THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
391 
crocks should be of medium size, and should be covered 
with some loose material. Those in which the seedlings 
are pricked off should be filled to about one-third their 
depth with drainage materials. The compost must be 
rich and open, and as the result of many experiments, I 
am convinced that no compost could be more suitable 
than one consisting of loam, rich in fibrous mattter, old 
hot-bed manure, and sharp silver sand. The proportion 
of manure and sand should be one part of each to every 
four parts of the loam. The soil, it may be added, 
should be used in a rather rough state, and be pressed 
firmly about the roots. 
In starting the bulbs for flowering, the cultivator 
must be guided in some respects by his requirements. 
There will be no difficulty with the aid of plenty of top 
and bottom heat, in having them in bloom early in 
January. But they cannot be employed in the decora¬ 
tion of the conservatory so early in the year, as the 
temperature of the structure will then be much too low 
for the tender growth. The best time for the majority of 
cultivators to commence will be the end of February, 
the time at which we make a point of starting our first 
batch. The bulbs showing signs of activity, are, as a 
matter of course, selected, and this practice should in¬ 
variably be adopted. To maintain a succession of flow¬ 
ers, a batch of bulbs is started about every three weeks, 
until the stock is exhausted. To bloom Amaryllis at 
mid-winter a hot-bed is necessary, but when started as 
here advised, bottom heat is quite unnecessary, and 
indeed not desirable. The best course is to place them 
upon the stage of a structure in which a temperature 
ranging between 60 deg. and 65 deg. is maintained, and 
to supply them moderately with water of the same 
temperature as the house. They should be taken to the 
conservatory just as the buds are expanding, and 
remain until the beauty of the flowers is past; and 
be then returned to the stove to complete their growth. 
As in the case of other bulbs, a thorough season of 
rest is necessary, but there is no occasion to keep them 
so dry when they are resting, as many consider 
essential. The drying off must be done in a gradual 
manner, so that they do not feel any material change. 
When the water is withheld in the manner here 
advised the leaves will frequently remain green for six 
weeks or two months after they go dust dry. It may 
be useful to state that provided the plants are really at 
rest it is an advantage rather than otherwise for a few 
of the leaves to remain green. During the winter they 
are kept in the greenhouse with the pots standing upon 
a bed of coal ashes. 
Watering must have careful attention at all times. 
During the seasons in which they are repotted moderate 
supplies will suffice, but after they have been in the 
pots a year they can be supplied liberally throughout 
the season of growth without any risk, as the pots will 
then be so well filled with roots as to prevent the soil 
becoming sour from the stagnant moisture. The latter 
may also be supplied alternately with weak liquid 
manure, or have an occasional top dressing of some 
safe fertilizer. J. B. 
COLOR OF FLOWERS. 
Color is light modified by some property of a substance, 
the nature of which property we know but little. Light 
complete and pure coming to the eye is intensely white, 
but it is weakened by various other tints blending with 
it, that we never see its full intensity; and well that it 
is so, as were it otherwise the result would be blindness. 
Chlorophyle, which causes the green color of plants, is 
developed under the action of light, as I have proved by 
experiments. I have placed some Geraniums in a 
shaded place, and the result was that the leaves and 
stems, which were previously of a dark green, became 
almost white. Celery also affords a good illustration of 
the truth of this theory, as the earth is heaped over the 
young shoots in order that they may be blanched. 
The red, yellow and blue colors of flowers chiefly 
depend upon a fluid contained in cells, which can be 
separated from the cuticle. Nourse called this colored 
cellular tissue thus lying below the epidermis, the rete. 
The color of the leaf owes its origin to chlorophyle, 
which is a curious substance, granular in form, some¬ 
what resembling wax. The color of the petals is pro¬ 
duced by the cells containing different coloring matters. 
Professor Balfour says, “ By the juxtaposition and me¬ 
chanical mixture of various cells different tints are 
produced, and the colors are also modified by the nature 
of the cuticle through which they are seen.” In the 
interior of petals the color is generally more or less 
yellow, but it is modified when seen through superficial 
cells. Along with the coloring matter there is a color¬ 
less substance present, the relative quality of which 
varies, and hence the color may be deeper or fainter. 
In flowers as well as leaves the colors depend upon the 
action of light. It has been said, however, that a power¬ 
ful action of solar light in some cases tends to discolor¬ 
ing flowers. Hence Tulips are screened from the direct 
rays of the sun. 
The petals of some of our red, violet, and beautiful 
blue flowers if steeped in water give out their color, 
but few of them give a blue color to alcohol; some im¬ 
part a red and others no color whatever to that liquid. 
The juice of some red flowers expressed I have found 
to be of a blue color, and it is supposed that the coloring 
matter in their petals is reddened by an acid, which 
escapes when the juice is exposed to the air. I have 
also found that blue and red flowers lose their color in 
drying, becoming either a white or a dirty yellow ; but 
I have dried them quickly, excluding air, and more of 
their color has been retained. The juice expressed loses 
its color very rapidly; hence the reason that, though the 
colors of flowers may be bright and beautiful, yet they 
are of no use for dyes. T.iomsonsays, that if the petals 
of the red Rose be triturated with a little water and car¬ 
bonate of lime a blue liquor is obtained. Alkalies render 
this blue liquor green, and acids restore its red color; 
which experiment I have myself tried, and found the 
result to be as stated. 
The coloring matter in the petals of the blue Hya¬ 
cinth, red Clover, tips of the common Daisy, Lavender, 
Hollyhock, and Violet, are found to be the same; and 
this matter also gives the color to the petals of the 
