150 
AMARYLLID AC£iE. 
parasites ; blit I consider a well-drained rich alluvial soil to 
be most fit for bringing them to perfection. They appear to 
have gone rather out of favour lately with cultivators, pro- 
bably from failures through mismanagement, for certainly 
they can be surpassed by few flowers in beauty ; and most 
of them may be cultivated in a warm greenhouse, if they are 
kept quite dry in the winter ; but it should be always re- 
membered that very tender bulbs, which are to be kept dry 
in a greenhouse, will rot if above ground from the dampness 
of the atmosphere, though they would have been uninjured 
if closely covered by dry earth. 
It is now pretty well understood that although cuttings 
of Camellia Japonica strike root readily in sand, a light and 
confluent soil is fatal to the growth of the plant, causing the 
young leaf to turn yellow, become spotted, and fall oft", 
especially if exposed to the sun ; a well -drained stronger 
soil being essential to their health. Most sorts of Hippe- 
astrum seem to me liable to suffer from the same cause, 
which is apparently too rapid evaporation of the moisture 
which they require : the more frequent watering, which be- 
comes necessary to the developement of their leaves, occa- 
sions the decay of the fibres. Due attention to this point 
will make the cultivation of the bulbs of this genus easy to 
those who have been unsuccessful in their treatment, always 
bearing in mind that, the stronger the soil used, the more 
perfect should be the drainage. Strong loam and a cool 
situation, with complete rest in winter, suits H. vittatum, 
and I believe that Aulicum will succeed best with the same 
treatment. I consider that Ilippeastrum generally does not 
thrive well in soil which is powdery when dry, and does 
not set. 
If half the outer shell of the seed of Hippeastrum is care- 
fully taken off" with a penknife, the duct from the umbilicus 
to the opposite extremity, which is the region of the chalaza, 
will be seen passing circuitously at some distance from the 
embiyo ; and another duct from the foramen to the radicle of 
the embryo, the two apertures being closely approximated. 
The main nourishment from the umbilical cord appears to be 
conveyed to the summit of the cotyledon. 
I have no reason to believe that this occidental genus has 
been found in a wild state north of the tropic of Cancer. Its 
natural limits seem to coincide nearly with the tropics in the 
western hemisphere, exceeding them a little in the southern 
