April 27, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



199 



Naturally, the same conditions will not suit every variety alike. 

 Some, as the so-called Whites — that is, the light-colored forms, 

 as Cernuus — requiring a warmer position than those of more 

 robust constitution, as the bicolor Empress. It is very inter- 

 ■esting to note how differently Daffodils behave under the same 

 -conditions, and in 1881 Mr. Walker planted a trial bed of the 

 various forms to test their behavior, the soil being strong loam 

 ■of good depth. The result was that such varieties as Capax 

 -and Cernuus soon disappeared, but the more robust forms, 

 hke Horsfield's and Empress, thrived with surprising vigor. 

 Manure is used only for the Trumpet and other robust Daf- 

 fodils. 



As far as possible the bulbs are lifted annually, although 

 it seems a formidable task to go overbeds two hundred to three 

 (hundred yards long. Mr. Walker places great faith in this an- 



and it will be useful to indicate them as they are possessed of 

 strong constitution and bear the finest flowers. It is necessary 

 to weed out well for such a purpose, where the list of Daffo- 

 dils includes some eight hundred forms, many of them, how- 

 ever, differing in a slight degree, and chiefly in color, ranging 

 through all shades of yelloW, from a pure lemon tint to almost 

 clear white, and pure white in those Narcissi of which the 

 Pheasant's-eye is the leading type. Among the Trumpet va- 

 rieties the greatest faith is placed in Empress, although popu- 

 lar opinion seems to incline more toward the noble bicolor 

 raised by John Horsfield, the Lancashire weaver. To an un- 

 educated eye little difference can be seen between them, but 

 the Empress increases more freely, blooms more profusely, 

 and the flowers are of better substance than those of Horsfieldi, 

 which by reason of their softness do not last so long in full 



Fig. 31. — Miltonopsis Bleui splendens, in the collection of Mr. F. L. Ames. The flowers, natural size. — See page 197. 



nual lifting, and would serve all alike if it were possible, but a 

 compromise is made by lifting the common kinds every two 

 years and the best varieties each year. To this treatment is 

 due the superb vigor of leaf and flower noticeable in all his 

 plants. The bulbs are lifted when the leaves have died down, 

 and they are dried, cleaned and replanted in the following 

 August or September, the first variety to be planted being 

 Ornatus, one of the Poet's Narcissi. They are planted in long 

 beds, about five rows in a bed, and the soil is raised a few 

 inches above the bed to keep the bulbs from stagnant water, 

 as the growth suffers in places where the beds slope down to 

 the ordinary level. 



"Although a thoroughly representative collection of Daffodils 

 is grown, those kinds cultivated largely are few in number, 



beauty. But both are splendid varieties, the trumpet beauti- 

 fully shaped, bold, rich yellow, and in striking contrast to the 

 creamy white and robust perianth. The flowers of both attain 

 surprising dimensions and show remarkable clearness of 

 color, and it is not unusual to find here si.x and seven flowers 

 proceeding from one bulb. When visiting Ham last year I 

 found in a row of Empress one bulb carrying no fewer than 

 eleven blooms, each of fair proportions. When we come to 

 the true yellows a post of honor is given to Emperor, a su- 

 perb Daffodil, splendid in form, color and size, a rich mass of 

 yellow, and used much in the English parks, where it is 

 planted in distinct beds to give the full richness of the hand- 

 some flowers. Maximus is another favorite, with flowers of 

 the deepest yellow, splendid in shape, but, unfortunately, the 



