; it has a large 

 spike and large well-shaped bells of a reddish-cream 

 colour, with a rose stripe down the centre of each seg- 

 ment. Another distinct flower is Lord Mayo ; it was, 

 as exhibited, rather deficient in spike, but the colour is 

 very distinct — violet plum, with a white eye, and it may 

 be shown better. The first named was exhibited by 

 Messrs. Veitch, and the other by Mr. W. Paul. 



We cannot expect much improvement in' the spikes of 

 the single varieties, but we require new colour's. In the 

 double varieties we want the bells to be like those of 

 Lord Wellington and the spike like that of Koh-i-Noor. 

 Princess Louise, a double red variety introduced by Mr. 

 W. Paul last year, is a step in the right direction, and it 

 may be the parent of some improved varieties. 



So much has been written about the Hyacinth by 

 cultivators of large experience that it may be considered 

 presumption on my part to refer to the subject at all. 

 However, I can state what I do know, and if anything is 

 left out of importance others can take it up. 



Many gardeners and amateur growers do not trouble 

 themselves about the names of Hyacinths, they require 

 a certain number of bulbs, and they order them from the 

 seedsmen at so much per dozen ; no doubt the seedsmen 

 will send good selections,- and such as will give satis- 

 faction to their customers. The amateur who is especi- 

 ally interested in his flowers will have his own special 

 favourites. The grower for exhibition will soon ascertain 

 the names of those adapted for his purpose and order 

 accordingly. Persons intending to grow for exhibition 

 will require to purchase bulbs of the very best quality, 

 they must paj' the highest price as the only means to 

 secure this result. 



No. 592.- Vol. XXIII., New Series. 



When the bulbs are sent home they should be left in 

 the bags and placed in a cool airy position until it is time 

 to pot them. I find the last week in October, or the first 

 week in November a good time. The compost should be 

 previously prepared. About June is a good time to attend 

 to this. I select good turfy loam in which clay does not 

 predominate ; leaf mould, cow manure, and river sand 

 are added to it in equal proportion^. The whole is well 

 incorporated, and is then laid-up for use. I have potted 

 the bulbs at many different periods, from the 1st of Sep- 

 tember until the end of November, and for the purpose 

 of exhibition I think the end of October is the best time. 

 The flowering period may be retarded if the bulbs are not 

 potted until December, but if they are kept out of the 

 ground so late they deteriorate in consequence. In pot- 

 ting, place one large crock over the holo in the pot, some 

 fibrous turf and rough manure over that, and then fill-in 

 with the usual compost, which should be pressed-in 

 rather firmly with the hands. The bulb should be in the 

 centre of the pot, and the crown just visible above the 

 surface of the soil. The potting material should be moist 

 when it is used, as it is not desirable to water im- 

 mediately after potting. The pots should be placed out 

 of doors on a thick bed of ashes, which will prevent the 

 worms from getting in through the holes in the bottoms 

 of the pots. The pots should then be covered with cocoa- 

 nut fibre refuse, spent tan, leaf mould, or any similar light 

 material that caube obtained. There they should remain 

 without any protection from wet until early in January, 

 when they should be removed 'to a cold pit, and placed 

 very near the glass. I say a cold pit, but it is better to 

 have the structure furnished with the means of heating, 

 as severe frost may set in, and the young growth be 

 checked. Of course, if the pit were not heated the pots 

 would require to be plunged. The exhibitions are gene- 

 rally held from the middle to the end of March, and to 

 obtain Hyacinths in perfection at this time but little 

 forcing is required. At the same time I believe the spikes 

 finish off more perfectly if a little artificial heat can be 

 applied ; but one rule must always be strictly observed, 

 and that is, keep the plants as close to the glass as possible, 

 and admit air to them freely. Shutting up the house 

 closely at night and maintaining a high temperature, is 

 sure to draw the foliage and spikes up weakly. They do 

 not require much attention, but what little they do re- 

 quire should be given at the right time. 



Although the Hyacinth will grow and flower in glasses 

 of pure water, when it is grown in pots large and fre- 

 quent supplies are not needed ; indeed one oftener sees it 

 over rather than under dosed with water. If little or no 

 aitificial heat is applied, water will be required only about 

 twice a- week until the time when the colour of the flowers 

 can be disc< rned, when the plants will require more of 

 it, but no n le for watering this or any other plant can 

 be laid down. There is always less danger of injuring 

 them by an over-supply of water when they are in a 

 high temperature. 



When the spikes are sufficiently advanced they should 

 be tied to neat sticks, and if this is not promptly attended 



No. 1214.— Vol. XLVIII., Old Series. 



