^96 
THE FLORIST. 
purchase in the way of new kinds ; give your orders for these at 
once, or select them yourself. When they arrive, if they are 
worked, lay them in a sheltered spot till February j if in pots, 
keep them protected till the same time. 
VALLOTA PURPUREA. 
% 
This valuable and beautiful autumn-flowering bulbous plant is not 
so extensively grown as it deserves. Its culture is the simplest 
possible, which makes it the more surprising that it should be so 
little grown. A lady friend of our own has grown and flowered 
it successfully, in her parlour window. Like most other bulbous 
plants, a soil composed of loam, peat, a little rotten cow-dung, and 
plenty of sand, suits it admirably; the pots should always be well 
drained. Good strong bulbs will flower well for several years in 
the same pots, by giving them a top dressing of the above compost 
annually, in spring. They will do well in any greenhouse or late 
vinery, where they can get plenty of light; they should be well 
attended to in watering during the summer months, and early in 
September (in general) the flower stems will appear. It is 
scarcely possible to conceive anything more brilliant than a pot of 
flve or six bulbs with a dozen flower stalks having five or six 
flowers, and all nearly fully expanded. They are most useful at 
this season, not only for in-door decoration, but also for out-door 
purposes. A friend of ours who grows them in quantity, uses 
them largely in this way. When vacancies occur in his mixed 
borders, he plunges the pots, and when the season is not very wet 
and stormy, they flower and look exceedingly well. After the 
plants are done flowering, water should be gradually withheld ; 
during the winter months they should be stored away on a dry 
shelf, or other situation in the greenhouse where they are safe 
from frost. They are readily increased by off-sets, potted and 
treated nearly as above, but more heat should be given them when 
growing. M. 
FRUIT TREE PLANTING. 
The season for planting being now at hand, a few words on the 
subject may not be altogether out of place. 
We do not intend to enter fully on the subject, but merely to 
throw out a few practical hints, which if followed may save begin¬ 
ners some disappointment. The first thing to be considered is the 
soil and situation ; where the situation is low and the soil a strong 
clay, a very different practice must be followed from that where 
the situation is high and the soil of a light loamy nature, resting 
on a sandy or gravelly bed. In heavy retentive soils, trees gene¬ 
rally throw out a great quantity of shoots after midsummer, 
which rarely get properlj’' matured. To insure success in planting, 
all fruit tree borders should be well drained, especially those of a 
