THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, FEBRrABY 8, 1859. 
winter. I have one next door to my nudiflorum, the best 
Stauntonia hereabouts; and,in a few years, if I am spared, 
it will be my model plant to refer to for the right pruning 
of newly-planted climbers. D. Beaton. 
REMARKS ON EARLY' BULB FORCING, MORE 
ESPECIALLY" THE HYACINTH. 
Although bulbs, in general, are always admired for 
their beauty, fragrance, and aptitude for special pur¬ 
poses, yet they must all give place to the Hyacinth, 
which may fairly be called the monarch of the tribe. I 
say this without any desire to undervalue Camellias, 
Azaleas, Roses, &c.; as with such, Hyacinths do not enter 
into competition. The former fill up huge spaces in con¬ 
servatories, drawing-rooms, greenhouses, and other places, 
where size is requisite. Our bulbs are so dainty, that 
they can be placed in almost any situation without being 
in the way, and maybe enjoyed for months in succession! 
I have a most excellent bloom of Hyacinths at this 
moment (January 20th), and they will continue, with me, 
until March, as forced bulbs ; and when the ladies go to 
town, they will there be able to enjoy, what I must 
call, in comparison, retarded Hyacinths, until May or 
June. The delicious aroma of these flowers, with their 
various hues of colour, must ever continue to make them 
indispensable ; for who can, by any stretch of the imagi¬ 
nation, imagine the advent of any tribe which shall 
supersede them ? They have stood their ground for 
centuries, and may do so for centuries to come. The only 
thing I wonder at concerning them is, that a much 
greater breadth is not planted with them in Holland ; in 
fact, that they are not grown for the million, so that 
every mechanic’s wife, who can spare a shilling, might 
indulge in half-a-dozen Hyacinths. Surely there are 
other parts of Holland eligible, besides the neighbour¬ 
hood of Haarlem. 
But I must come now to a few remarks of a practical 
character. Some years since, I urged the necessity of ob¬ 
taining these bulbs as soon as they came into the market; 
and this season I obtained my lot of Mr. Chivas, of 
Chester, who informed me that mine was the first order 
he had received, and I have never had roots that forced 
easier. Now it is certain, that, with regard to their 
natural habits, a certain length of time must be allowed 
them under all circumstances. What would, in all pro¬ 
bability, be the consecpience of obtaining a lot in Septem¬ 
ber, with a desire .to have a bloom in November ; plung¬ 
ing them at once in a bottom heat of 75°, in a forcing 
structure? Why, when they commenced growth, most 
likely it would be foliage alone ; and by November, I 
should expect to see them with foliage nine inches tall, 
and the flower-bud scarcely peeping in the socket. There 
can be no doubt that the sweating process the bulbs 
undergo, in the open ground, during the heat of summer, 
must exhaust the more watery fluids, in order to con¬ 
centrate all possible power in the blossom-—Nature’s end 
and aim. It is my opinion, that this exhaustion has 
to be filled anew, before the bulb can make a honest 
start; in fact, they are governed by the same laws, in 
the main, which dictate the unfolding of the buds in 
trees and shrubs in general. Who thinks of forcing a 
Peach tree, or a Strawberry, by sudden and extreme 
efforts ? and why not so ? Because we are assured of a j 
hidden process going on in the interior of the bud, which, j 
as before observed, requires, of necessity, a given time, ■ 
if the development must be perfect. Thus, good gar- j 
deners, the moment their Hyacinths are potted in Sep¬ 
tember, instantly cover them six inches deep with old tan, 
or cinder ashes, or, if these be not at hand, with soil. Now, 
the ground heat at that period—say, middle of September 
—is some 50° to 55°, and this, by the covering, is shut 
in for a time ; so that it will be nearly the end of October I 
before any material decline takes place. Thus, we have | 
the conditions the bulbs require, only they should be 
guarded from much rain, especially during the first 
month. 
I would here have the unknowing to understand, that, 
if it is desirable to force them early, it is of little use 
introducing them to higher temperatures before the pot 
is pretty well filled with roots. That there is great 
demand within the bulb for sap, is sufficiently attested 
by the fact, that a bulb shall have many fine succulent 
fibres, like so many sponges, for weeks before the bud 
fairly appears, the fibres evidently absorbing continually. 
Now about their first introduction to heat, and the 
character of that heat. Mine are always plunged in 
the front or shady part of a pit, made up expressly for 
forcing purposes, and containing a bottom heat of 70° 
to 75°. The fermenting materials are dung and tree 
leaves, well sweated before introducing to the pit, and 
the surface is covered with tan. At the front, or shady 
part, of this pit, the bulbs are introduced ; but, as much 
caution is necessary in order to avoid burning the roots, 
I must explain how I avoid this. The tan being ex¬ 
cavated half the depth of the pots, a thick board is placed 
beneath, as a non-conductor : another board is placed 
edgeways between them and the rest of the pit, and the 
pots set on the first board. They are then covered four 
inches overhead with very old tan, and as they push 
their buds through this, they are pulled up and set on 
the surface. They will by no means endure what is 
termed f ‘ lively ” bottom heat: 80° would speedily prove 
fatal to the young fibres, which, from being of a pearly 
whiteness, would soon become dingy coloured—the first 
stage to complete rottenness. From 65° to 70° may be 
freely employed, but I sometimes risk them at near 75°, 
which is, indeed, the maximum point. They should by 
no means be removed from the cold ashes out of doors, to 
the bottom heat, but should be placed in a warm house 
for a few days, as a transition state. 
I must here observe, that these Hyacinths never re¬ 
ceive a drop of water from the moment they are potted 
until they are removed from the bottom heat: they never 
need any. Afterwards, however, they are watered liberally, 
when placed in the houses. Some care is necessary 
after the bloom-spike arises, as to its ultimate character, 
which may be modified by circumstances. It is well 
known, that if the bells arc too far apart, the effect of 
the truss, as a whole, is much diminished. This state 
we gardeners term “ drawn.” The development of the 
bulbs has been hurried too much, amidst a partial depriva¬ 
tion of light. Some kinds are much more liable to this 
than others, and their treatment must be accordingly. 
The only remark necessary to make on this point, is, that 
when they are thus acquiring too much length between 
the bells, put them at once into a lower temperature, 
with plenty of light and air: when the reverse, keep 
them from much light. I have one plant now of Pcrrnque 
royale, which resembles a mop, though fine in colour. 
No more such wigs forme, 
I may now offer a few miscellaneous remarks. I have 
hitherto been speaking of Hyacinths in pots, to blossom 
in January and February : as for those required in 
March and April, they require no forcing, in its strict 
sense. But what about Hyacinths in glasses ? Some 
people seem to think that these require very different 
treatment from those in pots ; but this is a gross mistake. 
There is, however, one necessitous difference: they are 
generally obliged to be subjected to a much drier at¬ 
mosphere. If required early, they should be obtained 
early. For the first six weeks, they must be placed 
under similar conditions to those in pots plunged out¬ 
doors—that is, in a mild temperature of about 50° to 55°. 
Darkness, or at least a partial deprivation of light, during 
that period, will bring them into very similar condition 
to those in pots. But we should endeavour to surround 
the bud with damp air, for this may be accomplished, 
albeit the air of the room be dry. 
