282 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
Narcissi. 
the"'bed during winter. The bed should be mulched 
after the first freezing, in the same manner as is recom¬ 
mended for the Hyacinth, and for the same reason. 
When the bulbs start in spring the latter should be 
removed, but it is best to cover the bed with mats, or 
some light mulching at night, as heavy frost has a 
tendency to check the bloom. Our climate is so variable 
—cold at night and hot at mid-day—that it will well 
repay the cost to cover at night and remove in the 
morning. When the flowers appear, if they are pro¬ 
tected from the sun by a light canvas, the period of 
bloom will be much longer. The colors are generally 
better if not shaded at all, but in that case the bloom 
would soon be over. Sometimes a single hot day com¬ 
pletely spoils them. When the flowers begin to fade 
they should be cut away and removed from the bed, as 
the faded flower seems to seriously affect the foliage, 
causing disease, besides, the ripening of the seeds 
injures the bulb; re-production cannot be carried on in 
two ways at the same time without injury to both. As 
soon as the leaves of the Tulip turn yellow the bulbs 
should be taken up and stored in a cool, dry place until 
time for re-planting. 
Tulips can remain in the ground year after year with¬ 
out injury, but for the fact that the new bulbs form at 
the base of the old ones, consequently they get deeper in 
the soil each year, until finally they get so deep that they 
fail to come up at all. This is one of the curious pro¬ 
visions of nature, for a rotation of crops; the old bulbs 
are lost, and the species is preserved by the seed, which, 
through the agency of the wind and birds, becomes 
widely scattered from the old plant. The early flower¬ 
ing varieties make showy plants for the window garden, 
and may be treated in the same manner as the Hyacinth. 
THE NARCISSUS 
is a noble family of hardy bulbs, including some of the 
