22 BULLETIN 1082, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
a small scale and is not selling can very advantageously leave them 
in the old matrix until the time of planting. In this case the cracking 
of the coats is not so serious a matter, and the presence of the old 
matrix may actually be a protection to small lots stored on a make- 
shift basis. With the commercial grower, however, the case is very 
different. He must preserve the coats, for more than one reason, 
and he must separate his merchantable bulbs from his planting stock 
without unnecessary delay, for the market is always impatient for 
its bulbs, and the planting season is rapidly approaching. 
When the bulbs have reached the proper condition they are removed 
from the shelves or trays to large cleaning tables, where several men 
or boys work them over, or the cleaning is done directly from the 
trays, suitably supported. 
It is found to be advantageous to pick out the merchantable stocks 
by hand and at the same time break all the increase loose from 
the clump. The large bulbs are placed by hand in receptacles 
and returned to the shelves, or they may go directly into bags 
for shipment. The small bulbs, together with the old coats 
and dirt are left on the table, being pushed to one side by the 
cleaner until they have accumulated sufficiently, when they 
are either shoveled or pulled by hand into baskets or tubs, in 
which they are conveyed to a fanning mill. This machine, with a 
suitable arrangement of sieves and padding to prevent bruising 
removes the dirt and blows out the old coats, leaving the stock clean 
and ready to be sized preparatory to planting. 
A grain-fanning mill is found to be almost indispensable for cleaning 
the small bulbs. The mill is padded with burlap and usually all 
sieves but one, which removes dirt, are dispensed with. By exercising 
care it is found that no particular injury is done by the mill to the 
smaller sizes of bulbs. 
Every operation in the cleaning must be carefully watched, to 
prevent bruising the bulbs. Inexperienced or careless labor can do 
irreparable injury in a short time, even by such an operation as tossing 
bulbs into the containers instead of carefully placing them therein. 
The cleaner should have a scoop (PL XIII, Fig. 1) close at hand, 
and the bulbs should be placed in this receptacle and not thrown 
into it. Such a vessel is much better than a box or pail, for bulbs 
do not have to be dropped into it, and when it is emptied its discharge 
of the bulbs into bags or onto the shelves again is much less likely 
to cause injury. 
Piles of bulbs on the shelves or on the tables are generally handled 
with ordinary iron shovels. At times a homemade, flat-bottomed, 
wooden hand scoop is used, not essentially different from those some- 
times used by grocers ; but if care is exercised there need be no more 
injury from the use of a common iron shovel. For getting the bulbs 
