THE FLOWER GARDEK. 



for the convenience of reaching as far as the middle, 

 though they may be any size less, according to taste. 

 The length, also, is arbitrary ; the owner of a large col- 

 lection of bulbs will judge for himself whether the most 

 striking effect will be obtained by a single long bed, or 

 two or three short ones side by side. "When the ground 

 is marked out, excavate the soil to the depth of four feet, 

 if it is naturally cold and clayey, and throw in a bottom 

 stratum of shingle six inches thick, for drainage. On 

 light soils, three feet is sufficient, and the shingle may 

 be omitted. Pill with compost the same as for pot cul- 

 ture, till it is two or three inches above the level of the 

 earth. On the surface of this, place the bulbs, in quin- 

 cunx order, in rows six inches apart, six inches from plant 

 to plant, and cover them with an additional three inches 

 of compost, which may contain a larger proportion of 

 silver sand than the bed itself. In this case, it would 

 be dangerous to allow the upper portion of the bulb to 

 be exposed to the air, unless the bed were made in a 

 conservatory, under glass, or even in a good-sized oblong 

 cucumber frame, which, with a little contrivance and taste 

 may be made to serve as a temporary hyacinth-house, 

 and contain a pleasing collection of choice specimens. A 

 bed made as directed above, will, even after settling, be 

 raised two or three inches, and will be kept neat by 

 some provisional edging of wood, iron, or earthenware. 

 Box is not advisable, as harbouring slugs. 



Another mode : instead of excavating the soil to re- 

 ceive the compost, simply break it up well to the depth 

 *of a foot or eighteen inches, and thereon raise a mound 

 of compost of the required length and breadth two 

 feet high, keeping it together by walls of thick green 

 turf well flattened and beaten together by the spade, and 

 fastened, if need be, with pegs of osier. On the top of 

 this mound plant your hyacinths. Advantages are, that 

 the flowers are brought nearer the admirer's eye, as if 

 they stood on a low table, and that the cultivator is 

 spared much painful stooping when he plants and takes 

 up the bulbs and ties the top heavy flower-stems to sup- 



