38 
BOTANICAL INDEX. 
soon as the bulb is in full vegetation, it regains its firmness and these films will then 
make an integral part thereof. 
“ Then we proceed to their planting. A good drainage of potsherds is given, and 
seizing the top of the bulb with one hand and letting the roots hang down in the pot, 
we gradually let the mould slip between the roots, till they are all as well as the 
thicker part of the bulb covered, without pressing the mould too much. 
“ When potted, they are placed near the glass in a temperate house or stove, with- 
out watering them, till they begin to grow, and even then they do not want but little 
moisture ; but as soon as the} 7 are evidently in good vegetation, they require an abund- 
ant watering. In placing some in tbe temperate house and some in the stove, they 
will produce a succession of flowers. 
“ When flowering, they may be fecundated, but, as soon as this is done, the flow- 
ers fade away very soon, and when seeded it is rare to see the same bulb flowering 
next year. The plant gets exhausted in seeding, and when the seeds are ripe, the 
bulb will be in such a manner emaciated, that its dress, its pellicles, will be too large, 
and make it resemble a convalescent who does not rill up his clothes, which before 
his sickness fitted him perfectly. After having done flowering, we plunge them with 
their pots in full sun, in garden soil or old tan. and continue watering them a> long 
as the vegetation is vigorous: but afterwards we let the plants content themselves 
with the rain that falls. In order to prevent earthworms entering the drain-hole, it 
is advisable to withdraw the pot from the hole wherein it is to be plunged and make 
a second hole at the bottom of the large one, so that the drain-hole does not touch the 
soil. As soon as tiie atmosphere and rains are getting cold, they are brought back to 
the temperate house and placed upon an elevated shelf; no water is given them, for 
now begins their time for resting, which is quite indispensable if a fine show of 
flowers is desired for next year. 
“ The Amaryllis may also be shifted after their flowering season, but then much 
care should be taken not to break the young fragile roots. This praxis sometimes 
produces a more luxuriant blossoming, as if they had been shifted in December. 
When planted, the pots are for some time placed in the shade, under some trees, 
until the sky gets covered or rain is to be expected; then they are plunged in the 
same way as described above. 
“We say that the shift, after the blossoming time, may cause a more vigorous 
blooming, whilst it may be uncertain when potted in December. For, in potting 
them after their blossoming time, the plants will be well rooted in their pots at the 
beginning of the winter. If they, during the winter, remain in this state, the plants 
will be well established when they emit their flower-stems. If, when shifted in De- 
cember, sufficient care should not be taken, too high a temperature sometimes pro- 
vokes too early an emittance of leaves and flower-stems, before the new roots are able 
to support them, and consequently no rich bloom can be produced.” 
Our experience is, that to mature large, healthy bulbs, as well as to encourage the 
formation of new ones, they must be planted deep; that is, cover the whole bulb with 
earth even with the crown, so that the base of the leaves just touch the earth. But 
for blooming, they should be planted very shallow or even on the earth, and require 
the roots to hold the bulb in place, which it does very readily, as they send out such 
great quantities of long and strong ones. 
For house culture, all the species of Amaryllidacece are desirable, but the true 
Amaryllis are especially choice pot plants, and we would recommend for amateurs, 
.1. alba, ,1. atainasca, A. aulica , A. Belladonna , .1. formosissima, A. Johnsonii , A In tea, 
A. purpurea (Fig. 25) which often blooms both in spring and fall, A. Prince of Orange, 
A. reyinas , and A. rosea. All these varieties can be procured of almost any large 
plant dealer in the United States, but as there are not to our knowledge anj' commer- 
cial plant establishments in the United States that make a specialty of growing 
them, many of the choicest varieties maybe difficult to obtain ; but any florist can 
order from Europe any species not to be found in the United States, or we will un- 
dertake to furnish any species or genus named in this article. All orders must 
be received before the first of March, as the months of April and May are the safest 
months for importing plants. 
California Ferns. 
We have taken the liberty of publishing the following list of Ferns collected near 
Santa Cruz, California, from a private letter by a lady correspondent, as it will 
interest all plant lovers. We will book orders now for any of these species, to be 
forwarded during April and May : 
Asplenium Filix-fcemina, Adiantum Chilense, 
Aspidium aculeaturn, Cystopteris fragilis, 
“ argentum, Gymnogramme triangulare, 
“ unitum, Pellcea Andromedifolia 
Pelloea ornithopers, 
Polypodimn intermedium, 
Pteris aquilina car lanuginosa. 
Woodwardia radicans. 
