The Narcissus is often used for bedding with superb effect.  The graceful habit, which is one of its principal charms, is very striking in large masses, and its elegant appearance in the positions for which it is naturally suited cannot fail to arrest attention.  Beneath trees, by the side of a shady walk, in front of shrubberies, or in the mixed border, the Narcissus is thoroughly at home.

If possible, choose a position where the bulbs need not be disturbed for several years, and plant them early.  When the spot they are to occupy happens to be full, pot the bulbs until the ground is vacant, and in due time turn them out.  A southern or western aspect is desirable, but the nature of the soil is comparatively unimportant, provided it is dry when the bulbs are in their resting state.  In sour land or in stagnant water they will certainly rot, but a touch of sea spray will not injure them.  If the soil needs enriching, there is no better material than decayed cow-manure, which may be incorporated as the work goes on, or it can be applied as a top-dressing.  Those which are evidently weak may be assisted with a few doses of manure water, not too strong.

In planting groups, put the smaller bulbs four or five inches, and the larger sorts from six to nine inches apart; depth, six to nine inches, according to size.  Where exposed to a strong wind, it may be necessary to give the flowers some kind of support to save them from injury.

The Double and Single Daffodils are now in marked public favour and their bright colours make them extremely useful for beds and borders.  For planting under and among trees they are invaluable, and a sufficient number should always be put in to produce an immediate effect.  They thrive in damp, shady spots, and every three or four years it will be necessary to divide and replant them.

==The Chinese Sacred Lily== (=Narcissus Tazetta=).—­The popular name of this flower is misleading.  It is not a Lily, but a Narcissus of the Polyanthus type, and, like others of the same class, the bulbs may be successfully grown in soil or in water.  But =Narcissus Tazetta= has proved to be singularly beautiful in water, and the management of it entails very little trouble.  A wide bowl of Japanese pattern is appropriate for the purpose, and to obtain the best effect the bowl should be partially filled with a number of plain or ornamental stones, with a few pieces of charcoal to keep the water sweet.  On the top, and so that they will be held by the stones, place one or more bulbs:  pour in water until it covers the base of the bulbs.  Store in a dark cool cellar until the roots have started and the leaves begin to appear; then remove to the room where the ornament is wanted.  Occasionally the water must be replenished.  The development of the flower-heads is surprisingly rapid, and a large bulb generally produces several clusters of sweetly scented flowers.  But if the bulbs are forced too quickly the blossoms are sometimes crippled.