402 
THE AMARYLLIS. 
tlioii'Ji there is abundant room to improve the 
whole race, and, as they advance, to throw out 
of cultivation all that are inferior. The form 
of the Amaryllis, as it is now best seen, is that 
6f a funnel, some elongated, others shallow; 
tlte edge, however, being divided into six 
points. Some of the indentations are very 
deep, and cause the flower to look like six 
petals, very narrow and pointed. The fault 
of many hybrids is, that of partaking too much 
of the green texture of a leaf, as if the flower 
was not come to its colour ; and thus an unfi- 
nished and almost worthless appearance is 
given to them. We have seen some of them 
Ilippeastrum, or Amaryllis Piitacinum. 
almost green, with very small portions of 
colour of any other kind upon them; and these 
we should very soon discard. The culture of 
these green-house varieties is simple ; the 
great condition required being to keep them 
growing fast when they are growing, and to 
let them absolutely rest, without water or any 
other stimulant, when the growth is com- 
pleted ; for, if they are continued moist when 
the leaf has grown to the full size, and thus 
kept from their natural rest, you will be dis- 
appointed in the bloom; a fate which has been 
very general among those who are not atten- 
tive to the condition of rest which plants, and 
especially bulbs, require to insure pei'fection. 
The soil in which the Amaryllis should be 
grown, when potted, may be formed of peat, 
loam and leaf-mould, in equal parts. This is 
generally light enough to let water through it 
freely; and if, from the quality of the loam 
and peat, it seems too stiff, the remedy is a 
little silver sand. Into this compost commit 
the bulbs ; putting the lower half of the large 
part into the soil, and leaving the remainder 
of the bulb above it. Those so potted may 
be placed on a shelf in the darkest part of the 
house ; no matter if, for the first few weeks, 
they arc under the front shelf. They will 
probably show no bloom the first year ; but 
this must not discourage you. They must 
have light and sun during their period of 
growth; and, when they appear to have grown 
their foliage to a full size, you may lessen the 
quantity of water by degrees, until, about 
August or September, they may be turned on 
their side, or put on the dryest shelf in the 
house, where their foliage will die down. 
Here some cultivators turn them out of their 
pots : we prefer their remaining in the soil ; 
and, in the spring, if they have lain on their 
sides, they may be put upright, and, when 
they begin to indicate growth, which will be 
seen by the swelling of the throat, or narrow 
part of the bulb, they may be examined, to 
see whether the pots are full of roots, and, if 
so, may have a shift to one of lai'ger size. 
Water them, to settle the compost about them, 
and put them into the warmest part of the 
house ; attending now carefully to the con- 
tinuance of moisture. Most of them will be 
found to have thrown up their sheath of bloom; 
and no further care, beyond that required for 
all plants, will be wanted until they flower. If 
you wish to seed them, let them have air, and 
plenty of it ; if not, let them be removed 
wherever you require them to show their fine 
flowers. When any offsets appear, remove 
them at the time the leaf is decayed ; that is, 
during the winter ; and they may be planted 
two or three in a pot until they grow, or one 
in a small sixty-sized pot, to be shifted into 
larger as they advance. The seed of this 
favourite genus of plants is now frequently 
imported, and the mode of raising it is not 
difficult. The sowing of all imported seeds 
must depend on circumstances over which we 
have no control. It is impossible to calculate 
on when it was gathered, or how long it has 
been on its voyage. The ordinary advice, 
therefore, must be to sow it as soon as you can 
get it; for delay sometimes destroys the vitality 
of seed which, if sowed when first obtained, 
would germinate. The seed should be sown, 
in the kind of soil or loam already described, 
in shallow pans or boxes, well drained, and 
the seed covered very lightly with soil, and 
the whole covered with a hand-glass, or some 
other glass, besides being retained in the 
green-house. The boxes should be shaded, so 
that the seeds may not be parched-up, and a 
moderate moistness must be kept up all the 
time the young plants are growing. As they 
ought not to be sown too thick, they should 
not be disturbed all the season of growth; but, 
if in any part they are too close, take out a 
