CROCUS. 



75 



this flower. It has been cultivated in the garden 

 for ages past, having been introduced into Britain 

 from Turkey in 1605. By proper management it 

 is made to bloom in the house. The blossoms have 

 a long tube-like form, gradually enlarging upwards, 

 with colors of white, yellow, purple, lilac, blue, and 

 variegated. A fine display of them may be pro- 

 duced for the Christmas holidays. The period of 

 bloom is brief, but the bulbs are cheap and flower 

 soon after planting. 



SOIL AND GENERAL TREATMENT. 



The crocus wants a sandy loam enriched with 

 well rotted manure. 



It is increased by off-sets of the bulbs or by 

 seeds. 



The method of forcing them into bloom during 

 the winter is to take the bulbs, which should be 

 kept in a cool, moist atmosphere until wanted, and, 

 if for Christmas, pot early in September, placing a 

 number of bulbs in each pot three inches apart and 

 covering them with an inch or more of earth. Make 

 the soil damp and set the pots on dry sand in a 

 cool, well ventilated cellar, or cold-frame, where 

 they will have a temperature of about 50 . In a 

 few weeks roots will have formed and a growth of 

 foliage commenced. The pots containing the most 

 advanced plants, those showing the flower-truss in 

 the centre of the leaves, may be placed in a cool 

 window, shaded from the sun, and plentifully sup- 



