666 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



Attgust 31, 1912. 



Southern Gom.— A large and pleasing 

 flower ; the perianth segments white, and 

 the large frilled cup lemon-rolour. 



Leedsi Varieties. 



beautifivl 



Dewdrop.— An exquisitely 

 variety, the flowers of large size and fine 

 Form, the perianth segments white and tho 

 (-■up .sulfnsed apri<*ot with orange margin. 



A l)t»autiful variety, flowers 

 for its class, of superb shajx^^ an<l 

 piir** white. 



White Lady.- A <hnrining variety with 



medium-sized lloweis of line oulliru^ the 



KvangeliiH 



hirge 



PLANTING CHOICE 



DAFFODILS. 



It might be said, with some degree of 

 force, that whether daffodils are so plen- 

 tiful as to be obtainable at a price not 

 exceeding a few shillings per hundred, or 



so rare that the cost of single bulbs has 

 to be reckoned in guineas^ they should be 

 grown under the conditions favourable to 

 tlieir attaining the highest degree of de- 

 velopment. Such a view as this is quite 

 sound, but in practice it is not possible 



GM2I& 



A beautiful 



NAhN'iSSI S ARMOREL 



variety belonging to tlu- Harri section, with 



coloured cup. 



white ijerianth and orange- 



perianth segments pure white^ and the 

 frilled cup pale yellow. 



\Vhit(^ Queen.— .A superb variety ; the 

 flowers of relatively large siz^e, with broad, 

 smooth perianth segments, and large cup, 

 frilled ai the edge, the former wdiite and 

 the latter citron-tinted, passing with age 

 to white. 



White Slave.— In the w^ay of White Lady, 

 l)Ut a great improvement on that variety, 

 and well deserving the attention of those 

 to whoiu cost is a secondary matter. The 

 bull>s of AVhito Lady may be obtained for 

 f<)ur <)r five shillings ]>er dozen, while those 

 of White vSlave etist seven shillings and six- 



pence each. 



G. 



to do all that one could wish in cidtivat- 

 ing plants, and some compromise has in 

 many cases, to be made. In the cam of 

 daffodils, it is found necessary, in the 

 majority of gardens, to grow the cheap 

 daffodils that are planted in large numbers 

 for the production of colour effects in the 

 flower garden under the most satisfactory 

 conditions that are practicable, and to de- 

 vote special attention to the cultural re- 

 quirements of those which are scarce and 

 expensive. 



Varieties that are not sufficiently plen- 

 tiful to be planted in quantities for the 

 emlu'llishmeiit f)f the floAver garden, or nre 

 intended for the production of flowers for 



exliibition, should have a position where 

 they can be grown in beds so arran^^ed as 

 to readily admit of their being attended 

 to at any time, and iwhere they will 

 receive some shelter from easterly winds 

 in the spring, and also enjoy slight shade 

 artificially or otherwise. I have for some 

 years past grown my choice daffodils in 

 convenient positions in the kitchen garden 

 and the practice has much to recommend 

 it. The bulbs can be given a change of 

 soil from time to time, and the plants can 

 be readily sheltered from cold winds when 

 making their new growth, and the flowers 

 be screened from bright sunlight when in 

 process of development. 



Daffodils require for their full develop, 

 ment a deeply stirred and moderately rich 

 soil. The soil should not be enriched im- 

 mediately before planting wdth »sudi 

 manures as those obtained from the stable 

 and farmj-ard, the contact of the young 

 roots with comparatively fresh animal 

 manures not being conducive to their wel- 

 fare. To avoid this, and at the same time 

 have the soil liberally stored with plant 

 food, it is my practice to make such ar- 

 rangements as will enable me to form the 

 new^ beds in one of the quarters from which 

 a crop of early potatoes has been taken. 

 When the ground is liberally manure<l and 

 trenched in the course of the previous 

 winter, and a crop of early potatoes taken 

 off during the summer, the bulbs can be 

 planted in August or September without 

 any considerable amount of pi'eparatory 

 work being necessary. All that is done 

 in my case is to spread evenly over tlic sur- 

 face bonemeal at the rate of about 2oz, to 

 the square yard, and give a light dressing 

 of newly-slaked lime. Just suflicient 

 to well whiten the stirface may be regarded 

 as a light dressing of lime. 



Should it not be convenient to take a 

 crop of earlj^ potatoes off the ground in 

 the vear in which the beds are to be fornif**! 

 it will be necessary to prepare it by apply- 

 ing dressings of bonemeal and lime and 

 double digging. The lime is used in tln' 

 same quantity as before, but the bonemeal 

 is increased to 4oz. to the square yard. 

 In all cases the ground should be prepared 

 sufficiently early to enable the soil to settl*' 

 down before the bulbs are planted. Bods 

 3^ feet wide are the most convenient, espe- 

 cially when the daffodils are grown for tli? 

 production of blooms for exhibition, and 

 when several beds are arranged pariul^j 

 with each other a two-feet alley shouW 

 be allowed between them. 



From the middle of August to the middle 

 of September is an excellent ])eriod m 

 which to plant choice daffmlils, ami it i-^ ^ 

 safe rule to complete the planting opera- 

 tions before September is far advanced. 

 The bulbs should l)e arranged in rows across 

 the bed, and with ten-inch spaces between 

 them. Sometimes the rows are fornun 

 lengthwise of the bed, but this is not a gflo*^ 

 arrangement, inasmuch as the sui'face o 

 the spaces between the rows should ^ 

 stirred at inten-als for the purpose of kef^llj 

 ing down w^ee^ls and aerating the sod. nit i 

 the rows lengthwise those 

 the hoe have to walk betw^een tlie roff^^ 

 whereas with the rows across the beds, 1 1^ 

 hoe can l>e rea<lily used from the alip 

 between them. From four to six uwne^ 

 is a good dopth at which to plant the him 

 in ordinary garden soil, the depth h^^^r 

 determined by the size of the bulbs ot |i 

 respective varieties, the larger the bnln\ 

 greater the de])th require<l. On lig^t sniL^ 

 the depth may be incrensed about 

 inch. From four to six in:-lies is n 

 good distance nt whicli to iirrjing*^ the ' " 



\v. c-- 



JipJU't IM tile ^iA\ 



requiring the greater space. 



