I'tiX 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral E>(Htlon. 



The House Culture of Bulbs'* 



Dr. H. M. Speech y, Pilot Mound, Man. 



The house cultivation of bulbs may 

 be effected by planting bulbs in soil, 

 in water vases, m in moss fibre. The 

 first great principle to observe is that, 

 whatever method you use, it is import- 

 ant to encourage root-growth for weeks 

 and usually months before top-growth 

 seriously commences. Therefore, as 



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A. — Put a bulb in a six-inch pot, providing an 

 inch or twx> of drainage covered with a layer of 

 flbry compost and two inches of soil. Place 

 bulb on this and add sand to surround nearly 

 to apex. 



soon as your bulbs are ready, put them 

 down in a dark place in your cellar 

 where the temperature runs between 

 40 degrees and 50 degrees, and keep 

 them there for one to three months be- 

 fore bringing them to light and 

 warmth. When you pot bulbs with our 

 good black loam, j"ou need no other 

 compost. This is how it is done. First, 

 be sure to have clean flower pots ; place 

 at the bottom a few pebbles or broken 

 crocks ; then put down about a third of 

 chunky ratted sod; and on that pour 

 black loam, or loam and sand equally 

 mixed, to about haJf the height of the 

 pot or to a sufficient height to allow 



your bulb-top to be about level witn tli(! 

 rim of the pot; finally fill up with svW 

 and i>aek it well around the bulb so 

 that the latter is "up to its neck" in 

 soil. With some .small bulbs, like the 

 freesia, or corms like the crocus, you 

 need only plunge then! into the soil of 

 u pot filled except to the last half-inch. 

 Bulbs for Pot Culture. 

 Without going into all the bulbs suit- 

 able for pot culture in the winter, 1 

 will advise j'ou to order paper white 

 narcissus, Roman hyacinths, and the 

 narcissus known as the "Chinese lily," 

 for blooming during the latter half of 

 Deeem'ber. Dutch hyacinths come in 

 January and February. Freesias bloom 

 in January, and are followed in Febru- 

 aTy and March by crocus and the later 

 narcissus types, such as the Emperor, 

 Empress, Victoria Bicolor, and Von 

 Sion daffodils ; while last of all are the 

 beautiful Poet's Narcissus, kinds which 



B. — Many hardy lilies, including lilium specio- 

 sum, have stem roots. These must be fed. 

 This illustrates these roots after the plant has 

 made considerable growth. Pots must not be 

 filled at first. 



6 fw 



The right way to pot a calla lily Ifi here abown 

 on the left, and the wrong way on the ri^t. 



while you have your bulbs in the dark 

 cupboard rooting in this or any soil 

 compost, you o-ught not to water tliem 

 more than once a week, but when you 

 bring them to light, water them more 

 frequently, according to the judgment 

 of your fingers. When, hcvvever, the 

 bulbs begin to flower, they will take 

 watei" every day. 



•Extract from an address delivered before the 

 women's section of the Manitoba Horticultural 

 and Forestry Association. 



o 



C. — ^When the growth is six indhes high fill up 



the vacant sipa^e with compost for the stem 



roots to feed upon. 



bloom in March. I do not recommend 

 tulips for pot culture. Some bulbs 

 take kindly to the water culture, par- 

 ticulaTly the paper white narcissus, the 

 "Chinese lily," and Dutch hyacinths. 

 Special glasses are made for these, 

 which hold the bulb just above the 

 water, into which the roots descend; 

 but any vase of sufficient depth will 

 do, if you prop the bulbs up with peb- 

 bles, o>T even pieces of clinker or hard 

 coal, so that they only just touch the 

 water. A little charcoal in the water 

 helps to keep it sweet, but it is easy to 

 drain off old water and replace it with 

 fresh fluid without hurting anything. 

 The moss-fibre treatment was dis- 

 covered by the late Robert Sydenham, 

 of Birmingham, who found that, if 

 bulbs were embedded "up to their 

 necks" in a compound of cocoanut fibre 

 charcoal and crushed oyster-shell, they 

 could be grown successfully in bowls 

 or vases without drainage. This is a 

 very elegant method of treating almost 

 any" bulb, whether hyacinth, narcissus, 

 or lily. It is important to note that. 



Climbers for Greenhouses 



B. C. Tillett, Hamilton 



There are a number of plants which 

 will grow f exceedingly well as climbers 

 in a gla.sshouse. One of these is the 

 beautiful Marechal Niel rose. Anyone 

 who has seen this rose grown to perfec- 

 tion will hardly be satisfied until they 

 have a plant of their own. Its deep 

 golden yellow blooms, with their strong 

 perfume and its delicate foliage, places 

 it in the first rank, if not first of all, 

 among all climbing roses. Another is 

 the beautiful jasmine, with its white 

 star-like flowers and strong fragrance. 



If there is space in a corner, do not 

 forget the water lilies. A tub raised on 

 a brick or two, filled a quarterfull of 

 mud, in which the seeds can be sown, 

 and just covered with water, will 

 greatly add to the charm of a green- 

 house or winter gai-den. The seeds will 

 germinate quickly, and some will flower 

 the first year. The temperature should 

 be kept warm. 



A few hanging plants, such as aspara- 

 gus sprengerii, in moss wire baskets, 

 or a few hanging orchids, will repay the 

 little trouble. Among your pot plants 

 do not forget the freezias, the cycla- 

 mens, the lilies-of-the-valley, and the 

 hyacinths. 



There is still time to plant bulbs in 

 pots for spring flowers. Use hyacinths, 

 daffodils, or tulips. Tulips may still be 

 planted outdoors to advantage. 



Hyacinths, daffodils and other bulbs 

 should be set in a cool place until the 

 roots are well formed. Then they may 

 be brought into heat and forced as 

 needed. 



