FORCED FLOWERS 



Plants hardy or nearly so, that flower in the open 

 during spring or summer, are termed *' forced" when 

 they are brought by means of heat into earlier flower. 

 As forced plants are usually started in autumn, to flower 

 in winter they only require attention over a few months, 

 as against those plants that require nearly a year of the 

 grower's attention to bring to flower. Thus they are 

 very popular. 



Bulbs and other Herbaceous Plants 



Smaller bulbs should be set in the pots or pans so 

 thickly that they touch. The depth is important ; the 

 top of the bulb should just be covered. The soil should 

 be clean to work with, neither wet or dry. There is no 

 necessity to ram the soil with sticks, neat finger work 

 is alone required. 



It is well to place the pots of bulbs on a piece 

 of level ground and cover with 6 inches of coal 

 ashes. Let them alone for a month ; the soil being in 

 the right state when potting, they will require no 

 watering. After this the pots should be taken from the 

 ashes and placed in cold frames, or well exposed to 

 light on a greenhouse bench. From this they go as 

 required into a moist house, with a temperature of 50 to 

 60 degrees, preferably plunging the pots in leaf mould and 

 cocoanut fibre, which keeps the air moist. It is advan- 

 tageous to have bottom heat. Excessive temperatures 

 of 85 to 90 degrees are unneeded, unless the bulbs have 



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