86 HOUSE PLANTS 



ashes spread on the bottom, to insure good 

 drainage. On this foundation the pots of 

 bulbs were placed. The spaces between 

 the pots were filled with sphagnum, and a 

 layer of moss was laid over them. The 

 box was then filled in with clean oat straw, 

 tucked in with a warm blanket of old carpet, 

 and instead of a glass sash a tight wooden 

 lid was fitted on and held in place by pine 

 boughs. All these precautions are neces- 

 sary here, for the thermometer sometimes 

 registers 35 degrees below zero!" 



ROOTING IN THE CELLAR 



If neither of these methods is convenient, 

 and you have a cool cellar, put the pots in a 

 dark, out of the way corner and cover them 

 with a foot or so of soil. Here they will 

 always be handy for bringing into light and 

 heat as required; but watch out that the 

 mice and rats do not get at them. 



For Christmas flowers force Paper White 

 and polyanthus narcissus, Roman hyacinths, 

 and the Due van Thol tulips. They will 

 require four weeks (except for the hyacinths, 

 which are one week less) after being brought 

 out into the light. The other Dutch bulbs 



