AMEBIC AX BULBS UNDER GLASS 19 
Given firm, healthy bulbs to start with, a knowledge of the method 
of propagation, a loose, friable soil with good porosity, and an 
abundant moisture supply during the growing season, there is no 
more difficulty in producing good bulbs than with the daffodil. 
In spite of this fact, there seems to be a feeling that there is 
something mysterious and difficult about the production of these 
stocks, and few indeed have had the courage to attempt to grow 
them. There is really but one firm in this country that is attempt- 
ing their commercial production on an extensive scale. 
For these reasons, the only hyacinths forced in the tests reported 
in this bulletin have been those produced on the Government gar- 
dens at Bellingham, Wash., and Arlington Experiment Farm, Va. 
It is not necessary to report now in detail on the behavior of these, 
any further than to say that size for size they have been as satis- 
factory as the imported bulbs. Some illustrations are submitted to 
substantiate this point, which will undoubtedly be treated more 
fully in a future publication. (See pis. 10 and 11.) 
IRIS 
But few samples of iris bulbs aside from those produced on the 
Department of Agriculture grounds at Bellingham, Wash., have 
been handled under glass. For the last four years the four varie- 
ties of the Dutch group which have been forced have been uniformly 
satisf actory. The few samples from other growers which have been 
handled have also forced satisfactorily when received in good con- 
dition. There has been, however, a great variation in quality. 
Some bulbs, especially those of Iris tingitana, have been undersized, 
and some of the others have been injured in handling. 
There are a number of considerations to which attention should 
be directed. It has been proved to the writer's satisfaction that 
good stocks of the Spanish and Dutch groups have been produced 
in the Pacific Northwest, in California, Virginia, Xorth Carolina, 
and Xew York. This is a wide enough range of conditions to 
satisfy the most exacting demands. 
To produce iris bulbs successfully, moisture must not fail during 
the growing season from September to June; the soil must contain 
good fertility without rawness in the manures; the bulbs must be 
handled with care in storage and must not be allowed to mold or 
dry out too much ; the gray bulb aphis, if present, must be kept in 
check by a liberal application of tobacco dust on the shelves; and 
above all things the pack must be prevented from sweating by 
good aeration and the breaking up of large bulb masses. If these 
requirements are complied with, these desirable florist bulbs so much 
in demand can be produced over a very wide range of conditions. 
Here, as with so many other bulbous crops, the watchword must 
be care and attention to detail in cultivation, keeping down weeds, 
and watchfulness during the dormant season. 
The complaint is made that the bulbs " do not keep." Doubtless 
many stocks have not kept on the dealers' shelves, but this is due 
to an error somewhere along the line of travel from the field to 
the consumer. The writer is positive of this because he has kept 
these stocks perfectly from the middle of June to the middle of 
October, which is certainly long enough to allow for merchandising. 
