WINTER CARE OF BULBS AND ROOTS 167 



from the bed, but should be allowed to remain between the 

 rows, and either spaded under or permitted to decay of its 

 own accord on the bed. 



Winter Care of Bulbs and Roots. — ^The bulbs and the fleshy- 

 rooted plants require a treatment similar to that of the 

 herbaceous plants. The bulb and the fleshy root is a vege- 

 tative part of a plant in a dormant state. A large amount of 

 water is present in both, as well as plenty of plant food for 

 the future use of the growing plant. The secret for their 

 preservation is to prevent them from losing this stored up 

 water, and drying up. 



The fleshy roots of some plants and many of the bulbs are 

 hardy and will not be killed by freezing. For this class of 

 plants greater success will be attained, if they are planted 

 out in the open ground during August and September and 

 allowed to remain out of doors. The depth to which the 

 bulbs and the fleshy-rooted plants should be set varies, and 

 ranges from 4 to 8 inches for the common ones. When 

 freezing weather arrives the beds should be mulched with 

 coarse horse manure. The manure should be removed as 

 soon as the plants begin to grow in the spring. 



The treatment of the fleshy-rooted plants that are not 

 hardy is more exact and is attended with less success. Plants 

 like the canna which have thick, fleshy roots are also filled 

 with water. Such roots will die if they are frozen. It is neces- 

 sary therefore to dig them up and to store them over winter. 

 These roots must not only be kept in the proper conditions 

 by preventing the loss of water but they must also be stored 

 in a cool place so that no growth will take place. To succeed 

 in the storing of such roots the storage place must not be too 

 damp or the roots will decay, yet it must have sufficient mois- 

 ture to prevent them from drying out. The varying and the 

 irregular conditions found in the ordinary houses makes it an 

 extremely precarious place to successfully store fleshy-rooted 

 plants. Perhaps the most ideal place for the storage of such 

 plants would be in a cellar that is built underground which 

 could be held at a temperature of about 35° F. With this 

 temperature and with good ventilation the moisture con- 

 ditions will usually be ideal. 



