LACHENALIA. 51 



mcnts of the j^eriantli being- broader and more expanded, 

 and the shorter segments being more acutely cut. In 

 tricolor we liave a lovely blending of iiery red^ orange, and 

 green, with gleams of creamy white ; in liileola we have a 

 self-colouring, or say miiform colouring, of yellow buff or 

 tawny orange, the short segments having small green spots 

 on their points or apices. 



The cultivation of lachenalias may be stated in a few 

 words. They are strictly greenhouse plants, and it is 

 therefore improper to plant them in the open ground. 

 Tliey are grown in jjots, those of smallish size being pre- 

 ferable — say live to seven inches diameter. If grown in 

 large pans for any particular purpose, the vessels shuuld be 

 shallow — sa}' five to seven inches dee]) at the utmost. It is 

 not necessary to put much drainage material in the pots — 

 one good hollow crock, say a neat little convex oyster-shell, 

 placed hollow side diiwn^vards, answering admirably to 

 afford escape for superfluous water. The soil should be 

 sandy loam and leaf-mould ; it matters not about the exact 

 proportions, jirovided the loam predominates. In jjlaee of 

 leaf-mould very rotten and quite clean soil from an old 

 melon or cucumber-bed m.ay be used ; but a rich, heavy soil 

 is not suitable. Put the bulbs i-ather close together in the 

 p)ots — say a dozen in a six-iueh pot — and cover them with 

 just enough fine soil to hide them. Being potted in the 

 summer or autumn, tliey should be keptt in a frame and 

 have but little water, until tlie leaves appear and indicate 

 that they would like to grow. Now an important point 

 in the cultivation consists in placing them in pans of water 

 ixoxw the time the leaves ha\'e attained the length of two 

 inches or so, and certainly not before. If the water is 

 only a tenth of an inch deep it will suffice ; but if an inch 



