72 ROUND THE YEAR 



and produce new corms. In some species of Crocus 

 the old corm produces a considerable number of new 

 ones. If a yellow or blue garden-crocus is planted 

 just below the surface of the ground, it will divide 

 into two or three smaller ones, which only attain 

 their full size after two or more years of growth. 



It will clear up your notions about corms and bulbs 

 to take a kitchen-onion, and slice it through the 



FIG. 17. Bulb of Onion, in section. 



middle. Almost the whole bulb is made up of leaf- 

 bases. In the centre we can make out the unde- 

 veloped head of flowers. Towards the base is a 

 fleshy knob from which all the leaves and flowers and 

 roots spring. This is clearly the greatly reduced 

 stem. If you suppose that three or four such bulbs 

 had a large common stem, we should get something 

 like the corm of the Crocus. Or suppose that a 

 Crocus corm had only one large shoot, and that the 



