258 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



The illustrations show how the bulbs ought to be potted. The 

 bulbs, save those of hyacinths and freesias, should be planted 

 with the apex just protruding through the soil As to the number 

 of bulbs to be placed in each pot, everything depends on the size 

 both of the bulb and the pot. A large bulb may have a pot to 

 itself, while in the case of smaVer bulbs, such as those of the tulip, 

 half-a-dozen can easily be accommodated in a five-inch pot. 



Hyacinths should be planted so that one-third of the bulb is 

 visible above the soil ; freesias, on the other hand, must be 

 completely buried and be covered quite two inches deep with 

 fine soil. The bulbs of the freesia are so small that as many as 

 twelve can safely be planted in a six-inch and nine in a five-men 

 pot. 



When the potting of each batch has been satisfactorily com- 

 pleted, the bulbs should be lightly watered in with a fine-rosed 

 can. The pots may then be placed on ashes, either in a cold 

 frame or outside beneath a north wall or fence. They must be 

 completely covered to a depth of four or five inches with cocoa-nut 

 fibre or ashes. The object of this operation is to exclude the light 

 and to promote the formation of roots, for it is useless to attempt 

 the forcing of bulbs until a good root basis has been established. 

 Unless great care be taken to see that this has actually happened 

 before the pots are introduced into a warmer temperature the 

 bulbs will only throw up stunted or deformed flowers. 



The pots should be allowed to remain in the plunging material 

 for at least twelve weeks. By this time top-growth will have begun 

 to be in evidence, and the pots may then be removed, a batch at a 

 time, as requirements dictate, to a cool greenhouse or frame. 

 Here they can remain for a week or two in partial shade, and 

 then be transferred to the heated greenhouse to bring them into 

 flower. A temperature of between 50 and 60 is all that is 

 required. 



At the outset it will be necessary to place the pots on a shelf as 

 near to the glass as possible. This will promote a sturdy growth, 

 and will prevent the shoots from becoming drawn and lanky. 

 The bulbs must be watered whenever necessary ; indeed, they 



