FERRY & CO., DETROIT, MICH. 



All Hyacinths are well adapted to pot 

 culture, open beds or borders 



The Hyacinth is so well and so favorably known that any description of it or any 

 statement of its merits would be superfluous. Through centuries of careful cultivation 

 and selection it has been brought to a state of perfection which will scarcely be improved 

 in any great degree. It succeeds well in the house and garden, adorning both with the 

 varied colors and delicious fragrance of its showy flowers. Its culture is very simple, and 

 if attention is paid to the following directions, failure is almost impossible. 



Pot Culture in the House.— Plant from September to December in rich, sandy 

 loam, in four or five inch pots, inserting the bulb «o that its top will be just below the 

 surface. Do not pack the soil in the pots, as the bulbs will be much less likely to push 

 out when the root growth commences if the soil is loose. Water thoroughly and 

 set the pots away in a cool, dark place for several weeks. If cold coffee is used oc- 

 casionally instead of water, it will often 

 increase in intensity the coloring of the 

 flowers. Keeping in the dark will allow 

 the roots to grow and become firmly 

 fixed in the soil, w^hen the plants can be 

 brought into the light, and will at once 

 commence the top growth. By bringing 

 the pots into the light at different times, 

 something of a succession of bloom may 

 be had. During their growi;h they should 

 be kept near the light and at a tempera- 

 ture of 50 to 70 degrees, and watered fre- 

 quently. 



Out=Door Culture in Beds or Bor= 

 ders. — The bulbs may be planted almost 

 any time from October until the ground 

 is frozen solid, but it is advisable to pur- 

 chase early, before our stocks are de- 

 pleted. They succeed in any good, well 

 drained, garden soil, which should be 

 well spaded, and will be better if some 

 well rotted manure is mixed through it. 

 Set the bulbs so that the tops will be be- 

 tween three and four inches below the 

 surface, and six to ten inches apart. Pack 

 a little sand under and about them if it is 

 convenient, being careful that none of the 

 manure conies in direct contact with the 

 bulbs. 



Before very severe weather comes on it is ad- 

 visable to cover the beds with straw, leaves or ma- 

 nure, to protect them from the severe cold dur- 

 ing winter, but care should be taken that this 

 covering is not too thick and dense, as the bulbs 

 are as likely to be injured by being kept too 

 warm as by freezing. The covering should be re- 

 moved as early in the spring as severe freezing is 

 over and growth commences. 

 If the bulbs are taken up after they become well ri- 

 pened and are stored in a cool, dry place they will bloom 

 the next season, but the difficulty of keeping them at the 

 right temperature and moisture is so great in our climate 

 that we cannot recommend the attempt. If they are left 

 in the ground they will ordinarily produce some inferior 

 flowers the next year. In most cases it will be more sat- 

 isfactory to secure a fresh stock of large, finely grown 

 bulbs each season. 



Glass Culture.— To grow in glasses, select dark 

 colored glass, fill with water until the base of each bulb rests on 

 the water, and set away in the dark as directed for pot culture. Fill 

 up the glass with water as fast as it evaporates. If the water be- 

 comes impure it should be changed and the roots well cleansed 

 before putting in again. A small piece of charcoal put in the glass 

 will keep the water pure much longer. After the roots have at- 

 tained a good growth the gla.ss can be brought into the light and 

 placed in a cool room near a window. Give the plants plenty of 

 light and as much fresh air as possible without a direct draft. Keep 

 the glasses sufficiently full of water. Do not keep them in a close, 

 warm room, nor about a fireplace. If removed out of the direct 

 rays of the sun when in bloom, the flowers will last longer. 



Single 

 Hyacinth. 



