190 MY GROWING GARDEN 



flavor, tenderness or that crispness which makes 

 such a difference. I have had handsomely yellow 

 stalks that were stringy, tough and undesirable; 

 and I have broken thick, green stems full of delight- 

 fully ""nutty" interior. "Handsome is as hand- 

 some tastes," in our celery consideration. 



November is the bulb-planting month. This 

 year we have at Breeze Hill largely increased the 

 preparations for spring bloom in the use of various 

 narcissi, or daffodils. My visits to Hunt's bulb 

 garden last spring gave notes for extending the 

 show that we have heretofore had only from 

 Emperor, Empress, and Poeticus — after, of course, 

 the early Golden Spur. These excellent sorts are 

 of but two classes in the great family — ^Trumpet 

 and Poeticus. I found lovely flowers, quite dis- 

 tinct, in the Incomparabilis, Barrii and Leedsii 

 sections, and also, to my satisfaction, that they 

 could be had at no great cost. It was interesting 

 to see that while the daffodils of high degree, at 

 one to ten dollars per bulb, were usually very 

 beautiful or very large, or very both, they were not 

 the only large and beautiful and desirable varieties. 

 There was no repetition of my peony experience ! 



Consequently I have this month gotten into the 

 ground in several locations some twelve hundred 

 daffodil bulbs, placed with the idea of having them 



