36 DAFFODILS NARCISSUS 



the beds were well drained and the soil prop- 

 erly prepared, and the bulbs had been planted 

 early. Mr. De Graaff, the well-known daffo- 

 dil grower of Holland, was a visitor that sea- 

 son and soon convinced me that the whole 

 source of trouble was with the manure cov- 

 ering. A fungus seemed to have run through 

 it and had attacked the young growth of the 

 narcissus; in some cases traveling down the 

 leaves to the bulbs and even to the roots. He 

 said: "Use no more manure. If you cannot 

 get reeds or rushes, try sphagum moss or 

 cocoanut fibre refuse." A three-inch layer of 

 cocoanut fibre refuse is light and airy, 

 retains an even degree of moisture and is 

 sufficiently warm. It is an ideal cover. It 

 costs five dollars per ton at any factory where 

 cocoa mats and such things are made though 

 of course there is a freight charge to be added. 

 Salt meadow hay makes an excellent cov- 

 ering, and even ordinary straw and hay may 

 be used. Put it on four to six inches thick, 

 according to the coldness of the latitude and 

 the exposure. Should any of these harbor 

 mice, there is little likelihood of their doing 

 any damage if the covering is put on, as it 



