NAT. ORDER.— AM ARYLLIDACEiE. 
23 
often, nor send out as many offsets, as when they are placed in a 
moderate stove in winter. This sort will produce its flowers two 
or three times in a year, and is not regular to any season, but may 
be found in blossom from the beginning of March till the begin- 
ning of September. The flowers are always produced when the 
roots are in full vigor. The bulbs, when they are to be left in the 
ground all the winter, should be planted at least four inches deep 
in the ground. In general, however, it is safer to take up the 
bulbs, and to keep them dry all the winter, like tulips. These 
bulbs will flower beautifully, like hyacinths, in glasses : they will 
also flower if hung up in a room, and kept moist by wrapping 
moss around them. When planted either in pots or in the open 
ground, it should be in rich soil ; and the bulbs should be kept 
dry during winter, and well watered just before they are going 
into flower in spring. 
This plant is also propagated by offsets, which may be taken 
off every year. The best time to part these roots is in August, 
that they may have time to take good root before winter ; and, in 
doing this, great care should be taken not to break off the fibres 
from their roots. They should be planted in pots of a middling 
size, filled with light kitchen-garden earth ; and, if they are kept 
in a moderate degree of warmth, they will produce a larger quan- 
tity of flowers. 
Medical Properties and Uses. This plant has never been suf- 
ficiently tested in regard to its medical qualities, to allow us to 
enter minutely into the details of its effect upon the human sys- 
tem. The petals were formerly employed as a conserve, and 
highly recommended for coughs, colds, and catarrhal affections. 
It is prepared after the following manner : Take of the dried 
petals, four ounces ; Ulmus fulva, slippery elm bark, eight ounces ; 
white sugar, two pounds ; Capsicum bacatum, cayenne pepper, 
half an ounce ; all finely pulverized. Mix, by adding sufficient 
warm water to make it into bread. Roll into small cakes, and dry. 
