BULBOUS PLANTS 263 



HIPPEASTRUM. Many of these are known as Amarylli. 

 The flowers are scarlet, crimson and white, many varieties being 

 striped and mottled. (See illustration page 245.) These plants are 

 not as much grown as their merits deserve; this is partly because 

 the finer kinds are somewhat expensive, especially when flowering 

 bulbs are purchased. With a few good sorts to start with they may 

 be increased, and even new varieties raised much more rapidly in 

 America than in Europe, as our Summers are very favorable to 

 their rapid growth and increase by offsets. Most of the very 

 numerous hybrids now in cultivation are the progeny of H. vii- 

 tatum and H. Achermanni. There are two methods of culture — 

 growing in pots all the year round, and growing them during Sum- 

 mer planted out in the open, lifting and potting in the Fall. The 

 first method is preferable for the production of the largest sized 

 blooms. Their season of blooming is generally from January to May. 



About the beginning of the year the pot grown bulbs which are 

 dormant should be removed from the pots and repotted in a size 

 larger pot using good, rich compost; at first water only to settle the 

 soil, gradually increasing the supply. Unless a trifle pot bound the 

 bulbs do not bloom so well. Some bulbs will show flowers early; 

 these, if wanted in bloom quickly, will be forced along with a 

 minimum temperature of 60 degrees. By giving too high a tem- 

 perature the foliage is weakened, and it must be borne in mind that 

 the plants make their principal growth for the season after the 

 flowers are past, so that too early forcing is apt to endanger the 

 health of the bulb. After blooming, the pot plants should be kept 

 in an open frame till the end of September, with some loose material, 

 such as stable litter, between the pots to prevent too rapid evapora- 

 tion of moisture; feed them frequently with liquid manure. A deep 

 frame heated so as to exclude frost will be found the best place for 

 the pot plants during the resting season. 



For outdoor culture by the end of May bulbs may be planted in 

 a border sloping to the south. Immediately after planting give a 

 heavy mulching of manure, and to insure continuous growth keep 

 them well watered during dry spells, otherwise, when the time comes 

 for lifting the plants, some will be at rest, others in full vigor of 

 growth. In the latter case the transfer to the flower pot cannot be 

 effected without detriment to the bulbs; the roots are large, pre- 

 venting a suitable quantity of soil being given while using a pot 

 within a reasonable size. 



Propagation. It is a trifle costly to raise the finer kinds of 

 Amaryllis from seeds secured as a result of cross pcUinating the 



