46 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



Bulbs. The outdoor culture of bulbs is ex- 

 tremely simple. They care for themselves throughout a 

 greater part of the year, many of them flowering when no 

 other plants are able to grow and bloom out of doors. 



While all the so-called Holland bulbs will thrive in any 

 kind of soil, they will all do better by being planted in a 

 deep, sandy soil well enriched with well rotted manure. 

 But do not let the manure come into direct contact with the 

 bulb. Even heavy clay soil may be fitted for the growing of 

 bulbs by the addition of sharp sand, either worked into the 

 soil or placed directly under the bulb when planted. To 

 make a buU) bed, choose, if possible, a sandy soil and throw 

 out the top soil to the depth of 6 in. Put into the bottom 

 of the bed about 2 in. of well rotted manure and spade it 

 into the soil. Throw back half of the top soil, level it off 

 nicely, set the bulbs firmly on this bed and then cover them 

 with the balance of the soil ; in this way one will have the 

 bulbs from 3 to 4 in. below the surface. In the fall months 

 the top of the ground is cooler than at the depth of 5 or 6 

 in. and the top of the bulb will not want to grow, while the 

 bottom, which is always in a hurry, will send out roots, 

 to push out the leaves and flowers the next spring. When 

 the weather is cold enough to freeze a hard crust on the 

 soil, the bed should have its winter overcoat. This may be 

 straw, hay, cornstalks or leaves spread over the bed to the 

 depth of 6 in. if the material is coarse ; but if leaves 

 are used, 3 in. will be enough, because the leaves lay close 

 together and may smother out the frost that is in the 

 ground and let the bulbs start. What we want is to keep 

 them asleep until spring, because if they start too early the 

 hard freezes of March and early April will spoil their beauty 

 if the leaves or flowers are near or above the surface. 

 Early in April, in New York, the covering may be removed 

 gradually, and should all be off the beds before the leaves 

 show above the ground. 



If there is no sandy place for the beds, make them 



