'liiin. GARDEiN AiND FIELD. 



March, 19U 



change of {ground is a slight ad- 

 vantage, but where the ground is 

 well tilled and well manured there 

 reallv seems to be no apparent dif- 

 ference if the same ground gives 

 liowers year after year with no 

 apparent noticeable falling ofi in 

 quality. On the other hand, if 

 the plants have been diseased, a 

 change should, if possible, be made, 

 otherwise the disease is liable to 

 break out again the next j'ear. 

 Another preventive is to burn all 

 diseased plants. The sticks 

 that have been used should share 

 the same fate. 



♦ 



Bulbs and Their Culture. 



Though it cannot be said that 

 bulb growing is a popular form ol 

 gardening in South Australia, more 

 interest is taken in the subject 

 than was the case some lew years 

 ago. Bulb culture certainly has 

 much to be said in its favour. It 

 is cheap, it is easy, and it is cer- 

 tain, and though our climate is not 

 perhaps all it might be (it is well 

 on to the i lo degrees as we write 

 these words, so we may be excused 

 the foregoing mild expression of 

 disapproval) there is no doubt 

 that it suits most sorts of bulbs. 

 The following paper, read by Mr. 

 T. \V. Babbage, at a meeting of 

 one of the suburban floral societies, 

 will be of interest, though it is 

 some vears since we first printed 

 it :— 



The secret of growing bnll)s is 

 sand ; sea sand for preference, but 

 other .sand will do, or old street 

 sweepings. Dig your hole or 

 trench, place in your bulbs, cover 

 them with sand, then put the 

 earth on to]) ; vour bulbs must 



grow ; they can't help it. If I 

 went on talking all night I coiild 

 not uive vou any more instruction 

 on the subject. I can only say to 

 you, used sand, sand, sandy, and you 

 must succeed ; to alter an. old pro- 

 verb, " A bulb in the sand is 

 worth two in the earth. 



Never cut the leaves of bulbs 

 until they have quite died down ; 

 non-observance of this rule is one 

 of the chief reasons why so many 

 l)eople complain that their bulby. 

 come up each year without flow- 

 ers. If the tops in dying down do 

 look a bit untidy, tie them up to a 

 stake. 



As a proof that bulbs can be 

 grown in the flower beds I have 

 thousands of them planted where 

 the beds are soaked with water 

 nearly all the summer ; yet they 

 do not rot. I attribute this to the 

 use of sand. 



— The Hub of the Bulb Universe.— 



The great bulb centre is Holland; 

 there thev fear no rivals. .Visitors 

 are shown all over the bulb 

 grounds, and everything is ex- 

 plained. There are no secrets ; 

 the natural advantages of the place 

 are so great that no other country 

 in the world can approach them. 

 There the flowers, comparatively 

 speaking, are not of much use, al- 

 though a good many are exported; 

 the bulb itself receives all the at- 

 tention. Of course, such places 

 as Great Britain, America, France, 

 etc., have their special growers, 

 but in growing bulbs on a large 

 scale, Holland stands pre-eminent. 

 A writer, who had visited HoUandj 

 during the bulb seasons, says : — 

 " These Holland bulb gardens or 

 farms are the first wonder of 

 the floral world. Travelling by 



rail in the bulb districts, towards 

 the end of April, the whole face of 

 the land is inundated with gorge- 

 ous color of every imaginable hue, 

 and the air is laden with a rich 

 perfume from millions of hyacinths, 

 tulips, daflodils, and others, which 

 are then at the height of their 

 prosperity. 



Were any one to attempt to de- 

 pict such a display on canvas it 

 would be generally regarded as a 

 glaring vulgarity ; but, in my 

 opinion, no flower ever appears in 

 that garb. These bulbs are grown 

 without any regard to harmony in 

 their arrangement of color ; the 

 display was so novel and unique 

 that depression from excessive 

 color never occurred. If one field 

 was flooded with a surface of in- 

 tense scarlet the snow whitenessi of 

 the next, or the blue, pink, or yel- 

 low of the succeeding ones, quickly 

 diverted attention, and the bulb- 

 covered parts of the country in 

 Holland will always be associated, 

 in my mind, with all that is beau- 

 tiful. One firm in HoUand has 60 

 acres under btilb cultivation ; wide 

 water-ditches intersect the fields 

 everywhere. The level of the water 

 is only about i ft. below the sur- 

 face of the I land, and it is no doubt 

 by this arrangement that the satid 

 in which the bulbs grow is pre- 

 vented from drying up in summer. 



— Treatment. — 



The bulbs are allowed to blossom 

 full}'^, but they are all nipped off 

 before they wither, with the object 

 of increasing the strength of the 

 bulbs. IWanv hands were vanployed 

 reanovinsT the flowers and empty- 

 ing- them into huge heaps or cast- 

 ing them into the water, the lat- 

 ter process giving a pretty effect. 



-who know how necessary it is to have the best ol plants and the BEST OV V'.M-JIIvTIlCS if success is to be 



attained, should send for 



Errey's New Illustrated Carnation Catalogue. 



It contains, we believe, the largest and best collection of Carnations at present offered in Australia, together 



with several pages ol valuable advice on cultivation. 



Our cool climate and careful system of selection and cultivation (the latter the result of many years' study of 

 the Carnation) produce a .sturdiness and vigour in the young plants which ensure success anywhere under reason- 

 able conditions. 



Please send lOr catalogue to-day to 



(late Ivrrey & Sons), 



