October, 19 lo 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



409 



jHE general trend of modern requirements wanting mere shape goes for nothing, and as a matter of 

 is to seek the most for the least possible fact some kinds of bulbs are naturally rather rough and 

 trouble. There is so much to do in this uneven in appearance. It is always a wise plan for a 

 twentieth century, that in all walks of life person without practical knowledge on these matters to 

 it is the quickest and easiest way to an place the orders with a firm whose reputation for straight 

 end which will be followed by the ma- dealing is established. Send along your requirements as 

 jority. Whilst the gentle art of horticul- early in the autumn as possible so as to get the pick of 

 ture is far removed from the hurry of the times, yet one the new season's stock, and as a general rule avoid clear- 

 must recognize that there is a large number of people, ance lots of bulbs and auction sales of these articles. It 

 genuine flower lovers, who have little time to spare for is quite likely that on these occasions anyone may pick up 



the prosecution of their 

 hobby. For these, the 

 bulbous rooted plants 

 might have been special- 

 ly created, for it is not 

 beside the mark to say 

 that in a bulb one has a 

 plant ready-made wrapt 

 up in a little packet. 

 With the most ordinary 

 culture the sleeping plant 

 may be induced to dis- 

 play its wealth of floral 

 beauty. There is, how- 

 ever, a right and a 

 wrong way even in the 

 simple matter of grow- 

 ing bulbs and it is pro- 

 posed to ofi^er a few 

 p r a c t ic a 1 suggestions 

 largely the result of 

 personal observation on 

 the part of the author. 

 As a rule the garden- 

 er when buying his bulbs 

 is not sufficiently careful 

 to see that he secures 

 good ones. Small, im- 

 perfectly developed bulbs 

 are always dear, and 

 should be avoided at 

 any price. Roughly, the 

 points of a good bulb 

 may be summed up in 

 two words — weight and 

 firmness. If solidity is 



A clump of poppy anemones 



a real bargain lot, but 

 on the other hand the 

 chances are much more 

 in favor of the buyer 

 taking home with him a 

 parcel of bulbs the ma- 

 jority of which will nev- 

 er throw flowers at all. 

 From time immemo- 

 rial there has been much 

 discussion as to the best 

 time for planting bulbs 

 outdoors. Some profes- 

 sional growers hold that 

 the bulbs should always 

 be put in at the earliest 

 possible moment, whilst 

 others who are equally 

 successful, hold that the 

 late autumn is the best 

 time. As a matter of 

 fact, garden instruction 

 books notwithstanding — 

 as long as the bulbs are 

 in place before the frosts 

 of winter grip the land 

 there is no need to trou- 

 ble about anything else. 

 A question on which it 

 may be of interest to say 

 a few words is as to the 

 necessity of replanting 

 supposing a certain num- 

 ber of bulbs were in the 

 garden last season. 

 Practically speaking all 



