32 WESTERN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



planted in such a mixture the fault would be due to some 

 other cause than the soil. 



The next and most important thing- to insure success 

 with winter flowering- Bulbs is to g-et the best Bulbs possible, 

 even at an advanced price, then half the battle is foug-ht. 

 Never be tempted by cheap collections of Bulbs, such as are 

 offered in many of the catalogues and advertisements which 

 may come before your notice from time to time. Fancy a 

 seedsman offering- a collection of 10 Bulbs for 25c., postpaid, 

 and this collection to contain 2 Hyacinths, 1 Easter Lily, and 

 7 other Bulbs all different. The same seedsman will list 

 Hyacinths at from lOc. each to 20c. each, and Easter Lilies 

 from lOc. to 35c. each. Another collection will contain 25 

 winter flowering Bulbs, postpaid, for 50c. this collection to 

 contain 2 Easter Lilies, 3 Hyacinths, 4 Narcissus, 6 Tulips, 

 and 15 other Bulbs. And again, another collection will con- 

 tain 60 Bulbs, postpaid, for $1.00 this collection, of course, 

 would contain valuable bulbs in proportion to the price, the 

 same as the first mentioned collections. I have often had to 

 laugh when these collections, which have been received by 

 those who have been tempted to send their money for them, 

 have been brought to me for the purpose of having them 

 potted up. The size of the bulbs was in most cases ridicul- 

 ously small, so much so that I have often persuaded the 

 owners of them not to go to the expense of potting them up, 

 as it would certainly have been a waste of money on their 

 part, and likely a customer lost to some dealer who handles 

 good Bulbs at a reasonable price. Many are the persons 

 who have been discouraged on account of their Bulbs not 

 flowering, when they have thought it has been the fault of 

 their wrong treatment, at the same time the Bulbs they had 

 secured had not the flowering ability in them, and therefore 

 would not flower under any circumstances. 



The next matter of importance is the varieties of Bulbs 

 best adapted for amateurs and window culture. Atter a long 

 experience amongst Bulbs I would say that the following are 

 t ie best and most advisable. I will mention them as near as 



