K Y A C I N T Tl, 



lliJilniiOlll^ 0,-'(, iitill'ix. 



»;\i,\ IIIEF amongst a thousand is tlie 

 pvinecly hyacinth, one of tlie 

 best of domestic flowers, one 

 of the most surjirising exhi- 

 bition flowers, and a very im- 

 portant item in the industr>' 

 and commerce of our near 

 relations and neighlionrs, tlie 

 [lei^ple oF the Netherlands- 

 To man\- a purchaser of hya- 

 cinth bull)s the tpicstiiiu will 

 occur, Why cannot they be 

 produced at home ' And, 

 again, a still more serious 

 (juestion, Why is it necessary 

 to purchase every year in 

 order to (.ibtain flowers of the 

 finest (juality '' Those who 

 have seen the steps and stages 

 of the cultivation on a propei' 

 hyacinth farm at Haarlem are 

 fully satisfied as I'l.^gards those important questions. The 

 soil is of a somewhat peaty character, and may be described 

 as a dark-coloured sand containing much humus. It rests 



