Select Bulbs for Fall Planting 
3 
TULIPS, continued 
able, any manure can be used that has gone through the first heating. In cold soils, 
plant an inch shallower. If the soil is heavy, and sharp sand is obtainable, put some 
around the bulbs. 
Watering. During the winter and early spring, give only enough water to keep 
the bed moist; usually the rain is ample. As soon as the flower-bud appears, water 
liberally until a few weeks after the flowering is over and then dry them off. As soon 
as the leaves are dry, dig the bulbs and store in any dry, airy place until planting time 
the next fall. The lighter the soils, the more water is needed during the flowering season. 
Digging the Bulbs When Ripe. A Tulip is ripe when the leaves turn yellow. There 
is no need to wait until they are entirely dry. Late Tulips can be left in the ground from 
year to year yet this is not the best practice, as they form many offsets and soon become 
crowded so that the bulbs have not enough room to do their best. Then the roots of 
trees and shrubs are apt to encroach on 
the bed, and annual planting allows one 
to cut them in. Still again the soil must 
be annually enriched if the best results 
are to be had, and the cultivation to a 
good depth is a distinct advantage. 
Method of Storing. It is not neces- 
sary to put the bulbs in sand or any other 
packing material. All that is needed is 
to put them in bags or boxes in a dry 
place and leave them there until proper 
planting time. 
Gophers. Like the poor they are 
always with us, and they like Tulips. 
They can be trapped with the right trap 
and patience. In my gardens, with a 
frontage of a mile, we control them by 
trapping. It is hard to poison them in a 
garden because there is so much good 
food, and they store away by far the 
greater part of what they take. Some 
soft food like carrots, parsnips, green 
corn or raisins with a little strychnine 
in it is the best method of poisoning. 
Gopher Fences. For years I have 
thought of some cheap way of fencing 
them out and have at last found it. 
I use wire mesh described in catalogues 
as J^-inch mesh poultry fence, 30 inches 
high. 
A ditch 30 inches deep is dug, the 
netting stood upright in it and the soil 
then worked down on both sides and 
packed. A gopher very seldom goes gksn f.riana tulips (seepages) 
below this depth. Almost as seldom do 
they run along the top of the ground as a rat would seeking a new home. For most 
purposes the gopher fence answers well. 
Tulips in Boxes. If gophers are numerous, the bulbs can be planted in boxes 8 
inches deep, with soil as indicated. The boxes should be in a half-shaded place and 
watered liberally, even in winter. 
Tulips in Pots for Winter Bloom. The best time to pot is in early fall. The best 
soil for potting is a compost of two parts of garden loam to one part of well-rotted cow 
manure and one part sharp sand. Use a 5- or 6-inch pot, and first put in some broken 
pieces of crock with a little loose material to insure good drainage. For a 5-inch pot, use 
three to five bulbs, and for a 6-inch pot, four to seven. Plant so that the tip of the bulb 
projects, and water moderately. Put in a cool, dark place for five or six weeks until they 
are well rooted. This can be told by gently striking the side of the pot until the soil will 
slip out. If the pot is filled with a mass of roots, the bulbs are ready to bring to the light. 
Water moderately, and do not give full sunlight, but let them come on slowly in a window 
or cool greenhouse. 
The Best Varieties to Pot. Any early single Tulip will do. Chrysolora, Cottage 
Maid and Keizerkroon are especially fine. Late Tulips seldom do well in pots. 
