288 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



stem begins to grow they may he moved into lighter 

 quarters, but not too suddenly. Where it is not 

 convenient to put the pots into a cellar they may be 

 placed in a dark cupboard ; but this is not so good 

 for the bulbs, as the soil is liable to get too dry. 

 Where only a few bulbs are grown the pots can be 

 put into deep boxes, and covered with ashes, which 

 however must be damped (but not soaked) with 

 water before they are used. Cocoa-fibre is a very 

 good covering, and much cleaner than ashes. 



A very useful substitute for soU, and much less 

 likely to make a mess in a room or on a window- 

 ledge, is a preparation of cocoa-fibre and charcoal, 

 sold by Barr and Son, 12, King Street, Covent 

 Garden. This, however, is only suitable for Hya- 

 cinths, Crocuses, Tulips, and other bulbs of a similar 

 form ; it will not do for tuberous-rooted plants, such 

 as Agapantlms or Ahtrameria. 



Another substitute for soil is common moss ; in 

 this many bulbs can be grown in pans, and when 

 they are in bloom they form pretty ornaments 

 for tables, both in the dining-room and the drawing- 

 room. We mention both these rooms because they 

 require to be treated differently with regard to 

 certain plants. In a drawing-room you can move 

 about and change your seat if you find yourself un- 

 pleasantly near to a flower with a strong scent ; but 

 in a dining-room a guest must, at least at meals, sit 

 in the place appropriated to him ; consequently, 

 highly-perfumed plants should be relegated to the 

 sideboard, and not be placed on the table where they 

 may be disagreeable to some people. 



Bulbs will also grow well in pans of sand or 

 gravel, provided that the pan is kept filled with 

 water ; this mod,e of cultivating them differs, how- 

 ever, but slightly from that of growing in vessels 

 containing water only. 



The first place amongst bulbous plants must 

 be given to the Daffodil (Narcissus), of which, 

 according to the latest Usts, there are now more 

 than 500 named varieties. More than forty years 

 ago. Dean Herbert, who was an ardent admirer 

 of " Daffydowndillies," wrote : " It is desirable to 

 call the attention of the humblest cultivator, of 

 every labourer, indeed, or operative who has a spot 

 of garden, or a ledge of window, to the infinite 

 variety of Narcissi that may be raised and most 

 easUy in pots at his window, offeiinglxim a source of 

 harmless and interesting amusement, and perhaps a 

 little profit and celebrity." 



Next to these we may name Syacinths, which 

 combine various colours with beautiful perfume, and 

 are equally hardy and as easily grown in pots. 

 They may also be grown in tall glasses specially 

 made for the purpose. These should be nearly 

 filled with water, and the bulb placed on the top, so 



that its lower side only just touches the surface 

 of the water. A few small lumps of charcoal should 

 be put into the water to keep it sweet. Very fine 

 specimens of Hyacinths may be grown in this way. 

 When they get six or more inches high, they will 

 require to be supported by a strong wire to prevent 

 the plant toppling over. 



Crocuses are the cheapest of aU bulbs, and now 

 that they can be bought of mixed colours at the rate 

 of seven for a penny they may be truly called the 

 poor man's flower. Blue, purple, golden-yellow, and 

 white are the prevailing colours of the Dutch Crocus, 

 which flower in Februarj- and Slarch, and some 

 varieties of these are beautifully striped or tipped 

 with another colour. There are other kinds which 

 flower in the autumn, and also some winter-flowering 

 sorts; these are mostly rare species, and conse- 

 quently high-priced, costing irom a shilling to 

 eighteenpence each bulb. At the same time they 

 are reaUy not dear plants even at this price, con- 

 sidering the length of time which they remain in 

 bloom. Inasmuch as their cultivation is of the 

 simplest character, and they are to be had in flower 

 in-doors from September^.all through the winter up 

 to April, there is no genils of plants which commends 

 itself more strongly to in-door gardeners, and espe- 

 cially to young amateurs. One very unusual char- 

 acteristic in Crocuses must bevnoticed : though they 

 shut up their blooms early in the evening, and remain 

 in that state until the next morning's sun causes 

 them to open again, yet if the room in which they 

 are grown or placed is lighted in the evening, their 

 flowers will expand and remain open for some hours. 



Tulips, both single and double, are well worthy of 

 being cultivated in pots, and may be had in flower 

 from December to May. Their colours are crimson, 

 scarlet, pink, yellow, and white. They give fine 

 showy flowers, but are not so neat and compact 

 in their habit as Hyacinths. 



Snowdrops are amongst the earliest of spring- 

 flowering bulbs, and their graceful white blossoms - 

 are always favourites. One of the most satisfactory 

 ways of growing them is in pots large enough to 

 hold three bulbs of either Hyacinths or Tulips 

 sunounded by a ring of Snowdrops. After these 

 last have bloomed, they leave a profusion of green 

 foliage, which forms a bed through which the larger 

 bulbs stand up and flower subsequently. 



The Snowjiakes may be described as taU-growing 

 Snowdrops with a more elegant habit of growth. 

 The Spring Snowflake is nine inches high, and 

 flowers just after the Snowdrop is over. The 

 Summer Snowflake grows eighteen inches high, and 

 is in bloom during May and June. The Autumn 

 Snowflake grows about the height of the Snowdrop, 

 and flowers in August and September. 



