504 FLOWERS OF GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 
upon the bulb—might prevent his perpetuation of the colour, that he 
imprisoned it in a bird-cage, and hung this from the ceiling of his room. 
He successfully propagated it, and called it L’Unique, a name its 
progeny still bears among Dutch growers. There has been no exact 
counterpart to the Tulip mania of last century among admirers of 
Hyacinths; yet some large prices have been paid for new varieties of 
Hyacinths. In most cases these have been investments for trade 
purposes, in order that, by skill in propagation, a new sort might be put 
upon the market. It is on record that one large and eight small bulbs 
of the Non plus ultra double blue realised the sum of £133, 8s. 6d. at 
public auction in the year 1734; and at the beginning of the present 
century a single bulb of the double red Rouge ébluissante was sold for 
£83. It is stated on the authority of Philip Miller, whose Gardener's 
Dictionary is well known, that about 1725 the Dutch growers of 
Haarlem cultivated about two thousand varieties of Hyacinths. 
Although the ordinary garden Hyacinths are the progeny of 
H. orientalis, there are several others in cultivation. H. amethystinus, 
the Spanish Hyacinth, was introduced from the Pyrenees in 1759, 
H. corymbosus from South Africa 1793, and H. spicatus from the 
neighbourhood of Greece in 1826. H. romanus, which was introduced 
somewhere about 1596 from the Mediterranean Region, must not be 
confounded with the Roman Hyacinth of the Dutch growers, which is 
the var. albulus of H. orientalis. Attempts have been made to grow 
Hyacinth bulbs in England for the market, but the Dutch appear to 
produce a better article at the price, natural conditions being more in 
their favour, and the experience of two centuries no doubt counting 
for a good deal. 
pobaakpel pected. HYACINTHUS AMETHYSTINUS (amethyst blue). Spanish 
Hyacinths. Leaves slender, as long as, or longer than, the 
flower-seape (4 to 12 inches). Flowers bright blue, drooping ; racemes 
four- to twelve-flowered, more or less one-sided ; April and May. 
H. coryMpBosus (corymbose). Leaves five or six, fleshy, half-round, 
pale. Flowers lilac-rose, } inch long; racemes four- to nine-flowered, 
forming a corymb; scape 2 to 3 inches long; autumn. 
H. ORIENTALIS (Eastern). The Hyacinth. Leaves narrow, lance- 
shaped, grooved, erect. Flowers frequent, variable, probably blue in 
the wild state, varying to mauve and white; scape 8 to 12 inches high ; 
April. The var. albulus, a native of Southern France, is the so-called 
Roman Hyacinth of the growers; it has white flowers, with more 
slender segments, and the tube scarcely swollen at the base, as in the 
type. The var. provincialis, of Southern France, Italy, and Switzer- 
RRA a. erin 
