426 Account and Description of Spring Crocuses, §c. 



Crocuses, with a brief notice of some species and varieties, 

 all garden plants, altogether amounting to thirteen kinds. It 

 is much to be lamented that his description was not extended 

 to all with which he was acquainted, and that he never com- 

 municated subsequently an account of the different kinds he 

 knew. No one was at that time, so well qualified as he was, 

 to give a complete account of the whole genus. His paper, 

 in addition to the scientific descriptions, contains very useful 

 instructions for the raising of seedling Crocuses in boxes, a 

 practice in which he had acquired much experience. Mr. 

 Havvorth describes nine species ; to all of these I have refer- 

 red, considering eight as distinct, and have placed the other 

 species, C. obovatus, among the varieties of C. vernus, to which 

 it appears to me strictly to belong. 



The cultivation and management of Crocuses is not a matter 

 of difficulty ; they succeed best in a light dry soil, but do not 

 like frequent removals. Many of the kinds increase rapidly by 

 reproduction of their bulbs, but these blossom well notwith- 

 standing their being left very thick together. The new bulbs 

 are formed above and on the old one, which is only annual, 

 perishing after the production of its progeny. Each old bulb, 

 produces one or more fasciculi or bunches of leaves, and a 

 new bulb is formed at the base of each fasciculus ; so that 

 where only one fasciculus is produced, one new bulb only is 

 formed, and the increase of the number of bulbs in each season, 

 depends on the number of the fasciculi of leaves. When they 

 have been taken up, the bulbs should be kept out of the 

 ground as little time as possible ; the longer the planting of 

 them is delayed, the more defective will be their appearance 

 in the succeeding season. They may be planted either in 



