The Bestd Narcissi for House Culture 



HE would be bold indeed who would 

 select from the family of Narcissus 

 any one and say, "this is prefer- 

 fable to all others for house culture," al- 

 ■though we may say that the paper white 

 grandiflorus presents strong claims to 

 I that distinction. Its powerful and early 

 ■' blooming qualities, its ease of culture, its 

 spotless purity of color and its sweet de- 

 licious fragrance, entitle it to considera- 

 tion in this respect. The accompanying 

 photograph was taken when the buds 

 were just bursting into snowy whiteness 

 and will convey a fair idea of how ten or 

 a dozen would appear when all were in 

 full bloom. 



This flower may be grown in several 

 different ways with almost equal suc- 

 cess, — in pots of soil, in glasses of water, 

 in sand and water and in a combination 

 of soil, sand and water. We will consider 

 the methods in the order in which we 

 have named them. 



GROWING IN POTS 



To grow in pots, put one bulb in a 

 four-inch pot, or three or four in a six- 

 inch pot, merely covering the bulb with 

 the soil. Any good rich loamy soil to 

 which has been added sand in the propor- 

 tion of sand one part, and soil three 

 parts, should give good results. The 

 best loam is that made from well rotted 

 sods, although good garden soil will an- 

 swer. If fertilizer is added, let it be old 

 rotted manure from the cow stable made 

 fine and mixed thoroughly with the soil, 

 or pure bone flour in the proportion of 

 three-quarters of a pint to the bushel of 

 soil, mixing thoroughly. 



Good drainage must be provided as all 

 early spring flowering bulbs when grown 

 in the house require plenty of water, but 

 it must be given often and not allowed to 

 stand and become stagnant and sour the 

 soil. Good drainage will dispose of all 

 surplus water. Where this is provided 

 the soil will always be in good condition 

 no matter how often the water is applied, 

 provided that the plant receives plenty 

 of sunlight and fresh air. 



One reason why many persons fail in 

 their efforts to grow early spring flower- 

 ing bulbs indoors is because the soil is al- 

 lowed to alternate between dry and wet. 

 We must imitate as far as possible the 

 conditions under which they bloom when 

 in the open ground at which time the soil 

 is always moist if not quite wet. But 

 this frequent watering applies only to 

 bulbs in a good growing condition. While 

 the bulb is in the dormant state the soil 

 must not be more than moist for if kept 

 too wet the bulb is liable to rot. 



After planting the bulbs, whether in 

 soil, sand or water, they should be set 

 away in a dark closet or corner of the 

 cellar for two or three weeks until root 

 formation has well started. This is not 



C.^M. Bezzo, Berlin, 'OntarioJ3 



absolutely necessary but it disposes of 

 them until top growth commences and 

 they present a better appearance. The 



pebbles placed around the bulb to hold it 

 in position. When grown in pebbles or 

 sand, the bulbs may be placed so close 



A Leafy Bower in a Garden mJPerth, ^Ontario 



writer has brought them to the light all 

 the way from one to six weeks with equal 

 success. 



GLASSES OF WATER OE IN SAND 



To grow paper white narcissus in water 

 they may be placed singly in hyacinth 

 glasses with the water just touching the 

 base of the bulb, or in vessels partly filled 

 with pebbles or sand with the base of the 

 bulb resting on the sand and larger 



that they almost touch each other. If 

 glass is used for this purpose it should 

 be coloured as root formation takes place 

 much more readily when the light is not 

 too strong. Always use rain water for 

 growing narcissi in glasses of sand and 

 allow the water to come merely above the 

 ground. Change the water occasionally 

 to keep it fresh. 



The best way to grow this flower is in a 





Flowers and Plaott of Many Kindt Make iiiit U^iU..ii .i i'U.... »! udu.j and a J07 

 193 



