September 20, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



227' 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 



of 



51 'nth 



Day 



of 



Wees. 



SEPTEMBER 20—26, 1864. 



Average Temperature 

 near London. 



Rain in 



last 

 37 years. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



Snn 

 Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 



Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 



alter 

 Sun. 



Dav of 

 Tear. 









Day. 



Night. 



Mean. 



Days. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m. h. 





m. s 





20 



Tu 



Sun's declination 0° 54' N. 



67.0 



44.0 



55.5 



16 



45 af 5 



2af 6 



35 8 



29- 11 



19 



6 47 



264 



21 



W 



Ember Week. St. Matthew. 



66.5 



45.1 



55 8 



19 



47 5 



6 



23 9 



after. 



20 



7 8 



265 



22 



: Ta 



Acorns fall. 



60.T 



45.7 



56:4 



18 



48 5 



57 5 



18 10 



24 1 



( 



7 29 



266 



2S 



F 



Peewits congregate. 



69.1 



46.4 



57.7 



17 



50 5 



55 5 



17 11 



9 2 



22 



7. 50 



267 



24 



S 



Beech mast falls. 



65.7 



45.1 



55.4 



17 



51 5 



52 5 



morn. 



45 2 



23 



S 11 



268 



25 



Son 



18 Sunday afteu TRrxrrT, 



65.7 



44.0 



59.8 



18 



.53 5 



50 5 



IS 



14 3 



24 



8 31 



269- 



26 



M 



Martins chiefly gone. 



65.3 



41.7 



55.0 



19 



55 5 



48 5 21 1 



41 3 



25 



8 51 



270 



From observations taken near London during the last thirty-seven years, the average day temperature of 



the week 



is eB.fy 1 



and its 



night 



temperatur 



j 45.0°. The greatest heat was 82° 



)n the 25th, 1832; and the lowest cold, 26 c , on the 26th, 1S55 



The greatest fall of rain was 



1.68 inch. 















BULBS. 



(Continued from page 209.) 



FORCING HYACINTHS IN POTS. 

 (- 



, HE soil most suitable for tlie 

 growth, of the Hyacinth is 

 loam from rotted turves that 

 hare lain in a heap in the 

 fall sun for twelve months, 

 and been turned over twice. An 

 equal quantity of fresh manure 

 should be mixed with the turf 

 at the time of laying up, and a 

 bushel of soot sprinkled in at 

 each turning. It is very distaste- 

 ful to grubs and worms of all 

 kinds ; and unless the compost be 

 free of these and other noxious 

 grubs it is useless planting Hya- 

 cinths in it. If the compost is 

 made as above it will answer 

 well ; but, if the loam is of a 

 strong nature, one-sixth of sharp 

 sand intermixed will much im- 

 prove it, and prevent its binding. 

 Soils that form a close tenacious mass when pressed are 

 unsuitable, and should, therefore, be avoided. If turfy 

 loam is not to be had, soil of any moderately light de- 

 scription will do, ad din g an equal quantity of leaf mould 

 if the soil is strong, or of hotbed manure if it is light. 

 A liberal admixture of sand will improve the compost if 

 it is deficient in that substance. 



The compost, let it be what it may, should be chopped 

 pretty fine with a spade, and passed through an inch 

 riddle, which will take away any large sticks or stones, 

 and yet leave the compost rough. Close sifting is not 

 to be recommended, as it is apt to render the soil a 

 mass of mud; besides, the roots do not then run freely 

 through it. 



Pots 6 inches in diameter, which, I believe, are the 

 32-size of the London potteries, but 24' s of many pro- 

 vincial establishments, are the most suitable, though 

 bulb-pots, now out of fashion, 4 inches in diameter and 

 8 inches deep, answer admirably. As the roots of the 

 Hyacinth penetrate to the depth of a foot or more in the 

 open garden, it is only reasonable to suppose that deep 

 pots are preferable to those which are shallow. Six-inch 

 pots, however, answer very well for single bulbs ; but 

 where three bulbs are placed in a-pot the size should be 

 proportionately larger. Three bulbs do very well in- a 

 seven or eight-inch pot, and in three's Hyacinths are 

 more effective than when grown singly. Pots 4^ inches 

 in diameter, which are the 32's of some potteries, will 

 answer perfectly for the smaller kinds of bulbs ; in fact 

 any size double the diameter of the bulb will do. 



The compost being in a moderately dry condition, so 

 that it will not bind when pressed in the hand, place a 



No. 1S2 — Vol. VII . New ?efues. 



large crock over the hole in the pot, and on this half an 

 inch of moss, cocoa-nut fibre, or pieces of charcoal, and 

 on this again an inch of the rougher parts of the com- 

 post. We have now secured perfect drainage, and the pot 

 must next be filled to the rim with the general compost. 

 The bulb is cleared of offsets and loose scales, but only 

 such as are decayed or injured, and, placing the bulb in 

 the centre of the pot, press it into the soil so that the 

 apex may be level with the rim of the pot, or just a little 

 above the surface. Press the soil gently around the 

 bulb, leaving a half-inch cavity below the rim of the pot 

 for watering, and the soil should slope from the apex of 

 the bulb to the sides of the pot, so that water will drain 

 from, not to, the bulb. If three bulbs are inserted in a 

 pot they must be equidistant from each other and treated 

 like those potted singly. 



After potting give a gentle watering, and having covered 

 a level plot of ground, on a north border or any other 

 open and cool situation with coal ashes, so as' to prevent 

 worms entering the pots, stand these on it, and invert a 

 60-sized pot, or, what is better, a thumb-pot without a 

 hole in it, over the crown of the bulb to keep it dry, 

 as it is apt to rot when brought in contact with wet 

 plunging materials. On the pots from 4 to 6 inches of 

 coal ashes are placed, or old tan, or anything of a similar 

 nature. In this position they are to remain for a time, 

 but how long is a difficult question to answer. However, 

 we will let them remain six weeks if potted prior to the 

 1st of October, and only a month if potted after that 

 date. The object of thus plunging is to let the roots be 

 well established before the foliage starts into growth ; 

 which is an important point in their cultivation. Plung- 

 ing is by many considered of vast importance. 1 have 

 no hesitation in stating from my own experience that it 

 is of no value whatever. For some years I was in the 

 habit of plunging the bulbs that the pot might be filled 

 with roots before the foliage started ; but I often found 

 the foliage had started and was of a considerable length in 

 a short time, and that, I think, was in a great measure 

 due to the depth at wdiich the bulbs were situated. I have 

 found from 4 to 6 inches sufficient covering, for when 

 placed at a greater depth the foliage quickly grows to- 

 wards the light, and from the depth of soil through which 

 it has to pass becomes blanched, and it is hopeless to 

 expect a fine spike on a short stem after the foliage is 

 drawn to the length of from 3 to 6 inches. I have had 

 these bulbs plunged in ashes and covered with a foot or 

 more of leaves, and I found such treatment, though 

 highly lauded by some writers and practitioners, far from 

 conducive to success. It is necessary, however,, to place 

 the pots somewhere, and I have found that putting them 

 on coal ashes in a cold frame immediately afler potting, 

 keeping the lights drawn down at all times except when 

 heavy rains occur, is quite equal to plunging them ; for 

 the idea that any bulb will root sooner because the pot is 

 covered with several inches of ashes is absurd, and the 

 foliage will not start one moment sooner because it is 

 exposed to the influences of the atmosphere. I three 

 years in succession divided the bulbs as received into 

 No. 834.— Vol. X VXII,, olh Sbkjes. 



