BULB 



BULB 



591 



after danger from frost is over, in a sunny position in 

 good rich soil, they will flower with great certainty the 

 game season. After flowering and ripening of the foliage, 

 they should be taken up and stored for the winter as 

 advised under "Keeping dormant bulbs" (p. 593) until 

 wanted next spring. Among the more important species 

 of this class of bulbs are the undermentioned (those 

 marked F must be kept in a semi-dormant condition in 

 acoldframe or greenhouse): Agapanthus (F), alstremeria 

 (F), amorphophallus, anomatheca (F), anthplyza 

 (F), tuberous begonia, bessera, colocasia (caladium), 

 cooperia, crinum, cypella, gladiolus, galtonia (Hya- 

 cinthus candicans), boussingaultia (madeira vine), 

 montbretia, nemastylis, border oxalis, ornithpgalum 

 (F), pancratium, richardia (calla), schizostylis (F), 

 sprekelia, tigridia, tuberose, watsonia, zephyranthes. 



Bulbs for flowering in the house and greenhouse. 



There is no class of plants that gives more satisfac- 

 tion for this purpose, with so little skill, than the 

 various bulbs. Perhaps the most important class of 

 all bulbs for winter-flowering and forcing are certain 

 hardy and half-hardy kinds. They are the most easily 

 managed of all, and need occupy no space in the win- 

 dow or greenhouse, excepting when in bud and bloom. 

 Under suitable treatment, they flower with great cer- 

 tainty, and their flowering period may be hastened 

 (forced) or retarded at pleasure, so as to "bring them 

 in" for certain occasions, or to give a continuous suc- 

 cession of bloom. There is a great variety of kinds of 

 bulbs to select from for this purpose (see list of species 

 at end of this article), yet the great demand, at this 

 writing, has centered on the following leaders, especially 

 for forcing purposes: Allium neapolitanum, A. Hermettii 

 grandiflorum, Anemone fulgens, convallaria (lily-of-the- 

 valley), Freesia refracta alba, gladiolus "The Bride," 

 early single-flowering Dutch hyacinths and Romans, 

 Campernelle jonquil, Lilium candidum, L. Harrisii 

 and L. longiflorum. Several narcissi are in demand, 

 notably among the large trumpet varieties: Emperor, 

 Empress, Golden Spur, Horsfieldii, and Spurius major; 

 among the medium and small trumpets: Sir Watkin, 

 Barrii conspicuus and Poeticus ornatus; of the doubles 

 are Von Sion and Orange Phoenix; of the Polyanthus 

 narcissi: Paper White grandiflora (Tot us albus), and 

 double Roman (Constantinople). Of other species of 

 bulbs, Ornithogalum arabicum, spirea Gladstone, and 

 single and double tulips of the early varieties are in 

 demand. In the classes of bulbs there is often a great 

 diversity in the fitness of the varieties for forcing. Cer- 

 tain sorts will be found best adapted to early forcing, 

 others to midseason or late work, and in selecting bulbs 

 for forcing these characteristics must be taken into con- 

 sideration. Besides this general division into early and 

 late forcing kinds, the skilled grower recognizes that 

 each variety has its own peculiar period when it is at 

 its best, if forced. Many tulips and narcissi are very 

 fine if forced early and only moderately good if forced 

 late; the converse is equally true, for often an early 

 variety will do only indifferently well when it is used 

 for late work. This characteristic is well studied by one 

 of the largest forcers for the English market, who 

 devotes whole separate houses to particular varieties of 

 tulips, and puts in charge of each one man who knows 

 the whims of the variety he tends. This should not, 

 however, deter anyone from attempting to force bulbs, 

 as success is sure to be gained if standard forcing kinds 

 arc used, and the few important rules are followed. The 

 principles of culture for hardy bulbs for winter-flower- 

 ing are the same, whether only a few are grown in pots 

 for the window-garden, or whether they are to be forced 

 by the thousand by the florist. The first essential is to 

 secure the strongest bulbs. Remember that the flowers 

 were formed within the bulbs the previous season. If 

 one buys bulbs of narcissi containing only one flower, 

 or hyacinths with only ten bells on a spike, the best 



culture possible cannot make them produce more; but 

 good culture will develop such flowers larger and better. 

 The next most important essential one might say 

 the secret of success in flowering bulbs in house or 

 greenhouse is perfect root-development before the tops 

 begin to grow. To aid the uninitiated in this important 

 matter, we will illustrate: When hardy bulbs are planted 

 in the open ground in the northern states in the fall, the 

 weather above them is cool or cold, the ground beneath 



685. Example of a rhizome Smilacina racemosa. The figures 

 show the different years' growths. 



them is warmer, and the conditions are congenial for 

 root-action but deterrent to top-growth. This results in 

 the perfect development of such flowers as the bulbs 

 contain. On the other hand, when hyacinths, tulips, 

 narcissi, and most other hardy spring-flowering bulbs 

 are planted in fall in pur extreme southern states, they 

 may prove disappointing, because the weather is 

 warm, causing the flowers and foliage to begin to grow 

 before the roots; and as soon as such sustenance as the 

 bulb could supply has been exhausted, the plant stops 

 growing and dwindles. When one grows bulbs under 

 artificial conditions, one must make them produce roots 

 first. Failure to do this is responsible for nine-tenths, 

 of the disappointments. 



When hardy bulbs are to be grown in pots for winter 

 blooming in the house or conservatory, the bulbs should 

 be potted as soon as they are procurable, between 

 August and November. Some writers recommend that 

 bulbs be planted in successional lots to give later and 

 continuous flowers, but such advice is at fault, as 

 the bulbs tend to dry out and lose vitality when kept 

 dry too long. It is no trouble to retard the flowering of 

 hardy bulbs in winter, as hereafter described, without 

 keeping them out of the ground. 



The soil should be rich loam. Fresh manure cannot 

 be used. Of thoroughly rotted manure, some may be 

 pulverized and worked into the soil, but it is safer to 

 use pure bone meal, one part to fifty of soil. If the soil 

 is stiff and heavy, mix with it sand and leaf-mold or 

 peat. The size of pots depends upon the kinds of bulbs. 

 A 5-inch pot is best for a first-sized hyacinth, or large- 

 bulbing narcissus, particularly the polyanthus type. 

 Tulips, small narcissi, and bulbs of a similar size, 

 while they can go individually into a 4-inch pot, are bet- 

 ter when put three or more of one variety together in a 

 larger pot, as the soil retains a more even temperature 

 and moisture; and for this reason some prefer earthen 

 bulb-pans, which come in various sizes, from 8 to 18 

 inches in diameter. In potting, place a little broken 

 pottery or lumps of charcoal in the bottom for drainage, 

 then fill the pot with soil and shake it down, but do not 

 pack it. Neither must the bulb be pressed or screwed 

 into the soil, else the soil will be packed under it so 

 that when the roots start they often raise the bulb out 

 of the pot. Plant the bulb just deep enough that its top 

 will not show. Large and soft bulbs, which are liable to 

 rot, may be set in a cushion of sand, and the bulb not 

 covered with soil until it has taken root and become 

 established (Fig. 688). 



