INDOOR PLANTS 



173 



light soil in well-drained pots, cans or boxes and 'kept in a 

 cold place, as a dark, cool cellar, until a few weeks before the 

 time the flowers are desired. The)' are then placed in a warm 

 room and the growth is forced. The forcing should not be too 

 rapid. During the period in which they are kept in a cold 



Fig. 101. — Tulips naturally bloom in early spring out-of-doors, but they may be 

 forced into bloom in midwinter if desired. (U. S. D. A.) 



place roots will have formed in the soil, and strong vigorous 

 shoots will perhaps show above the ground. If there be a 

 tendency for the bloom to form too close to the surface of the 

 soil, the stem may be caused to lengthen a little by placing a 

 pasteboard cylinder around it. The light is thus excluded, 

 except at the top. A window box or number of pots for winter 



