224 



■THE GREEN-HOUSiE. 



Sect. IX. Management of Bulbs in JVater- 

 glasses ; care of Nosegays y S^c. 



The next point for consideration is the management 

 of bulbous -rooted flowers planted on water. This is 

 done in various ways. Sometimes a large vessel, two 

 or three feet in diameter and a foot deep, has a cover 

 fitted to it ; in this cover are holes (the largest towards 

 the centre) in concentric circles, on which to place a 

 collection of bulbs, from the crocus, which is placed 

 outside, to the strongest polyanthus-narcissus, which 

 when in flower forms the apex of the cone in the 

 centre. Sometimes a cone, or semi-globe, or semi- 

 dome, is formed by tin troughs six or eight inches 

 deep, and not wider than two inches, to which covers 

 with holes for the bulbs are fitted. This construction 

 admits of placing bulbs in horizontal rows rising above 

 one another to the apex of the cone or dome. The 

 bulbs may either be mixed, or of the same species 

 but of different varieties, as a cone of many different 

 sorts of hyacinths, another of narcissi, tulips. Sec, 

 The cases being filled with water, and the bulbs 

 placed over the holes, the whole cone should then be 

 neatly covered with green moss, so as to show only a 

 part of the necks of the bulbs. They will grow beau- 

 tifully; and when the flower-stalks can no longer 

 support themselves, there is a wire ring to each trough 

 about six inches above its surface, and another three 

 inches above that, to which they as well as any weak 



