September 5, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
9 
respective variety even in darkness provided all 
other conditions are equal. A considerable number 
of hues, however, particularly the rose and red 
varieties are intensified by exposure to light, and 
thereby improved. The colours will even develop 
beneath the soil, if by any accident or otherwise, the 
flowers are unable to reach the surface. 
As far as real cultivation is concerned, the Dutch 
growers still keep ahead of us, and seem likely to do 
so. The rich sandy nature of the soil of Holland, 
and the natural facilities for sub-irrigation, as well 
as for drying off the land during the .period of 
maturity, are no mean advantages in the favour of 
the Dutchmen ; and those who are thus enabled to 
grow the bulbs to the greatest perfection, at the least 
expense, would naturally be able to command the 
market. The soil and general facilities for high 
cultivation are mostly against us in this country, so 
that Hyacinths may never be grown to any great 
extent. The development of the flowers from the 
well-grown and well-ripened bulbs is quite another 
thing, yet requires a considerable amount of skill to 
insure the best results as those who grow for exhibi¬ 
tion well know. The practical treatment of bulbs 
for exhibition purposes, will be found in another 
column. For merely decorative purposes the 
cultivation of Hyacinths is quite another and an easy 
matter. Good bulbs readily respond to indifferent 
treatment under a variety of conditions, and the 
results for home use give great satisfaction, and this, 
together with the beautiful colours at the hand of 
the grower and the agreeable perfume of the flowers, 
must, to a great extent, be held responsible for the 
ever-increasing popularity of this class of plants. 
The successful forcing of bulbs depends upon early 
potting,so that roots may be well developed before the 
pots or boxes containing them are introduced to heat; 
and also upon a selection of those varieties which 
naturally flower early, and therefore readily respond 
to the application of artificial heat. Small bulbs are 
very useful for this purpose, because the loose spikes 
of small flowers are lighter and more graceful for 
cutting and mixing with other subjects than are the 
heavy spikes from fully developed bulbs. For these very 
reasons Roman Hyacinths are extremely well adapted 
for forcing, and the increase of their culture has been 
very great within the last few years. By proper treat¬ 
ment they may be had in perfection or nearly so as 
early as November. The early forms of the larger- 
flowered varieties may be forced in lime for the 
Christmas festivities. Varieties suitable for this 
purpose are Homerus, deep rose, Norma, rosy-pink, 
Blanche Hative, La Candeur, Reine de Holland and 
Madame Van der Hoop, all pure white ; also Grande 
Vedette, bright blue, Orondites, porcelain blue, 
Leonidas, clear blue, Willem I, dark blue and La 
Nuit, black. 
For bedding purposes, cultivation is very simple, 
all that is necessary being to plant the bulbs some¬ 
time between the middle of October and the middle 
of November. The soil must be properly enriched 
and otherwise prepared. The varieties must also be 
properly arranged as to stature, earliness or other¬ 
wise ; and the colours to give the best results must 
be properly harmonised. The simpler the design the 
better. The water culture of Hyacinths in coloured 
or ornamental glasses is simpler still, and not at all 
devoid of interest from various points of view. The 
fact that Hyacinths are not liable to disease and insect 
pests, is largely due to their flowering early in the 
season when few insects are abroad, and to the cool 
weather being unfavourable to the development and 
spread of fungoid diseases. 
Select List. 
The undermentioned list of thirty varieties repre¬ 
sents the cream of those now in commerce, and 
sufficiently plentiful to be obtainable at the prices 
within the reach of every cultivator. Some might 
be inclined to increase or decrease the number, and 
others to substitute their own favourites. All of 
them are well adapted for decorative purposes, and 
nearly all are favourites for exhibition. 
White. —For size of floverand purity of colour 
there is little fault to be found with such grand 
things as La Grandesse, L'lnnocence, Madame Van 
der Hoop, Mount Blanc, LaNeige, and Queen of the 
Whites. La Neige and L’lnnocence are early sorts, 
and Madame Van der Hoop particularly so. All the 
above are single, but the double white La Tour 
d’Auvergne will constitute a useful companion to the 
rest. 
Rose and Red.— The delicate pink flowers of 
Gigantea are very charming. Macaulay produces 
large spikes of rosy flowers, striped with carmine. 
Moreno is a rosy-pink variety in the way of Norma, 
but in many respects superior to it. Other fine 
things in this group are Vuurbaak, fiery-crimson or 
carmine,Gertrude,dark rose, and King of theBelgians, 
deep carmine. A red companion to the above is 
Noble par Merite, with double flowers. 
Blue. —Grand Mailre is a magnificent porcelain 
blue variety with large spikes and flowers. Some¬ 
what similar in colour is Lord Derby, and equally 
popular on the exhibition table. Other single sorts 
are King of the Blues, of a beautiful Oxford blue; 
Czar Peter, porcelain shaded with lilac; Black 
Prince, blackish-blue ; and Queen of the Blues, light 
blue. The lilac-blue Charles Dickens is a magnificent 
variety. 
Purple and Magenta. —The five best of this 
type are Adelina Patti, lively magenta ; Distinction, 
dark claret; Haydn, lilac-mauve ; Sir Wm. Mans¬ 
field, violet; and La Victoire, the latter being double. 
Yellow.— King of the Yellows is of a beautiful 
golden-yellow ; Ida, clear yellow, very fine; Mar¬ 
chioness of Lome, salmon or creamy-orange ; and 
Jaune Supreme is a deep yellow, double variety. 
- * • - 
SCILLAS. 
For naturalising in the grass, planting in clumps 
amid the gray hoary stones of the hardy fernery or 
rockery there is no more suitable species than our 
wild Scilla nutans. What gorgeous stretches of vivid 
blue does Nature sometimes favour us with in the 
woods and coppices of our native land, although sad 
to say such brilliant stretches of beauty are now 
getting rarer each day under the blighting influence 
of the brick and mortar fiend. There are several 
garden forms of this that are well worthy a place in 
the rock garden. S. n. grandiflora alba, S. n. g. 
rosea, and S. n. g. rubra are the best of these. As 
the name grandiflora indicates, the flowers are much 
larger than those of the type, although they can 
scarcely be more beautiful. 
S. hispanica, commonly known as the large 
Spanish Bluebell or Squill is a species that is remark¬ 
ably variable. The perianth in the type is normally 
blue, but often changes to rose-purple or white, 
Consequently there are numbers of pretty varieties. 
In some nurserymen’s catalogues this figures under 
the name of S. campanulata, a name that doubtless 
bears allusion to the sub-globose campanulate 
perianth. 
S. siririca is too well known to need further des¬ 
cription. Its dwarf habit renders it a gem for the 
rockery to which its bright sky-blue flowers impart 
a vivid touch of colour during the early months of 
the year. Grown in pots it is admirable for con¬ 
servatory decoration, and there are many owners of 
small glass houses who take advantage of its amenity 
to pot culture to grow it in this way. It does not 
take kindly to forcing, but may be coaxed into bloom 
a week or so earlier than its relatives outside if it is 
given a place in a cold frame or cool greenhouse. A 
good sandy loam is most to its likings, and a few 
small lumps of sandstone mixed with this will not 
come amiss. As afi edging to small beds or borders 
in the flower garden it appears to great advantage, 
as it is perfectly hardy and very free-flowering. 
Scilla bifolia, a native of the Mediterranean 
region, completes the list of the commoner Scillas. 
It is as amenable to pot culture as S. sibirica, and 
the ultra-marine blue of its flowers is both showy 
and distinct. Gifted with a hardy constitution it is 
perfectly at home in the. out-door garden. 
Bulbs in any quantity of all of the above may be 
obtained at a fairly reasonable price, and should be 
planted as soon as possible whilst they are resting. 
In fact, the sooner they are got in the better. 
Narcissus incomparabilis Sutton's Lulworth (See p. 7). 
