October : Second Week 



PLANTING BULBS FOR NEXT YEAR'S BLOOM: 

 PROPAGATING ROSES 



One of the most important fall planting jobs is to get 

 the spring-flowering bulbs into the ground in good season. 

 The Dutch or French gardener who grew the bulb has made 

 of it what is practically a finished product; the flower is 

 already formed inside, in miniature, and requires only 

 congenial surroundings to bring it to perfection. 



Bulbs will bloom the first year in almost any soil, provided 

 they are not kept wet enough to rot. The roots of most 

 varieties will stand an abundance of moisture below the 

 bulb — can, in fact, be flowered in plain water, provided the 

 bulb itself is held above the surface. But even the first 

 season's bloom will be better in soil that is properly pre- 

 pared, and in poor soil the bulbs will soon peter out, the 

 blossoms becoming fewer and smaller each year. 



In congenial soils many sorts may be naturalized and will 

 bloom indefinitely without further attention. Others will 

 continue to give good results as long as they are taken up 

 every second or third year, when the bulbs have become so 

 nmnerous as to crowd, and replanted. Most bulbs prefer 

 a soil that is sandy in texture — in fact, the sandier the better, 

 provided it is not too poor. Manure may be used to en- 

 rich the bulb border or bed, but other materials give as 

 good results and are safer. A mixture of bone meal and 

 ashes, with soot added if it is obtainable, may be used gen- 

 erously as a top-dressing, worked into the bed before the 

 bulbs are planted. If the soil is lacking in humus it may be 

 advisable to employ manure, but only that which is thor- 

 oughly rotted; and it should be trenched, or stamped into 

 the bottom of each furrow so it will be well below the bulbs 

 when they are planted. Direct contact of the manure with 



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