60 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



There are four ways of multiplying Hyacinth stocks : — 



(a) The oldest method is to allow the bulb to get mature 

 enough, when it will make a lot of young bulbs inside and out- 

 side the old root. "When lifted, there is very little left of the old 

 bulb. This method is the only natural way of increasing 

 Hyacinth bulbs. 



(b) The second method, of which you will find some samples 

 here to-day, consists of hollowing a good sized bulb in such a 

 manner that the lower portion is entirely taken out. When 

 properly dried after this action and planted, there are formed a 

 lot of young bulbs inside between the several layers. 



(c) The third, of which there are also some samples at hand, 

 consists of giving the bulbs three or four cuts across the bottom 

 in such a way that the lines cross each other in the centre, and 

 deep enough so that the bulb is cut half way through. When 

 lifted after they have been planted, such bulbs give rise to a 

 good many bulbils, but though not so plentiful, they are of larger 

 size than the hollowed ones. 



The two latter methods are entirely artificial means of 

 propagating ; but they are generally adopted, except in a few 

 cases, where the first method is adopted. Some varieties are 

 more easily propagated by hollowing (b), and others do better 

 again by cutting (c). Propagating by hollowing has the advan- 

 tage over that by cutting as it yields many more young bulbs. 

 These are, however, smaller, and it takes at least one year longer 

 to grow them of sufficient size. Six years at least are necessary 

 before the young bulbs obtained by hollowing have become large 

 enough to be called first-class bulbs, whereas those obtained by 

 cutting take only four or five years. 



(d) The fourth maimer to obtain young bulbs from the older 

 ones is from seed ; but as it takes at least eight years before a 

 grain of seed has grown into a first-class bulb, and it never gives 

 the variety back of which it is a seedling, it is easily understood 

 that this manner is very little used, and even then only by those 

 who wish to raise new varieties, which is not at all a profitable 

 affair. 



The first three methods of propagating already described give 

 always the same variety back, with the exception that sometimes 

 a sport is found which is quite equal to the original variety, 

 with the only difference that it has changed from double into 



