For ISovember, 1922 



313 



Bulbs of Easy Culture 



PliKHAPS the simplest bulb to liandle 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. 

 .■\s for the nieclium in which to grow the bulbs, there 

 is nothing- simpler and cleaner than a shallow bowl of 

 water containing pebbles to supjxirt the bulbs in an up- 

 right position. 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 



Paper- Wh itc Narcissus 



should come barely to or a little aijove the base of the 

 bulbs. With a large bowl it is recommended to change 

 the water occasionally, but with a shallow one this is al- 

 most 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 w-ill 

 never have to be changed hut only enough added to allow 

 for evaporation. If any bulb should rot and thereby con- 

 taminate the water the affected bulb should be removed 

 and the water changed, but this seldom occurs with nar- 

 cissi 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 es- 

 sential points to remember at this stage of the bulb grow- 

 ing are ( I ) that the storage place be kept dark to pre- 

 vent the leaves from starting; (2) that it be kept cool, 

 the roots then being able to grow before the tops ; and 

 (3) that the l>ulbs 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. Temper- 

 atures below freezing must be avoided. Sometimes a 

 cool dark place is not available, and in that event a comer 

 in a comparatively cool room can be darkened with a box 

 and the bulbs placed in this. If the room is very cool 



rcot griiWtii will not be as rapid as in a warmer room, but 

 when the bowl is well tilled with roots it can be brought 

 to the light. The leaves will then have started and may 

 l)e a few inches long and white, and on that account the 

 bulbs should lie brought to the light gradually. After 

 growth is well advanced they may be placed in a sunny 

 window for a short time each day. Bulbs that are started 

 in a cool place will produce a sturdy growth and the 

 flowers will last longer than those that have grown rapidly 

 in a very warm room. Narcissi treated in this manner 

 can be had in flower from six to eight weeks from the 

 time of planting. 



Paper-v.liite narcissi can also be grown in soil in pots 

 under similar conditions. If a cool dark place is not 

 a\ailable for storing the bulbs indoors a shallow trench 

 may be dug in a well-drained place outdoors. In this 

 trench from two to three inches of ashes should be placed 

 for drainage, and on this the pots set so that the rims are 

 about six inches below the surface of the soil. The trench 

 should then be filled with soil and the surface mounded 

 to shed water. As the weather becomes colder the soil 

 should be covered with leaves or some other coarse ma- 

 terial, this being held in place with Ixiards. Four weeks is 

 the shortest time the narcissi should be left outdoors, 



Roman HyaciiUh 



six or eight weeks being better. The bulbs should l^e 

 planted in pots or pans, preferably the latter. A good 

 quantity of broken crocks or stones should hi placed in 

 the pots for drainage, then a layer of good garden soil, 

 and on this the bulbs set so that when the pot is filled 

 with soil the necks of the bulbs will be barely visible. 

 They should then be watered thoroughly and put in the 

 storage place. 



The Chinese sacred lily can be grown in bowls of water 

 and pebbles, hut not as successfully as the paper-white 



