FORCING BULBS 53 



the ashes moist, but no appreciable watering should wet the 

 soil in the boxes until root action is well set up. The ashes 

 will have prevented the evaporation of the moisture from the 

 original watering, which should suffice to start growth, unless 

 the covering has been insufficient. 



The soil used for bulbs need not be rich, but it must be whole- 

 some, clean and porous. Any old soil which has been sweetening 

 for a year, with an admixture of loam and leaf mould, or rotted 

 manure, should prove suitable, but those who grow for exhibition 

 must use a stronger soil. Nitrogenous manure is not absolutely 

 necessary, but crushed bones or bone meal, with a little charcoal, 

 will prove a very valuable food. 



It remains, then, to examine the different varieties from time 

 to time, and any which are sufficiently advanced may be 

 commenced upon, steps being taken that regular relays are 

 housed to keep up continuous supplies. 



FREESIAS 



We saw the freesia catalogued once as " the sweetest flower on 

 earth." The man who wrote that was certainly an enthusiast, 

 and though we would scarcely venture upon such a positive 

 assertion, we can appreciate the spirit that dictated it and admit 

 there is much to be said in agreement. For it is sweet, with a 

 sweetness all its own, and it is equally pretty. 



Grown in very large quantities in the sandy districts of 

 Guernsey, and by no means difficult to cultivate in England, 

 we believe that we could, with profit to ourselves, grow more 

 than double the quantities we do. Some people do not appear 

 to succeed with it, but we think perhaps the great secret of its 

 successful culture is the complete and thorough ripening of the 

 bulbs after flowering, which can alone spell success the following 

 season. It is not sufficient that the bulbs should be left to 

 themselves immediately the flowers are cut ; rather, they should 

 be treated regularly, let down lightly, ripened by degrees, being 

 placed towards the end where they can be hardened and 

 consolidated by the direct rays of the sun. 



We cannot plant freesias in the ground as the Guernsey man 

 does, because our soil is not as his soil, neither is our sunshine 



