THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



41 



Dutch Hyacinths. 



ahead of the earliest tulips, and should 

 not be in the same group. The early 

 single tulips (except Due Van Thol, 

 which should not be used) all flower 

 about the same day and go well to 

 gether. The early double tulips are all 

 right with the early single tulips. We 

 noticed La Candeur, the inexpensive 

 double white, planted with the early 

 tulips. That was a mistake, as it is ten 

 days later than the early tulips. If a 

 double white is needed with tne single 

 varieties Murulo is the sort; it is early 

 and a grand flower. Yellow Prince, 

 Chrysolora, La Belle Alliance, all the 

 Pottebakkers, La Eeine, Keizerskroon, 

 Proserpine, Vermilion Brilliant, Cottage 

 Maid, Tournesol in fact, all the early 

 single and double tulips can be planted 

 in one combination and will make a fine 

 display. The little blue scilla can be 

 planted with the crocus. It blooms with 

 the crocus soon after the snow is gone. 

 We have noticed some people exca 

 vate six inches of soil, spread an inch of 

 sand, then place the bulbs on the sand, 

 covering witu the soil that was thrown 



out. This is a useless waste of time 

 and labor. The best display of tulips 

 we have ever seen was planted at the 

 end of November in a heavy clay loam 

 with a third of cow manure. It was at 

 least one foot deep. The bulbs were 

 planted with a stout stick and the bulb 

 just dropped into the hole, and previ 

 ous snowfalls had made the soil almost 

 the consistency of mud. The extraordi 

 nary size of the blossoms and the long 

 time they remained in perfection con 

 vinced us the roots were relishing the 

 manure, and, not having made much 

 roots in the fall, there was younger, 

 fresher and more vigorous root action 

 when the bulbs were flowering, and that 

 sustained the flowers a week longer than 

 is usually the case. 



Bulbs for Forcing. 



Witiiin thirty years, and with many 

 more recently, the forcing of tulips, hya 

 cinths and narcissi has become a most 

 important part of our winter operations. 

 About twenty years ago it was at its 



zenith, but as the best methods of forc 

 ing became widely known and in conse 

 quence vast quantities were imported 

 and the blooms thrown on the market, 

 the public began to tire of the flowers, 

 till during the last few years they have 

 dropped seriously in price and hundreds 

 of thousands of fine flowers were sold at 

 about the cost of the bulbs. 



These remarks do not apply to the 

 good old Dutch hyacinth that we 

 grow in a 4-inch pot. They have been 

 grown in pots and glasses for a hun 

 dred years and always will be. There 

 are few sweeter flowers for the price 

 than a nice spike of hyacinth. People 

 know them and don t ask &quot;How long 

 will they last?&quot; They think rightly 

 that they have received good value for 

 their money if they have had a pot of 

 hyacinth in their window for ten days. 

 Large quantities of fine hyacinths are 

 also grown for Easter in pans, from 

 three to a dozen in a pan. The latter 

 quantity of some fine distinct variety in 

 a 12-inch pan is a rich affair anu gener 

 ally attracts the purchaser who is look 

 ing for something nice to send to his or 

 her friend on Easter morn. The Von 

 Sion narcissus, or daffodil, as it is 

 familiarly called, also makes fine pans. 



Eoman hyacinths are still flowered in 

 immense quantities, and fashion has not 

 changed the demand. They are grace 

 ful, waxy white flowers and can be used 

 in several ways, either by themselves 

 or in combination with roses, violets or 

 carnations. 



If you want tulips or Von Sions, 

 Paper White narcissi or Eoman hya 

 cinths at the earliest possible date they 

 can be got in flower, you should not 

 delay a day in getting a portion of your 

 shipment into the flats, and they should 

 be well watereu and covered at once. 

 The Eomans arrive in August, the Pa 

 per White a little later, and the tulips, 

 hyacinths and narcissi along in Septem 

 ber. 



While the soil need not be of any spe 

 cial preparation, it should not be a very 

 poor, worn-out quality, for the better 

 the soil, the finer -will be your flowers. 

 We have noticed a marked increase in 

 the size of tulips and narcissi by feed 

 ing with liquid manure after being 

 brought in to force. In that case they 

 were for exhibition. For ordinary pur 

 poses the soil that conies from a car 

 nation bed will be founu to answer the 

 purpose, for that has received a liberal 

 amount of manure. 



I found out many years ago that 

 boxes and flats of every size and shape 

 for forcing bulbs was a poor plan, how 

 ever cheap, and for years have made 

 boxes of one pattern, which is twenty- 

 four inches long, twelve inches wide and 

 three inches deep, all inside measure. I 

 buy strips sixteen feet long (any 

 length will do, but you don t want 

 waste), three inches wide and half an 

 inch thick, and some strips three inches 

 wide and one inch thick. Four of the 

 thin strips make the bottom, with a 

 little space between them, two of them 

 make, the sides and the 1-inch thick 

 strips make the ends. They are nailed 

 together with 6-penny nails and two or 



