MANAGEMENT OF HYACINTHS. 
229 
the ingress of worms, cover them entirely over to the depth of a 
foot with fresh leaves ; these will be found preferable to plung¬ 
ing in any other material, as the protection is more complete 
both against frost and excessive wet, and the genial heat im¬ 
parted by the . leaves is conducive to a vigorous start. In this 
position they should remain for at least a month or six weeks, 
so as to become well rooted, before any attempt is made to force 
them ; it may be necessary to examine them once or twice in the 
time, and to give them a gentle watering if required, and when 
taken to the forcing-house, only those which are most forward, 
both in the production of roots and the advance of the crown, 
should be selected, leaving the remainder for the next succession. 
Before anything more is done with the plants, it will be found 
of immense advantage to repot them into others a size larger, 
this supplies fresh soil to the now active roots, at a time when 
most is required of them, and also affords an opportunity of 
correcting anything which may be wrong in their manner of 
growing, or likely to militate against their future advance; the 
same kind of soil may be used, and when it is done plunge the 
pots for about half their depth into a moderately warm bottom 
heat, a temperature of 50° is best to begin with, ascending, in 
the course of their management, to G0° or G5° according to the 
state of the weather, and the period they are required to bloom 
at; the changes, however, must be brought about gradually, for 
too much excitement at any time will inevitably spoil the plants. 
The state of the roots must also be thought of; if they are strong 
and actively progressing, they will, of course, bear a more rapid 
change than those which are naturally weak. Water must be 
supplied in moderate quantities whenever it is required, and 
when the flower spike is rising, a little liquid manure may be 
indulged in. For these, as for all other forced plants, a damp 
atmosphere is most essential, both to their growth and, as bear¬ 
ing directly upon it, to the prevention of attacks from insects. 
Should it happen, from the roots growing faster on one side than 
the other, that the bulb is forced out of an upright position, it is 
better, in order to remedy the unsightly appearance caused, to 
raise the lower side than to attempt to force the other down, 
which can only be done at the expense of the roots by cramping 
