For January, 1922 



25 



EARLY BULB FORCING 



OF the maiiy details leading to success in the matter of early 

 bulb-forcing, a timely start and suitable varieties are essen- 

 tial. Early planting is necessary to ensure a healthy root system 

 which will enable the plant to bear the strain presently to he placed 

 upon it, and without which, failure, wholly, or in part, of the crop 

 might be foredoomed from the start. For this there is no sub- 

 stitute; no rushing in at the last moment in the hope of making up 

 for lost time. The bulbous plants I have in mind are Roman 

 Hyacinths, Daffodils and Tulips. Of these three, those last named 

 are invariably the most sparsely rooted, and in their case it may, 

 in a measure, be true to say that other things — c. g., bottom heat 

 and darkness — play an equal part so far as ultimate success is con- 

 cerned. The root system of the bulbs of the other genera named 

 are stronger and more abundantly produced, that of the Daffodils 

 in particular, and in their case, that of healthy bulbs very con- 

 siderable. In this connection, root production in these plants, 

 grown, when taken indoors, under entirely foreign conditions, has 

 an important bearing upon the water supply, hence, to the gardener, 

 the information should be appreciated. Of the bulbous rooted 

 subjects under consideration, the Tulip requires the least root- 

 moisture ; the other two — Hyacinths and Dafifodils — in reason, can 

 hardly be given too much. This, I state with emphasis, having 

 seen the Daffodil ruined in its thousands for lack of moisture 

 alone, or through drought in the soil and an arid atmosphere com- 

 bined. Under the greenhouse stage in proximity to the hot-water 

 pipes, is no place for this crop, yet I have seen bulbs there, and 

 neglected in the matter of watering for weeks on end. To intro- 

 duce the plants from the plunging beds out-of-doors to such condi- 

 tions is ruinous ; rushing the plants into considerable warmth from 

 the open is also another common cause of failure with the Daffodil. 

 This, together with growing the plants for ten days over strong 

 bottom heat and withholding water for a like period, are among 

 the ruinous and unpractical methods that I know have been resorted 

 to by some commercial growers in a rather large way of business. 



D.^FFODILS. 



Of the three genera named, the Daffodil is the most impatient of 

 strong heat at the start ; a season of preparation — fourteen days 

 or so — of comparative coobiess, with moisture, is far better. Heat, 

 indeed, too early applied, not infrequently has a retarding effect 

 upon the crop, apart from which, later, there is an absence of uni- 

 form growth and flowering. Hence, from the economic standpoint, 

 seeing the high price of fuel, much might be advanced in favor of 

 the cooler, progressive, and more rational treatment of forcing. 



In certain instances, when the forcing of such bulbs was in its 

 infancy and all had to be learnt in connection therewith, some 

 experimenting was necessary. This revealed the absolute stub- 

 bornness of certain early and cheap sorts of bulbs, and how they 

 refused to budge when placed in artificial heat. How, too, after 

 two months or so of forcing, when turned outside in disgust in 

 wintry weather to take care of themselves, they flowered at their 

 natural time as though nothing had happened. The value of these 

 experiments lay in finding which were the more responsive ones to 

 forcing and which to-day, so far as I am aware, are still unsur- 

 passed for early work. From the many specimens examined of 

 both Hvacinths and Narcissi, the lack of responsiveness appeared 

 to be no fault of the flower; it was obviously due to the fact that 

 the expansion of the orifice of the neck of the bulbs did not syn- 

 chronize with the growth elsewhere, with the result that a kind of 

 strangulation was set up ; in some instances, the scape was detached 

 from its basal seat with, of course, disastrous results. Cause and 

 efifect being clear the lesson was of untold value. 



With the season of preparation ended, the house may be closed 

 and a temperature of 45 degrees or 50 degrees maintained. Pro- 

 vided that both fogs and frosts are absent, this may be increased 

 to 55 degrees or so after a space of three weeks. With such 

 deterrents to progress as fog and frost, a lower temperature 

 should be maintained ; to do otherwise, would be extreme folly and 

 a useless expenditure of fuel. From now. onwards, there should 

 be no stint of root moisture for all Dafifodils. .\ moist atmos- 

 phere up to the time of the opening of the flowers is also impor- 

 tant. Given these conditions, the cultivator has at his disposal the 

 essentials to a successful issue. For earliest work NarcissKS obra- 

 laris (the Tenby Daffodil), N. Henry Irving, N. spunus. and the 

 old double-yellow Dafifodil (N. tclamonius phnus) are stdl unsur- 

 passed, their flowering being much in the order given where all 

 are grown under identical conditions. Closely following these m 



blooming are N. princeps, N. Golden Spur, N. Victoria and 

 .y. Excelsior, which may be regarded as a richer colored Golden 

 Spur. N. ,\rd Righ and Countess of Annesley (Irish Daffodils) 

 have both been put forward as first early-forcing sorts from time 

 to time, and it may be true of the first-named, if the bulbs arc 

 Irish grown and forced, not otherwise. Those first named are the 

 chief source of supply for the late December and Januarv market; 

 of the others. A', princcps is usually the first. Rather than over- 

 force the second earlies, it is better to have a successional batch 

 of the first. Length of stem is thereby secured ; a not unimportant 

 asset in these as in other flowers grown for market. What efifect 

 the heat of this Summer and early maturing will have upon the 

 forcing of these flowers will be interesting to watch. Thus, it 

 will be seen that but the merest handful of the great and ever- 

 increasing host of Narciss-i may be regarded as reliable forcing 

 sorts. Potted or boxed in September, their introduction into the 

 cold house during the early days of November might follow, 

 treating them as already advised. A', pccticus ornatus is something 

 apart, and late November will be soon enough to bring this occa- 

 sionally unamiable variety indoors. Pursue an even medium 

 course with it till the flower scapes are well in view. It were bet- 

 ter to have a full crop by these means than an earlier one with 

 many distorted flowers possessing no market value. Four-inch- 

 deep wooden boxes of uniform size are the best receptacles for the 

 bulbs and occupy the space in the forcing house to a far greater 

 advantage than pots. 



Hyacinths .\nd Ti-lips. 

 Hyacinths and Tulips require both bottom heat and darkness to 

 force them well, differing in these important particulars from the 

 Daffodils. Length of stem and a refined appearance are promoted 

 thereby, assets of no inconsiderable market value. The earliest 

 liatches are best grown in a frame within the house ; the bottom 

 heat, always under control, being supplied from beneath the bed, 

 consisting of moist cocoanut fiber with a covering, three inches in 

 thickness over all, of the same material. For Roman Hyacinths 

 and \'an Thol Tulips, the depth named is ample. For Tulips of 

 naturally taller growth, a depth of six inches would not be too 

 much. By insuring a uniform heat about the tops of the plants, the 

 good results already noted--stem, length, etc. — follow. By cover- 

 ing the frame with damped sacks or mats, heat is conserved and 

 protection against fogs ensured. Here, it may be noted, that 

 Tulips so grown are most sensitive to fog, hence the cultivator 

 should see that the crop is not removed from the bed and darkness 

 until the stems have attained their maximum and the flower buds 

 fully developed. From experience I am assured that the apparently 

 stunted, green tipped, half-developed flower buds of white-flowered 

 sorts too often seen are a direct result of too early removal from 

 the congenial conditions above noted. Its immediate effect upon 

 the crop is a cessation of all growth, hence, the ills named. Usually 

 it is done with the laudable desire of introducing a second batch, 

 though the keen observer will rarely repeat it. The most ludicrous 

 thing in Tulip forcing I ever saw was the early introduction from 

 frames and plunging beds in the open to the greenhouse stages, 

 where they were fully exposed. It concerned some hundreds of 

 pots of the best bedding sorts. With nothing to promote stem 

 growth, the flowers presently expanded on two-inch or three-inch 

 high stems and. sprawling over the pots, presented a strange sight 

 indeed. .\ bottom heat of 65 degrees at the commencement may be 

 increased to 75 degrees or 80 degrees, in the course of three 

 weeks ; the latter warmth will be ample for ordinary purposes. All 

 bulbs forced in frames must be well watered at the start and given 

 time to become dry before covering them with the fiber. The 

 material below the pots should also be well damped. Subse- 

 quently, tepid water only should be applied to the plants. Damp the 

 frame daily by spraying with the syringe. The introduction of the 

 Hyacinth and Van Thol Tulips into the heated frames will depend 

 upon demand, though early November usually sufifices. For other 

 Tulips, any time during that month or, say, from the middle on- 

 wards is suitable. The best Tulips for early forcing are La Reine, 

 Yellow Prince, White Hawk and King of Yellows. The first 

 named is probably forced by the million annually, a pure white 

 .sort that has also the merit of cheapness. Intelligently forced, this 

 variety and Yellow Prince may be had at Christmas with fair 

 weather, and with foot-long stems. The cultivator would be well 

 advised to grow several successional batches of these two varie- 

 ties. — The Gardiners' Chronicle (British). 



