534 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Sept., 1908. 



rough winds and hot sun, but require a fair amount of light for the perfect 

 development of the flowers. A site exposed to the morning sun, but 

 sheltered from the north suits them admirably. Although tulips delight 

 in a cool rich soil care must be taken in the selection of materials to produce 

 such conditions where naturally deficient ; the bulbs will not thrive if 

 manure is placed in their proximity. Poor soils are best enriched by the 

 addition of leaf mould or some fibrous surface soil that has been well mixed 

 with some thoroughly rotted cow manure. Heavy retentive soils may be 

 brought into fair condition by the addition of sand, ashes, or leaf mould. 



Tulips are propagated from offsets of the bulbs and from seeds, the 

 former 'being the method of perpetuating certain varieties and kinds. New 

 varieties are raised from seeds. A plan that is found to be satisfactory 

 is to plant the large flowering bulbs about six inches apart in the rows 'or 

 patches, and set the offsets between them, thus insuring an increase without 

 specially providing a place to grow the young non-flowering bulbs. Seeds 

 should be saved as soon as they are ripe and stored until spring, when they 

 should be sown in boxes or small beds of light soil. The young plants 

 must be grown without disturbance for the first growing season. When 

 the tops die down they require to be lifted and planted where they are to 

 remain until they attain a flowering size. 



Planting generally should be done early in autumn. To obtain border 

 eff'ects tulips are set in patches containing several bulbs, placed at a depth 

 of three or four inches from the surface, and from six to eight inches apart. 

 When planted in rows in beds the r-ows should be from twelve to fifteen 

 inches apart. The bulbs may remain undisturbed for two or more seasons. 

 When necessary to do so, they should be lifted as soon as the foliage 

 turns brown. The bulbs are stored in a cool dry place until thoroughlv 

 ripened ; when they should be cleaned and stored under cool conditions until 

 the planting season arrives. Care must be taken to prevent the bulbs being 

 heated during the resting season or they may perish. 



A fair selection of varieties may be obtained from local seedsmen and 

 nurserymen during summer, the self coloured varieties of the Gesneriana 

 type being the best. 



Flower Garden. 



Cultivation of the surface soil ; planting out herbaceous plants, bulbs, 

 and annuals ; sowing seeds ; and attacking insects and diseases as soon as 

 they appear, are important tasks at this season. An early and thorough 

 working of the soil is often more beneficial to garden plants than a heavy 

 manuring accompanied by slight cultiwation. Soil for the reception of 

 seed must be in a state of fine division to insure best results. 



Chrysanthemums will demand attention about the end of the month 

 from cultivators who aim at the production of large blooms. The beds 

 should be again dug and manure, thoroughly incorporated, added if neces- 

 sary. A moderately rich soil is preferable to one containing an excessive 

 amount of stable manure. Plants of moderate, firm, and sturdy growth, 

 Wiiich will under fair treatment produce fine flowers of g'ood form and 

 ■quality will result from the former, while from the latter, the plantsi are 

 likely to be large and difficult to manage, and the flowers produced, gener- 

 ally coarse, overgrown, and devoid of grace and colour. 



A few of the varieties distributed as novelties by the nursery trade last 

 season are worthy of being added to good collections, and include " Hamil- 

 ton," " Mrs. Phillips," "Beauty of St. Kilda," "Mrs. J. C. Neill " and 

 " Amy Laidtnan." 



