DITISIOX OF HORTICULTURE 539 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



through it, leaves channels through which air is supplied to the roots, and that is why 

 the soil should be well drained and not soggy. 



Third, with regard to manure. The directions in this connection must be com- 

 bined with a warning. Bulbs should not have any manure at all, unless planted in a 

 border in which they are to remain for several years. In supplying manure, in such 

 cases, it must be trenched in, and must not on any acount, come in contact with the 

 bulbs. It is a good practice to apply the manure a year previous to the planting of the 

 bulbs, in order that it may become thoroughly mixed with the soil, and almost entirely 

 decayed. 



TIME TO PLANT. 



Most of the spring-flqwering bulbs must be planted in the autumn. In places 

 where the ground does not freeze up till late, planting may be continued till Novem- 

 ber, but the earlier they are planted the more time they have to make root growth in 

 the autumn, and as a consequence, larger and better flowers may be looked for in the 

 spring. 



now TO PLANT. 



The simple&'t method of planting in beds, where the bulbs should come in ^ regular 

 order, at similar distances apart, is to take a long strip of wood or a piece of rope and 

 mark off the bed as follows : — 



If the bulbs are to be planted 6 inches apart, procure two little pieces of stick, 6 

 inches long, and a cord several yards long. Two persons are required, each taking 

 one of the little sticks and one end of the cord. They then place themselves on oppo- 

 site sides of the bed, and draw the cord across it several times as if sawing with it, 

 until the cord has made a distinct mark in the ground. Then each moves his little 

 stick along the 6 inchesi of its length, and repeat the operation with the cord. When 

 the bed is finished one way, it must be marked from the other two sides. A bed is 

 very quickly and accurately markcl by this method. The bulbs are then placed in 

 position at the intersections of the lines, that is, at the corners of the 6 inch squares. 

 They are then planted with a trowel. 



The distance apart at which bulbs are planted vary with the size of the bulbs, and 

 variety of the bulbous plant. Good-sized tulips are best planted 6 inches apart; narcissi 

 from 4 to 9 inches apart. Bulbs of other types and varieties vary considerably in size, 

 and ability to increase in the bed, or borders. Anemones, crocuses, and the smaller 

 bulbs should be planted from 2\ to 4 inches apart. Lilies, from 4 to 9 inches apart, 

 according to the variety. Some lilies, like Superhum and Elegans, increase quite 

 rapidlj^ and will have to' be taken up, divided, and re-planted after a few years. 



Another way to plant bulbs is to remove the soil from part of the bed to the right 

 depth, and place the bulbs in position and as they are thus placed, push them into the 

 soil slightly. The shifted soil may then be returned. Some care is required if this 

 second method is adopted ; otherwise, if the soil is returned carelessly, the bulbs are 

 knocked out of position. It has its advantages, however, since it ensures that all bulbs 

 are planted at an even depth, and if the soil is very heavy in character, it may be 

 greatly improved by placing a thin layer of sand immediately under the bulbs. 



DEPTH TO PLANT VARIOUS BULB^. 



The depth at which to plant almost all types of bulbs is determined to some extent 

 }Dy the type of the soil. 



The simplest way to give good advice in this regard is to say that as a rule a 

 bulb should be planted at an average depth varying from three to four times its 



Ottawa. 



