898 



Narcissus Cultivation. 



[march, 



localities so far apart as County Down in the north, Cork in 

 the south, Dublin in the east, and Sligo in the west. 



Suitability for Small Holdings. — From this it will be 

 gathered that, given suitable soil and cultural knowledge, 

 narcissi can be grown successfully in almost any part of 

 the British Isles. Their culture may be undertaken by those 

 occupying small holdings and allotments, and in conjunc- 

 tion with other crops they may be grown with every prospect 

 of yielding the grower a profitable return on his capital. The 

 present article is intended to give such holders an indication 

 of the elementary principles of bulb culture, dealing first 

 with the growth of bulbs for sale as bulbs, and secondly as 

 blooms. 



Growing Bulbs jor Sale. 



Suitable Soils. — The soil best suited for narcissus cultiva- 

 tion is a deep, friable loam. Stagnant moisture is detri- 

 mental to the plants, and where such a condition exists it must 

 be remedied by draining and raising the beds above the 

 level of the paths. All the varieties recommended below 

 will flourish in loam, and some few will succeed in some- 

 what stiffer soil. 



Preparation of Soil. — Land from which an early crop of 

 potatoes has been lifted furnishes a very suitable soil for 

 narcissi. When preparing it for the potato crop, the land 

 ought to receive a heavy dressing of farm-yard manure, from 

 fifty to sixty tons per acre, according to the condition of 

 the soil. As soon as the potatoes are cleared off, at the end 

 of July or beginning of August, the land should be deeply 

 ploughed or dug so that the enriched top spit is placed in 

 a position to allow the roots of the narcissi to penetrate freely. 

 If it is infested by weeds such as twitch, bindweed, thistles, 

 docks, &c, these ought to be removed as the work pro- 

 ceeds, as it is impossible to eradicate such pests once the 

 bulbs are planted; a determined effort must therefore be 

 made to remove them before the bulbs are put in the soil. 

 If the work has been done by the plough the ground 

 should be broken up by harrowing and rolling, but if dug 

 by the spade it should be broken up as digging proceeds. 

 This accomplished, and a good tilth obtained, the land is 



