THE GARDEN BOOK OF CALIFORNIA 



their floricultural methods, this department of seed-growing 

 is likely to become a most important feature of our State ; but 

 in the meantime our private gardens are lacking in variety, a 

 matter that is variously explained. 



The non-appearance of tulips, hyacinths, amaryllis and 

 hundreds of other beautiful blossoms in our home gardens is 

 often explained by the theory that people will not plant and 

 spend time on a flower which blooms for a short season, or 

 upon any flower, no matter how beautiful, that is short-lived, 

 when they can fill their gardens with fine perennials that are 

 constantly in bloom. The flower lover loses, however, much 

 enjoyment in thus confining himself to the limitations of 

 "ever-bloomers." And so far as I can ascertain there is no 

 reason why any of our familiar friends of the bulb families 

 may not be grown in Califonia, although in the southern part 

 of the State it is often necessary to give them a little special 

 treatment, though as a rule this consists merely of shelter 

 from the direct rays of the sun for the more delicate sorts. 

 For the bulbs most frequently used in commerce our climatic 

 influences and soil are entirely suitable, and given proper 

 irrigation facilities and with the labor question setded, there 

 need be no limitations for the grower. 



To the amateur it may be desirable to know exactly what 

 a bulb is. Technically and botanically speaking, bulbs are 

 underground buds, not always underground, either, since 

 some lilies, as well as the less beloved but very valuable 

 onion, form bulbs on their stems. A bulb is not a root, even 

 if most people do labor under the delusion that it is. A 



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