CHAPTER VIL 
PLANTING BULBS IN THE YARD 
Preparing the soil for bulbs. The necessary tools for 
preparing the soil are a spade, a rake, a yardstick, a 
garden line, and a dibble about four feet long and two 
7 
V 
Fria. 31. 
A Dibble 
for mak- 
ing Holes 
for Bulbs 
inches in diameter. Stakes should be placed a 
foot or more from the edges of the beds, to 
avoid loosening them while digging. With a 
sharp spade cut the soil along the edges of the 
bed, so that the sides will not appear irregular 
when finished. The bed should then be spaded 
to a depth of at least eight imches. While 
spading, work in well-rotted barnyard manure ; 
a Wheelbarrow load for a bed four by eleven 
feet is sufficient. The first soil taken out must 
be put in a heap on the lawn or loaded onto a 
wheelbarrow, so that it may be used to fill the 
trench at the other end of the bed after it has been 
spaded. 
The soil should be turned while it is being 
spaded so that the topsoil will be at the bottom of 
the bed. Break large clods with the spade while work- 
ing. After the bed has been spaded, break all small 
lumps and level it with a garden rake. 
The beds should he prepared during the early part of 
September. This will give ample time for the fall rains 
48 
