138 
CULTURE OF THE HYACINTH. 
To grow Hyacinths to perfection, the following rules may not be 
without their use :— 
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1. The soil should not he too heavy, but of a fine rich nature. 
Let the component parts for a bed be as follows :—equal parts of rich 
loam, taken from the top spit of a pasture field, very rotten cow- 
dung, at least two years old, leaf-mould, peat, and fine sand. Break 
the turf well, throw it in a heap, and frequently turn it, until it is 
well rotted, then mix the whole together, and allow the compost to 
lie, if possible, six months before it is used. Sea-sand is preferable 
to any other if it can be procured. 
2. The bed on which the bulbs are to be planted, should be made 
about four feet wide, in a warm and dry situation, for, although hya¬ 
cinths grow freely in water alone, they soon receive injury or entirely 
perish if planted in wet situations. 
3. When the situation for the bed is determined upon, dig out the 
soil two feet deep, and loosen that at the bottom of the trench, so 
that all superfluity of moisture may be able to drain away ; then lay 
about four inches of rotten cow-dung at the bottom, and fill the 
trench with the above compost to eight inches above the surface of 
the surrounding ground in the centre, and two or three inches at the 
sides of the bed. Some persons make their beds with a regular slope 
from back to front, facing the south; and this system is not without 
its advantages. 
4. Always make the bed by the middle of October, which will be 
about a fortnight before the time of planting. This gives it time to 
settle properly. 
5. Choice of Bulbs .—The bulbs most likely to flower best are 
those of a middle size, solid, and conical; all flat crowned ones are 
apt to break into offsets, and at best produce very poor flowers. 
6. Time of Planting .—The best time of planting is the beginning 
of November, although some persons do it as early as the third week 
in September, but when done so early the plants usually appear above 
ground in the depth of winter; others again do not plant till the end 
of November, or even later; but in this case the roots become greatly 
weakened by their tendency to vegetate. 
7. Manner of Planting .—The bed having well settled, prepare to 
plant by raking the surface smooth and level, then spread over the 
whole about an inch thickness of dry sandy soil, mark out the rows 
on the bed either lengthways or across (the former looks the best), 
eight inches apart; this can readily be done either by means of a 
line, or, if across, a rod. Having marked out the rows, mark the 
exact spot for each bulb in the rows eight inches apart, planting 
