THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
j\l Alien 10. 
410 
this aud Ghovetis (jlaiica, or Ismene calaihina, would be j 
a treasure, as either of them would render the breed of ' 
Elisene later in flowering, so as to come in the open ^ 
ground with us; but for a hardier constitution cross it , 
with Ismene peclunctdata, judging from what has been I 
revealed in the “Vegetable Kingdom,” aud I think I know 
as much about that as any one. I am quite sure that 
“A. S. W.,” who has written on tlie cross-breeding of 
fowls, has got the right end of the story—analogy can 
go no fartlier—e-Kporience must do the rest; but it must ■ 
he done as he says, else stamens and cockerels pull in 
opposite directions. i 
EUCOMIS. i 
The bulbs belonging to this genus are all from the [ 
Cape; they are as old as the hills, and as well-known to | 
old gardeners, like me, as Crocuses or Tulijis. When : 
we were all young this was one of the commonest stove 
plants we had to water; after that they turned out to 
like the greenhouse better; and, last of all, they are 
found to do out in a border, close under tlie wall of a 
greenhouse, or, better still, the front wall of a stove, 
llr. Jackson, of Kingston, like me, is very fond of tlie 
old Cape bulbs, aud of bulbs in general; both of us 
worked very hard in our younger days, aud now we can 
spare half-an-hour occasionally to talk about old things, 
and ways; and, in our very last conversation, the bulbs 
under review ivere the subject of the story. He has 
many of them in front of his houses, and some almost 
out of tlie ground by overgrowing; but the frost never 
hurts them so far as to keep them from flowering every 
year. But, to begin with young bulbs of them, they 
ought to be planted four or five inches deep, and to 
have a good portion of sand all round them, as the sjvin 
of the bulbs is very soft and tender, so that wireworm, 
and other grubs, like to feed on them. The flowers arc 
not very showy nor striking, and I shall, therefore, 
occupy no space in describing them individually. They 
are hardly worth while growing in pots, e.xcept it be 
for their leaves and spotted leaf-stalks. In the eyes of a 
gardener they are of the same value as the Ilccmanthus 
family. 
EUCROSIA. 
Eucrosia bicoi.or. —This is not a very striking bulb> 
yet the natural colour is much better than it is repre¬ 
sented in any of our books; but J hardly know to which 
to liken it in any of its parts. The leaf is different 
from that of any other bulb I know—three or four 
inches long, nearly three inches broad in the middle, 
and tapering to both ends; the flowers are vermilion, 
with dark lines, and looks as if it was taken from the 
umbel of some fine Alstromeria. There was a large 
importation of it once to “ Lee's Nursery,” and Sweet 
told them it was a native of Cape Horn, and so they 
left the pots in a cold frame that winter, and every one 
of the bulbs were killed. Its natural locality was not 
determined till 1836, when Dr. Jamieson found it at an 
elevation of 1000 feet, “on the descent towards Jagu- 
achi,” in Peru. It likes strong loam, greenhouse culture, , 
and rest in winter. , 
FERRARIA. ’ 
The Ferrarias were never great favourites wdth any i 
one, owing to the very short time each flower keeps 
open, and their dull colours. Gypella j)lu'mbca is better i 
than any of them, keeps longer in flower, from June to ^ 
August, and has the charms of novelty aud the novel * 
colour, lead colour, to the bargain ; yet no one grows it. \ 
Ferrarias require e.xactly the same treatment as I.\ia, i 
which see. The three best of them are aniherosa, 
atrala, and mululata. \ 
FOURCRUYA 
j I'ouRCROv.v GioANXEA aucl LONG.EVA are not bulhs, but 
I large plants between bulbs and American Aloes, with 
flower-stems which rise higher than the American Aloe, 
and they flower only once or so in a life time, and are lit 
only for botanic gardens, where all the gardeners know | 
more than tve can tell them in our quiet homely way. 
GALAXTA. 
By cutting short,the remarks about such bulbs as ; 
this, that are really not worth much, or about which 
there is really very little chance for improving them, I : 
shall have the more room to say all sorts of things : 
about those which deserve our care and philosojdiy. 
Graminea aud versicolor are the only two worth potting 
in this genus, and they are rather shy — the bulbs , 
perishing often, without one knowing why. Very sandy 
peat and l.via treatment suits them best. ! 
D. Beaton. 
(2'o he continued.) 
JOTTINGS FOR THE GREENHOUSE IN 
MARCH. 
Air giving. —In fine, mild weather, give air rather 
freely during the day, when the e-xternal atmosphere in 
the shade reaches 45°. Give a little merely at the top, 
when it is very windy, or cold aud frosty. If frost and 
wind, or either of them exist in unison with a bright 
sun, it will be 2 n'eferable to lessen perspiration, by 
sliglitly syringing the foliage in a forenoon, taking care, 
however, that the leaves are dry before the evening. This, 
and a loiv temperature in pipes or flues, arc jn'eferable to 
much air in such circumstances, and when an extreme 
of cold, and an e.xtreme of sunlight come together—as 
they often do in sj)ring—the slightly shading the house 
will be of great advantage, especially if the extreme cold 
and light have been 2 n-eceded by dull weather. The 
drier and colder the external air, the greater the caro 
required in admitting it among blooming and vigorously- 
growing plants. When plants are comparatively in a 
state oi' rest, and it is desirable to retard them, they 
must be kept by themselves, and more air given them. 
It will not be advisable, during the mouth, to leave air 
on at night, as a warm evening is frequently succeeded 
by a bright cold morning. Even in fine weather the 
house should be shut by three or four o’clock in the 
afternoon, aud when very cold, a couple of hours earlier. 
There is little danger of 2 flants drawing from having 
been shut up with sun-heat, if you allow the house to 
fall low enough in temperature during the night. 
Teinperntnre for growing and flowering plants—night, 
43° to 4()°; day, with sun, 05° to 05°; for plants resting 
and being retarded, from 5° to 10° less, according to 
their hardiness. 
Acliimencs. —The scaly tubers of these will keep safely 
in earth in any place where they will have an average 
temperatnre of from 43° to 50°. If kept in paper, in 
drawers, Ac., they are apt to shrivel iqi; the earth 
prevents their drying. It matters not whether they are 
ke 2 )t in the pots in which they grow, or in 2 'ians or little 
boxes, in loss space, with plenty of dry earth or sand 
about and around them. If a sujiply is wanted, the 
transmission of sound tubers will involve less risk and 
trouble and expense than young 2 ilants. 'The last days 
of the month, or the beginning of April, will be a good 
time to introduce a fovv tubers at the back or front of a 
cucumber-frame or pit, or where there is a temperatnre 
of from 55° to 70°. Place the roots in light sandy soil, 
and in shallow jians, or in i)ots filled three-iiarts with 
drainage. The tubers should be no more than just 
covered. If the soil is moistish that will be sullicient. 
I.ittle water will be wauled until the tops of the plants 
show themselves. If your tubers have got dried, it is 
better to allow them to absorb slowly from soil more 
dry than wet, or from moss just dam2i, than to deluge 
