■^i.ipiVIHI"" "i.- W".^, -^iI.^HWii'iK'.IK" I, 



38 



The Florists^ Review 



April 28, 1921 



ture conditions are suitable through the 

 entire season." 



The nature of tlie soil, of course, is 

 important, but the range of choice in 

 this respect is wider than is commonly 

 supposed. Sandy soils are generally 

 preferred, but the government investi- 

 gators have concluded that "success 

 can be secured in bulb production on a 

 friable loam soil, whether it has a pre- 

 ponderance of sand in its composition 

 or not. In the experiments at Belling- 



bulb, causing the development of many 

 growing points on the calloused edges 

 of the severed scales. Two forms of 

 this artificial reproduction are prac- 

 ticed. One,, known as the 'scooping' 

 method, consists of cutting out a convex 

 section of the bulb base, removing the 

 basal plate entirely and making the cut 

 parallel to its upper surface. This is 

 done with a curved scalpel or a round- 

 bowled spoon sharpened on the edges. 

 The other, known as the 'scoring' 



A sriiom'il liyaclnlli bulb rciiily to bt' planU-d after 



iiii iiifubiition period of tlirco nioiitliH 



111 iirtiflclal lu'at. 



A scored liyaointli bulb ready to bo planted after 



an liictibutlon period of three months 



III urtillclal heat. 



Results of Two Methods of Preparing Hyacinth Bulbs for Planting. 



ham, Wasli., thus far, better tulip and 

 narcissus bulbs have been produced on 

 silty soil than on tlie lighter sandy 

 soils." On the other hand, the cost of 

 cultivating light soil is relatively small. 

 Even if especially heavy applications 

 of fertilizer must be used on sandy soil, 

 the expense of culture is still likely to 

 be less than when the soil is heavy. 



The foregoing remarks have had ref- 

 erence only to general culture and noth- 

 ing, has been said about the actual 

 process of multiplying or propagating 

 the bulbs. The methods of propagation, 

 and especially the routine followed by 

 specialists in propagating tlie group of 

 bulbs called Dutch hyacinths, are thus 

 described in tlie government bulletin: 



Methods of Propagation. 



"Duteli bulbs can bo propagated from 

 seed, but this form of reproduction is 

 used only by tlie breeder. Tulips, nar- 

 cissi and liy.'icintlis reproduce naturally 

 in another way also. Upon reaching 

 maturity the bulbs divide into two or 

 more bulblets, winch <ire removed and 

 grown to flow'ering size. The degree of 

 splitting varies irroatly, even in mem- 

 bers of tlie same gemis, and is modilied 

 by both cultural ;iud handling methods. 

 In practice, this is the commercial 

 method of increasing the stocks of tulips 

 and narcissi, and to some extent of liya- 

 cintlis. The reproduction of the nar- 

 cissus by this method will mean approx- 

 imately a doubling ench year. In tlie 

 case of Darwin tulijjs about an eighty 

 per cent increase each year may be ex- 

 ])ectcd, and in single early tdlips a little 

 less' than this. So many factors are 

 involved that it is difliciilt to give exact 

 figures. 



Process of Scooping or Scoring. 



"While the pro]iagation of the Koinaii 

 hyacinth is essentially the same as that 

 of the narcissus, the Dutch hyacinth is 

 reproduced by a decidedly artificial 

 process. It consists essentially of the 

 destruction of the growing point of the 



method, consists of making two to four 

 cuts with a sharp knife across the base 

 of the bulb, each cut being the diameter 

 of the circular base and passing entirely 

 through the basal plate and intersecting 

 the other cuts in the growing point, 

 which is destroyed. 



Callousing the Cut Surfaces. 



"It is a common practice to dip the 

 cut surface of the scooped bulbs in a 

 little air-slaked lime mixed with dry 

 sand, to hasten their drying and pre- 

 vent the growth of molds. As soon as 

 the bulbs have been prepared by these 

 methods they are placed in a room in 

 which the temperature and moisture are 

 under control. Some growers withhold 

 heat for a time, simply keeping the 

 bulbs in atmospheric temperatures; 

 others apply a little heat immediately; 

 but in either case a comparatively dry 

 atmosphere is essential until the cut 

 surfaces are calloused. This takes from 

 ten days to two weeks. Too rapid 

 desiccation during this period, however, 

 must be avoided, or the center of the 

 liulb will be injured. After callousing, 

 the bulbs are kept in an artificial tem- 

 jierature and a high humidity for about 

 tliree months. The temperature will 

 vary widely, between 70 and 90 degrees, 

 the object being to get a maximum de- 

 velopment of bulblets without causing 

 the bulbs to be forced into excessive 

 leaf growth. 



Buried While Callousing. 



"It is a common practice to bury the 

 scored bulbs under ordinary field condi- 

 tions for ten days or two weeks and 

 then bring them into the propagating 

 house. 



"At the end of the period of incuba- 

 tion, w'hich will be early October, the 

 propagated bulbs are planted in the 

 same way as untreated bulbs. 



"The rate of increase will vary not 

 only with the method of cutting the 

 bulbs, but also with the variety. Scoop- 

 ing gives a comparatively large num- 



ber of uniform small bulblets, while the • 

 scored method produces a smaller num- 

 ber of bulblets, much less uniform in 

 size but much larger. The former 

 method is much more favored, on ac- 

 count of the more uniform progeny, but 

 it requires a longer time to bring the 

 bulblets to maturity. 



Bate of Reproduction. 



"In practice, all bulbs with perfectly 

 round bases are scooped, while those of 

 such a character that they would not 

 hold together if the bases were cut out 

 are scored. In scored bulbs an average 

 of fifteen bulblets would be considered 

 satisfactory, as would thirty-five in 

 scooped bulbs, but the number of bulb- 

 lets may run as high as thirty with the 

 former and sixty to 100 with the latter 

 treatment. 



"The building suitable for propaga- 

 tion is a simple affair, in which heat, 

 moisture and ventilation are under con- 

 trol. At present this work is done by 

 the Department of Agriculture in a 

 boarded-up room in the basement of 

 the bulb storage house, in which has 

 been installed a hot water heating sys- 

 tem. Light seems to be a factor of 

 little consequence, except that pro- 

 vision should be made for good arti- 

 ficial light for use when examining the 

 bulbs. At present most houses for this 

 purpose in the Netherlands are con- 

 structed without glazing." 



PLANTS IN BASEMENT STORE. 



Our floral department is located in a 

 cool, well ventilated basement, arti- 

 ficially lighted, but we experience great 

 difficulty in keeping our plants. Fresh 

 plants, of any variety, brought in from 

 the greenhouse last not more than 

 twenty-four hours, even buds and 

 leaves dropping off. There is no gas; 

 the store is electrically lighted through- 

 out. There is plenty of steam heat, 

 when any is needed. Would it help any 

 to replace our electric lights with blue 

 daylight bulbs? C. F. S.— Mich. 



Plants sliould remain fresh far 

 longer than twenty-four hours in such 

 a basement store as you have. If it is 

 cool and well ventilated, there is no 

 reason why even flowering plants 

 should not keep longer. It is likely 

 that there is a leak of some illumi- 

 nating or sewer gas, which causes this 

 trouble. This would not be likely to 

 occur if the basement had a fair, 

 .-miount of ventilatipn in it all night, 

 as well as during the day. If the plants 

 are carefully watered and looked after, 

 it would certainly be advisable to see 

 if any escaping gas is the trouble- 

 maker. The electric lights should do 

 no particular harm to the plants. Of 

 course, plants in a dark location will 

 lose leaves and foliage more rapidly 

 than where they get natural light, but 

 plants should not go to pieces as rapidly 

 as j'ours are doing. C. W. 



Mount Joy, Pa. — ^A greenhouse, 16x170 

 feet, is being erected by David Zerphey, 

 who is now expanding the business that 

 he has worked up in the last few years. 



Huntingdon, Pa.— Clayton Weaver, 

 who has operated places in several towns 

 in Pennsylvania, the latest of which 

 was the Emaus Greenhouses, has now 

 purchased the business of L. W. Spang- 

 ier, who operated under the name of the 

 Huntingdon Greenhouses. 



