166 On the Culture of Hyacinths. 



the compost that was in contact with it ; and the cure of the 

 bulb itself, if the injury has not gone too far, may be effec- 

 ted by amputation of the diseased coats. 



The beds should be made about three feet in depth with 

 the compost, consisting of about one-sixth of rotten leaves or 

 tan, two-sixths of pure sand, and three-sixths of rotten cow- 

 dung. The compost should not be trodden down hard; 

 but, the bed being opened, the bulbs may be ranged, and 

 then carefully covered from three to five inches deep, but they 

 should not be dibbled or pressed into the compost. The 

 later sorts may be placed nearer the surface, to make them 

 flower earlier. If the situation is wet in winter, the beds 

 may be raised six inches, or even more, above the level of 

 the soil, to prevent the injury which the bulbs might receive 

 from moisture; but if too much elevated, they will suffer 

 from drought. The Dutch cover their beds with dung or 

 tan in winter, which they frequently put on or take off ac- 

 cording to the state of the weather. They like the frost to 

 penetrate to the distance of an inch from the bulb ; if it de- 

 scends deeper, they consider that the blossom will be 

 spoiled, and if it reaches the roots, that they will be de- 

 stroyed. I have never found the frost injurious to the 

 bulbs, though I used no covering ; but the winters are more 

 severe in Holland than in England. The compost will 

 require no additional manure till the expiration of about six 

 years, when it should be mixed with fresh sand and dung, 

 prepared as before. 



When the leaves of the Hyacinths begin to wither, the 

 bulbs should, if possible, be pulled out of the bed by the 

 hand, to avoid the danger of cutting them with the spade; 



