146 
THE FLORIST AND ROMOLOGIST. 
[ October, 
exhibition,—and I may here note that the 
same method of culture should be followed to 
obtain the best results, even if the plants are 
not intended for exhibition. 
The first step is the preparation of the soil. 
I prepare the compost in July or August, and 
one of the trade growers told me that he did 
so in May. I chop up two barrow-loads of 
turfy loam, and add to it one load of leaf- 
mould, one of sand, and one of rotten cow- 
manure, the ingredients being well mixed to¬ 
gether. This compost is put into a dry place 
until it is time to use it. The next considera¬ 
tion is to obtain the bulbs, of which good sorts 
Can be had at from 3s. to 30s. per dozen, or, if 
newer varieties, at a higher price still. Those 
unacquainted with the flower w r ould do best to 
purchase from a respectable nurseryman, pay so 
much per dozen, and leave the matter in his 
hands. A selection of very good sorts can be 
purchased at 12s. per dozen, and if a root or 
two of newer sorts should be wished for, they 
could be bought separately. 
When the bulbs are received, I take them 
out of the bag or box, and lay each root 
separately in a flat box, only one layer deep, 
and just cover them with the Buckwheat chaff, 
and place them in an airy room. The time of 
potting and the size of the pots must both be 
regulated by the date at which the flowers are 
wanted. To flower in January and February, 
the bulbs should be potted early in September, 
those for succession being planted towards the 
end of that month and early in October. Those 
intended for exhibition I pot about the last 
week in October. For the early flowering 
roots the pots should be 4-|- in. to 5 in. diameter 
inside measure, and those for exhibition should 
be 6 in. 
The compost at the time of potting should 
be rather dry, never wet. I do not put in 
very much drainage: only one large bit of 
potsherd over the bottom hole, and a few small 
pieces on that; but the drainage should be 
kept free by having some of the fibre from the 
turfy loam placed over it. Press the soil in 
moderately firm, and make a hole large 
enough for the bulb with the fingers. It is 
a common but mistaken practice to fill the 
pot with mould, and then to press the bulb 
down on it, for this makes the compost firmest 
just under the bulb, and it is quite likely that 
it may be thrown out of the soil when the 
roots are emitted. I make the soil firmer 
round the bulb than it is underneath it. When 
the operation is finished, the top of the bulb 
should just show above the soil. The pots 
should be placed out-of-doors in an open place 
on a hard bottom of ashes, and be covered to 
the depth of 2 in. or 3 in. over the surface of 
the pots with cocoa-nut fibre refuse, spent tan, 
or leaf-mould. It is a great mistake to place 
the pots under the stage of a greenhouse, as is 
sometimes done ; the water running down from 
above soaks some, while others suffer for v/ant 
of it; out-of-doors they require no attention, 
and cause no anxiety. 
When it is intended to force as early as 
possible, the pots must be removed into the 
forcing-house as soon as they have formed roots. 
The pots should be within a foot or two of the 
glass lights, if possible. The plants must be 
forced very slowly at first, and will not require 
much water; but when it is seen that rapid 
growth has commenced, more moisture will be 
necessary. The night temperature may then be 
increased to 60° or 65°. The plants should be 
removed into a cooler place as soon as the first 
bells are expanded. 
Our exhibition Hyacinths are removed to the 
house as soon as the crowns have started about 
1 in. ; this will generally be about the first 
or second week in January. I remove them to 
a cold frame where the lights can be kept 
rather close for a few days, and be covered with 
a mat to exclude light. It is just as well to 
inure them gradually to the light, and if I have 
to place them on shelves in any of the vineries 
or in the greenhouse, I place a small pot over 
the crown for a day or two, as it is as well to 
keep the plants very quiet at first; but after 
the leaves have become green, air is admitted 
freely night and day. 
If it should become necessary to force in 
order to get spikes open by a certain date, it is 
better to do this when they are further 
advanced. All through the period of growth 
the plants should be kept close to the glass, 
and air should be admitted as freely as possi¬ 
ble. Water must also be applied freely, giving 
manure-water with every alternate watering. I 
have said water freely, but it is proper to add, 
with judgment. If the Hyacinth will grow in 
glasses of water, it will not in soil which is 
constantly saturated. 
The varieties I grow for exhibition are these : 
—Single red: Cavaignac, Fabiola, Gigantea, 
Macaulay, Solfaterre, Von Schiller, Vuurbaak. 
Single blue: Baron van Tuyll, Blondin, 
Charles Dickens, General Havelock, Grand 
Lilas, King of the Blues, Lord Derby, 
Marie, Mimosa. Single white: Grandeur 
