116 BULBOUS PLANTS. 



weakened, and it must be borne in mind that the plants make their prin- 

 cipal growth for the season after the flowers are past, so that too early 

 forcing is apt to endanger the health of the bulb. After blooming, the 

 pot plants should be kept in an open frame till the end of September, 

 with some loose material, such as stable litter, between the pots to pre- 

 vent too rapid evaporation of moisture; feed them frequently with 

 liquid manure. A deep frame heated so as to exclude frost will be found 

 the best place for the pot plants during the resting season. By the end 

 of May bulbs may be planted out-of-doors. A border sloping to the 

 south should be chosen. Immediately after planting give a heavy 

 mulching of manure, and to insure continuous growth keep them well 

 watered during dry spells, otherwise, when the time comes for lifting 

 the plants, some will be at rest, others in full vigor of growth. In the 

 latter case the transfer to the flower pot cannot be effected without 

 detriment to the bulbs; the roots are large, preventing a suitable quan- 

 tity of soil being given while using a pot within a reasonable size. 



Raising Plants from Seeds — The seed will mature on pot-grown 

 plants about the end of July. Sow as soon as gathered. The seeds do 

 not require much covering, and ought to be keptin a warm atmosphere, 

 not only while germinating, but until the plants are at least a year old, 

 during which time they should be kept in a growing state. 



Propagation by Offsets — These may be separated from the pot plants 

 dijring the operation of potting, or taken from the old bulbs when lift- 

 ing in the open border in Autumn. In the latter case they may be stored 

 for the Winter in boxes of sandy soil, and either potted off in Spring or 

 planted out with the larger bulb. 



AMORPHOPHALLUS— Useful for sub-tropical bedding, owing to their 

 very handsome leaves; those of A. Rivieri, the species commonly met 

 with in cultivation, being between 4 and 5 feet across. The petioles 

 are necessarily stout and beautifully marbled with creamy white. The 

 leaves are very much divided. In early Spring the flowers are produced 

 before the leaves; they have such an offensive odor that unless seeds are 

 wanted they should be cut off before developing. Propagation is from 

 offsets and seeds. The large tubers are wintered in a manner similar to 

 those of the fancy-leaved Caladiums. 



ANE.'IONE— The tuberous rooted species known as A. coronaria, A. 

 fulgens, and A. hortensis are all natives of Southern Europe. When planted 

 permanently the soilshould beopen and well drained, and if itis apt to 

 bake in Spring give a top-dressing of leaf soil or stable manure thor- 

 oughly rotted. This will keep the surface softand enable the growths to 

 break through easily. The above species are sometimes grown in pots; 

 they may be planted in September or October, kept in a cold frame and 

 flowered in Spring. A. fulgens is the most useful for this purpose. The 

 many varieties are sold cheaply by dealers in bulbs. 



' BULBOUS PLANTS — This term is generally applied indiscriminately 

 to plants having thickened subterranean stems, such as Crocus and 

 Gladiolus, including true bulbs, such as those of Lilium, Hyacinth and 

 Allium. A true bulb is simply a resting bud composed of leaf scales, as 



