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THE AMARYLLIS. 
Of the regal beauty of the Amaryllis, it is hardly 
necessary to speak. Every flower-lover who has ever 
seen them in bloom, knows them to be the grandest 
of all flowering bulbs, except the Lily; and some of 
the splendid varieties of the family, with their large, 
lily-like, drooping flowers, varying in color from the 
purest white to the most intense scarlet, some striped 
and slashed in the most fantastic of ways, cause 
them to vie with the Lily for the regal honor 
which it claims, “ queen of flowers.” 
The Amaryllis in all its varieties is of very 
easy culture, yet many suppose, or have an idea, 
that it is very delicate, and can only be grown by 
a practical florist in a hothouse or greenhouse. 
This idea is one of the most groundless that 
has ever been set afloat among amateurs, and our 
aim in writing this article is to correct this idea, 
and show the amateur that the Amaryllis is of easier 
culture than many less beautiful plants which he tries 
to cultivate. 
The varieties of Amaryllis are very numerous; 
every year new varieties from abroad and new hybrids 
have so swelled the list that it would bo quite impos¬ 
sible to describe them all. As nearly all the varieties 
require a little difference in culture, no general rules 
can be laid down whi 'h will answer in all cases. 
One great advantage with the Amaryllis is that they 
are capable of producing flowers at any season of the 
year, which renders them invaluable for conservatory 
and house decoration ; nearly all the summer-bloom¬ 
ing varieties are admirable house plants, growing as 
freely and easily as a Hyacinth. 
Amaryllis Johnsonii—A more charming flower can¬ 
not be conceived, nor one of easier culture; it has often 
been known to flower twice in one season. Having 
procured a dry bulb, pot it in a six-inch pot, using 
good drainage and filling the pot with a fine rich loam, 
half of which may be three years-old, well-decayed 
manure. Till up the pot to within one inch of the 
rim, press in the bulb, being careful to leave fully one- 
half of the bulb above the soil. Water well, and set 
the pot in a warm place. As soon as growth com¬ 
mences supply water freely, place in a 
warm, light place, and in about four weeks 
it will produce flowers. The flowers are 
very gorgeous ; in shape they resemble 
the Lilium Candidum, but are larger; 
in color they are a brilliant scarlet, with 
a pure white streak through each segment. 
After flowering, repot at once, giving plenty 
of sunlight and heat; when the foliage 
turns yellow, gradually withdraw water, 
and when dry, place in a dry-air situ¬ 
ation. 
A. Yittata—This handsome variety re¬ 
quires the same treatment as Johnsonii. 
The flower-stem grows three feet in height 
and produces from three to six large, Lily¬ 
shaped flowers. The ground color is pure 
white, striped with red, giving the flowers 
the appearance of being dressed with rib¬ 
bons, from which fact it takes its name. 
A. Formosissima—This beautiful Ama¬ 
ryllis is sometimes called Jacobean Lily. 
It succeeds well in the open border or in 
pots. Plant the bulb in good rich soil, leaving half the 
bulb above the surface of the soil. Water should be 
supplied liberally. When the foliage dies, remove the 
bulbs, wrap in tissue paper, and place in a dry, cool 
place. If in pots, do not remove, but set the pot in a 
dry place. Plaut out in May. The flowers, which 
are large, appear before the leaves; they are of a very 
brilliant, dark crimson color, and grow on a stalk a 
foot high, generally two flowers to a stalk. 
A. Belladonna—This variety is a little more difficult 
to grow than any of the former. The warm season 
Flower Pot Cover. 
being hardly long enough to mature the bulb, it is 
necessary to grow it in a pot. Plant in six-inch pots; 
having a bulb ready, place a couple of inches of 
drainage in the bottom of the pot; then hold the bulb 
in the pot, having the roots well spread out; with a 
face of the soil; half an inch or so at the top of the 
pot should be left for watering. If the bulb is not 
well above the soil it will not flower, it being necesary 
for the bulb to feel the sun’s heat to flower. The bulb 
should be potted in April. In June plunge the pot in 
a sunny place in the garden; in August it will pro¬ 
duce flowers. At the approach of cold weather re¬ 
move the pot to the house and supply water freely as 
long as there are signs of growth ; when the foliage 
turns yellow, withdraw water until perfectly dry, then 
set the pot in a dark warm place until the following 
spring, when replant as before. A. Belladonna is one 
of the oldest varieties known, being introduced from 
Portugal in 1712, to which country it had been 
taken from Brazil some years before. The upper 
part of the flower is white, suffused with rose, or 
pale carmine; the lower p>art is a greenish 
white. The flowers are quite as large and about 
the same shape as those of Johnsonii; each bulb 
generally produces from four to a dozen flowers 
on a single stem. 
A. Belladonna Minor is a diminutive variety of 
the last. 
A. Blanda is also a variety of the Belladonna, bear- 
' ing large numbers of pure white flowers, which change 
to a pale rose before falling. 
A. Longiflora is a very handsome variety requiring 
the same general treatment as Belladonna ; the flow¬ 
ers of this variety appear before the leaves, on stalks 
two feet high. The color is a clear pink, which grad¬ 
ually changes to white with age; through the centre 
of each segment runs a streak of deep carmine color. 
Mr. E. H., of New York State, informs me this vari¬ 
ety is perfectly hardy in his garden. 
A. Gigantea, or Josephine—This is perhaps the 
grandest variety of the family. It takes its name from 
the immense size to which the flower grows. The 
color is a bright, dazzling scarlet. The treatment as 
given for Belladonna suits it exactly. 
A. Regina, or Queen Amaryllis, is an extremely 
fine variety; the culture is the same as required for 
Johnsonii. Color, a rich orange and white. 
Space forbids me describing Amaryllis Jupiter, Me¬ 
teor, and a host of others; the beautiful little Zephy- 
ranthus, the hardiest of the Amaryllis, the Vallota 
Purpurea, and—well, the list might be continued in¬ 
definitely. 
The great secret in growing Amaryllis 
is to alternately give it a season of great 
excitement and of rest, and to plant the 
bulb with from half to three-quarters 
above the surface of the soil. 
W. C. L. Drew. 
Group of Petunias. 
I small shovel or trowel fill up the pot with a rich loam, 
I settle the soil by tapping on the pot with the trowel; 
, when filled, half of the bulb should be above the sur- 
A BEAUTIFUL PLANT. 
I have a rare and beautiful plant, a 
magnificent specimen of the Cereus 
Mech. Donaldi, measuring about eleven 
feet in height, and literally covered with 
bloom, with not less than eighty flowers 
on it, and each a bright crimson color, 
and about four inches in diameter at the 
mouth of the calyx. 
The plant is a handsome specimen of 
the Cactus tribe, and well worth the ad¬ 
miration with which it is regarded, it be¬ 
ing twenty-four years old, and raised or 
grown by the owner from a slip procured at consid¬ 
erable cost. 
Mrs. J. S. Lewis. 
