Gloxinias may be had in bloom almost all the year by judicious management.  When required for early flowering, those that start first should be selected and carefully shifted into other pots, and be kept near the glass, as they depend much on light for rapid and luxuriant growth.  A moist atmosphere, with the temperature about 60 deg. to 65 deg., greatly facilitates the growth of Gloxinias, but they may be grown well in greenhouses or in pits heated by hot water.  The most suitable soil is a light fibrous loam, combined with a little peat and silver sand.  Manure water during the growing period twice a week is helpful, but it should be discontinued when the flowers show colour.  The plants love shade, and at no time should suffer from drought.  Storing Gloxinias for their season of rest, =i.e.= the winter, must be carefully attended to, as losses frequently occur during this stage.  It is also important that the plants should not be ‘dried off’ too quickly; place them in a light, airy position, and by a gradual reduction of moisture the leaves will fall off naturally.  The bulbs may then be stored away on a shelf, in an even temperature of about 50 deg., each bulb being closely surrounded by cocoa-nut fibre and peat in equal parts to prevent excessive dryness, which, like too much damp, often causes the loss of the bulb.

Besides growing the same plants from year to year, it is always desirable to have a fresh stock coming on, as the old bulbs may deteriorate after two or three years.  This can easily be managed by successive sowings of seed, as advised at page 268.

==Hemerocallis==—­=see under= ==lilies==, =page 343=

==Hyacinth==

One of the most valuable characteristics of the Hyacinth is the ease with which it can be flowered in a variety of ways by very simple modes of treatment.  It may be employed as a hardy, rough-weather plant for the garden border, or as a grand exhibition and conservatory flower.  The bulbs may be planted at any time from September to the middle of December, with the certainty of their blooming well, if properly cared for; but the prudent cultivator will plant them as early as possible in the autumn, and so manage them afterwards as to secure the longest period of growth previous to their flowering.  They can be forced to flower at Christmas, but the more slowly the flowers are developed the finer in the end will they be.  To obtain good bulbs is a matter of the utmost importance, and it may be useful here to remark that the mere size of a Hyacinth bulb is no criterion of its value—­nor, indeed, is its neatness of form or brightness of appearance.  The two most important qualities are soundness and density.  If the bulbs are hard and heavy in proportion to their size, they may be depended on to produce good flowers of their kind.  The bulbs of some sorts are never large or handsome, while, on the other hand, many others partake of both these qualities in a marked degree.