CONFERENCE ON BULB-G ROWING IN THE BRITISH ISLES. 301 
saleable bulbs being thereby increased, which points to the advantage 
of keeping the stocks for cut flowers separate from the stock for bulb 
sale. Although an English-grown Tulip bulb may not always have 
the same bright appearance as one from the Continent, and may not, 
perhaps, be so large, the flowers are certainly better. I have noticed 
the difference for many years in our own nurseries, where imported 
and our home-grown Tulips have been planted side by side. The 
English bulbs make a slightly taller growth, come into bloom earlier, 
and have larger flowers. 
" The early-flowering Gladioli are successfully grown in the 
Channel Islands, and lately we have had some very satisfactory corms 
from Ireland. The large-flowered, late Gladioli do well in England. 
We know that in the West of England Messrs. Kelway are very 
successful with their Gladioli. The corms grow freely in an ordinary 
loam. At our Taplow Nurseries very good late Gladioli are grown, 
and they increase freely. 
" Of Bulbous Irises, the English and Spanish grow well in Lincoln- 
shire, but the Dutch cultivate on so large a scale and work so economi- 
cally that they will probably always be able to beat us in price. 
" Crocuses can be successfully grown here, though the corms are 
smaller than the imported ones ; but here again in Holland the areas 
devoted to their cultivation are so large and the prices so low that we 
may very well leave our wants to be supplied from thence. 
" Quite as satisfactory bulbs of Scillas can be grown in Great 
Britain as anywhere, particularly of the well-known S cilia sibirica 
and of the later Scillas or Wood Hyacinths. With regard to the 
Wood Hyacinths, care must be taken to ripen off these bulbs properly. 
When lifted, they should be laid in a shallow trench and be covered 
with a little soil, so that they can colour and properly mature. They 
should then keep sound until Christmas. 
" The ' Heavenly Blue ' variety of Muscari is now largely grown 
in England, and as hardly any Scilla sibirica bulbs will be obtainable 
this year I strongly recommend this beautiful Muscari to take its 
place. 
" All species of Anemone are successfully grown all over the 
country. In Cornwall, Ireland, and the Channel Islands large quanti- 
ties of Anemone fulgens and A. coronaria ' St. Brigid ' are cultivated. 
" The Channel Islands specialize in Ranunculuses, while Ixias can 
be grown as successfully in Guernsey and Ireland (and probably in 
Cornwall) as on the Continent, and Montbretias grow well in many 
parts of the country." 
Mr. Barr added that British growers would never be able to 
compete with Holland in growing Hyacinths, as, except in a very 
few parts of the country, we have not the suitable soil conditions. 
The Rev. Joseph Jacob thought the R.H.S. might do good work 
in holding trials of Daffodils to ascertain their relative value for 
forcing. Few private growers, he remarked, recognized the ease 
with which Daffodils force when the bulbs have been grown in an 
