BULB POTTING AND PLANTING 



VVM. HUNT, O. A. C, GUELPH, ONT. 



^^ (J secure early flowers from winter and 

 A spring flowering bulbs, the bulbs 

 should be potted early in the autumn. A 

 few of the early flowering Roman Hyacinths 

 should be potted. There are several colors 

 of these easily grown. The white variety 

 is the best. 



Three bulbs can be put in a four or five- 

 inch pot. No drainage, excepting the hole 

 in the bottom of the flower pot, is necessary. 

 When grown properly, these and all similar 

 kinds of bulbs require all the room in the 

 pot for roots, without putting in cinders, 

 etc.. for drainage. Dutch Hyacinth bulbs 

 should be put one in a four or five-inch pot. 

 These can be had in a variety of colors, sin- 

 gle or double. 



Almost all varieties of the Narcissus 

 family succeed well when grown in pots for 

 the window. The Paper AVHiite is about 

 the earliest flowering and is easily grow^n. 

 The rather rank odor of its flowers are, 

 however, objectionable to some people. The 

 following varieties will be found to be good 

 for growing in pots: Poeticus, Poeticus 

 ornata. Von Sion (true Dafifodil). Golden 

 Spur. Horsfieldii, Emperor, Bicolor, not 

 forgetting a few of the sweet-scented Jon- 

 quils. Two or three bulbs of Narcissi can 

 be planted in a four or five-inch pot. 



Tulips, Crocus, and Snowdrops will not 



give as satisfactory results in pots as those 

 just mentioned. They are better for plant- 

 ing out of doors in beds or borders. 



In potting bulbs use fairly rich loamy soil. 

 Press the soil firmly around tne bulbs, leav- 

 ing the surface about half an inch below the 

 top of the pot. Water them so that all the 

 soil is well moistened. Ihen stand the pots 

 where they can be covered with two or three 

 inches of coal ashes, sand, or light garden 

 soil until the bulbs are well rooted. About 

 five or six weeks in this condition is usually 

 sufficient to enable them to secure good 

 roots. Securing good roots to the bulbs, 

 before they are brought out into the light, 

 or before they make much top growth, is 

 the great point to be gained in the pot cul- 

 ture of bulbs. 



A good place to bury the pots is in the 

 garden where they can be protected with 

 leaves if severe frosts set in, or the pots can 

 be put in a cellar or root house and covered 

 up as directed. The pots can — after the 

 bulbs are rooted — be placed in the window 

 at intervals of a week or two to ensure a 

 succession of flowers. 



Bulbs of the kinds mentioned may be pot- 

 ted as late as December or even later, but 

 the earlier potted bulbs usually give the best 

 results, as the bulbs lose vitality to a certain 

 extent when kept dry too late in the winter. 



A GENUINE HORTICULTURIST 



RODERICK CAMEROX. XI \GARA FALLS SOUTH, OXT. 



RECENTLY I enjoyed spending a few 

 hours at the residence of Mr. James 

 Goldie, in Guelph, and was much impressed 

 with all I saw and heard. ^^Tr. Goldie and 

 his guid wife seemed to possess the secret 

 of youth and of happiness, which secret I 

 felt was in some mysterious way connected 

 with their daily study of horticulture. 

 Truly they live verv near to nature's heart. 



\Mth the hope that the readers of The 

 Horticulturist may get a glimpse of what 

 so delighted me and perchance an inkling of 

 their secret, I venture a short report. 



]\Ir. James Goldie, of the People's ^lills. 

 of Goldie & Sons, Guelph, is a name famil- 

 iar to most Canadians. As a man of busi- 

 ness he has been eminently successful. In 

 early life Mr. Goldie, who is now 8;^ years 



:,86 



