THE LILY OF THE VALLEY — THE RIBES FAMILY. 
187 
rises a thickened bud, from which at the proper 
season spring the leaves and flowers. Now, 
all the success of blooming the plant consists 
in perfecting these buds ; and when they are 
properly formed, the flowers may be deve- 
loped at any time by the application of heat. 
They may be forced in pots of any size, 
from six inches to a foot in diameter ; but 
when convenience is limited, the smaller size 
will be preferable. To prepare the plants, 
choose a shady, moist (not wet) situation, 
where the soil is as near a rich holding loam 
as may be: — a shadv border, behind a south 
wall, where the soil has been madefor pears, and 
similar fruit trees, is just the very place for 
them. Prepare the soil for them early in 
March, by stirring it up either with a fork or 
spade ; draw off with a hoe or rake about two 
inches of the surface, and then mark the 
ground out in circular patches of the size of 
the pots which are determined to be vised : 
this is easily done by inverting one of the pots 
and pressing its rim on the soil: the patches 
may be near together, for the plant is but a 
small grower. Take a quantity of the matted 
roots, and separate them into the single buds 
with the attached fibres already alluded to: 
place these buds within the circles marked 
out on the ground ; for a six-inch pot, from 
six to eight may be planted, and so in propor- 
tion for pots of larger size. When they are 
all planted, return the two inches of soil, put- 
ting it on carefully so as not to displace any. 
Cover the surface with a top dressing of rotten 
manure, an inch or two in thickness; or use 
liquid manure during their growing season : 
keep them clear of weeds. The plants ought 
to grow here through the second summer, in 
order to get strength to bloom finely; and this 
will be aided by picking off the blooms (not 
the leaves) as soon as they appear from the 
plants during the two seasons. About October 
they may be potted for forcing. A fresh 
plantation should be made in this way annually; 
and a portion being also taken up yearly for 
potting, the stock may be perfectly adjusted 
to the demand for them. 
In potting them proceed thus: — the pots 
must be drained wej|. with any coarse mate- 
rial which will pass "If the. water ; moss, 
rather long dung, tree leaves — either fresh or 
half decayed, crocks, cinders, or charcoal — 
any of these, will do. Take a handful and 
throw into the bottom of the pots, and use 
pure mellow loam fur potting if it can be 
afforded; if not, the common soil of the border 
they have grown in, will do. Take up the 
circular patches whole, with the spade or 
trowel, and pot them so that the crowns or 
buds may be an inch beneath the. surface ; 
work the soil well in among the fibres and 
ina<s of earth when potting: a copious water- 
ing assists to do this. "When they are potted, 
they require to be put in a sheltered place, in 
the way potted Hyacinth roots are treated, 
and covered over with four or six inches of 
old rotten tan, sawdust, or coal ashes ; and 
from this store they are to be removed in suc- 
cession as they are required for forcing. They 
will take from a month to six weeks to force 
into flower : in the earlier part of the season, 
which is also the depth of winter, they will 
take the longest time to get them into bloom. 
They require a temperature of 75 deg. to 
80 deg. of bottom heat, and an atmospheric 
heat of 60 deg. They are best covered with 
two or three inches of old tan, &c. when 
placed on the bottom heat ; and, when the 
buds come through this, they may be moved 
out from this covering, and kept for a week 
or so in the shade, and then taken to a lighter 
part of the house, and set in pans of water. 
When in flower, they may be removed to the 
sitting-room, or any other warm situation, 
where they may be required. Where there is 
no forcing-house, the same success will follow, 
if they are placed in a frame where the heat is 
regulated to the degree already named; and as 
they grow up, they may be removed to a 
; warm room, and finally to a light window. In 
fact, wdten they are brought into bloom, the 
object is to enjoy them, by placing them just 
where they are required, which, however, 
must not be a cold place. 
When the bloom is over, the roots may be 
protected slightly by any available means 
until March, when they may be planted out 
again for young blooming stock; and after two 
seasons' growth in this situation, they may 
again be forced. In planting out these forced 
plants, as well as in their treatment after the 
bloom is passed, it is very important to preserve 
the foliage without injury. 
There are some varieties among the Lilies of 
the Valley, but they are hardly to be compared 
with the simple wild flowers. A variety, 
called Jtore-pleno, has double white flowers; 
and one called rubra, has the flowers flesh- 
coloured, but they are both very scarce plants. 
I The purity of the white in the wild plant, is 
one of its desirable qualities ; and its bell- 
shaped form is little improved in appearance, 
by the multiplication of its parts. 
THE RIBES FAMILY. 
THE members of this family, cultivated till 
within a few years, made little or no noise, 
and hardly excited any attention ; but the in- 
troduction of Kibes speciosum and sanguine nui, 
and the raising of many varieties from seed 
differing in the colour of the bloom, rendered 
it at once a favourite, tribe: and we shall now 
be constantly adding to the number and variety 
