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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  Flowers 
  for 
  House 
  and 
  Table 
  Decorations 
  

  

  Three 
  Months 
  of 
  Bloom 
  for 
  Forty 
  Cents 
  

  

  By 
  I. 
  M. 
  Angell 
  

  

  IT 
  IS 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  "worth 
  while" 
  to 
  raise 
  

   our 
  own 
  flowers 
  for 
  table 
  decoration, 
  or 
  "for 
  

   anniversaries 
  and 
  festive 
  occasions, 
  than 
  to 
  

   depend 
  on 
  the 
  store-made 
  kind 
  from 
  the 
  

   florist. 
  Whether 
  they 
  are 
  intended 
  to 
  use 
  

   as 
  presents 
  or 
  simply 
  as 
  ornaments, 
  they 
  

   mean 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  if 
  we 
  have 
  watched 
  and 
  

   tended 
  them, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  giving 
  pleasure, 
  than 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  

   only 
  ordered 
  from 
  a 
  greenhouse. 
  The 
  chief 
  obstacle 
  to 
  the 
  

   practising 
  of 
  this 
  theory, 
  of 
  every 
  man 
  his 
  own 
  florist, 
  is 
  the 
  

   uncertainty 
  of 
  having 
  the 
  plants 
  in 
  bloom 
  on 
  the 
  dates 
  they 
  

   are 
  wanted, 
  but 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  reduced 
  almost 
  to 
  a 
  certainty 
  by 
  

   some 
  experimenting 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  experience, 
  especially 
  with 
  

   the 
  winter-flowering 
  bulbs. 
  In 
  our 
  gardening 
  career 
  we 
  have 
  

   found 
  bulbs 
  the 
  easiest 
  and 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  of 
  all 
  house- 
  

   plants. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  we 
  have 
  kept 
  their 
  records, 
  so 
  that 
  

   we 
  know 
  what 
  to 
  expect 
  of 
  the 
  bulbs, 
  if 
  we 
  do 
  our 
  part. 
  

  

  Among 
  their 
  many 
  good 
  qualities 
  are 
  their 
  long 
  period 
  of 
  

   bloom 
  and 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  around 
  

   before 
  and 
  after 
  flowering. 
  The 
  flowers 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  will 
  

   keep 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  for 
  three 
  weeks, 
  a 
  month, 
  or 
  even 
  

   longer, 
  if 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  cool 
  room 
  during 
  the 
  

   blooming 
  season. 
  The 
  pots 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  brought 
  out 
  till 
  a 
  

   few 
  weeks 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  wanted 
  for 
  decoration. 
  As 
  soon 
  

   as 
  potted 
  they 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  dark, 
  cool 
  spot 
  to 
  make 
  roots, 
  

   and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  their 
  beauty 
  has 
  departed 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  put 
  in 
  

   a 
  light 
  cellar 
  to 
  ripen, 
  thus 
  being 
  in 
  sight 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  

   period 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  interesting 
  or 
  beautiful. 
  

  

  From 
  four 
  kinds 
  of 
  bulbs, 
  costing 
  only 
  forty 
  cents, 
  we 
  

   had 
  steady 
  bloom 
  from 
  the 
  second 
  week 
  in 
  January 
  to 
  the 
  

   first 
  week 
  in 
  April. 
  The 
  paper-white 
  narcissus 
  began 
  the 
  

   display. 
  This 
  was 
  potted 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  October 
  and 
  

   brought 
  from 
  the 
  cellar 
  early 
  in 
  December. 
  Five 
  weeks 
  

   later 
  the 
  flowers 
  opened 
  and 
  the 
  blooming 
  season 
  lasted 
  till 
  

   February 
  1st. 
  The 
  next 
  pot 
  brought 
  out 
  contained 
  a 
  blue 
  

  

  double 
  hyacinth, 
  Garrick; 
  this 
  was 
  planted 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   October 
  and 
  brought 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  light 
  just 
  two 
  months 
  later. 
  

   The 
  bloom 
  began 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  continued 
  till 
  the 
  

   first 
  of 
  March. 
  Poeticus 
  narcissus 
  provided 
  our 
  next 
  table- 
  

   ornament. 
  Three 
  bulbs 
  were 
  potted 
  together, 
  the 
  last 
  day 
  

   of 
  October, 
  and 
  the 
  pot 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  cellar 
  three 
  

   months 
  later. 
  This 
  was 
  an 
  unusually 
  long 
  time 
  to 
  leave 
  them 
  

   in 
  darkness, 
  but 
  the 
  better 
  the 
  root-growth 
  before 
  the 
  tops 
  

   start 
  the 
  better 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  bloom. 
  The 
  first 
  flower 
  opened 
  

   the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  flower 
  faded 
  the 
  third 
  

   week 
  in 
  March. 
  Last, 
  but 
  not 
  least, 
  was 
  the 
  Empress 
  nar- 
  

   cissus, 
  potted 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  October. 
  As 
  it 
  will 
  bear 
  slow 
  forc- 
  

   ing, 
  we 
  kept 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  cellar 
  for 
  four 
  months, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   extend 
  our 
  season 
  of 
  blooming 
  plants. 
  It 
  began 
  to 
  flower 
  

   the 
  fourth 
  week 
  of 
  March 
  and 
  faded 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  of 
  April. 
  

  

  Cost 
  of 
  the 
  Four 
  Pots 
  of 
  Bulbs 
  

  

  Paper-white 
  narcissus, 
  one 
  bulb 
  $0.05 
  

  

  Garrick, 
  hyacinth, 
  one 
  bulb 
  12 
  

  

  Poeticus 
  ornatus, 
  narcissus, 
  three 
  bulbs, 
  @ 
  3 
  cts. 
  each 
  .09 
  

   Empress 
  narcissus, 
  two 
  bulbs, 
  @ 
  7 
  cts. 
  each 
  14 
  

  

  Total 
  $0.40 
  

  

  A 
  good 
  soil 
  for 
  bulbs 
  is 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  woods-earth, 
  

   turf-soil 
  and 
  sand, 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  very 
  old 
  manure. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  

   they 
  are 
  potted 
  we 
  water 
  them 
  well 
  and 
  set 
  away 
  in 
  a 
  dark, 
  

   cool 
  place 
  to 
  make 
  roots. 
  This 
  will 
  take 
  two 
  months, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less. 
  They 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  bring 
  to 
  the 
  light 
  any 
  time 
  after 
  

   the 
  earth 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  roots. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  

   turning 
  out 
  the 
  ball 
  of 
  earth 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  damp 
  enough 
  so 
  

   the 
  soil 
  will 
  not 
  fall 
  away. 
  Bulbs 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  slightly 
  

   moist, 
  not 
  wet, 
  or 
  they 
  will 
  mold. 
  First 
  we 
  bring 
  them 
  to 
  

   subdued 
  light, 
  until 
  the 
  foliage 
  part 
  turns 
  green, 
  then 
  we 
  

  

  Paper-white 
  Narcissus, 
  showing 
  

   growth 
  made 
  in 
  two 
  weeks 
  after 
  

   bringing 
  to 
  light 
  

  

  Poeticus 
  Narcissus, 
  photographed 
  less 
  

   than 
  three 
  weeks 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   cellar, 
  showing 
  the 
  rapid 
  growth 
  of 
  

   foliage 
  and 
  buds 
  

  

  Poeticus 
  Narcissus, 
  potted 
  on 
  October 
  3 
  1 
  , 
  

   brought 
  to 
  light, 
  March 
  1 
  ; 
  budded, 
  March 
  

   19 
  ; 
  bloomed, 
  March 
  25 
  to 
  April 
  4 
  

  

  