October 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
9 
at least the second succeeding year—then you must 
plant them in light rich soil, and the leaves must be 
encouraged and kept green as long as possible after 
the flowering, withholding water only when they be¬ 
gin to become yellow. In potting, use small pots 
instead of large ones; a four or five-inch pot will 
grow a hyacinth admirably, especially when assisted 
at times with a little weak clear manure water, made 
either from soot or guano. In a similar pot, half-a- 
dozen crocuses and snow drops may be placed, and 
those of the smaller tulips. The larger narcissus 
will require a six-inch pot to grow them well. 
In potting, put in the earth loosely, and do not set 
the bulb on the surface, as some advise, but let it be 
at least half covered, which will not only secure its 
fastening, but render less water in the growing season 
necessary, as evaporation from the bulb will, in a 
great measure, be prevented. The reason why in 
growing bulbs in pots, during winter, it was ever re¬ 
commended to place them on the surface, was owing 
to the fact that, when the soil was put in firmly, the 
damp was apt to arise between it and the base of the 
bulb, and decay frequently ensued. This evil will 
be avoided by filling the pots with the soil as lightly 
as possible. In the case of small bulbs they may be 
set almost upon the surface; as if, after planting, 
they are placed in a sheltered corner, and covered to 
the depth of several inches with coal-aslies or leaf- 
mould, &c., the weight of the covering will sin I the 
bulbs sufficiently. Where no covering is used, but 
the pots are placed in a dark room or cellar, the bulbs 
should be somewhat covered at first. Either of these 
contrivances should be resorted to after potting, as it 
is bad management to set them at once either in a 
greenhouse or window. When growing out of doors 
these bulbs are always covered to a greater or lesser 
depth, and the flower-stalk never appears until there 
are abundance of roots formed to support it; because 
the earth, upon an average, is higher and more equal 
in its temperature at that period than the atrno 
sphere surrounding it. Now, if you set your pot¬ 
ted bulbs in front of the window at once, the top 
part of your bulb will be as much, and frequently 
more, excited than the lower part, whence the 
roots issue, but, as the strength of the flower- 
stem depends upon the roots being somewhat in ad¬ 
vance of the stem and leaves, we advise placing the 
pots in a cellar or a room where an equal tempera¬ 
ture can be maintained; or covering them from four 
to six inches out of doors, protecting them from wet 
and frost, and then transferring them to the green¬ 
house or window when the pots are well supplied 
with roots. When wanted about Christmas, the pots 
best filled with roots must be transferred to a hotbed 
next mouth. One advantage of using small pots is 
that they can be easily used for filling vases of all 
descriptions; and, when covered with green moss, 
they thus, in masses, look very beautiful, and require 
but little water, the moss preventing the moisture 
evaporating. The moss should be steeped in hot 
water previously, to set slugs and worms a scamper¬ 
ing, and then spread out to dry a little before using it. 
In growing bulbs in glasses, choose coloured instead 
of clear ones, as the roots have a distaste for light. 
Put some little bits of charcoal in the water, but, 
nevertheless, change it frequently. Let only the 
lower part of the bulb be moistened; you cannot 
well cover them with earth, but you can set them in 
a cellar. If you wish, however, either to see your¬ 
self, or point out to your children, the process of root¬ 
making, set the glasses on the chimney-piece, which, 
if either iron or stone, will be the best place for them 
in the room—supposing that a fire is kept in the 
chimney-—for some people are so very wise that they 
will not light a fire before a certain day, be the weather 
fair or foul, mild or frosty ; preferring rather to have 
their toes and finger-ends frosted, and chilblained 
into the bargain! Now, we place them there that 
the water, the medium in which the roots are to elon¬ 
gate, may be, upon an average, warmer than the 
apartment; and we would remove them to the win¬ 
dow, to pay their obeisance to the king of day, when 
the roots were plentifully formed, and the flower-stem 
had began to grow ; and, when changing water, 
renewing it again at a temperature rather higher than 
the air of the apartment. But if you merely wish to 
have your hyacinths, &c., blooming in glasses with¬ 
out seeing them growing, then all you have to do is 
to grow the bulbs in small pots in the usual way, and 
when showing bloom, turn them out of the pots, 
rinse the ball through a pail of water, at 50 ° Fah., 
and then transfer the roots and bulbs to the bloom¬ 
ing glasses. R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
Exotic OiicHiDACEyE. —The cultivation of these 
singular, beautiful, and, in several instances, power¬ 
fully fragrant plants, being on the increase, and that 
to a considerable extent, we have been requested to 
write a series of papers weekly for the Cottage Gar¬ 
dener on this subject. It so happens that we have 
to take periodical journies into various parts of Great 
Britain, and by that means it has come under our 
observation that there are a great number of ama¬ 
teurs in various parts of this country who have be¬ 
gun, or are about to begin, to grow exotic orchids. 
It is chiefly for their instruction that we have con¬ 
sented to give, briefly, yet sufficiently fully and ex¬ 
plicitly, our experience in then culture, to lead them 
into the right method without making fatal mistakes 
or incurring ruinous expenses, whereby they would 
soon become disheartened, and abandon them as 
plants too difficult to grow. There are, also, in large 
gardening establishments, both public and private, 
many young gardeners who have expressed to us the 
great desire they have to know something of the right 
way and best method of cultivating orchids; and 
there are others who, we know, have often wished 
some one would give plain, short rules, by which 
they could successfully cultivate these plants. 
Again, it is well known to numbers of the cultiva¬ 
tors of orchids, that the writer of this has had consi¬ 
derable experience, and has been successful in this 
peculiar branch of floriculture. In addition to a con¬ 
siderable number of years’ constant and successful 
practice, I may mention to my readers the fact that 
1 have under my care a large select collection; and 
I invite those who do not know the fact to call at the 
Bine Apple Nursery, and judge for themselves whe¬ 
ther I am justifiable in undertaking to teach “ orchid¬ 
growing made easy.” To the friends who do know 
me I need not say a word, for I have had unvarying 
approvals from them of my correct views and right 
method of cultivating those interesting plants. Hav¬ 
ing now, as I think, made it quite clear and evident 
that there are persons, and not a few of them, that 
want this knowledge, and that from having had ex¬ 
tensive experience I may venture to presume that I 
can impart that knowledge, it only remains to say a 
few words about the medium through which we pro¬ 
pose to detail our experience, viz., The Cottage 
