J. M. THORBURN & CO.^S CATALOGUE OF BULBS 



HYACINTHS 



READY FOR DELIVERY IN SEPTEMBER 



The Hyacinth is one of the most popular and beautiful of spring-flowering plants for indoor and 

 outdoor decorations. By careful management in keeping up a succession, they may be had in flower 

 from the beginning of winter to the end of May. P^or a spring display in the open ground they are 

 unexcelled. Brilliant effects can be obtained by massing different colors in varieties that grow about the 

 same height and bloom at the same time. We furnish very large numbers for this purpose to public parks 



and cemeteries, and we shall be pleased to 

 recommend to any one suitable sorts, when 

 desired. 



OUTSIDE CULTURE. — In this section, 

 October is the month to plant Hyacinths 

 outside. They succeed best in a light soil 

 and in a sunny situation. If the soil is 

 naturally heavy, some sand should be 

 mixed with it; and, if the beds have been 

 occupied with other plants throughout the 

 summer, some well-rotted cow manure 

 should be added. The soil should be well 

 dug to a depth of 14 inches, and raised from 

 2 to 4 inches above the level of the walk. 

 The bulbs should be planted evenly, about 

 6 inches deep to the bottom of the bulb, 

 and from 6 to 7 inches apart ; if planted at 

 uneven depths they will not bloom at the 

 same time, but irregularly. Care must be 

 taken not to press the earth too firmly 

 around and over the bulbs ; some success- 

 ful gardeners follow the plan of setting each 

 bulb in a handful of clean sand, which 

 insures proper drainage. After the ground 

 has been frozen in early winter, cover with 

 a few inches of dry litter, evergreen boughs or coarse manure. If this covering be applied before freezing 

 weather, it renders the bulbs liable to the predations of field mice, which may burrow in it. 



CULTURE IN POTS. For growing in pots, large, selected, named varieties should be used. They 

 should be potted singly in 5-inch or 6-inch pots. Three bulbs in a 7-inch pot are very effective. The best 

 potting compost is fibry loam and manure in about equal parts, with some river sand intermixed. The 

 pots should be filled lightly, and the bulb pressed into the soil so that its base is firmly fixed. About 

 one-third of the bulb should remain above the soil. The pots should then be buried in the open ground 

 to the depth of 6 inches, and left there for five or six weeks, until they are well filled with roots. 

 They may then be taken into the house, where the warmth will soon bring them into flower. Where a 

 succession is desired, it is best to pot at intervals from September till the end of November. Plenty of 

 water should be always applied, and manure-water is beneficial after the flower-spikes appear. 



CULTURE IN GLASSES.— Single varieties are better adapted for culture in glasses than double 

 ones. The bulb should be placed so that the base is just in contact with the water. Soft rain-water 

 should be used, and a little charcoal might be placed in it to keep it pure. The glasses should be kept 

 in a cool, dark closet for ten or twelve days, until roots are formed, and then exposed to the light and air 

 as much as possible. Do not place them near gaslight. In very cold weather the glasses should be 

 removed from the window, as the bulbs cannot stand frost. The water should never be allowed to freeze, 

 and it should be changed every two or three days. 



Persors unacquainted with the different varieties will do well to leave the selections to us, only speci- 

 fying in their orders whether the bulbs are wanted for pot, glass or garden culture. 



We invite special attention to the assortments of named Hyacinths of our selection offered on page 

 4, and to the Hyacinth glasses which are described at the end of the Catalogue. 



The names of our Hyacinths and Tulips are those given to them by the originators in Holland, and arc 

 not sold under fancy names manufactured in this country. 



BED OF HYACINTHS 



