324 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 23, 1858. 
I 
I 
variety over all others, I know of, for producing naturally a 
multiplicity of double flowers: I am still of the same belief, 
having practised that system for many years. A good deal 
also depends on the mode adopted in saving the seed, parti¬ 
cularly of flowers that in their natural state come single, but 
are only admired by the million in a state of monstrosity. I 
shall explain the method I adopt, to help in aiding to make 
the singles come double, before I close. 
Under the system of growth, described by me in your paper 
of June 2,1857, page 137, I proved the said variety of Stock 
to be the most hardy grown, when properly treated. You 
liighly applauded me for my success in raising my purple 
variety: it partakes in every respect of the same habit of 
dwarf growth, doubleness ot bloom, and hardiness. 
When I last wrote to you about this Stock, I stated that I 
had got a third decided colour (a pure white) of this class; 
I purchased it at Messrs. Henderson’s, under that distinction. 
It has turned out very well, in many respects, but scarcely so 
many coming double as in the scarlet and purple ; however, I 
flatter myself I shall, in some degree, surmount that deficiency, 
by throwing more vigour into the seed-pods, when saving the 
seed. , 1 am now in possession of three decided colours, which 
I consider of an unsurpassed class. I have also another 
colour, a light rose pink, which is a sport from the same class. 
I have only one solitary plant, a single (now in a pot) ; I must 
grow it by itself, and have to prove whether it will come true 
to colour. I mean to try to produce, if possible, one of a 
yellowish shade, by crossing. There is no annual variety of 
Stock so valuable, and so well adapted for growing in pots, or 
for the decoration of the greenhouse and conservatory ; and 
(what may be equally as much esteemed by some) for the 
perfume they would diffuse. 
Seed sown about the 20th of May, would flower through 
the winter; sow again the 24tli of June, for early spring 
flowering. Be particular to prick out the seedlings on to an 
open border in the garden, as soon as they can be handled; 
allow them to stand wide apart, to encourage them to grow 
bushy. When well established, pot them ; afterwards plunge 
the pots to the rim, in some open place, among coal ashes. 
They will flower in small pots, if attended to, with a little 
support of guano, or manure droppings diluted with water. 
No annual flower, I believe, is more useful than this variety 
of Stock for bedding out, or forming ribbon rows, as the 
plants do not grow tall. They will begin to bloom when only 
six inches high, and will continue on all the season, till very 
hard frost comes on. Once or twice transplanted, the plants, 
after that, can be conveyed almost anywhere; having such a 
multiplicity of fibres, not a single plant will refuse to grow, 
although ever so coarsely handled. A succession of blooming 
plants may be had, almost all the season round, by two sow¬ 
ings only : the first, say the beginning of April, for summer 
and autumn; the second, the beginning of July. These will 
stand over the 'winter, and flower the first part of the season. 
The plants of this later sowing, in particular, must be twice 
transplanted, to keep them hard and wiry; I do not mean 
robust plants, with a deal of nutriment in them, to be an 
attraction to frost to lay hold of them. These, or the above 
plants, at the last planting, to be planted on a narrow wall 
border—say two rows. Previously to planting, apply a 
dressing of burnt earth, or old lime rubbish ; point it in with 
a spade, and plant the Stocks in time, only just to have a 
hold of the ground before frost arrives. These plants, if 
thought proper, may remain in this position till they show 
the bloom buds; after that, every double one may be selected, 
or picked out, before planting. The operator need not be 
afraid of their growing ; I will ensure almost every plant to 
grow. Indeed, I do not remember one giving way ; the roots 
being so numerous, and small, are soon into motion again. 
As I have been an enthusiastic Stock grower for twenty- 
five years, I shall now describe my system. It may 
not be new to many, still interesting to a few, of your 
readers, to know what Stock I would prefer, to insure a greater 
number of doubles, or monstrosity, flowers from. I first 
look over all the plants in bloom—those that show extra 
flower petals—I mean a flower leaf, say extra, occasionally, on 
some of the flower pips. These plants I select for seeding, 
by cutting all the side-shoots away from the plant; and also 
cut the tops off the mam stem, when the plants are nearly in 
full bloom. After that, I endeavour to get the seed as well 
ripened as I possibly can. When the seed is nearly matured, 
or got as much good as I can procure for it out of doors, I 
pull up the whole plant, and allow the seed to dry gradually, 
with the whole plant attached, from which the seed still 
receives some nutriment. After it is quite dried up in the 
stems, I take off the seed-pods, and generally keep the seed 
in the pods till wanted for sowing.—W. Melville, Dalmeney 
Parle Gardens. 
DESTRUCTION OF INSECTS IN STOVES. 
I HAVE been troubled with the blatta , or the American red 
beetle, for which I have used “ Chace’s poison” with good 
effect; and often, on finding the dead carcase of a blatta on 
the floor, it has been completely covered with ants, who 
manage to drag it away, and, I believe, eat it. I have also 
heard, lately, from a neighbour (a good grower of stove plants) 
that the common green plover, or peewit (by some, also, called 
lapwing’ ), is a very good friend to fanciers of stove plants, 
for this reason—it will not peck, or injure the plants; but 
will pick up everything in the shape of insect, be it what it 
may, that can be found in the house. At one time I was dread¬ 
fully worried with wood-lice: for the last four or five months 
I have kept three hedgehogs (mother and two young ones) in 
my stove, and a wood-louse is a rarity.— Mount Heaton. 
NOTES FROM THE CONTINENT.—No. 20. 
BULB CULTURE. 
In the beginning of October I paid a visit to a friend of 
mine, the proprietor of a small florist’s garden, and found 
him busily engaged in planting beds of Hyacinths. Holland 
is generally supposed to be the great producer of bulbs, and 
it certainly does rank first in this respect; but it often 
happens that the Dutch traders have not a sufficient stock of 
some particular sort, and in that case they apply to Germany 
to make up the deficiency. I see no very great obstacle to 
bulbs being grown in England (at any rate in some parts of 
the island) as well as here; and as it may interest some 
amateurs to grow their own, I will proceed to give the mode 
of propagation and culture practised by my friend. 
First, as to propagation. Some of those which produce 
plenty of offsets, particularly if they are not very choice 
varieties, are multiplied solely in this way. With the rarer 
kinds, there are two methods of artificial propagation em¬ 
ployed : the first is to take good sound bulbs, at the season 
when they are taken up from the beds (which is usually the 
end of June), and with a sharp knife make two cuts from the 
base quite through the centre of the bulb towards the point, 
and at right angles to each other; the next year they seldom 
throw up any foliage, but make a number of young bulbs, 
which in three years are fit for the market. The other plan 
is to cut away the entire centre of the bulb, by passing the 
knife round the circle of roots : in this way they make more 
young ones, but they are smaller, and require five years to 
come to maturity. 
In the latter end of September and beginning of October 
the bulbs are planted out in beds, previously well dug and 
manured: the largest are planted at about six inches distance 
from each other ; the smaller ones proportionately less, while 
the very young bulbs and offsets are usually sown broadcast, * 
like seed, as it would take too much time to plant them 
individually. The large bulbs are placed six inches under the 
soil, as, if not deep enough, the leaves are apt to droop and 
wither in hot weather. During severe frost the beds are pro¬ 
tected with a covering of reeds, or any similar material which 
comes most conveniently to hand. In spring they are several 
times liberally supplied with manure water, generally made 
from cow-dung. In April the flower shoots are cut off, and 
either sold or burnt, as if allowed to rot and mingle with the 
soil, diseased bulbs will be the result; they are exceedingly 
careful on this point. It is said that the men employed in 
this operation often suffer from irritation of the hands and 
face, produced by some chemical property in the flower 
shoots of the Hyacinth. As soon as the tips of the leaves 
turn yellow, which they will do about Midsummer, the bulbs 
