THE HYACINTH 69 



safely away in a dark, warm place, where the 

 soil may be kept fairly damp. 



When the bulbs are firmly rooted (one may 

 tell by turning out a sample pot for examina- 

 tion) bring them to the light. The whitish- 

 green shoot, an inch or so in height, will soon 

 darken in color and will grow with great ra- 

 pidity, a few weeks' time bringing forth the 

 flower spike. Hyacinths require liberal water- 

 ing when brought forth from their seclusion. 

 It is possible to grow Hyacinths in pure sand, 

 if this has been washed to free it from salt. 

 The Hyacinth-glasses, to be found at every 

 nurseryman's or every florist's, are devised for 

 the purpose of growing Hyacinths in water. 

 In experimenting I have found it a most sat- 

 isfactory method to keep the bulbs in damp- 

 ened moss for a preliminary period of two 

 weeks, placing the bulbs then on top of the 

 water-filled Hyacinth-glasses. This can be 

 done in a succession of weeks in November, and 

 will produce a succession of bloom. Remem- 

 ber, that the water should just touch the lower 

 part of the Hyacinth bulb, and rain-water 

 should be used for the purpose when it is pos- 

 sible to obtain it, changing it every ten days 



