42 
JOUENAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Though the Narcissus likes plenty of moisture when it is in vigorous 
growth it likes that moisture to pass through, and not remain stagnant 
in the soil ; and the bulbs of most of the varieties strongly resent being 
water-logged ; in fact they soon get diseased under such a condition. I 
find, indeed, that those bulbs which are in deeply dug beds do better both 
in dry and in wet seasons than those planted in shallow soil. A good 
deal must, of course, depend on the nature of the subsoil, but as a 
general rule deep digging and good drainage are necessary to permanent 
success. 
As to Planting. — Having chosen and prepared your ground, planting 
must next be attended to. Now there is a rooted conviction in the minds 
of some old-fashioned gardeners that Guy Fawkes' Pay is about the 
proper time for planting Narcissus bulbs. But this is two or three 
months too late if you wish to secure the best results. Of course 
November-planted bulbs will produce flowers ; you may get flowers — of a 
kind— even from bulbs planted in January. I have done so myself. But 
to get the most vigorous plants, the most perfecb flowers, the greatest 
possible increase of bulbs, yov must plant early. If you look at Narcissus 
bulbs in August you will see (and you will often see it quite early in. 
August) a ring-like swelling all round the base of the bulb. This is caused, 
by the effort of the young roots to start into growth, and it is Nature's 
warning to you to plant the bulbs as soon as you can if you do not wish 
them to lose in vigour. This early planting, so good for all, is even 
more necessary for some kinds than for others. The Poeticus varieties 
need planting first, for they have no period of rest ; then the Burbidgei ; 
then, as a rule, the Star Narcissi ; then, with some exceptions, the 
Daffodils ; in fact a good general rule seems to be that the more 
Poeticus blood there is in the bulbs the sooner they need planting. 
Thqre are, however, as I said, a few exceptions, e.g., the Tenby Daffodil,, 
and Maximus, and the Simrius varieties (including the popular ' Henry 
Irving' and 'Golden Spur') are much better for being planted among 
the earliest, and some kinds, like Bicolor ^ Hots field,' show, by the tendency 
of their bulbs to shrink and get very dry soon when kept out of the 
ground, that they should be early replanted. I always try to get my 
Poeticus varieties in the ground by the end of July, and the whole stock 
by the end of August. Early planting is, I cannot doubt, essential i£ 
the best results are to be secured. 
A change of soil and locahty is highly beneficial to the Narcissus 
but as few people are fortunate enough to have two gardens in different 
localities, you must do the best you can by changing your Narcissus beds 
from one part of the garden to another, and by digging in here and 
there soil of a different character, and by growing Daft'odils where the 
other sorts of Narcissi have previously stood, and vice versa. 
I plant the bulbs in rows north and south, the rows being a foot 
apart, and the bulbs planted from three to six inches from each other in 
the rows, according to size (and even a little farther apart in the case of 
exceptionally large bulbs, such as 'Emperor' and 'Sir Watkin').. 
This gives them ample room to stand for two, or even three, years before 
lifting again. You may plant closer if you are short of room, but the 
extra space given will well repay you in results. The plants are much 
