64 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



come unto us from beyond the seas divers other sorts, whose 

 figures are not extant with us ; of which there is one like unto 

 the first of these Oriental Hyacinths, saving that the flowers 

 thereof are purple coloured." A white one is also mentioned as 

 having come from beyond the seas. 



In Parkinson's " Paradisus, or The Garden of Pleasant 

 Flowers," 1629, there is a full-page engraving of six varieties of 

 single and double Hyacinths, with from six to thirteen flowers 

 on each spike. They are certainly superior to the poor little 

 thing figured by Gerard, but would not be tolerated anywhere 

 now. Parkinson says all these Oriental Hyacinths had been 

 brought out of Turkey and from Constantinople ; but where 

 their true original place is, is not yet understood. The colours 

 described are pure white, blue, and red, and eight varieties in 

 all are described, each of them with about half a dozen names. 



The next English author who wrote upon the Hyacinth, and 

 whose work is worthy of attention, was Mr. Philip Miller, gar- 

 dener to the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries, at their 

 Botanic Garden, Chelsea. The second edition of his " Gardener's 

 Dictionary " was published in 1733 ; and Miller says many fine 

 double varieties were cultivated. 



It is stated by Loudon that no really good double Hyacinths 

 were raised in Holland until the beginning of the last century. 

 A certain Peter Voerhelm was the first to distinguish himself as 

 a raiser. It seems that English influence had been brought to 

 bear upon the raisers of new flowers at that time for Voerhelm's 

 first good seedling was named Mary. His third flower was 

 named King of Great Britain ; and it was also described by 

 Miller as having flowers of an elegant rose colour in the 

 middle, and the petals much reflexed. It is greatly preferred to 

 all the flowers known, and in these good old times (for the growers 

 and raisers) the prices were high : King of Great Britain was 

 sold at 2,000 florins, or £100 and up to the middle of the last 

 century the greatest attention was paid to the raising of these 

 double flowers, and as much as 4,000 florins, or £200, was given 

 for a single bulb. 



There was also in Miller's time the Queen of Great Britain, 

 the most double variety, with pure white flowers. Other fine 

 double varieties were : the Pulchra, pale flesh colour ; the double 

 Cardinal, blue ; Claudius Albinus, milk colour streaked pale 



