262 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [8 :7— Oct., 1912 



energy of the plants be directed toward food storage. Florist? 

 do not usually take the trouble thereafter to grow bulbs which 

 they have once forced for cut flowers, and many are quite will- 

 ing to give them away to teachers about the time of the Easter 

 trade, knowing that the growing of bulbs by school children will 

 ultimately greatly increase the demand both for cut flowers and 

 the best imported bulbs. 



The time or earliness of bloom of the spring bulbs, after plant- 

 ing depends (a) upon whether or not the species in question are 

 naturally late or early, (b) upon the temperature in which the 

 bulbs are set to grow after the potting, (c) the vigor of the indi- 

 vidual bulb, and (d) the length of time allowed for the bulb 

 to mature before planting. The earliness of the Byzantine won- 

 der-lily has been mentioned ; and examples of the other extreme 

 are the tulips and hyacinths, which florists have great difficulty 

 in bringing to bloom on long stems by Christmas, though the 

 stems are long when the bulbs are allowed their natural period of 

 growth. As to the temperature, bulbs which bloom successfully 

 when started in the window can endure the room temperature 

 (except that they should not be subjected to icy drafts from 

 the open windows) ; but the best temperature at first is 55° Fahr., 

 and the bulbs develop the more rapidly in proportion as the tem- 

 perature is made higher. 



Planting Plans for a Succession of Blooms. 



By taking advantage of the facts hinted at in some of the 

 preceding paragraphs, a practical plan may be devised for having 

 plants in blossom continuously during the winter and spring. 



1. Early flowering varieties may be potted at intervals of a 

 week or two, care being taken to keep the main supply cool and 

 dry. The Chinese sacred lily and the paper-white narcissus can 

 be depended upon to give satisfactory results ; but being early 

 they will not last until spring unless the bulbs are kept in cold 

 storage ; and this is the plan actually followed in the case of 

 lily-of-the-valley, which can now be had as cut flowers every 

 month in the year. 



2. The bulbs may all be potted at the same time, (a) some 

 of the preparations being started in the schoolroom and the others 

 placed where for a time they will keep (b) less warm, (c) cool, 

 (d) cold, and (e) frozen, respectively. For the last class hardy 

 bulbs are necessary ; and for the first ones early varieties. 



3. Bulbs of diflFerent varieties may be selected, such that some 

 will bloom early, some less early, and some late ; but the plant- 



