THE PARLOR GARDENER. 27 



Care of Bulbs after the Bloom is over. 

 Bulbs which have vegetated in water do not 

 necessarily perish after blooming. Do not wait 

 until their leaves turn yellow and fade before you 

 take them out of the water. When you have 

 done this, let them drip well ; cut off the fibrous 

 roots, the leaves, and the flower stalk, and place 

 them in a drawer where they will be protected 

 from moisture. The next year, those which have 

 not turned soft should be planted in earth, out in 

 the open air, that they may recover if they have 

 strength enough to do so, or to give offsets or 

 young bulbs to replace them in time. The bulbs 

 which were planted in earth will not have suf- 

 fered in any manner from having been forced in 

 the mantel-piece garden. Before taking them out 

 of the earth, you must wait until their leaves are 

 half turned yellow after they have bloomed ; then 

 let them lose, by drying in the air, a part of the 

 moisture they had while vegetating ; after which 

 clean them and put them away with the others ; 

 they will serve perfectly a second or third time 

 for the same sort of culture. 



