170 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



The best double hyacinths are planted in a bed by them- 

 selves, calculated to contain about 1000 bulbs. This space, 

 we were told, is covered with an awning while the plants 

 are in flower. A new soil is prepared for such beds every 

 year. We saw a small quantity of compost in a state of 

 preparation : the manure introduced must have been very 

 well rotted, for the compost very nearly resembled the na- 

 tural soil, which is a rich light loam, mixed with vegetable 

 earth, and a very considerable proportion of pure white 

 sand. Moisture can scarcely lodge on such a soil ; yet 

 the beds for the choice bulbs, both hyacinths and tulips, 

 are raised several inches above the natural soil. 



The flower-roots are at this season kept in a wareroom 

 or out-house, in large shallow drawers or cases, so contrived 

 that the air circulates around them. Matthew Van Eeden's 

 collection appeared to us considerable ; but it was the first 

 we had seen. 



He shewed us drawings of two very large and fine spe- 

 cimens of hyacinths, produced in his garden some years 

 ago. In the high-sounding and complimentary nomencla- 

 ture adopted by florists, both Dutch and English, the one 

 was called Grand Duke Constantine, and the other Gloria 

 Mundi. The colour of the flower of the former was white 

 and rosy ; of the latter, blue. In each, the stem was fully 

 sixteen inches in height, and blossoms covered the upper 

 half of that space. The blossoms were large, most sym- 

 metrically campanulatc, and hanging horizontally like the 

 c -anllon-bclls in a tapering steeple, a single blossom form- 

 ing the apex. The leaves were nearly as tall as the flower- 

 ton. In vigour and in beauty, these specimens certainly 

 appear to have surpassed any ever seen in Scotland. 



The flower-garden of Mr H. Van Eeden and Co. is lar- 

 <i than that which we had more particularly examined, 



