2108 



NARCISSUS 



NARCISSUS 



shady, walks. Planting in open, bleak, and especially 

 in windy situations, should be avoided. Under trees, 

 the bulbs are likely to be short-lived unless they are 

 well supplied with moisture and available food. 



Bedding. The daffodil lends itself admirably to 

 formal bedding work, and it is especially attractive 

 when planted in combination with other bulbous or 

 spring-bedding plants, such as Scilla sibirica or Myoso- 

 tis scprpioides, the blue flowers of the scillas or myosotis 

 making an attractive groundwork in contrast with the 

 golden yellow trumpets of the daffodils. The daffodil 

 also stands cold weather well and will recuperate after 

 being subjected to a late spring freeze, showing no 

 apparent sign of injury. 



List of narcissi arranged in order for successional bloom- 

 ing in beds, border and garden. 



By careful selection, narcissi may be had in bloom 

 from the early part of April through the month of May. 

 Some allowance must be made for abnormal seasons, 

 late planting and uncongenial soils. In the following 

 list, arrangement is made according to the order of 

 earliness. The narcissus season in the northern states 

 is April and May. Species and varieties marked (a) 

 are early flowering; (b) second early; (c) intermediate; 

 (d) late; (e) very late. 



SECTION I. LARGE TRUMPET CLASS. 



(a) Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus (Lent lily). 



minimus tortuosus obvallaris (Tenby 



princeps Golden Spur daffodil; 



Henry Irving 



(b) Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus. 



Hprsfieldii maximus Victoria 



King Alfred 



(c) Narcissus Bulbocodium (the hoop-petticoat daf- 



fodil). 

 Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus. 



Emperor Empress J. B. M. Camm 



Rugilobus 



(d) Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus. 



Glory of Leiden Madame de Graaff Madame Plemp 



(e) Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus. 



Grandee 



SECTION II. MEDIUM-CROWNED CLASS. 

 (b) Narcissus Leedsii. 



amabilis 



Beatrice 



(c) Narcissus Leedsii, Barrii and others. 



Duchesse de Brabant Duchess of West- Grand Duchess 



Mrs. Langtry minster White Lady 



C. J. Backhouse Minnie Hume Sir Watkin 



Stella Cynosure 



(d) Narcissus Leedsii, Barrii and others. 



Barrii conspicuus Flora Wilson 



Barbara Holmes 



SECTION III. SMALL-CROWNED CLASS. 



(d) Narcissus Burbidgei. 



(e) Narcissus poeticus. 



recurvus King Edward VII ornatus 



(pheasant's eye) 

 Patellaris 



SECTION IV. POETICUS-TAZETTA CLASS (POETAZ). 

 (d) Narcissus poetaz. 



Alsace 

 Ideal 



Aspasia 

 Irene 



Elvira 

 Klondyke 



The forcing of narcissi under glass. (David Lumsden.) 



Of late years the forcing of narcissi under glass has 

 assumed immense proportions. Tens of thousands of 

 these bulbs are forced annually by many of the larger 



florists' establishments in this country. With few 

 exceptions, these bulbs are imported, France and Hol- 

 land supplying the major part. The earlier species, 

 such as Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus var. obvallaris 

 (trumpet), N. Pseudo-Narcissus var. spurius, Golden 

 Spur, and N. Tazetta var. papyraceus (paper-white 

 narcissus), are received from France and arrive early in 

 August, while the larger importations of the various 

 species are received from Holland the latter part of 

 September. The French bulbs therefore give the earlier 

 bloom. 



When the bulbs arrive, they should at once be placed 

 in the pots or boxes in which they are to be grown. 

 Immediate potting is a necessity, as the flowering 

 quality of a bulb is greatly impaired if it is kept out 

 of the soil any great length of time. This is especially 

 true if the bulb is exposed to the influence of a dry 

 warm office or storeroom. If the bulbs are to be 

 grown for home or conservatory decoration, a pot or 

 pan, preferably 6 to 8 inches in diameter, is used, five 

 to nine bulbs being placed in each, according to the 

 size of the bulbs. If grown in boxes for cut-flowers, 

 24 by 12 by 3 inches is a convenient size to handle. 



The soil should be rich and composed of two-thirds 

 good garden loam and one-third leaf-mold or well- 

 decayed stable-manure, with an admixture of sand 

 sufficient to keep the compost open. The pots should 

 be well drained with crocks or cinders, and the soil 

 pressed firmly around the bulbs, leaving the tips just 

 visible. Allow % mcn of space between the top of the 

 soil and the top of the pot to insure that the plants are 

 well watered when being forced. When the bulbs are 

 potted they should be placed close together in a cold- 

 pit or frame and given a thorough watering, covering 

 them at once with 5 or 6 inches of screened cinders or 

 sand, which acts as a non-conductor. The object of 

 this is to keep them from drying out, and at the same 

 time to maintain a low temperature which will induce 

 them to develop good root-action. Before removing 

 any bulbs from the coldframe or pit to the forcing- 

 house, it is imperative that they be well rooted, as 

 many of the failures in bulb-forcing are due to disre- 

 gard of this essential precaution. A temperature of 55 

 to 60 F. at night in the forcing-house will be adequate. 

 It will require four to six weeks' forcing to bring the 

 bulbs into flower, depending in a measure on the season 

 and the varieties forced. 



Bulbs of the hardy narcissi which have not been 

 unduly forced, may be planted outside when the ground 

 is in condition in spring. These bulbs will yield a dis- 

 play of flowers in the garden the second year after 

 forcing, and continue for years if the conditions are 

 right. 



The following species and varieties are among the 

 most useful for forcing: 



N. Tazetta var. papyraceus (paper-white narcissus) 

 is the most useful of the florists' narcissi. Its pure white 

 flowers are of great value to the trade. It is one of the 

 easiest to force and the first to appear on the market. 



N. Pseudo-Narcissus var. Van Sion (double daffodil) 

 is grown both in boxes for cut-flowers, and in bulb- 

 pans and pots to be used for conservatory and home 

 decoration. Not being adapted to early forcing, the 

 first batch of plants should not be brought into the 

 forcing-house before the end of December or early 

 January. 



Narcissus Pseudo- Narcissus var. obvallaris major 

 (Tenby daffodil), N. Pseudo-Narcissus var. Golden 

 Spur, N. Pseudo-Narcissus var. Princeps, Emperor, 

 Empress, and King Alfred, N. incomparabilis var. 

 Sir Watkin, N. Leedsii var. Duchess of Westminster, N. 

 Barrii var. conspicuus, N. Jonquilla, N. Tazetta, N. 

 poeticus and N. poeticus var. patellaris are all desirable 

 forms. For very early forcing, Narcissus Pseudo- 

 Narcissus var. obvallaris, N. Pseudo-Narcissus var. 

 Golden Spur, and N. Tazetta var. papyraceus are most 



