180 
CULTURE OF CAPE BULBS. 
of Brazil, was introduced by that zealous cultivator, Mrs. Arnold 
Harrison, and flowered, for the first time, it is believed, in this coun¬ 
try, in 1832.— Bot. Reg. It requires the same kind of treatment as 
it regards heat &c. as Pine Apples. 
ARTICLE XVI.—CULTURE OF CAPE BULBS. 
All the Cape Iridete require one general mode of treatment; which, 
with a few exceptions, may be stated as follows:— 
1. Pot the roots, or plant them in a border in front of a stove or 
greenhouse, or other sheltered place, during the month of October. 
Let the soil be composed of equal parts of leaf-mould, sandy loam, 
and peat, well mixed. 
2. -If planted in pots, set them in a cold frame, and protect them 
from severe weather, till the pots are pretty well filled with roots ; 
then remove them to the greenhouse, cr room where they are intended 
to flower. 
3. When potted they must be watered very sparingly, until they 
have produced leaves, and begin to show their flower steins. And 
after flowering, when the leaves are dead, keep the roots perfectly 
dry in the pots. If planted in a border or frame, they must be com¬ 
pletely preserved from rains, snow, or frost, particularly during their 
dormant state: in the former case a good thickness of litter will an¬ 
swer the purpose; and in the latter, the frame may be covered with 
lights. 
4. The usual flowering season is April, May, and June, but some 
species flower somewhat earlier, others later. The plants at that time 
require to stand in light airy places, and should receive a good sup¬ 
ply of water. 
5 It is not well to take up the bulbs in less than two or three 
years, at which times all the offsets should be taken off’; but such as 
are in pots, must be invariably re-potted every October. No person 
who cultivates Cape Bulbs should be without Streptanthera cuprea 
and elegans; Sparaxis lineata, grandiflora and tricolor; Ixia Heleni, 
flexuosa, and viridiflora; Trichonema rosea, and some others. 
