310 



OASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



a few weeks to three months is required for resting 

 stove hulhs ; when signs of activity in the bulbs are 

 apparent they should be re-potted, if necessary — 

 that is, if the roots have impoverished the soil and 

 filled the pots; hut above all it is necessary to 

 caution inexperienced cultivators against the prac- 

 tice of over-pottiug — that is, putting their plants in 

 pots too large for them. Generally speaking, bulbs 

 of all kinds thrive best and flower most freely when 

 the roots have quite filled the pots, or become pot- 

 bound, as it is termed. It is far better to let the 

 bulbs remain pot-bound, and stimulate them by 

 liquid manure occasionally, than pot them in a mass 

 of soil, which soon becomes soured in a hot-house. 

 When potting becomes necessary all the old soil and 

 old decayed roots should be removed from the bulbs. 

 Good drainage in bulb-pots is very necessar}-, for 

 although the plants require abundance of water 

 while growing, stagnant water proves fatal to their 

 roots. Ordinary potting-soil will answer for most 

 bulbs ; but the best of all soils for the majority is 

 fibry loam and sand, for being for the most part 

 coarse-rooted plants, they do not require the usual 

 dose of peat which gardeners as a rule use for 

 other plants. 



Green-house Bulbs, being for the most part 

 deciduous, are of easy culture, nor can any mistake 

 be made as to their proper period of resting. This 

 begins when the foliage of the current season has 

 become thoroughly ripened — generally yellow — and 

 dies away, and simultaneously the roots become 

 inactive. During this period the bulbs need nothing 

 in the shape of food, only require to be kept in an 

 equable state of moisture or dryness. The prevailing 

 error is to keep them too dry, although some, such 

 as the majority of Cape bulbs, are not injured by 

 being kept dust-dry for months. The approximate 

 period of rest will be stated under the various genera. 

 Bulbs of aU kinds keep better during their resting 

 period in soil than under any other condition, though 

 sand is a good substitute. In some cases the interval 

 between the decay of the foliage and the recom- 

 mencement of growth is very short, as in the case of 

 some Cape bulbs ; therefore, if re-potting is required, 

 it should be done before the tender roots are emitted 

 from the bulbs. The swelling of the apex of the 

 bulb is an invariable sign that growth is beginning, 

 and at the same time roots will be emitted. Water 

 should be given gradually, more and more, until full 

 growth is developed. In the case of those plants 

 that have not been re-potted, it is a good plan, if 

 the soil be dust-dry after the resting period, to sub- 

 merge the plants for a time in water, so that the 

 Hoil may become thoroughly saturated, and thereby 

 induce active growth at once. 



Frame or Half-hardy Bulbs include all the 

 South African or Cape bulbs, as they are commonly 

 called, besides those from other regions that are not 

 sufficiently hardy to withstand the fuU severities of 

 our climate. They are nearly all deciduous, and 

 require a decided resting period, varying from a few 

 weeks to two or three months. On the whole haU- 

 hardy bulbs are easily managed if careful attention 

 is paid to their requirements in growth and rest. 

 Being so numerous, and of such a varied nature, no 

 definite rule can be given as to the exact season for 

 resting the bulbs, and therefore the cultivator must 

 use his own judgment, and the general directions 

 already given need only be reiterated. The interval 

 of rest, being so varied, wiU be stated in the cultural 

 notes applying to each genus. They dislike arti- 

 ficial heat, yet they are not sufficiently hardy to 

 withstand the average climate of this country. Most 

 of them being natives of the Southern Hemisphere 

 commence to grow in our autumn, which corresponds 

 to the southern spring ; therefore they require to be 

 planted during this season, and our winter happens 

 just when their growth is tender, but the protection 

 of a glass frame, with the addition of a covering 

 during frosts, is generally sufficient to keep the plants 

 from injury. Pot-culture is the most convenient 

 for frame bulbs on a small scale, as then the plants 

 are more easily managed as regards their resting; 

 but when quantities of a few select kinds are grown, 

 such as Ixia, Sparaxis, Babiana, Freesia, and bulbs 

 of a similar nature, it is better to plant the bulbs 

 out in beds of soil in the frames or pits. The beds 

 for frame bulbs should be carefully made in order 

 to insure success, and it is far better to make them 

 well at the outset than to be continually remedying 

 defects. The site should be fully exposed on all 

 sides; but it is better if the frames are sheltered 

 from north and east winds. Full exposure to the 

 sun is essential, as Cape bulbs, above all others, 

 require all the light and heat our climate aJGEords ; 

 but as a hot morning sun is liable to injure the 

 foliage while wet with dew or rain, it is advisable to 

 place the frames a little towards the west, so that the 

 sun will not shine upon them until the plants become 

 tolerably dry. The sides of the frames should be 

 raised about a foot in front and a little higher 

 behind, so as to keep the bed of soil above the 

 surrounding level. A depth of about a foot or so 

 should be taken out a little larger than the frame, 

 and be filled with about a foot in depth of brickbats 

 or rubbish, to insure proper drainage. A surface 

 layer of turfy sods should be placed upon the 

 drainage, and upon this about 12 or 15 inches of soil, 

 consisting of good turfy loam, sharp sand, sifted 

 leaf-mould, and peat, in. equal parts, well mixed and 

 sweetened by exposure to the atmosphere. Svch a 



