BULBOUS FLOWERS. 



21 



Shrubby and Sub-shrubby Flowers, Annuals, and Flower- 

 ing Trees. In addition to the necessaries required for 

 Kitchen Garden use, the florist must have a stock of 

 various soils, in assortments, as leaf-mould, heath-mould, 

 silver-sand, hazel-loam, the materials of old cucumber- 

 beds ; besides a hotbed in spring, cool frames, and a small 

 greenhouse, if possible ; a cellar for roots and plants in 

 winter, a shed in which to pot plants and keep seeds and 

 bulbs, plenty of flowerpots for the rearing of bedding 

 plants and cuttings, shallow pans and boxes for raising- 

 seedlings, stakes (of wood, not iron) to support Dahlias 

 and Standard Roses, and, whatever else may be added to 

 the list, a small library of the best works on Horti- 

 culture. 



BULBOUS FLOWERS. 



A bulb is a very complete and simple form of vege- 

 table existence. To the question, " "What, amongst 

 plants, constitutes an individual?" the most generally 

 received answer is, " A bud is an individual ;" so that an 

 oak-tree is a collection of individuals, something as cer- 

 tain corals are a collection of polypes. Now, a bulb is a 

 bud on a larger scale. The buds that are formed and 

 drop off from the junction of the leaf and the stem in 

 certain lilies, are miniature bulbs. Bulbs enjoy the 

 advantage of being more independent of a fixed residence 

 in the soil than many other plants. During their 

 period of rest, they may be kept out of the ground, be 

 made the subject of merchandise, and be transported to 

 very considerable distances. Meanwhile their vitality is 

 still in full force, and important changes, such as the for- 

 mation of the future blossom, is going on within them. 

 In due time, they again require the nutriment supplied 

 by the rains and the earth ; just as an animal that has lain 

 torpid all winter, seeks his food on awakening in the 

 spring. The capability of propagation by offsets is 

 another point of interest belonging to bulbs. Young 

 progeny, exactly resembling the parent plant, are thus 

 produced with certainty. Bulbs often are the subjects 



