20 



BULLETIISr 1082, U. S. DEPARTMEISTT OF AGRICULTURE. 



closely, therefore, the conditions of nature can be imitated during 

 the time the bulbs are out of the ground the better they will be 

 preserved. It should be constantly borne in mind that we are deal- 

 ing with plants whose natural environment is the soil, the multitu- 

 dinous influences of which are very difficult to imitate. This curing 

 consists simply in drying the bulb clumps as they come from the 

 ground until the old coats appear dry to the touch. The bulbs are 

 dried sufficiently so that mold will not develop. The whole process 

 amounts to striking a balance between an excessive moisture which 

 will allow the development of molds and other decomposition fungi 

 on the one hand and too great a desiccation of the bulbs on the other. 



SHELF REQUIREMENT. 



The square feet of sheK space needed in the bulb house will vary 

 greatly with conditions. The main factors which iafluence it are 

 the moisture content of the bulbs when placed in storage, the control 

 of ventilation in the house, and the general atmospheric conditions. 



Under conditions which make for rapid desiccation the bulbs can 

 be piled higher and consequently require less room. As a rule, tuUp 

 bulbs can go on the shelves 4 to 5 inches deep. (PI. XII.) As con- 

 crete examples of actual performance in this respect Table 2 gives 

 useful information on actual operations wherein the difference will 

 be seen to vary more than 50 per cent. 



Table 2. — Space required by tulip bulbs of the Cardinal's Hat variety wnen growing in 

 the field and when "curing" in the bulb house. 





1 

 Growing space. | Number. 



Weight (pounds). 



Shelf 

 room 



Rows. 



45-foot 

 beds. 



Area. 



Salable. 



Planting 

 stock. 



Salable. 



Planting 



stock. 



Total. 



used in 

 bulb 

 house 



(square 

 feet). 



3,384 



37§ 



About one-fifth acre. 



22,000 



70,000 



1,620 



1,120 



2,740 



260 



In 1919 the merchantable turn-off of Cardinal's Hat was 22,000 

 bulbs, a number large enough to afford trustworthy figures of the space 

 actually employed for handling. In order to have a rehable con- 

 ception of the bulb-house space, its relation to field space, weight, and 

 number of bulbs is necessary. 



The bulbs were dry when dug and of prime quality. Their coats, 

 though, were somewhat cracked, and they were piled higher than 

 usual to get added protection from atmospheric influences. Con- 

 cerning the 70,000 planting stock it may be said that about 11,000 

 of these bulbs were below 5 centimeters in circumference and were 

 discarded at planting time. 



