HYACINTH. 



139 



but little known; Gerard, in his "Herbal," 1596, 

 speaks of it as of a well-known flower, without saying 

 when it was introduced, and he describes and figures 

 several double varieties of the original species, which he 

 says, simply, was brought from the East. The varieties 



HOUSE BLOOMIKG HYACIXTHS. 



then known were blue, white or pink, which were the 

 only colors known in the Hyacinth until about the com- 

 mencement of the present century, when a few pale yel- 

 low, or, rather, lemon-colored kinds were raised from 

 seed. From these, by careful selection and cross-fertili- 

 zation, great improvement in color, as well as form, has 

 been made. 



