21 
THE COTTAGE GABDENEB AND COUNTBY GENTLEMAN, October 13, 1857. 
other day clean the seed out, and put it away in a dry 
room till the spring. 
The tubers when ready, and a dry day or two 
occurring, should be taken up, and all the soil shook 
off. This must be done carefully, or some of the tubers 
will break off and be useless. Let them dry well in 
the open air, and then store them away in dry earth or 
sand in some shed or room where the frost cannot 
reach them. 
Stores in pots should also have their tops cut off, 
and be stowed away for the winter. I have found that, 
if the pots are laid on their sides and placed under 
the stage of the greenhouse, they have kept remarkably 
well. I am an advocate for keeping a good stock of 
Dahlias in small pots. I find them keep best in that 
way. 
Pelargoniums, or, as they are commonly called, 
Geraniums. —Florists’ varieties of both the showy large 
kinds and the fancy varieties should now be all under 
glass. The large plants that were cut down in July 
ought now to be well furnished with leaves and short 
stout shoots. Cuttings potted off in June or the early 
j part of July should also now be nice stocky plants. 
Place them all as near the glass as possible to keep 
! them dwarf and bushy, and also keep the house as cool 
| as possible to prevent any premature weak growths. 
This is a rock on which many growers split; namely, 
keeping their greenhouse too warm in the autumn. 
The effect of this stimulating, injudicious treatment is 
drawn, weak shoots and yellow leaves, which often 
mildew and fall off in winter. To prevent this fatal 
effect give air abundantly, and always water in the 
morning, choosing even for that a morning when there 
is a probability of sunshine to dry up the superfluous 
moisture. The floor of the house also should be kept 
quite dry. Let any grower go into Mr. Turner’s 
Geranium houses at Slough, and he will find every part 
as dry and as clean as a parlour floor. Should un¬ 
avoidably any wet fall on the floor or stage let it be 
carefully wiped up at once. As the houses must be 
washed out occasionally, whenever that is done see 
that they are dried as quickly as possible, and let it be 
done in the early part of the day, and if the weather is 
wet and damp put on a little fire to assist the drying 
process. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
THE HYACINTH. 
As it is now the season for potting and planting these 
sweet-scented and lovely spring flowers a few hints on 
the best mode of cultivating them will be useful to 
many of the readers of Tele Cottage Gardener. They 
are grown in three ways, namely, in glasses filled with 
water, in pots, and in beds in the open ground. 
In Glasses. —Whenever you have the opportunity 
choose your own bulbs, or deal with a trustworthy man. 
Select such as are of a middling size, of a close, com¬ 
pact, round form, without offsets at the bottom; also 
notice that the apex or top of the bulb is lull and firm. 
There are now several kinds of glasses; some made of 
clear glass, and in the old-fa$hioned shape; others of 
the same shape, but with the glass of various colours; 
and there are others of more recent fashion with the 
lower part bell-shaped. Where fancy rules it is 
difficult to decide on which to fix. I am, however, 
inclined to the first named; namely, those upright ones 
made of clear glass. It may be said with truth of this 
form and make that the state of the roots and the water 
is better seen, and of' course, if wrong, sooner set 
right. Be the choice as it may, now is the time to 
procure the roots and the glasses. Fill the glasses with 
clear rain or soft water, and place the bulbs in the cup 
at the top of the glass, taking care that they are not in 
actual contact with the water. I would say, let the 
thickness of a shilling be between the bottom of each 
bulb and the top of the water. The roots will quickly 
push and find their way down into the water. Then 
place them in a dark, cool room, where the temperature 
is pretty nearly of an even character. Let them remain 
here until the roots hqve grown downwards nearly to 
the bottom of eqp]} glass. 
If they are then examined at the roots they will 
generally be found covered with a greenish slime, and 
the water vyill be dirty. In that case draw the roots 
carefully out of each glass, throw away the water, wash 
the glasses quite clean inside and out, refill them with 
fresh, clear, soft water, and then wash off carefully the 
green slimy matter, leaving the roots as white as snow. 
This washing must be carefully done, so as not to break 
or bruise any of the roots. When once done effectually 
they will not require washing again. The water should 
be changed once a week or ten days. With this slight 
attention good healthy bulbs will produce very fair 
floweps, and will ornament the parlour window for a 
considerable time. T^e bulbs, however, will suffer 
considerably by this water culture. The only thing the 
amateur can do is to turn them out of the glasses, and 
lay them in by the heels in the open ground in some 
shady border. They will here ripen their bulbs, and 
will do to plant in the mixed border the following season. 
In Pots. —By this mode of growing Hyacinths great 
numbers are cultivated for the London market. 1 have 
seen upwards of a thousand exhibited for sale on a 
spring morning in Covent Garden alone. Whoever 
wishes to see them next spring must rise early, as they 
are all sold to the retailers or removed home again before 
eight o’clock in the morning. 
The soil for Hyacinths in pots should be rich and 
firm. Turfy loam two-thirds, and well-decomposed cow- 
dung, at least two years old, one-third, will form as good 
stuff as needs be for them, and it will be an improve¬ 
ment if a liberal sprinkling of sharp river sand be 
added. The pots for Hyacinths are deeper and more 
upright than ordinary, but they will do very well in the 
size called 48’s, which are nearly five inches in diameter. 
Place one bulb in each. If more than one is put into one 
pot the size must be proportionably larger. In potting 
lay an oyster-shell or a piece of broken pot over the 
hole; then put in about an inch of soil, press it down 
very firm ; then add a second inch, and press it dow r n 
firmly also, and so proceed till the pot is nearly full. 
Then place the bulb upon the soil, and add soil enough 
to just cover it, excepting the very apex of the bulb. 
To keep the bulb from rising up (which it will do, or 
rather, the roots as they spring forth will lift the bulb 
up), press the soil around it even more hard than that 
under it. I have always found this hard pressing of 
service. It prevents the roots so quickly rushing down 
to the fiottom of the pot, thus giving them time to 
gather up nourishment during their descent. 
The season for potting is as early in October as may 
be convenient. For a succession a second batch might 
be potted towards the end of November. 
As soon as they are potted place the pots in a bed in 
neat straight lines, and cover them oyer with sifted coal 
ashes or rotten tanners’ bark, or even sawdust would do 
(though I think ashes the best), three or four inches 
deep. Here they are to remain to form roots and just 
start in growth. Then take a portion out at a time, 
wash the pots, clear off the allies, and place them 
in an intermediate house, one a few degrees warmer 
than a common greenhouse, though the latter will 
answer well where very early flowers are not required or 
cared for. Whilst here they should be freely watered, 
and the flower-stems supported with neat green sticks or 
wire supports. 
