172 



THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



be grown in a garden where a feature is made of the herbaceous 

 border. For such use the Narcissus is at once the most beautiful 

 and the easiest of culture. The bulbs should be planted in the 

 autumn, in clumps about a foot in diameter. A circular hole is 

 scooped out in the soil to a depth of about three inches. If 

 the soil is heavy a layer of sand a quarter of an inch deep should 

 be sprinkled over the bottom, and on this the bulbs should be 

 placed at regular intervals in a circle, and then covered with 

 soil. At the end of March the tips of the leaves will appear 

 above the surface, and in the second half of April the flowers 

 will be in full bloom. The period of blooming extends over two or 



three weeks. If the soil is heavy 

 and rather poor, few new bulbs 

 will be produced, and there is 

 therefore no object in such a 

 case in allowing the plants to 

 stand in the soil. In better and 

 lighter soils the maturation of 

 the new bulbs proceeds until 

 the height of summer, when the 

 leaves will begin to die down. 

 The bulbs should then be dug 

 up, laid out in the sun to dry, 

 and stored prior to replanting in 

 October. 



There are numerous kinds of Narcissus. The most suitable 

 perhaps are : Barri Conspicuus, Emperor, Sir Watkin, and Poeticus 

 Ornatus. 



ROSES 



Two or three Roses should be grown in every school garden, 

 if only for the sake of practice in the art of budding. The details 

 of the manipulation have been given already under the head 

 of the Apple, and it only remains here to deal with the question 

 of the stock, and the subsequent treatment of the budded Rose. 

 Two kinds of stocks are employed the wild English Dog Rose 

 and the Manetti stock. The Wild Rose is a suitable stock for 

 almost any kind of Rose, the Manetti only for certain sorts. The 



FIG. 67. Depth at which to plant differ- 

 ent Bulbs. A, Snowdrops, Crocuses, 

 or Scillas ; B, Jonquils, Tulips, etc. ; 

 C, Hyacinths ; D, Narcissi, Gladioli, 

 etc. ; E, Liliums. 



