A Few Practical Hints on Bulb Culture 
Proper Condition of Soil. — Only plant bulbs, when the ground is in a nice friable condition, and never 
when the soil is wet and sticky. Better plant later in good friable soil, than early in wet saturated ground. 
Preparing Ground for Bulbs. — After digging or trenching, the ground should be allowed to settle at 
least ten days before planting. If planted on freshly trenched ground, as the land subsides, the bulbs will be 
drawn down below their proper depth. 
Depth to Plant. — Many amateurs have a tendency to plant too deeply, and thousands of bulbs are de- 
stroyed annually by too deep planting (crocuses especially suffer from this error). The proper guide to go by is 
the bulb itself, which should be covered with soil once and a half to twice its own depth but not more, measuring 
the bulb from its base to its shoulder. Thus a daffodil bulb measuring two inches from base to shoulder should 
be covered with three to four inches of soil, and a crocus bulb measuring one inch in depth with only one and a 
half to two inches of soil. 
Proper Time to Plant and Best Position.— Information on this subject is given at the heading of 
each family. Amateurs frequently fail with many bulbous plants through planting at the wrong season, thinking 
that because September is the proper time to plant crocuses, all other autumn bulbs should be planted in the same 
month, whereas such families as Ranunculi, lxias, Sparaxis, &c. should not be planted before November at the 
earliest, the best time being generally immediately after Christmas, or as soon as the ground is in good working 
order after that date ; if planted in September they are almost sure to be killed. 
Manure for Bulbs. — All bulbs object to the ammoniacal properties of manure, consequently hot or fresh 
stable manure should never be used to dig in the ground for bulbs, but only well decayed stable or cow manure 
(chicken manure is poison to bulbs, being too full of ammonia). The safest manure for bulbs of all description, 
out doors, is phosphatic basic slag, price 7/6 per cwt., 8 d. per 7 lbs. ; this should be put in ground with the bulbs 
at the time of planting at the rate of 1 ton per acre or jh oz. per square yard, and after planting, sprinkle on the 
surface of the ground sulphate of potash at the rate of 2 cwt. per acre or 3 oz. per square yard, price 21/- per 
cwt., 1/6 per 7 lbs. 
Bulbs in pots should have a surface dressing of 1 Phytobroma ' when showing top growth and again when 
in bud ( see page 2 of cover). 
Top Dressing. — Where possible, we advise a top dressing to all bulbs through the winter months with 
some light material such as long straw litter, cut heather, cut furze branches, &c., or cut fern bracken resting on 
pea sticks (cut fern used by itself lies too wet and is apt to rot the young growths). The advantage of this 
light covering is that it keeps the surface soil sweet, keeps off heavy autumnal rains, and protects any early top 
growths. 
BARR’S Selected Bulbs & Roots for Early Forcing. 
CULTURE FOR EARLY BULB FORCING. 
Pot the bulbs 3 to 6, or more according to size, in a 4 or 5-inch pot, barely covering the Bulbs with soil. This 
should be done during August, September, and October, the pots being placed out of doors on a bed of ashes, 
and covered over with a few inches of cocoa-nut fibre or ashes. There let them remain till the bulbs are well 
rooted, and have made a little top growth, when a few pots at a time should be removed to a cold frame and be 
l;ept partially shaded for a day or two, after which they should be removed to a moderately warm and moist tem- 
perature, a plentiful supply of water being then given to the roots. A successional supply of flowers can thus be 
'maintained from November to February. 
PAGE 
ALLIUM neapolitanum 8 
ARUM Lily. See Richardia 45 
CHINESE Sacred Lily, ‘Good Luck Lily’ of 
China and Japan, ' Flower of the Gods,' and 
'Water Fairy Lily' 43 
CHIONODOXA, The Glory of the Snow 15 
CHRISTMAS Roses. See Helleboi-us 25 
DAFFODILS for Forcing. See Daffodil Catalogue. 
DEUTZIA gracilis 20 
DICENTRA (syu. Dielytra), Lyre Flower 20 
EUCHARIS, The Amazonian Lily 21 
FREESIAS, Sweet Scented 21 
GALANTHUS Elwosii, Elwes' Giant Snowdrop ... 22 
,, Ikarlse, a lovely new Snowdrop 5 
HELLEBORUS nlger maxlmus. The Giant 
Christmas Rose 25 
HYACINTHS, Exhibition Varieties 25 
„ Early Dwarf Roman, White, Blue, 
Blush and Straw-Coloured 29 
IRIS persica 32 
,, reticulata, The Violet-Scented Iris 32 
JONQUIL, Single Yellow, ) . .. . , 
,, Double Yellow, f dehc.ously scented 33 
ILILIUM longiflorum Harrlsii, The Bermuda 
Easter Lily 36 
PAGE 
LILIUM longiflorum robustum, succeeding Hai- 
risii in lime of flowering 36 
LILY of the Valley. Barr’s Extra Selected 
Berlin Crowns 38 
„ ,, Barr’s Extra Strong established 
Clumps 38 
MILLA unlflora, for associating with Hyacinths, 
Tulips, &c 41 
„ violacea 41 
NARCISSUS Polyanthus Paper White 42 
,, „ Double Roman 43 
„ ,, Grand Soleil d’Or 42 
„ ,, ‘ Scllly Isles,’ White 42 
,, ,, * Chinese Sacred ’ 43 
NARCISSUS (Daffodils) for Early Forcing. See 
our Daffodil Catalogue. 
POLYGONATUM, Solomon's Seal 44 
RICHARDIA Africana, The Lily of the Nile 45 
„ ,, Little Gem 45 
SC1LLA sibirica, to associate with Giant Snowdrops 
and Chionodoxas 45 
,, var. tauriea a fortnight earlier 
than above 45 
SNOWDROPS, See Calanthus 22 
SPIR/EA Japonica, The Japanese Meadow Sweet 47 
„ palmata, Rosy Crimson 47 
,, astilboides 47 
TULIPS, Due Van Thol, and other Early Forcing 
Varieties 49 
00* Fop Bapp’s Special Mixtupe of Cocoa Fibpe and Chapcoal, also Jadoo 
Fibpe, fop gpowing Bulbs in, see page 60 . 
A 
