THE BULB BOOK 



BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS PLANTS 

 FOE CUT FLOWERS 



A very large number of bulbous and tuberous plants are cultivated 

 for their cut flowers alone, and in many cases an enormous business 

 is done in this way. One need only mention the millions of Daffodil 

 and Narcissus blossoms that are sent to the markets every spring 

 from the Scilly Islands, and the various market gardens around London 

 and in the Provinces, to give an idea of what commerce is done. 

 Of course almost any flower of a bulbous or tuberous plant may be 

 used in a cut state, but there are many species the blooms of which 

 are not adapted for this purpose, or else they are so fleeting in 

 character that it is hardly worth while severing them from the 

 plant. In this place we are only considering those kinds that are 

 specially suitable for decorative purposes in the cut state, either 

 privately or commercially. 



There is one feature about cutting the flowers of bulbous plants, 

 and that is, the benefit accruing to the plants themselves from the 

 operation. If the blossoms are allowed to remain upon the plants 

 until they wither, and seeds begin to form, a good deal of reserve 

 material is taken out of the bulbs, tubers, corms, or rhizomes to 

 enable the plants to ripen their seeds. It is obvious, therefore, 

 that by cutting off the blooms when fresh, there will be no extra 

 strain upon the plants. Consequently more reserve material will be 

 available for the production of fine blooms the following year. It 

 may therefore be said that cutting off the flowers really strengthens 

 the plant, and enables it to produce for many years a good supply 

 of blossom. 



When bulbous plants are grown for cut flowers, either in market 

 gardens or under glass, they are grown in hundreds, and hundreds 

 of thousands, so that a supply shall be always available during the 

 season. Sometimes the prices are very low, owing to an enormous 

 quantity appearing on the market at the same time ; but at other 

 times fairly high prices are realised. Of late years efforts have 

 been made to avoid gluts by keeping back or retarding the blooms 

 until they were wanted, because experience shows that a steady 

 market at a reasonable figure is better than a jumpy market, in which 

 very high prices rule one day and very low ones the next. 



In private gardens, of course, cut flowers are always a feature ; 

 and the gardener who is skilled enough to keep up a good and 



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