286 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



out the top earth to the depth of 6 inches. Put into the bottom 

 of the bed about 2 inches of well-rotted manure and spade it 

 into the soil. Throw back half of the top soil, level it off nicel}^, 

 set the bulbs firmly on this bed, and then cover them with the 

 remainder of the earth; in this way one will have the bulbs 

 from 3 to 4 inches below the surface, and they will all be of 



uniform depth and will 

 give uniform results if the 

 bulbs themselves are well 

 graded. The ''design" 

 bed may be worked out 

 easily in this way, for all 

 the bulbs are fully ex- 

 posed after they are placed, 

 and they are all covered 

 at once. 



Of course, it is not nec- 

 essary that the home gar- 

 dener go to the trouble of 

 removing the earth and 

 replacing it if he merely 

 wants good blooms; but if 

 he wants a good bed as a 

 whole, or a mass effect, he 

 should take this pains. 

 In the shrubberies and on 

 the lawn he may "stick 

 them in" here and there, seeing that the top of the bulb is 3 

 to 6 inches beneath the surface, the depth depending on the 

 size of the bulb (the bigger and stronger the bulb, the deeper 

 it may go) and on the nature of the soil (they may go deeper 

 in sand than in hard clay). 



As the time of severe winter freezing approaches, the bed 

 should receive a mulch of leaves, manure or litter, to the depth 



260. Common species of narcissus. — 

 a a. Narcissus Psetido-Narcissus or daf- 

 fodil ; 6. Jonquil ; c. N. Poeticus. 



