66 Commercial Gardening 



batches then take their place in the forcing chamber. Before Christmas 

 it takes from three to four weeks to force Lilies of the Valley into bloom, 

 but the time is reduced to three weeks and less with the turn of the year. 



RETARDING. This process consists in placing the crowns in refrigerating 

 chambers having a temperature of 28 to 30 F., just low enough to keep 

 the plants in a dormant condition without injury. During the summer 

 months the crowns are taken out as required and put into pots or boxes 

 in light soil. They soon start into growth in a greenhouse without being 

 forced, and only require attention to watering, &c., daily. There are shown 

 on the accompanying plate (1) how the crowns are packed in bundles 

 in the refrigerators; (2) how they are potted up; (3) the growth made 

 at the end of a fortnight; and (4) the plants in full bloom at the end 

 of three weeks. While the Berlin variety is the best for forcing, the 

 "Fortin" variety and the "Victoria" are best for retarded blooms. 



OPEN-AIR CULTURE. A good trade is done in Lilies of the Valley 

 grown naturally in the open air. The best time to plant is in early 

 autumn September if possible and cool, sheltered spots should be chosen. 

 The soil should be of a light sandy loam, naturally moist, but well drained, 

 deeply dug, and well manured. Between rows of widely planted standard 

 fruit trees is a good place to make up Lily of the Valley beds. The crowns 

 should be planted 2-3 in, apart in straight rows about 6 in. apart, and the 

 beds should not be more than 4J-5 ft. wide, having an alley 12-18 in. 

 between. The tops of the crowns should be about 1 in. below the sur- 

 face, and after the beds are planted they may be mulched with a good 

 dressing of well-rotted manure. About March and April lights may be 

 placed over the beds. This will not only hasten the plants into early bloom, 

 but will also protect the flowers from damage by rain and wind, and give 

 them a purity of colour otherwise unattainable. When picking the flowers, 

 the stem should be pulled clean out its entire length with a kind of jerk. 

 Each year it will pay to give a good dressing of well-rotted manure to the 

 beds in early autumn. 



GRADING. No flower pays so well to grade as Lily of the Valley, 

 whether forced, retarded, or natural, and the grower who adopts this 

 course will find a great difference in his receipts. 



Linaria (TOAD FLAX). This large genus includes many plants of 

 , garden value, all easily grown, and suitable for rock gardens, old walls, 

 &c., like the common Toad Flax (L. vulgaris). Among the dwarfer kinds 

 2 to 9 in. high are alpina, purple and orange, with a rose-coloured variety; 

 anticaria, white and lilac; antirrhinifolia, forms dense masses with bright- 

 purple flowers; Cymbalaria (the Kenil worth Ivy), a well-known British 

 wall plant with purple, lilac, and white-flowered varieties; hepaticcefolia, 

 a carpeting plant about 2 in. high, with lobed leaves and lilac-purple 

 flowers; origanifolia, 9 in., deep blue and yellow; pallida, 3 in., violet 

 purple; triornithophora, 6 in., violet. The taller kinds include genistce- 

 folia, 4 ft., sulphur yellow; dalmatica, 2-4 ft., pale yellow, to which 

 macedonica is closely related; purpurea, 2 ft, purple; and vulgaris, 1-2 ft., 



