CAPE BULBS. 



239 



turfy yellow loam, broken up by hand, and not sifted, and with- 

 out admixture of sand or any other material. The practice of 

 sifting soil is far too common in gardens, and I am sure it is 

 a bad practice, especially for bulbs. Potted in sifted soil, if a 

 bulb does not root very quickly it perishes, but in the more 

 porous, or open material carefully broken up and not sifted, 

 such is not the case. In the matter of repotting, all these things 

 do best, are safest, and flower most profusely when allowed to 

 get pot-bound, many of them not requiring to be repotted for 

 two, three, or even four years. When repotting takes place, 

 succession should be looked after by potting up the offsets, or 

 small bulbs, separately to grow on to take the place of the old 

 ones which mishap or decay may carry off, and also with the 

 same view seedlings of each of the more delicate should be 

 raised, for this is a sure way of keeping the stock up, as home- 

 raised seedlings generally grow with greater vigour than the old 

 or imported plants. In potting the old bulbs it is best to leave 

 half of the larger bulbs above the soil, and the small ones just 

 beneath it. 



Wateeing. 



In conclusion, dealing with the question of watering generally, 

 it will be sufficient to say that if the leaf growth is watched and 

 the watering regulated according to the condition of the foliage, 

 the grower can have no better guide. Thus when the leaves of 

 the deciduous kinds turn yellow, and until growth commences 

 again, no water is required, but when growth commences water 

 is as it were asked for. And with the more or less evergreen 

 kinds there comes a time when active growth is not going on 

 and less water is required ; and at other times when the leaves 

 indicate active growth it is easy to understand that water to 

 assist in its development is required. In fact in all our deal- 

 ings with plants, if we are observant, we can get from them by 

 careful observation a safe and certain guide in many particulars 

 as to the treatment they require. 



