291 
ON FORCING HYACINTHS. 
BY MR. R. PLANT. 
In a late number of the “ Florist’s Journal ,' 5 I read with much 
interest an excellent and entertaining article on Forcing Hyacinths, 
from that very useful Society, the West London Gardeners’ Asso¬ 
ciation. Mr. Shearer’s essay contains very excellent practical 
instructions for early forcing ; indeed, those bulbs intended to be 
placed in heat before Christmas, cannot be subjected to more 
proper treatment. But what I would suggest to Mr. Shearer, 
the members of the Association, and to the readers of this journal, 
is the necessity of something more than is mentioned in the 
article alluded to, in order to obtain a good bloom about the latter 
end of the forcing season, a period when the best flowers are most 
wanted, especially by those who are exhibitors at the early Flower 
Shows, at most of which there are prizes offered for Hyacinths, 
and generally but few competitors. It will be found, in nine cases 
out of ten, that the bulbs intended for late forcing, and which con¬ 
sequently remain out of doors, say to the end of January or 
February, will have filled their pots with roots, and also protruded 
them for some length through the bottom, and when they meet with 
obstruction, will frequently lift the bulb an inch above the rim of 
the pot, when usually, from want of support, it falls on one side, 
a very unsightly object; but to say nothing of appearances, it is 
very evident such roots can be of but little immediate benefit to 
the bulbs, as from their position they are incapable of deriving any 
advantage from the soil in the pots; and when removed to the 
forcing-house, a very little extra bottom heat will, to use a 
technical term, burn them, and also in the removal the roots are 
very liable to injury from being broken, &c. These objections 
occurred to me some seasons back ; and to remedy them, I repotted 
all the bulbs intended for late forcing : the result fully bore out all 
my anticipations. This I am aware is not included in the general 
practice, but for this reason, I wish the more readily to make it 
known. The method I adopt is, in the first potting, to use large 
forty-eight pots, in order to allow of using thirty-twos for the 
shift; and as soon as I find, on examination, the roots have reached 
the bottom of the first pots used, I very carefully turn them out, 
