The Crocus. 269 



The bulbs should be planted about two inches deep, and about an inch 

 apart each way. 



The arrangement of colors must vary with the fancy of the planter. It 

 should, however, be borne in mind, that the crocus is most effective planted 

 in long lines of color, say at least four bulbs deep, or in clumps or 

 masses. If planted singly, or in long lines of single bulbs, they make no 

 show. As a general rule, the colors should not be mixed ; for they kill 

 one another, and produce a bizarre effect. The different varieties should 

 be kept distinct, as they differ many days in their season of blooming ; and, 

 in crocus-culture, the object is to have a blaze of bloom, and bare patches 

 greatly mar the general result. 



The bed, once planted, should be left until the ground begins to freeze ; 

 then a good top-dressing of fine manure should be applied ; upon this, sev- 

 eral inches of coarse litter; and over all a thick .covering of clean straw, 

 kept in place by poles or boards. 



The object is to keep the frost out of the ground, if possible : therefore 

 the deeper the snow is on the bed during the winter, the better. 



About the middle of March, or earlier, in New England, according to 

 latitude and exposure, remove the covering. The shoots of the bulbs 

 will be found about an inch high, and a few warm days will bring the 

 plants into flower. After the bloom has past, allow the leaves to fully 

 ripen : never cut them off, as you would by so doing greatly injure the 

 bulbs. It is a good plan to sow portulaca over the bed, or to plant it with 

 verbenas, as thus a brilliant summer -bloom is produced. A few early 

 tulips, hyacinths, scillas, and narcissus may be planted through the bed 

 in the foil at the same time as the crocus. These succeed the crocus in 

 bloom, and are very showy : they should be set in clumps of from five 

 to ten. 



Our own crocus-beds are planted in alternate squares of white, blue, 

 and yellow, or in long ribbons of the same colors. 



In the autumn, after the flowers are dead, carefully clear the bed, rake 

 it smooth, and top-dress with about an inch of fine loam. 



The best varieties to plant are cloth -of- gold, the earliest yellow; 

 Scotch, the earliest white ; large yellow, Caroline Chisholm, the best 

 white ; Ida Pfeiffer, fine mauve and white ; Albion, fine blue striped ; Mr. 



