10 CARL PURDY, UKIAH. CALIFORNIA 
DAFFODILS 
You . 
rhey arc 
watering, 
rhev giv 
of these splendid spring-flowering bulbs, 
vn as onions or turnips, need hardly any 
and are not troubled by rats or gophers, 
most prized, in early spring, and for cut- 
flowers are unexcelled. Plant a feu- 
dozen, if you can do no more; hundreds 
if you can, and, if your purse will 
plant beds of thousands. 
n buy no 
i will give 
many Daf- 
' that they 
My 
.sured 
at 
spring-blooming 
greater satisfaction. 1 g 
fodils, and my customer 
cannot get better ones < 
Glory of Leyden Daffodil 
ire assortment was selected with 
aid of the first Daffodil-growers of 
world, and even then 1 have drop- 
many varieties that I have tested. 
Culture of Daffodils 
In California, Daffodils will grow- 
in any soil. The soil which best suits 
them is a rich loam with abundant 
moisture during the winter and which 
gets dry in the summer. Dig the 
ground up deeply and thoroughly, and 
then let it settle a few weeks before 
planting. Do not use fresh stable 
manure. The best fertilizer available here in California is crushed bone (commonly 
called "bone meal"), at the rate of one and one-half ounces to the square yard. With 
this sulphate of potash can be used at the rate of three-fourths ounce per square yard. 
Daffodils arc especially fond of lime, and a sprinkling of quicklime on the soil before 
it is dug is of advantage. 
Planting and Lifting. The best time to plant is with the first rains, although little 
diflercnce will be noticed in planting up to November i. After that date the bulbs lose 
by being kept out of the ground. The bulbs may be left undisturbed for years, but 
it is better to lift them and reset every second year, and, with the exception of the various 
lorms of Poeticus, there is some gain in lifting every year and replanting at once. The 
bulbs produce offsets, and become too crowded in" three years to do well. Plant the 
Poeticus varieties with liberal space, and do not move until crowding makes it necessary. 
Depth to Plant. The averge depth to plant is from 2 to 3 inches. Better less than 
more. A safe rule is to cover one and a half times their height 
Shade. All Daffodils prefer light shade. In California we should select a cool 
situation ll the soil is light, and much liner and longer stems will be had when they 
are shaded from one-fourth to one-half the day. This does not mean that the bulbs 
'I not thrive quite as well in sun as in shade. Excellent results can be had by plant- 
roups among shrubs or hardy perennials. 
water when growing. If the ground is kept almost 
ing Daffodil 
Watering. Daffodils like much 
wet until after blooming time, they will be all the better. 
When to Dig. If the leaves are cut from Daffodils while they are still green, it 
injures the bulbs. After they have flowered they should be left alone for from six to 
when the leaves will turn yellow. They are then ripe enough to dig, if it 
ght 
is desired to plant other bulbs in the same space. When dug they should first be well 
dried in a cool, airy place, and then stored in a dry place until time to replant comes 
I consider the long lines of Daffodils that we so often find along paths in gardens a 
bad garden mistake. It necessitates having a ragged border for too lon<' a period after 
flowering It is much better to plant the bulbs in bold groups at least 4 feet from the 
edge, as that would allow room for plants which will make the garden interesting before 
Daffodil-time, and which can easily be so arranged as to grow up and conceal the 
dying foliage as it ripens and the bare ground later. A good arrangement is a bright bor- 
der o.i aubrietias which flower all winter, with such plants as arabis and pansics back 
ol them, and good groups of strong perennials still farther back and interspersed among 
the masses of Daffodils. 
