448 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



of all old soil, remove all dead roots, and see 

 that the bulbs are quite sound. Any offsets 

 that have formed separate roots and are 

 attached rather loosely to the sides of the 

 old bulbs should be removed and be potted 

 separately in 60° pots. Press the soil about 

 the bulb and roots firmly into the pot, so that, 

 when finished, about half of the bulb is covered. 

 The compost should be pressed with the fingers, 

 and not with a wooden rammer. Then plunge 

 the pots up to the rims in spent tan, where 

 they will have a bottom heat of from 75° to 

 85°. The temperature of the house ought not 

 to be more than from 55° to 60° to start with. 

 Give no water for at least two weeks after 

 repotting, when new roots will be formed and 

 some growth made. In about three weeks 

 both leaves and flower- scapes should show, 

 when the temperature may be increased 5°. 

 Two weeks later a minimum of 60° will be 

 most suitable. The bulbs, which were plump 

 at potting-time, now shrink rapidly, their sub- 

 stance going to make leaves and flowers. 

 Careful cultivation should be continued for 

 some time after the flowers are over, in order 

 that the bulbs may become strong and well 

 developed for next year's flowering. The 

 bulbs plump up again much better if the tan 

 bed is turned over, and some quicklime added 

 to destroy vermin, replunging the pots over the 

 rims, so that the roots may push out from the 

 top and run into the tan, which they readily do. 

 After this they do not need water oftener than 

 about once a week, when the entire bed should 

 be well watered. In a few weeks it should be 

 quite a mass of roots. Growth continues until 

 the end of August, or later, when water must 

 be withheld, and the house well ventilated 

 night and day. Light shading is necessary 

 only when the sun is powerful. When sound 

 bulbs of large size do not flower, it is owing to 

 mismanagement the previous season. Under 

 proper treatment not five per cent will miss 

 flowering. 



The Hippeastrum is easy to cross-fertilize. 

 The anthers must be removed when the flowers 

 are less than half -opened; about two days 

 later the stigma is ready for fertilization 

 with ripe pollen from another flower. The 

 operation should be performed daily until all 

 the flowers are fertilized. Only the best 

 varieties should be used as breeders. The seed 

 should be ripe in May, and may be sown at 

 once, about fifty in a 6-inch pot, in bottom heat. 

 They vegetate in about eight days. When 

 about a fortnight old prick out the seedlings, 



putting a dozen or so in a 6-inch pot. They 

 should be kept dry in a warm greenhouse in 

 winter. In January repot them, putting three 

 plants, in a 5-inch or 6-inch pot. Plunge them 

 in bottom heat, and treat them exactly as for 

 the large bulbs. Seedling bulbs do not lose 

 their leaves in winter. They must, however, 

 be rested from November to January, when 

 they may be planted singly in 5-inch pots, and 

 with good culture they will form flowering bulbs 

 by the end of the season. 



Hippeastrums are subject to basal rot, caused 

 probably by over-watering, although it is attri- 

 buted to a fungus, the presence of which is 

 consequent upon bad watering. They are also 

 subject to attacks from red spider, thrips, and 

 mealy bug. Red spider appears usually in hot 

 dry weather. It should be kept under by daily 

 syringing when the house is shut up in the 

 afternoon. Thrips are destroyed by tobacco 

 fumigation, or washing the leaves with tobacco 

 water. Mealy bug is nearly always present 

 under the outer coatings of the bulbs, or at the 

 base of the leaves, causing them to die off 

 prematurely. They are also subject to attacks 

 of the bulb-mite, usually an indication of im- 

 proper cultivation. Full directions for its 

 eradication will be found on p. 100, under 

 "Bulb Mite". 



The named hybrids and seedlings are now 

 very numerous, no less than 120 having re- 

 ceived certificates from the Royal Horticultural 

 Society. Some of the best are: — 



Aspasia. White, feathered with scarlet, broad white 

 band. 



Conqueror. Bright crimson-scarlet, extra large. 



Doris. Dark crimson-scarlet toned with maroon. 



Eclipse. White striped with light crimson-scarlet. 



Eldorado. Orange-scarlet with darker veins. 



Ercles. Rich -scarlet toned with carmine, extra large. 



Excellent. Scarlet toned with crimson, white rays. 



Her Majesty. White flushed with scarlet, broad band. 



Ideala. Cream- white with deep orange-scarlet blotches. 



Kineton. Light-red with large white star. 



Lustrous. Deep brilliant-scarlet toned with crimson. 



Major Wilson. Dazzling crimson-scarlet, extra large.' 



Olympia. Crimson-scarlet tinted with orange. 



Sir William. Large flower, uniform bright-crimson. 



Speculum. Crimson self, very brilliant. 



Tacola. Large with broad segments, bright-scarlet with 

 a broad white median band. 



The Vigil. White with red markings on upper segments. 



The best of the species are: — solandriflorum, 

 aulicum, psittacinum, pardinwrii, Reginm, Leopold^ 

 equestre, reticulatum var. striatifolium, procerum, 

 vittatum. [j. D.] 



Hollyhock (AUkea rosea) (fig 554). — A 

 native of China, but has been an inhabitant 



