THE HYACINTH AS A BOEDER FLOWER. 
161 
And now that we have such books as “ the Florist’s Journal” 
open to make known any improvements in the delightful art, or 
in which to get our doubts so readily solved, such persons appear 
doubly culpable. But I am digressing. I will now endeavour to 
explain the method by which the Dutch florists are enabled to 
grow the hyacinth to such perfection, and which I have found 
from experience to be far superior to that I have already men¬ 
tioned. 
Let the bed intended for hyacinths be in an open yet warm 
situation. The soil should be rich and free ; that is, it should be 
of such a texture that it may be easily worked in winter, yet 
retain its moisture in summer ; let the ground be well dug in the 
beginning of October, laying in a stratum of jresli cow-dung, 
about six or eight inches from the surface, breaking the soil over 
it very fine. This may, perhaps, appear rather startling to some, 
but if once tried, I am satisfied it will not be rejected ; they 
require nothing else. About the end of the month the roots 
should be planted : to do this, remove the entire surface of the 
bed about four inches deep, rake it level, and place the roots eight 
inches apart, taking care to mix the colours judiciously ; cover 
them about two inches above the crown of the bulb. I should have 
mentioned that a level bed is the most proper one ; for if there is 
any inclination of the bed, the water will run from the middle to 
the outside rows,'’and consequently render them very liable to rot. 
If the winter prove severe, a little loose litter should be thrown 
over the bed, which should be removed as early as possible. In 
such things as this, the cultivator’s own judgment must be the 
guide. When the plants are in bloom, they only require to be 
kept neatly tied up and constantly weeded. 
As soon as the bulbs are ripe, which may be known by the 
foliage pulling off easily, take them up ; let it be on a dry day ; 
and as soon as you have got them up, rake a piece of ground 
clean and level, place the roots sideways on it in such a manner 
that they do not touch each other ; then cover the whole over with 
about six inches of dry earth. This is what may be called proving 
them; the Hyacinth being subject to a disease, a kind of rotting, 
which does not always show itself on first coming from the earth ; 
but if one so infected was put into a heap, it would immediately 
communicate the disease to every root that touched it; hence 
the necessity of keeping them separate, which could not be done 
VOL. I. NO. VII, 
Y 
