1881 . ] 
CULTURE OP HIPPEASTRUMS. 
117 
latter way the Yama-bouto may be made to 
render some service to viticulture. The juice 
is acidulated, and contains all the elements of 
fermentability. In an ornamental point of 
view, this Vine is not devoid of interest, and 
perhaps in this respect it may also be turned 
to good account. M. de Lunaret, to whom we 
owe its introduction, states that he has pyra¬ 
mids of it 6 ft. to 12 ft. high, covered from 
base to tip with its little black bunches of 
berries, which produce a very pretty effect. 
We do not find the native name Yama- 
bouto recorded in Franchet and Savatier’s 
Japanese Flora, though “ Boudo ” is given as 
the Japanese name for the Vitis vinifera. 
M. Carriere’s coloured figure of the Yama- 
bouto is strongly suggestive of a small, weak 
form of this species.—M. 
CULTURE OF HIPPEASTRUMS. 
varieties of Hippeastrum (or 
Amaryllis) require, during the season 
of growth, a temperature ranging from 
70° to 80° as a maximum, during the day, 
with abundant ventilation, and from 50° to 60° 
as a minimum, at night. Where a large col¬ 
lection is kept up, they can be had in blossom 
almost uninterruptedly during the whole year, 
since the bulbs are very accommodating; but 
the treatment given to ensure blossoms all the 
year round must be considerably varied. Many 
of them are uncertain bloomers, and often 
throw up their flower-scapes twice in the 
season. The instructions here given apply 
more particularly to bulbs grown so as to 
flower during March and April. 
To obtain this result, it is necessary, in the 
first place, that the bulbs should have been 
well matured—that is to say, they must have 
been furnished during their growth with a 
proper supply of nourishment, and just that 
degree of temperature which is suited to their 
wants. Another matter of high importance 
is that insect pests, such as thrips and red- 
spider, must not be allowed to gain a foothold, 
and feed upon the succulent leaves. To secure 
the proper ripening of the bulbs, the plants 
must be fully exposed to light, and must have 
an abundant supply of air. Healthy growth 
is not to be expected, unless the plants can 
enjoy the full influence of fresh air during 
their growing period; and full exposure to 
light suits all bulbous plants, especially 
exotics, since it contributes greatly to the 
solidity and perfect maturation of the bulbs, 
and thus enables them to produce finer heads 
of flowers. A house with a south aspect is 
fitted for the plants, but a free circulation of 
air and a proper regulation of heat must be 
maintained, or the leaves will become long and 
spindly, and wanting in the rich, green colour 
and stoutness indicative of vigorous health. 
The Hippeastrum thrives all the better for 
having a moderate proportion of fibrous matter 
in the compost, and the pots must be thoroughly 
drained. The ball of earth is thus kept in a 
more perfect state of aeration, and the soil 
does not become soddened by the free applica¬ 
tion of water, which is necessary when the 
flowers or the young leaves are making their 
growth. The soil itself should be of a loamy 
nature, and tolerably rich ; the turfy surface of 
a rich loamy pasture is a good foundation, and 
this must be enriched by the addition of a 
third part of well-rotted manure, and ren¬ 
dered open, if necessary, by a sufficient admix¬ 
ture of coarse sand, sea-sand being very suit¬ 
able for the purpose. In repotting, the soil 
should never be used in a wet or adhesive 
state, which would cause it to become close 
when pressed into the pot, and liable to 
become soddened by the necessary waterings. 
When repotting is necessary, which is when the 
flowering is over, the old soil should be shaken 
away from the roots, and they should be put 
into pots rather under-sized than over-sized. It 
will be necessary to keep the atmosphere close 
and moist for some days after potting, to pre¬ 
vent the leaves from flagging. 
By about the month of September the leaves 
of this batch of plants will be showing symp¬ 
toms of ripening, and the bulbs will have 
abstracted from them most of the nutritive 
matter they provide. In general, the plants 
will have ripened their leaves during October; 
therefore, during that and the previous month 
the supply of water must be gradually reduced. 
When the leaves have reached this stage of 
ripeness, the plants can either be set on the 
shelves of a greenhouse or under the stages, 
but so that no drip can fall upon them. Water 
should not now be applied, except just to keep 
the bulbs from shrivelling, and a temperature 
of from 40° to 50° will suffice. 
