56 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 25, 1897. 
INTS FOR IMATEURS. 
Hyacinths - A few weeks ago we discussed the value 
and utility of the Roman Hyacinth, and now the 
large flowered varieties must have their turn. In 
this section, as a rule, the bulb only throws up a 
single flower spike, but the latter is larger, stouter, 
and more imposing than in the Roman. The indi¬ 
vidual flowers, too, are much larger and more 
massive. Then the range of colour is infinitely 
greater, ranging from deep purple-black, almost 
black, in fact, through a host of purples, blues, and 
reds, to yellow, pink, and white. The yellows are 
the weakest of all both in constitution and from a 
numerical point of view, but a considerable amount 
of improvement has been manifest of late years. The 
other colour sections seem to have been pretty well 
at a standstill for a number of years, and the flowers 
shown at exhibitions now are not better than they used 
to be as far as the intrinsic merit of the variety is con¬ 
cerned. Culture, perhaps, is carried out in a more 
enlightened manner now than it used to be thirty 
years ago. The idea must not be entertained, how¬ 
ever, that the florists have relaxed their labours, for 
they keep adding year by year to the list of so-called 
varieties, many of which are little, if any, removed 
from some of the good old ones. Others again differ 
only by the merest shade of colour, and it is not easy 
to tell them apart except they are displayed side 
by side, and even then one must have a delicate and 
true perception of colour to do so. The result of 
this is evident to the amateur who picks up a cata¬ 
logue with a view to making a selection. He or she 
is confronted with formidable lists of varieties that 
are all described as being good. The difficulty, of 
course, is one of confusion, for the would-be grower 
knows not which to select or which to pass over. 
The following lists are intended to be as a guidance 
to those who are in such a fix, and we hope may 
prove of service, since the time for ordering the 
supply of bulbs is here with us. Those amateurs 
who have got beyond the need for such an aid will, 
we hope, pardon us for devoting the space to these 
lists. 
The whites are a very strong section, and any or 
all of the following may be thoroughly relied upon :— 
Pure white—Alba Maxima, Queen of the Whites, 
La Grandesse, and La Neige ; creamy-white—Lord 
Shaftesbury ; rose-white—Grandeur a’Merveille. 
All these are single flowered varieties. La Tour 
d’Auvergne and Princess Alice are the best of the 
doubles. 
In the single red section, General Pelissier, deep 
crimson ; King of the Reds, fiery scarlet ; Solfaterre, 
orange-scarlet ; Macaulay, striped carmine ; and 
Countess of Roseberry, dark red; are all good. Of 
the doubles, Koh-i-noor, salmon-red ; and Duke of 
Albany, bright carmine, are excellent. 
The rose and blush varieties are second only in 
numerical strength to the blues. Taking the singles 
first we have Norma, delicate waxy-pink ; Blushing 
Bride, bright rose ; Charles Dickens, light rose-pink ; 
Lady Palmerston, bright rose ; Fabiola, shaded rose; 
and Gigantea, delicate pink. Lord Wellington, 
bright rose ; and Noble par Merite, deep rose, are 
two of the best of the doubles. 
For the sake of convenience we may divide the 
blues into light blue, blue and dark blue, and violet. 
In the first division, Duke of Teck, porcelain blue ; 
King of the Blues, true Oxford blue ; and Princess 
Wilhelmina, very bright blue ; may be patronised as 
singles. A good double is Laurens Koster, which is 
almost a purple blue. Queen of the Blues, Princess 
Mary of Cambridge, and Lord Derby are three of the 
best singles, whilst in the doubles we may recom¬ 
mend Blocksberg and Van Speyk. Sirgle dark 
blues would be well represented by King of the 
Blacks, deep blue-black; Starlight, violet-blue; 
General Havelock, purple black ; and Black Prince. 
The Sultan is also a great favourite with many 
cultivators. 
Coming to the yellows, Ida, pale yellow; Ball of 
Gold, golden yellow ; Obelisque, and Marchioness of 
Lome, striped creamy-orange, are all single forms 
well worthy of a place in any collection, whilst if the 
choice is limited to one variety only, Obelisque 
would be our first selection. It is a beautifully 
bright yellow. Cloth of Gold is one of the very best 
of the double yellow sorts. 
It will be noticed that we have given much greater 
prominence to single varieties than to double ones. 
This is due, not only to the fact that the singles are 
stronger in number and in range of colour, but also 
because they are more generally popular. The 
doubles are generally toe stiff to be elegant, for when 
we have a large full spike, the flowers are naturally 
rather crowded, and when, in addition to this, the 
flowers are large and double, each bell seems to 
lose its individuality in what appears to the eye as 
a shapeless mass of colour. 
So much for selection with regard to colour and 
variety. As far as the choice of the bulbs themselves 
goes, readers cannot do better than follow the advice 
given with regard to the Roman Hyacinths to choose 
sound, well-ripened, medium-sized bulbs of good 
weight relative to their size. Of course this only 
refers to cases when the purchases are personally 
conducted over the counter of a local tradesman. 
Orders entrusted to the care of respectable firms are 
always properly carried out and the best of material 
obtainable for the money sent in fulfilment of the 
order. To obtain a good article, naturally enough, 
good money is necessary. 
The method of culture does not differ from that 
carried on in the case of the Romans with the single 
exception of the size of the pots used. For medium 
sized bulbs a large 48 pot will be required, one bulb 
being put in the centre of each pot. ■ For the larger 
bulbs a 32 sized pot will not be too roomy, whilst for 
exhibition purposes we frequently see a size larger 
pot than 32's used. This is the extreme, however, 
and need not as a rule trouble the amateur. 
In potting we must again remind our readers to 
make the soil moderately firm, and to leave the 
crown of the bulb peeping well out of the soil. The 
six weeks or so of probation in the plunging bed is 
required with Hyacinths, as with all bulbs that are 
to be forced, in order to admit of the root action being 
vigorous and healthy before the plants are introduced 
into heat. 
Hyacinths in Glasses.—This represents a very 
popular and successful way of growing Hyacinths 
for indoor decoration, A special make of glass is 
needed, having a ledge at the mouth to support the 
bulb, and keep it from direct contact with the water. 
The glasses should be filled nearly full of soft water, 
and a nodule of charcoal, about the size of a marble 
dropped in. The bulb when placed on the circular 
ledge at the mouth of the bottle should have its base 
close to but not exactly touching the water, for if it 
did touch, the bulb would be likely to rot. Store 
the glasses with the bulbs in a cool dark place for a 
few weeks. This is analagous to the plunging in the 
case of the pot plants. When the roots are freely 
emitted, and the leaves are just making their 
appearance from the crown of the bulb the plants 
may be taken out and gradually inured to the light. 
All the attention that is needed is to keep the glass 
supplied with water as the plants exhaust it, but in 
refilling take care that the water shall never be 
higher than its first level, i e., just below the base of 
the bulb. For dwelling room decoration the glasses 
with their plants are always thought highly of, for 
somehow or other the ladies of the household will 
never become reconciled to the ordinary flower pots 
and resort to all sorts of devices to cover them up 
when the plants are inside the dwelling house. 
Instead of filling the glasses with water, and 
allowing the bulbs to root in it in the manner 
described excellent results are obtained by filling 
them, as well as other ornamental vases, jardinets, 
etc., with a mixture of cocoanut fibre, refuse and 
charcoal which can be purchased very cheaply from 
any dealer in horticultural sundries. When this 
medium is employed before the bulbs are placed on 
it, it should be watered until it is thoroughly 
saturated and cannot absorb any more water. Sub¬ 
sequently further supplies of water may be given as 
they become necessary. The roots of Hyacinths are 
very fond of this medium, and run freely in it.— 
Rex. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
" Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Ficus elaBtica.—Will you kindly tell me what is the 
matter with my India-rubber plant ? The leaves 
turn yellow and fall off. It is in a warm house, 
and has done well for about eighteen months until 
the last few weeks. I should like to propagate it. 
How and when should I proceed ?— 0. H. 
From what you say, it is very possible that the 
plant does not obtain sufficient nourishment, and may 
stand in need of being re-potted. It is too late how¬ 
ever to do this now, you must wait till spring. If 
the roots look fairly healthy and vigorous you may 
give weak solutions of cow manure and soot about 
twice a week for the next month or six weeks. You 
may propagate by cuttings, but you should also wait 
until spring for this. About the end of January you 
may take off the top of the plant and insert it as a 
cutting in a small pot filled with very sandy soil. If 
you keep the old stem syringed it will break into 
growth, and the young shoots may be taken off and 
inserted as cuttings as fast as they appear. A brisk 
bottom heat is necessary to root the cuttings. You 
may also cut the old stem up into eyes, which will 
soon grow in a propagating frame. 
Cocos weddeliana is a stove Palm, F. L. 0., and 
you cannot expect to keep it in good health for very 
long in a dwelling room. As soon as it shows signs 
of getting shabby, return it to a warm glasshouse or 
stove to recuperate its strength for another spell in 
the dwelling-room. 
What is a Greenhouse ?—In popular parlance, 
Walter Carson, all glasshouses are greenhou c es, but 
the gardener has specialised the word greenhouse, 
and employs it to convey the idea of a cool-house, 
the temperature of which during winter does not 
usually decline below 40® Fahr., and does not rise 
above 50° to 55° by day. A warm greenhouse, from 
a gardener’s point of view, is a house that is kept 
about 5 0 warmer than the greenhouse. Then comes 
the intermediate stove, which is warmer still, and 
lastly, the stove. We trust this explanation will 
satisfy you that when your man spoke of a warm 
greenhouse he had the correct idea from a gardener's 
point of view. 
Tomato Seed .—Robert S. L. : If j ou wish to save 
seed of your Tomatos select the largest, finest 
shaped, and best ripened fruits frem the plants that 
are carrying or have carried the heaviest crops. The 
fruits from which the seed is taken should be nearly 
dead ripe. Crush the fruits in water, and strain the 
pulp through fine muslin until you get it perfectly 
clear. The seed must be then dried as speedily as 
possible, for if it is allowed to remain damp it soon 
commences to germinate. It will dry quickly if 
spread thinly on the muslin and laid out in a warm 
room. You may also expose it to the sun on bright 
days. After it is thoroughly well dried pack it 
away in paper bags and keep it through the winter 
in a dry, cool room. 
Carnations,— R. S. 0.: “ The Carnation ” by Dod- 
well is a very practical book, and will afford you a 
deal of reliable information. If you are commencing 
to grow Carnations you will find it of the utmost 
value. 
Fuchsias.— C. B. : The Fuchsias are getting 
to the end of their tether for this season. You 
may curtail the water supply, but do not dry 
the plants off at once. By-and-bye when the leaves 
have all dropped, water may be withheld entirely. 
Pruning had better be deferred until spring. 
Chinese Primulas.— IF., Margate : Lose no time 
in potting the plants off. As the season is so far 
advanced we should recommend 48's as the best size 
pots, 32's would be too large. Some of the plants 
may be left in the small pots they now occupy. 
They will bloom in them freely enough, although 
the flowers will naturally not be so fine as those on 
the plants which have had more room given them. 
Aloysia citriodora.—I have a fine plant of the 
Lemon-scented Verbena growing out-of-doors against 
a wall facing to the south. Shall I require to lift it 
in order to keep it through the winter or would it 
keep in the open ground if protected ?— C. B. 
The plant will be all right (unless the winter is 
exceptionally severe), if you leave it where it is, and 
cover it up with a mat at night, and by day as well, 
during spells of hard frosts. Some of the tops of the 
branches will be likely to go off, but there will be 
