BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS PLANTS. 41 



that in one city in Holland, in the space of three years% 

 they had traded for a million sterling in Tulips. 



As a full catalogue of all the varieties of Bulbous 

 and Tuberous-rooted plants would occupy a number of 

 pages, without affording much general interest, I shall 

 content myself by devoting a short paragraph in de- 

 scribing some of each particular species, which will be 

 accompanied with directions for their culture, in a 

 brief, and, at the same time, explicit manner. 



It may be here necessary to define the difference 

 between Bulbous and Tuberous roots. Those desig- 

 nated Bulbous, have skins similar to Onions, or the 

 Allium tribe ; and Tuberous roots imply all such a,s 

 produce tubes something similar to Potatoes. 



The soil for Bulbous and Tuberous roots in general 

 should be light, and yet capable of retaining moisture, 

 not such as is liable to become bound up by heat, or 

 that in consequence of too large a portion of sand, is 

 likely to become violently hot in summer; but a 

 medium earth between the two extremes. But as 

 many city gardens do not contain a natural soil of any 

 depth, a suitable compost should be provided in such 

 cases, which may consist of about equal parts of sand, 

 loam, rotten manure, mould, &c. 



When ready, the beds may be laid out, from three 

 to four feet wide, and they should be raised two or three 

 inches above the level of the walks, which will give 

 an opportunity for all superfluous moisture to run off . 

 Let the beds thus formed be pulverised to the depth 

 of fifteen or eighteen inches, and at the time of planting, 



4* 



