BULBOUS-EOOTBD FLOWERS. 327 



vent them from starting in the fall. But they are beautiful 

 things for the house, Uooming weU. with the same treatment as 

 that laid down for the Hyacinth. 



Snowdrop. — Galanthus. — ^This delicate, frail-looking flower 

 is our first harbinger of spring, telling us that winter is passing 

 away. It hardly looks as though it could hold out against the 

 rough blasts that toss it so rudely, hut it struggles bravely on 

 through all the adverse storms and snows, hiding its face until 

 the storm be past, and looking up with a cheery smile when it 

 is over. It is ever a favorite flower, simple yet pretty, lovely in 

 itself, and for braving the storms, as if anxious to cheer us with 

 sight of flowers after the long desolation of winter. 



The Snowdrop is perfectly hardy, thrives weU in any good 

 garden soU, but better in a bed enriched with well-rotted cow 

 manure, and if the soil be heavy, made light by the addition of 

 sand. The bulbs should be planted in October, between two 

 and three inches deep, in clusters of from twenty to thirty bulbs, 

 leaving about an inch and a half of space between them. Here 

 they should remain until they become so crowded that it is neces- 

 sary to divide them. If some are planted on the south side of 

 the house, or other sunny spot, they will bloom very early, and 

 by planting another bed in some less favored exposure, they may 

 be had in succession for a considerable time. They look well 

 planted with the spring-flowering Crocus, contrasting finely with 

 its more gaudy colors. There are two species in cultivation, the 

 G. Nivalis, of which there are both single and double varieties ; 

 and Plicatus, a Russian variety, twice as large as the English, 

 and with taller flower stems. 



Another flower blooming later, called Snowflake, has been 

 sometimes mistaken for the Snowdrop. It is the Leucojum. 

 Two species of this are grown in our gardens. L. Vernum, a 

 native of Germany and Italy, is somewhat tender, and thrives 

 best in a peaty soil ; L. CEstivum, a native of England, perfectly 

 hardy, produces white flowers with bright green spots. 



The Tiger Flower. — Tigridia. — These bxilbs are not hardy, 



