HOW TO PLANT A BULB. 



N the accompanying sketch I have 

 tried to show how a Hyacinth bulb 

 ■i would look when planted correctly, 

 if the jar was transparent. The 

 figures represent the kinds of soil used. 

 No I is an inch layer of burnt bone, 

 charcoal or pebbles to insure good 

 drainage No. 2 is an inch layer of 

 whole decayed manure, placed over the 

 drainage so that the rich, prepared soil 

 (which is No. 3) cannot settle in the 

 bottom of the jar and wash away. No. 

 4 is clean, sharp sand which is placed 

 around the bulb to keep it from decay- 

 ing by coming in contact with noxious 

 matter, which, even with the best care, 

 will sometimes slip into our potting soil. 

 No. 5 is fine, rich manure to supply the 

 bulb with nutritive matter. The jar is 



a six-inch one, and only one large-sized 

 bulb is set in it. Never crowd a bulb ; 

 it will resent it. — Park's Floral Magazine. 



Fig. 1464. —How to Plast a Bclb. 



POTTING PLANTS. 



£y^ psiHE first essential is to get the 

 right kind of soil for the pots 

 — a nice black, friable soil, 

 full of leaf mould, is best. In 

 order to plant trees, principal elements 

 of plant food are necessary — ist nitro- 

 gen, 2nd oxygen, 3rd phosphoric acid. 

 Leaf mould supplies the first Each 

 element has a specific effect on the 

 plant. If fed too much nitrogen the 

 effect is an excess of leaf ; if too much 

 potash, the result is more fruit or flow- 

 ers but a stunted growth. A well bal- 

 anced plant ration comprises one part 

 garden soil ; one part turf sod, full of 

 fine root fibres and one part of half-rot- 

 ted manure and sand in equal propor- 

 tions. It is possible to have the soil 

 too rich, so sand is added to make it 

 porous and assist drainage. Manure 

 from the cow yard is best, as it is not as 

 strong as other kinds. Soap suds is 

 also a good fertilizer. It is a good idea 

 to keep a box of suitable soil in the caller 



where it will be handy for winter potting. 

 Fragment of broken pottery or brick 

 should be placed at the bottom of the 

 pot to help the drainage. One of the 

 first things to do when potting is to 

 give the plant a good drink — thoroughly 

 saturate the soil, and in planting cuttings 

 compact the soil firmly about the tender 

 shoot, in order that the food in the soil 

 may be made available. 



In re- potting, many people make a 

 mistake in changing from a small pot to 

 one too large in order to save trouble. 

 Growers will obtain more bloom by 

 keeping the plants in small pots, chang- 

 ing to the larger sizes gradually. By 

 giving the pot a slight jar and turning 

 it upside down the pot can be lifted 

 easily off. And if fine shoots are seen 

 to be interlacing the outside of the 

 earth the plant should be transferred to 

 a larger vessel. Prof. Craig before 

 Port Hope Horticultural Society. 



437 



