HYACINTH. 
93 
preserve them in beauty as long as possible, they should 
be shaded, or some of the finer colored sorts will soon 
fade. This is best done by a frame work and awning 
which should extend over the walks round the bed, 
and be about seven feet high, to allow of walking 
under it to view the flowers. 
When the flower stems have grown about four 
inches high, it will be necessary to tie them to neat 
sticks, or they are liable to be broken by the wind. 
Unless the season be excessively dry, watering- is 
always unnecessary, for the dews and rains which fall 
upon the beds are usually more than sufficient ; and 
after the flowers fade, and the foliage begins to die, 
moisture becomes injurious. 
When the leaves are somewhat withered, proceed 
to take up the bulbs, but carefully avoid cutting the 
leaves until they are perfectly dead, for if the tops 
be cutoff, canker and decay are the consequence. 
When they are taken up, draw a shallow drill on 
one end of the bed, and lay the bulbs in it, so as not 
to touch each other, and cover them with dry sand ; 
leaving the dying leaves outside ; there let them re¬ 
main until the roots are perfectly ripe, which will be 
known by their leaves being entirely dead. Now take 
them up, and cutoff the leaves quite close to the bulb, 
(taking care not to injure the crown or top of the 
bulb,) rub off the dead fibres, and spread the bulbs in 
a dry airy room, fora few days, then clean off all soi 
and loose skins that may adhere to them, separate the 
offsets, and put them in paper bags until the time of 
planting again. 
