152 BULBS AND THEIR CULTIVATION. 



not do so till six or seven years old. We cannot, owing 

 to want of space, specify which bulbs can or cannot be 

 easily reared from seed. This information can be obtained 

 from our "Encyclopaedia of Gardening." See advertise- 

 ment pages elsewhere. 



Nearly all hardy bulbs, including lilies, may be reared 

 from seed in the open air. For this purpose, mark off 

 a bed three feet wide, well fork up the soil, and mix 

 plenty of leaf-soil and grit with it; then draw drills a 

 quarter-inch deep and six inches apart; sow the seeds 

 thinly, and cover with soil. Leave the seedlings undis- 

 turbed for two years, then transplant in other prepared 

 beds. 



By Offsets. This is a simple method of propagation, 

 easily carried out by the merest novice. It merely con- 

 sists of separating the baby bulbs or cormlets from the 

 parent bulb when lifting for storing, or for transplanting, 

 or when repotting indoor plants. The offsets of hardy 

 bulbs should be sorted into two sizes, large and small, and 

 each be replanted separately at the periods and in the 

 manner advised for parent bulbs. The larger sizes may 

 flower the second or third year, and the smaller ones the 

 third or fourth year. The indoor offsets must be grown on 

 in pots in their respective soils and temperatures until 

 they attain a flowering size. The Eucharis Lily and the 

 Vallota and Hippeastrum, among indoor kinds, readily 

 produce offsets; while the narcissi, crocus, gladioli, tulip, 

 chionodoxa, etc., are equally proliferous among outdoor 

 bulbs. Except in the case of Cottage Tulips and their 

 species, it is hardly worth while trying to rear bulbs from 

 offsets, and it is equally futile to rear hyacinths thus, as 

 they give poor results in comparison with imported bulbs. 

 Generally speaking, all other kinds are well worth the 

 trouble of rearing from offsets where time and space per- 

 mit of it being done, and there is a desire to rear home- 

 grown bulbs. 



