HARDY PLANTS FORCING 407 



washed from below the bulb. The top of the bulb 

 should be just below the top of the soil after the bulbs 

 are planted, and the soil should be about one-fourth inch 

 from the top of the rim of the pot. This gives plenty of 

 room for water after the bulbs are brought into the house. 

 The amount of soil to be put under the bulbs will, 

 therefore, vary with the length of the bulb and the depth 

 of the pan. 



Bulbs should be set lightly on the bottom soil and more 

 soil pressed around them. Avoid pressing into the soil, 

 for if the soil beneath the bulb is too compact, the roots will 

 not penetrate it, and as the root system develops, the bulb 

 will be forced upward and thrown out of the soil. 



669. Watering, labeling and storing. After the bulbs 

 are potted, they should be thoroughly watered. Roots 

 will not form satisfactorily in dry soil. All bulbs should 

 be carefully labeled. After bulbs are potted, they should 

 be stored under conditions which will favor root develop- 

 ment and retard the growth of the top. Hence, the soil 

 should be moist, and its temperature somewhat higher 

 than the atmospheric temperature. Most commercial 

 growers have a storage bulb cellar, where the bulbs are 

 available at any season. The windows of the cellar are 

 opened nights when the temperature does not go below 32, 

 and are closed early in the morning. Freezing does not 

 injure bulbs, provided they are thawed gradually. On 

 small ranges, bulbs are usually stored in coldframes, but 

 it is more difficult to get them out in winter when ready for 

 forcing. If stored in frames, about two inches of coal- 

 ashes are placed in the frames, and the pans or flats are 

 set on them. The ashes keep earthworms away. The 

 pans are then covered with six or eight inches of coal 

 cinders or garden loam, and leaves are placed over this 



