192 



BULBS 



iporta 



«of 



the various bulbs. Perhaps the r 

 all bulbs for winter-flowering :i 



har.ly and half-hardy Itinds. Tin ■- •' , - - 



mana'^'.-d o£ all, and need occupy n- 

 or ^jriiiiliouse, excepting wheu in i . : . :. : . i, . I ; 

 der suitable treatment, they flowtr • ;ili ;;rLLit ._. lunut: . 

 and their flowering period may be hastened (forced; nr 

 retarded at pleasure, so as to " bring them in " for certain 

 occasions, or to give a continuous succession of bloom. 

 There is a great variety of kinds of bun>s to select from 

 for this purpose {see ii^t "i -].. . n :ii . n; .-i iln- aju 

 ele), yet the great denian- : i ..iir-. 



on the following lead, i ; : : . ; ,i 



poses: Allium Ifi'fipolii'i , i /, ../,', 



Jonqii 



flor 



among the large triiinpi't va 

 press, Golden Spur, Horsfleldi, 

 major ; among the medium ai 

 Watkins, Barrii coiispic\ius and 

 doubles are Von simi ;um1 i m n 

 anthus narcis-n i i: ■ ' \i 

 albus), and Dmr i; 



species of bull.-, ' '. . .. 



boides florihnti'i<i ..\mmhii-., 



tulips of the iail> \an.ti. ■- in 

 ciples of cultur.- In- li.ird> Im 

 are the same, win ilu r o]i|\ a i 

 the window garden, or whiiUci' 

 the thousand by the florist. ' 

 secure the strongest bulbs. R< 

 were formed within the bulbs 

 you buy bulbs of narcissus coi 



; of the Poly- 

 iflora (Totus 

 le). Of other 



The 



greenhouse— i?- ]•. i : • • i i ..i I. . ! ■ i i ' ' '"i 



begin to grow, i ■ . i 1 1 ■ •■ i : i 



matter, we will iln. . : ,ii< . w i,. i, ; ^ :. . a, , i ;, ,; 



in the open ground in ihc niillhrm .-.;ah..-. in liiL la]!. ;bn 

 weather above tbeui is cool or cold, the yrouud beneath 

 them is warmer, and the conditions are congenial for 

 root action but deterrent to top growth. This results in 

 the perfect development of such tlowers as the bulbs 

 contain. On the other baud, ^vlnn h; a. im li- . tulips, 

 narcissus, and most other hard \ i - i' ■ : - hulbs 

 are planted in fall in our extrenn i . , i, -,. they 



usually prove disappointing, I.. . , iiher is 



warm, causing the flowers and l'"l ■ ' ■ . ;., ; [,, i,'row 

 before the roots ; and as soon a^ - 1 . ■ as the 



bulb could supply has been exhai; ■ i ii stops 



growing and dwindles. When wr - ;.,, a -,,;, .In- arti- 

 ficial conditions, we must make ILeiii ijiaalma r..uts flrst. 

 Failure to do this is responsible for nine-tenths of the 

 disappointments. 



When hardy bulbs are to be grown in pots for winter 

 blooming in the house or conservatory, the bulbs should 

 be potted as soon as they are jn mais , i.:>vrin Au- 

 gust and November. Some wjh nd that 



bulbs be planted in successional I i i . ai.i-and 



ve thii 



the 



-nal, a.lvaa ,- at fault, 



lose vitality when kept 

 retard the flowering of 

 tter described, without 



The suil'sh.'aVM'lM rial', !, ,a,',', ■ Kre-b mnniiro cniinot 



be' used. Of ila.-a, .; i ,-,a,,.,i ,„• ,,,, .,,„,,. ur.,\ be 



pulverized and • ■ ■; ■■ i mh it i- -ain- t,, 



use pure bone 1 1 a i . ■ . ; . i . ■ , ■ . . 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 a ■ - ,, i I 

 is stiff and Ina, , iia\ h •■, mh -aa.l ami laal'-iih.ld or 

 peat. The size of pots ilepends upon the kinds of bulbs. 

 A 5-inch pot is best for a first-sized hyacinth, or large- 

 bulbing narcissus, particularly the Polyanthus type. 

 Tulips, small narcissus, and bulbs of a similar size, 

 while they can go individually into a 4-inch pot, are bet- 

 ter when put three or more of one variety together in a 

 larger pot, as the soil retains a more even temperature 

 and moisture ; and for this reason some prefer earthen 



BULBS 



which come in various sizes, from 8 to 18 

 d'iaiiHter. In potting, place a little broken 

 hinip^ of charcoal in the bottom for drainage, 

 i. |„,i with soil and shake it down, but do not 

 \either must the bulb be pressed or screwed 

 oil, else the soil will be packed under it so 

 the roots start they often raise the bulb out 

 Plant the bulb just deep enough that its top 

 will not show. Large and 

 soft bulbs, which are lia- 

 ble to rot, mav be set in 

 a cushion of sand, and 

 the bulb not covered with 





van Tin. I and a d..uble 

 Tournesol tulip would 

 month apart under the same treatiuc^nt. Some 

 vanetns of hyacinths, of narcissus, and of most species 

 of iiii!i.~ vary greatly in time of blooming, which, of 

 . ai , vi.uld spoil the effect. 



w : M iL.rists force bulbs in quantity for cut-flowers, 

 Idoiu use pots, but shallow boxes, or flats, of a 

 a 1.. . a i.nomize bench room. Usually these boxes are 

 lilt il.iwn from soap boxes to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. 

 The bulbs are planted closely in these, from an inch to 

 2 inches apart, according to the kind. The tops of the 

 bulbs (excepting lilies) are kept about even with the 

 top of the soil. v'Do not water them unless the soil is 

 very dry, for bulbs in a dormant condition resent an 

 excess of moisture. Afterthe bulbs are potted, or boxed, 

 as described, they should be placed in a coldframe or 



the sash on pleasant days. When no coldfranus or pits 

 are available, the pots may be covered as advised in a 

 cool cellar,! It is preferable, however, to sink them in 

 the open ground. The writer never had finer flowers on 

 hardy bulbs than when treated as follows ; A trench a 

 foot deep is dug in the garden where water will not set- 

 tle on it, and it is protected from the north and west 

 cold. Three inches of coal ashes is first placed in the 

 trench, to allow .Irainaaa aii.l la , p tli.-- V7•■^tn~. out. The 

 pots are then |.laa. .1 a •!, a ' • a-ii iv filled in 



about the. poi^, i;!la a . la over. No 



further attinm.ii i- a a... a, :a,a_ is c-ongenial 



to perfect root devaU.ian. m, uliaa ilie weather is cool 

 enough to check top growth. Wheu the weather gets 

 cold enough to freeze a crust on the soil, an additional 

 covering of about 4 inches of rough stable manure, 

 leaves or straw, is put over. Some early bulbs, such as 

 Roman hyacinths. Paper Wliii.' naiai-^us. Due van 

 Thol tulips, etc., will root -uila a hil\ in live or six 

 weeks to be taken up for tir^i il.ai.i-. xilii.h slnmld be 



height, after ■ 

 warm window 

 Bulbs treated i 



-a.l.h. Iina> ].r.a. Mt th.- ..p.nil,^' of 

 !.■ I, Til- have attain. -d tln-ir proper 

 1 the pots may be taken to a sunny, 

 v'hercver they are wanted to flower. 

 • will produce perfect spikes 

 ) keep in mind in flowering 

 ire. 40° for roots, 50° for foli- 

 st flowers, 70° for quick de- 

 oom with loss of substance 

 (producing no flowers;. 



