524 Litiacee—Hyacinthus. 
town are annually devoted to the exclusive culture of these 
plants, and millions of bulbs are yearly sent to England, 
France, and Germany. ‘This extraordinary success is due 
chiefly to the patient care which the Dutch expend upon 
them, and then the perfect suitability of the soil and climate 
—conditions not met with to the same degree elsewhere, and 
which probably will assure them the monopoly of this branch 
of floriculture for some time to come yet. 
The nature of the soil in the vicinity of Haarlem and other 
parts appropriated to the culture of bulbous plants is quite 
peculiar. Situated at the base of the Dunes, which form a 
natural breakwater on the Dutch coast, it is composed like 
them of a deposit of sand mingled with alluvial mud. Besides 
which it is full of fresh water, which reaches it by infiltration, 
and appears at a depth of 3 to 6 feet according to the situation. 
This water rises to the roots of the plants by means of the capil- 
larity of the soil, and just in proportion to their needs. On 
the other hand, this porosity of the soil allows the rain-water 
to escape freely. These conditions, coupled with a mild climate 
and cloudy sky, are eminently favourable to the growth and 
flowering of this class of plants, and are almost unattainable 
out of the Netherlands. 
The extent of variation in Hyacinths is almost unlimited in 
the colour, size, doubleness, and odour of the flowers. White, 
cream, flesh, pink, rose, lilac, bright red, carmine, crimson, 
purple, violet, slate, gray, aud blue of various shades to nearly 
black, are found both in the single and double varieties; and 
either more or less fragrant or quite scentless. There are also 
striped and shaded varieties, and some of the white ones have 
a purple, red, violet or yellow eye. A list of even the best 
varieties of the present time would be of so little service in a 
year or two that we prefer retaining the space it would occupy, 
especially as good descriptive catalogues are annually published 
by all the leading flori-ts. They rank amongst the best of 
hardy bulbs for embellishing the borders and beds in Spring, as 
they retain their beauty for a long period. 
H. amethystinus is a pretty little species from the South of 
Europe with loose spikes of smaller bright blue flowers on 
slender pedicels, and ‘linear leaves equalling or exceeding the 
flower-scape. It is quite hardy and flowers in April and May. 
It is sometimes called the Spanish Hyacinth. 
H. Romanus, syn. Bellevalia operculatu, ete., Roman 
