24 BULLETIN 1082, TJ. S. DEPAETME:?^! OF AGPJCULTUre. 



The most common method of work is for the man, with say a 

 square foot of clear space directly in front of him, to pull down from 

 the pile a small bunch of bulbs and spread them out in a single layer. 

 He then picks up the clumps and breaks off the bases. This, also, 

 usually loosens the small bulbs which drop on the table. Five or six 

 bulbs are cleaned in this way without lifting the hands. When the 

 hands are full, the bulbs are put in the scoop and the coarser debris 

 on the floor. No attempt is made to get all the debris off, but only 

 the roughest of it, which interferes too seriously with the operation 

 of the fanning mill. The small bulbs or planting stock are left on the 

 table, to be gathered up from time to time and cleaned in the fanning 

 mill. The cleaning work is shown in Plate VIII, Figure 2. 



Short cuts can be- made, depending upon the condition of the 

 bulbs. As an illustration, one year these experimental stocks in one 

 variety had a large number of bulblets of 5 centimeters and under, 

 which rounded up into 6 to 8 centimeter bulbs with no increase. 

 When dry the roots and coats were so few as to be of no consequence. 

 These bulbs and bulblets were put through the fanning mill, sized, 

 and planted with no handwork. Handling in this way necessitated 

 keeping these sizes separate on the shelves. Had they been mixed 

 with mature stocks this method of handling could not have been 

 used. 



HANDLING THE CLEANED BULBS. 



It is of the utmost importance that bulb handling be as simple as 

 possible and that the number of handlings be reduced to a minimum. 

 Consequently, when the marketable stocks have been picked out 

 they should be sorted into first and second sizes at least and then, if 

 possible, go directly into the containers in which they are to be mar- 

 keted. The writer has recently found that it is feasible to transfer 

 the marketable bulbs from the cleaning tables directly into the 

 conventional paper sack holding 250 to 400 bulbs and set them away 

 to cure in these open containers until two or three weeks later, when 

 they are crated for shipment. 



If for any reason it is not practicable to put the bulbs into the per- 

 manent packages direct from the cleaning tables, they must, of 

 course, be returned to the shelves, where they can be pUed deeper 

 than before. After the cleaning has taken place, two decided changes 

 should be made in their environment. They must not be subjected 

 to strong light; indeed, the light should be much subdued and the 

 ventilation in the bulb house decidedly reduced. Both of these 

 conditions are necessary to preserve the coats and prevent too rapid 

 desiccation. (PI. I, Fig. 1.) On the other hand, the house must not 

 be allowed to get stuffy, or molds will develop. 



