ultatts Ennts- 



THEIR NATURE AND TREATMENT. 



Bulbs are plants which belong to a particular division of the vegetable 

 kingdom ; they are all, with scarcely a single exception, very ornamental, 

 and hence desirable, for the very large size of this flower in proportion to 

 the entire plant, and for the brilliancy of their colors. By far the greater 

 number of bulbs flower in the spring, and produce their flower stems imme- 

 diately after they begin to grow ; and shortly after they have flowered, 

 they cease growing, and remain dormant, and without leaves during the 

 remainder of the year ; hence, almost all bulbs require to be planted in 

 the autumn — a fact which most amateurs are apt to overlook, and frequently 

 send their orders out of season. Bulbs require a free, dry and somewhat 

 rich soil, into which the roots may penetrate freely. A bulb is essentially 

 a bud, and contains within itself the germs of the leaves and flowers which 

 are to be produced the following season ; thus, in one sense they are of 

 more easy culture than any other class of plants, because the germ being 

 previously formed, and the nourishment being provided in the body of the 

 bulb, it is only necessary to supply heat and moisture to cause them to de- 

 velop — this is fully exemplified in the Hyacinth, Narcissus, Crocus, early 

 Tulips, and some other bulbs, which can be flowered when placed over 

 water, in glasses or in wet moss. The Hyacinth is the especial favorite for 

 forcing in glasses, and full directions for their management will be found 

 under the head of hyacinths. 



SOIL — The proper compost for Hyacinths, Tulips, Crown Imperials, Iris, 

 Ranunculus, Anemones, Crocus, and most other bulbs, is the following : 

 one-third sand, one-third well rotted cow manure, and one-third good 

 garden mould.* 



The Amaryllis, require a richer loam, and Ixias and Gladiolus a soil 

 rather more sandy than the general average. 



TIME OF PLANTING — The preferable season for planting all hardy bulbs, 

 is from October to December ; but they can be set out at any late time, aa 

 long as the bulbs remain sound. 



DEPTH AND DISTANCE— Hyacinth, Amaryllis, Martagon and other 

 large Lillies, and Paeonias, should be planted at the depth of four inches : 

 Crown Imperials and Polyanthus Narcissus, five inches ; Tulips, Double 

 Narcissus, Jonquilles and Colchicums, three inches ; Bulbous Iris, Crocus, 

 Arums, small Fritillarias, Gladiolus Byzantium and Snowdrops, two inches; 

 Ranunculus and Anemones, one inch, always measuring from the top of 

 bulb. The rows should be about ten inches apart, and the roots to be 

 placed from four to six inches apart in the rows, according to their size. 



*For the convenience of purchasers, thi9 compost is kept on hand during the season for 

 mtine bulbs. 



planting bulbs 



