134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
they are firm and of good size, for the small and spongy ones 
usually will not produce flowers. 
BULBS OF EASY CULTURE 
Perhaps the simplest bulb to handle is the paper-white 
narcissus. It is one of the earliest varieties of the narcissi 
group but can be had in bloom for a long time by successive 
plantings at intervals of about a week. As for the medium in 
which to grow the bulbs, there is nothing simpler and cleaner 
than a shallow bowl of water containing pebbles to support 
the bulbs in an upright position. Plate 21 shows a shallow 
dish only one and one-half inches deep in which eight paper- 
white narcissi bulbs grew and flowered. In planting, a layer 
of pebbles is placed in the bowl, the bulbs set on this layer, 
and some pebbles packed about each one to hold it in place. 
The water should come barely to or a little above the base of 
the bulbs. With a large bowl it is recommended to change 
the water occasionally, but with a shallow one this is almost 
impossible without disturbing the pebbles and injuring the 
roots. If a few pieces of charcoal are placed in the bowl the 
water will be kept fresh, so that it will never have to be 
changed but only enough added to allow for evaporation. If 
any bulb should rot and thereby contaminate the water the 
affected bulb should be removed and the water changed, but 
this seldom occurs with narcissi unless the bulbs have been 
injured before planting. 
The bowls containing the bulbs should be put in a cool 
dark place, a fruit cellar being an ideal location. The essen- 
tial points to remember at this stage of the bulb growing are 
(1) that the storage place be kept dark to prevent the leaves 
from starting; (2) that it be kept cool, the roots then being 
able to grow before the tops; and (3) that the bulbs get plenty 
of air. In selecting a cool place a temperature of from fifty 
to sixty degrees will suffice, but it is better if it can be still 
cooler. Temperatures below freezing must be avoided. Some- 
times a cool dark place is not available, and in that event a 
corner in a comparatively cool room can be darkened with a 
box and the bulbs placed in this. If the room is very cool 
root growth will not be as rapid as in a warmer room, but 
