72 THE BOOK OF MARKET GARDENING 



Flowers forced under glass, usually in a humid 

 atmosphere, wilt very quickly if unduly exposed after 

 gathering. As a rule they are better packed as soon 

 as possible without removal to a shed where the air is dry 

 and cold. When early forcing is conducted on an ex- 

 tensive scale, including bulbs, shrubs, and other plants 

 which are subjected to high temperature, special pro- 

 vision in the shape of heated packing sheds will be 

 necessary, but even then it is not safe to expose the 

 flowers long before preparing them for market. 



Some flowers are apt to lose their petals, or the whole 

 corolla, very soon after gathering ; and for all those 

 of special value gumming becomes essential before they 

 are packed. This is an operation which requires some 

 practice to perform efficiently without rendering the 

 work conspicuous or disfiguring to the flowers. Where 

 there are many petals it is more difficult to carry out 

 thoroughly and quickly than when these are united into 

 one corolla, as the object is to secure the petals to the 

 calyx, and one drop of gum properly applied will 

 usually effect the desired purpose in the latter case, 

 though several may be needed for the many-petalled 

 flowers. Where numbers of flowers have to be pre- 

 pared in this way it is a tedious process, but experience 

 soon teaches the quickest and best method of applying 

 the gum. In some cases it is more efficient if dropped 

 inside the flower at the base, and a skilled hand will 

 make one application suffice, or it may be needful to 

 gum both inside and outside the corolla. A small 

 machine oil-can with a long fine tube in which the 

 emission of gum can be regulated by the thumb at 

 the base is useful, and a serviceable gum can be readily 

 prepared from powdered shellac dissolved in spirits 

 of wine, sufficient of the former being used to obtain 

 the requisite adhesive power, but not too much to 

 prevent it running freely from the can. Several ex- 



