HENDERSON'S BULB CULTURE. 



19 



flowering, hardy blooming plants, and like the 

 Gladiolus, varieties have originated from seed and 

 are now cultivated under distinctive names. Plant 

 in April or May, three inches deep, in groups or 

 in rows where they are to remain, and protect 

 slightly with some well-rotted manure during win- 

 ter. Dormant bulbs may be procured from No- 

 vember to May. 



MORJEA. 



Bulbous plants with very handsome flowers, 

 nearly allied to the Ixia, and succeeding well un- 

 der the same treatment. They are generally 

 grown in pots, and when done flowering should be 

 kept dry in the soil till they begin to grow in 

 spring. ' 



MUSCARI, Musk or Grape 

 Hyacinth. 



A small genus of hardy bulbous plants produc- 

 ing little round blue or white bells, so arranged on 

 the spike as to resemble a bunch of grapes. They 

 are admirable plants for permanent edgings, or 

 for grouping on the lawn or in borders, only re- 

 quiring to be planted where they may remain 

 many years without being disturbed. The 

 feathered Hyacinth is a variety of the above, the 

 spike of which, instead of being formed of bells as 

 in the other sorts, is a feathery plume. It is a 

 beautiful variety and lasts a long time in perfec- 

 tion. Dormant bulbs may be procured from Sep- 

 tember to January. 



NJEGELIA. 



A genus of deciduous greenhouse Mexican 

 plants, formerly included with Gesnera. The 

 leaves are covered with short crimson hairs which 

 give them a rich, velvet-like appearance. They 

 have erect racemes of large, showy flowers, mostly 

 bright scarlet, and are cultivated as recommended 

 for Gesneras, which see. 



NARCISSUS, Daffodils, &c. 



A genus, remarkable alike for the elegance, 

 fragrance, and precocity of their flowers. They 

 succeed best in a thoroughly drained, tolerably 

 rich soil, and if the position is one partially shaded 

 from the hot sunshine in spring, the flowers will 

 retain their beauty for a much longer period than 

 if more fully exposed. The hardy sorts when 

 grown in beds or open border should be planted 

 in September or October in deeply dug, well 

 manured ground, at a depth of not less than 

 three inches by four or five inches apart. When 

 planted in beds, and it becomes necessary to 

 remove them to make room for other plants, 

 "t should be done as soon as their beauty is p'ast. 

 As the bulbs are by no means mature at this 

 time, they should be carefully taken up a'nd 

 " laid or heeled in " in some slightly shaded place 

 until the foliage is quite withered, when they may 

 be taken up, dried and stored away in a cool, dry 

 place until wanted for the next planting season. 

 They are well adapted for grouping in the herbace- 

 ous or shrubbery border, or in the grass by the 

 sides of woodland walks, in open spaces between 

 or in front of trees and shrubs, in cemeteries, or 

 in any situation where the flowers may be readily 

 seen on" their appearance in spring. The foliage 

 should be allowed to ripen naturally before being 

 removed, at which time an annual top dressing of 



loam and well decayed manure may be applied 

 with advantage. 



The various varieties of hardy Narcissus are apt 

 to get weak and spindly and refuse to flower by 

 being kept too long in one place, the bulbs getting 

 overcrowded and consequently weakened. Every 

 three or four years, therefore, in August or Sep- 

 tember — preferably August, as the bulbs are quite 

 dormant at that time — the bulbs should be care- 

 fully taken up and divided, the large bulbs re- 

 planted in well enriched soil in groups of five to 

 eight or more, about three inches apart. A top 

 dressing in winter of some short, well decayed 

 manure will add greatly to their vigor, and a few 

 waterings with liquid manure when the plants are 

 breaking through the ground in early spring will 

 cause them to produce astonishingly large and 

 handsome flowers. 



Blooms required for decoration, are best cut 

 just before they expand, and placed with their 

 stems in water in a cool room ; they will soon open 

 to their fullest extent, and besides being clearer 

 and brighter in color, will retain their freshness 

 and beauty for a much longer period than if al- 

 lowed to expand on the plant. Dormant bulbs 

 may be procured from October to March. 



Varieties of the Polyanthus Narcissus- are es- 

 pecially suited for pot culture, and should be pot- 

 ted and grown in the same way as recommended 

 for Hyacinths. They are very free flowering, and 

 produce beautiful trusses of deliciously scented 

 flowers, varying from deep orange and primrose to, 

 the purest white ; all the varieties will force well, 

 and they are exceedingly valuable for supplying 

 cut flowers in winter and early spring. The Dou- 

 ble Roman and Paper White Narcissus if potted 

 early may be had in bloom before Christmas. The 

 latter is forced in immense quantities, and next 

 to the Roman Hyacinth and Tulip is the bulb 

 most extensively grown for this purpose. When 

 grown on a large scale they are planted in shallow 

 trays or boxes of soil at a distance of one to two 

 inches apart, and treated exactly as described for 

 Roman Hyacinths. The hardy varieties of Narcissus 

 or Daffodils (N. Von Sion, etc.), of which large quan- 

 tities are now used, are forced in the same manner, 

 it being, however, imperative for their success 

 that they be well rooted in the boxes or pots be- 

 fore being brought into heat, as if they are insuffi- 

 ciently rooted failure will result. To be in a 

 proper condition to force, the pots or boxes should 

 be matted around with the roots. As they come 

 into flower a liberal supply of weak liquid manure 

 will be found very beneficial. 



The Chinese Sacred Lily or Joss Flower, is a 

 variety of Polyanthus Narcissus grown by the 

 Chinese, to bloom at the advent of their New- 

 Year, which occurs in February. The bulbs 

 are grown by a method known only to them- 

 selves, whereby they attain great size and 

 strength, thus insuring luxuriant growth and a 

 remarkable profusion of bloom. They grow well, 

 potted in a light, rich soil in the ordinary manner, 

 but make most interesting and beautiful objects 

 when flowered, as they generally are in shallow 

 ornamental bowls or vases containing water, the 

 bulbs being surrounded by pebbles to prevent 

 their toppling over when in bloom. By making 

 an incision crosswise on each side, and about one 

 inch from the top of the main bulb, a fresh lot of 

 leaves and flowers will issue. Care must be taken 

 not to injure the bulb, all that need be done is 

 simply cutting the skin to liberate the leaves. By 

 this method one b Ah will produce from six U 



