XVIII. OF FLOWERS. 307 



falls, before they have started fibres, especially when 

 followed by sharp frost. They may be protected 

 from wet by mats, and from frost by peas haulm, or 

 wheat straw. 



Offsets of bulbs, and weak tubers, must be planted 

 a month before the full-sized roots j and as they are 

 not expected to flower the first year, should be dis- 

 posed of in nursery beds, (rather close) where they 

 may grow a year, or two, according to their strength^ 

 as some will be this time, or longer, before they 

 flower. Those taken from scaly bulbs, will not en- 

 dure to be out of ground, and must therefore be 

 planted almost immediately. Bulbs taken up out of 

 seawn, i. e. when they have remained so long in the 

 ground as to have struck out fresh roots, should be 

 removed with balls of earth, for though they may 

 Jive without this care, they will be very weak; it is 

 therefore necessary exactly to observe the proper sea- 

 son for removal. 



The soil that best suits bulbous and tuberous roots 

 in general, is a .sandy loam ; but most of the sorts 

 are not very nice. The ground for them should 

 however be well dug, even two spades deep, that their 

 fibres may shoot freely, and wet be completely 

 drained from them, when much of it falls. This work 

 should be done a week before planting, that the 

 ground may settle. In a light soil, rooU of the ra- 

 nunculus have been found to strike a yard deep, 

 which may admonish, that in a clay bottom, it is 

 proper to lay a body of stones there, (suppose at 

 eighteen inches) that too much moisture may not be 

 detained to sicken the roots. 



The depth at which bulbs should be planted, must 

 be according to their size, three or four inches deep, 

 from their top. Tubers also according to their size ; 

 anemones and ranunculuses at two, or two and a half 

 inches, &c. Some bulbs will come up even when a 



