88 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



enriched soils, and the same is true of the wild species of 

 Narcissi, which often produce fat, carroty roots, and ultimately 

 die out under culture on rich soils, although they live and thrive 

 on poor soils. There is a deceptive subtlety about the use of 

 manure, for the first season it is used, the bulbs are larger and 

 the flowers often finer, but its after effects are often most dis- 

 astrous. In cold or wet localities, raised beds or borders and 

 grassy banks in full sunshine are suitable for these flowers, 

 and there are many instances of the Daffodils and N. poeticus, 

 etc., existing for many years, as naturalised in meadows, parks, 

 and old gardens, on suitable soils, without any cultural attention 

 whatever. When these flowers do well in private gardens there 

 is often no necessity to transplant them for four or five years at 

 least ; but if the bulbs do not thrive and flower well, the sooner 

 they are removed to fresh soil the better. The best time for 

 transplanting is June or July, as soon as the leaves wither, and 

 better too early (i.e., before any new roots appear) than too late. 



On some cold, wet soils Narcissi have a tendency to retain 

 their leaves, that is to say, the bulbs do not finish or ripen up 

 their growth properly, and in this case the bulbs may be dug up 

 in July, and allowed to dry on the surface of the ground, or on 

 the floor of a cool shed, for a few weeks, before they are cleaned 

 and replanted, but bulbs so grown are never so successful as 

 when grown on fresh gritty soils that are naturally suitable to 

 them, and in which they ripen naturally. 



Double Varieties. 

 The last time I read a paper on Narcissi before this Society, 

 one or two present were disappointed because I never alluded to 

 the so-called " double-flowered " kinds. This makes me anxious 

 not to offend again. The " double" Narcissi are more or less 

 sterile, or abortive reversions from the following nine kinds, viz. : — 

 N. Pseudo-Narcissus, 

 x ,, cyclamineus ) Found in Portugal by 

 ,, Bulbocodium ) A. W. Tait, Esq. 

 ,, poeticus. 

 „ Tazetta. 

 x incomparabilis. 



,, Jonquilla. 

 x ,, odorus. 



