BULBS FOR THE HOUSE AND GARDEN. 
For ease of cultivation, richness of bloom and deli¬ 
cacy of perfume, no bulb is better adapted for the win¬ 
dow-garden than the Hyacinth. They do not need pet¬ 
ting. do not demand south windows or a certain 
temperature, orjcnoisture, but adapt themselves to al¬ 
most any situation, blooming alike in the conservatory 
of the rich in costly gardiniere, or in the window of the 
humble cottage. If you have no window for plants but. 
one facing west, and so despair of having Heliotrope, 
Carnations, and those plants that need sun, then here is 
the plant you can have; if you do not know much 
about taking care of house-plants, Hyacinths are the 
ones for you : if you have but little time to devote to 
plants, but would like something that would make the 
winter seem less dreary and remind you of the coming 
spring, get some Hyacinths. If you want a plant in 
your office, work-room or parlor, you can have it with 
very little trouble. It is best to select your bulbs as 
soon as you can, either personally or send to some good 
dealer. Some think the unnamed bulbs are just as good 
for the house as any ; my experience has been that the 
best bulbs make the best plants, and surely if we have 
but a few, and depend on them to brighten our room 
all winter, we want the [best we can get. Good Hya¬ 
cinths do not always have the largest sized bulbs ; but 
the best ones are heavy compared with their size, and 
smooth skinned. Beware of the rough-looking ones: 
they have not been well ripened. [Note. —We beg to 
differ -with our esteemed correspondent in regard to the 
quality of a “rough Hyacinth bulb ;” very many varie¬ 
ties never make smooth bulbs, yet they produce the 
verv finest spikes of flowers. Conspicuous among this 
class is La Tour d’Auvergne, the very best of the double 
whites ; it rarely fails to give a long and perfect spike 
of bloom, and is, moreover, the roughest of bulbs. We 
heartily endorse all her other suggestions.—E d.] They 
should be potted in October, in rich soil: good loam, 
cow manure made porous with sand ; put in five-inch 
pots with good drainage, the top of the bulbs just show¬ 
ing above the soil; water well, and cover each bulb with 
a small pot. Set them in a dark, cool cellar until the 
pots are well filled with roots; a dark closet will do ; 
keep them there at least six weeks or until the bulbs 
are well rooted; it is of no use to try to have them 
bloom until they have roots. You can bring up part at 
a time, and so prolong the blooming ; they should be 
set iu the shade for a few days, until accustomed to the 
light, then set them near the glass. It is a good plan to 
make a paper cone and slip over the leaves; it makes 
the leaves and flower-spike grow taller; take it oil 
when they are tall enough. They want plenty of water; 
when the flowers begin to open keep as cool as possible 
and they will last much longer. 
Hyacinths can be grown in almost anything, provided 
you put them in the dark until the roots are formed ; 
any fancy dish or vase can be used. Tulips, Crocus, 
Jonquil, Narcissus, and Snowdrops can be grown in 
the same manner, but do not last quite as longaudhave 
not the delicious fragrance of the Hyacinth. After the 
bulbs have done blooming, they cau be set in some out- 
of-the-way place, as they are not ornamental. The 
leaves should be allowed to ripen off, gradually with¬ 
holding water; when dry they can be put into paper 
bags and kept until fall, and then planted in the gar¬ 
den, where they will do very well. They will not do to 
force again. A bed of Hyacinths in spring is a fine 
sight. For this purpose the mixed bulbs are good ; the 
soil should be well enriched and the bulbs planted four 
inches deep. If the bed is needed for plants before the 
foliage is ripened, they can be moved as soon as the 
bloom is over into some convenient place, and remain 
until the leaves are quite dry, then put in paper bags 
until planting time again. Have at least one bed of 
Tulips. They are so hardy, bloom so early, seeming to 
spring out of the cold, bare earth before anything else 
dare venture, and having such a gorgeousness of color 
that almost dazzle one’s eyes to look at; both the early 
single and double and late single and double make a 
showy bed, and the Parrot Tulips are gayer than all the 
rest. Do not forget the Crocus, Snowdrop, Narcissus, 
especially the lovely poet’s Narcissus, so white and fra¬ 
grant. There are many more hardy bulbs, but I have 
not space to mention them. All these bulbs should be 
planted in October, in well prepared beds, covered with 
dry leaves just as the ground freezes hard, taken up in 
the spring after the foliage has ripened, and kept 
dry until fall, with the exception of the last two 
mentioned; these may remain in the ground, taking 
up and resetting every third year. 
Mrs. M. Plumstead. 
THE ART OF PROPAGATION. 
hi. 
THE SAUCER SYSTEM. 
This system of propagation will answer every pur¬ 
pose, and it is the safest of all methods in inexperienced 
hands. TVe were, we believe, the first to introduce this 
system some twenty years ago, and here repeat the 
directions first given in one of the horticultural journals 
at that time. “ Common saucers or plates are used to 
hold the sand in which the cuttings are placed. This 
sand is put in to the depth of an inch or so, and the cut¬ 
tings inserted in it close enough to touch each other. 
The sand is then watered until it becomes in the condi¬ 
tion of mud, and placed on the shelf of the green-house, 
or on the window-sill of the sitting-room or parlor, fully 
exposed to the sun and never shaded. But one condi¬ 
tion is essential to success: until the cuttings become 
