SPRING BULBS AND AUTUMN FLOWERS . 63 
spoil it. Soft water is preferable, and if not naturally soft, 
it should be made so with a little borax or ammonia. 
A closet or any cool, dark place will be the best re¬ 
ceptacle for the glass for the next six weeks, which will be 
about the time necessary for the roots to fill the glass. The 
flower spike will then be very apparent, and the plant 
should have light and air. When the color becomes visible, 
the more light and air that are given, the brighter will be 
the hue and the shorter the spike and leaves. The sun 
should never be allowed to strike directly upon the glass, 
as it would make the water too hot. 
A novel method of growing hyacinths in water is to take 
a large sponge, make incisions in it, and place the bulbs in 
it. It is then placed in a vase filled with water, and a 
thimbleful of rape seed scattered over the surface, which 
it covers entirely with a fine, moss-like mantle that adds 
greatly to its beauty. By using warm water, the flowers 
come more quickly into bloom. 
The pure white, blush, and rosy hyacinths are the most 
beautiful in all the varieties, but most bulb growers want 
also dark-red, dark-blue, porcelain-blue and blue, buff, yel¬ 
low, and scarlet, all of which are to be found in single 
flowers as well as double. The cheap varieties range 
from 70 cents to $1.20 a dozen. 
A bed of tulips is a gorgeous sight, composed of all the 
colors of the rainbow, and the shape of the single flower is 
particularly fine. It is even more easily grown than the 
hyacinth, but is without its fragrance, and not so great a 
favorite for house culture. 
A mass of tulips will show the finest shades of purple, 
scarlet, crimson, pink, yellow, and pure white, variegated 
with such striped varieties as purple, violet, crimson, rose, 
puce, cerise, and yellow stripes on pure-white grounds, and 
crimson, scarlet, maroon, and red markings on rich gold 
grounds. The double flowers are very handsome, and a 
