114 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
From its blossoming about Candlemas clay, 
the monks called it "our Lady of February," 
a modification of which title, " Fair maid of 
February," it now sometimes bears. 
The snowdrop is one of the Amaryllis tribe 
(Amaryllidaceae), in which its unassuming 
simplicity strongly contrasts with the vaunting 
gaudiness of the greater number of its exotic 
allies. 
The snowdrop, as is pretty well known, is 
a bulbous plant. Its stature is dwarf, the 
blossoms seldom growing more than four or 
six inches above the surface. The bulbs are 
somewhat egg-shaped, and of a dark brown 
colour. The leaves, of which two or three 
spring up from an ordinary sized bulb, are nar- 
row, equal in width throughout, obtuse-ended, 
and from four to six inches long ; they have a 
shallow groove down the middle on the upper 
side, and a ridge or keel on the lower side ; and 
on the exposed part (the bases being covered 
with soil equal to the depth of the bulb in the 
ground) are of a deep glaucous green colour. 
The flower-stalk or scape is simple, slender, 
round, and bears at top a small membranous 
tubular spathe, or sheath, out of which comes 
the solitary flower, gracefully bending its 
slender footstalk. The blossoms are pure 
white, with numerous uncoloured veins ; they 
consist of six segments, the three outer of 
which (sepals) are ovate-lance-shaped, spread- 
ing and hollowed out so as to be convex on the 
outer side ; the three inner pieces (petals) are 
about half as long as the sepals, obtuse and 
notched at the apex, and erect in position ; 
they have on the outside near the top, a small 
heart-shaped green blotch, and on the inside 
about six yellowish-green lines. 
These remarks apply to the simple form of 
the plant. A variety cultivated in gardens 
has double flowers, beyond the somewhat 
greater endurance and size of which, no supe- 
rior quality appears ; indeed the single snow- 
drop (as in the case of many other flowers) is 
more beautiful in form than the double : they 
are of the same colour. 
Some reflections on the admirable adapta- 
tion of the form of this flower to the circum- 
stances under which it is developed, have been 
penned ; and as they have been accompanied 
with an acknowledgment of the Infinite Wis- 
dom which has " made everything beautiful 
in its season," we are constrained to repeat 
them : — 
'" The delicacy with which the corolla is 
attached to the flower stalk, enables it to move 
with the winds in every direction without 
fear of snapping, or suffering the air to 
defraud the stigma of its necessary part of the 
farina [pollen] ; whilst its modest and pendent 
position is calculated to throw off all super- 
fluous moisture in order that the parts of fruc- 
tification may be secured. The pure white 
that is given to the petals of this flow r er, con- 
tributes in a no less happy degree to the per- 
fecting of the pollen, as it causes them to act 
as reflectors to throw all the light and warmth 
on the anthers, which at the chilling season of 
the year when the snowdrop flowers, is parti- 
cularly necessary." 
Little need be said on the culture of so 
common a plant as this. The plants grow 
through the spring months, ripen off in sum- 
mer, and commence their vegetation again 
late in autumn. When it is desired to trans- 
plant the bulbs, they may be taken up about 
Midsummer, or as soon as the leaves have de- 
cayed, and stored in a dry room till the plant- 
ing time. The middle or end of August is a 
good time for planting the bulbs, which should 
be placed at a depth of about two inches. 
How they would be best arranged depends on 
circumstances : if required for an edging, they 
should range in a single or double line, and 
the bulbs may then be set about a couple of 
inches apart ; but if required to form irre- 
gular patches in the flower beds, or among 
shrubs, it is best to plant a patch about six 
inches across, placing the bulbs at about the 
distance above named. For beds, they are 
best planted in regular order, and may be 
placed at two or three inches apart. They 
grow in any good garden soil ; and should not 
be too frequently transplanted — not oftener 
than once in three years. 
The snowdrop is seen nowhere to better 
advantage, than when springing up in the 
green turf along the irregular margins of a 
shrubbery, near the bases of isolated trees, 
or here and there in patches on the open 
lawn. By shrubbery walks it should also be 
largely planted. When springing up on a 
lawn, they have a wild natural appearance, 
and should not therefore be disposed with 
anything like formality, but scattered as it 
were by chance, thickly in some places and 
thinly in others, but connected together so as 
to form irregular groups of some extent. 
Grass plats seldom require mowing so early as 
to interfere with such an arrangement. 
" Child of the spring, sweet snowdrop, haste 
Thy bosom to unfold ; 
Ah ! dread the vernal hours to waste, 
For soon returns the cold." 
