36 GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS. 



FIELD CULTURE. 



The field culture of Tuberose bulbs is now a large and 

 important industry in this country, millions being grown, 

 not only for home use, but for exportation to Europe. 

 Hitherto they were grown almost exclusively in Italy, but 

 within the past ten years European dealers in the bulb 

 find they can buy a better article at a cheaper rate from 

 us. We ourselves have for many years grown nearly 

 half a million roots annually. Our plan of late years has 

 been, after thoroughly plowing and harrowing, to mark 

 out furrows, three and a half feet apart, with the plow 

 (or, what is better, with the implement known as a 

 furrow marker) six or seven inches deep and ten or 

 twelve inches wide. In the bottom of this furrow is 

 spread two or three inches of well-rotted stable manure, 

 or bone dust thick enough to cover the soil. Two or 

 three inches of soil are placed on the top of this, and the 

 Tuberose sets are then planted in this prepared furrow 

 in two rows nine or ten inches apart, and five or six 

 inches between the sets. The object of this plan is, that 

 we get the benefit of the manure for two rows instead of 

 one, as is the case when one row only is planted in the 

 furrow, in the usual way. It is a little more labor to cul- 

 tivate, but the saving in manure, in time in making 

 furrows, and in planting by the double row plan, we 

 have found more than offsets this. 



A great many Tuberoses are now grown in the South- 

 ern States ; but, unless they are lifted and dried at the 

 proper time, there is danger of the flower bud starting 

 prematurely, which renders the bulb worthless. I had 

 20,000 sent from Florida a few years ago, that were per- 

 fectly worthless from this cause. They were left in the 



