HYACINTHS. 261 
als retain their qualities for six or seven years, but the 
Dutch do not:plant hyacinths upon the same place for two 
years successively. In the alternate years they plant it 
with narcissus or crocus. We may mention that, in one of 
the finest beds of hyacinths ever seen in Scotland, a con- 
siderable portion of the soil was composed of seech, a sort 
of sandy and marly deposition from the ooze onthe shores 
of the Forth. 
According to Mr. Main, St. Crispin’s day, the 25th of 
October, is the best to plant the bulbs. They are generally 
arranged in rows, eight inches asunder, there being four 
rows in each bed; or, if more convenient, they may be 
placed in rows across the bed. The bulbs are sunk about 
three or four inches deep, and it 1s recommended to put a 
small quantity of clean sand below and all around each. 
As the roots are liable to be injured by frost, it is usual to 
cover the beds with decayed tanners’ bark, with litter, or 
with awnings. The first may be considered the neatest 
during winter, but an awning is nearly indispensable in 
spring, when the lingering colds prove exceeding hurtful to 
the young flower-stems. The awning may be made of 
coarse sheeting or duck. As the flower-stems appear, they 
are tied to little rods to keep them upright and preserve 
them from accident. In order to perfect the colors, the 
rays of the sun are admitted in the morning or in the eve- 
ning, but the glare of mid-day and the cold of night are 
both excluded. When the season of blossom is over, the 
awning is removed, or only replaced to keep off heavy 
rains. Much of the success, in the culture of this flower, 
depends on the subsequent management of the bulbs. It 
is the practice in Holland, about a month after the bloom, 
or when the tips of the leaves assume a withered appear- 
ance, to dig up the roots, and, cutting off the stem and the 
