BARR St SONS, 11, 12 & t3 King Street, Covent Garden, London. 
3 
CULTURE AND ADAPTATION OF THE DAFFODIL OUTDOORS. 
and its treatment.— The Daffodil will thrive in any ordinary garden soil, but 
prefers a deep, rather moist loam. When the soil is of a dry and .sandy nature, it should be deeply dug 
TVfnr",. “"'i a potato or other crop should first be grown on the ground. 
Jiefore the bulbs are planted a sprinkling of lime should be given on the surface and then dug in. If it is 
not convenient to first take off a crop of potatoes, then, in digging, give a dressing of lime to the top spit, 
ana work in rotten stable manure one foot below the surface^ so as to be out of the reach of the bulbs • the 
manure is used not as a stimui^t but as a sponge to hold moisture in the soil. The ammoniacal properties 
of manure are injur ious to the Daffodil, hence great care is necessary in the use of it. On good retentive 
loamy soils stable manure is not required, but a dressing of lime may prove beneficial. 
11 Soil should be allowed to stand vacant two to three weeks before planting, to 
niuT. f down, otherwise the freshly planted bulbs are sometimes drawn under considerably 
uelow tlieir jiroper depth, and the bloom in consequenee is weakened and retarded. 
This OionPI f NIanure to use is Crushed Bones or Basic Slag (for price see paqe 39). 
This should be applied at planting time, and may be mixed with the soil or placed next the bulbV the 
Crushed Bones may be applied at the rate of 4 cwt. to the acre, or i j oz. to the square yard, and Basic 
Slag may be applied in st^e manner at the rate of I ton to the acre, or yt oz. to the square yard. We 
recommend for light soils Crushed Bones (provided they are genuine) in preference to Basic Slag. On very 
poor and dry sandy soils we recommend in addition Sulphate of Potash (for price see pare 30), to be 
spiinkled annually in the autumn over the surface of the ground, after planting, at the rate of 2 cwt. to the 
hn’l^’/i’'/i square yard. The potash not only increases the depth of colour in the flowers, 
n r? ’ *1° moisture in the soil, a condition so essential to the perfect development of the 
Dallodil. \\ e also recommend the use of Phytobroma in autumn and spring particulars, page 39). 
i,„ *n Spring, as soon as the Daffodils begin to show above ground, the surface soil should 
be w’ell broken with a hoe, to sweeten it after the heavy winter rains. 
•-■FTING — The best time to plant, to obtain the finest flowers, is during 
September, aUhottgh bulbs may be planted as late as Christmas with very satisfactory results. (We planted 
some Daffodils this year the second week in February, and had some very good blooms the third week in 
May.) Ihe bulbs may be left undisturbed for years in ordinary good loamy soils, but on poor and light 
soils they are better lifted every two years, as soon as the foliage has died down, and replanted as early as 
IS convenient. Never plant when the ground is wet and sticky ; wait until it is dry or friable. Do not put 
Sliver sand around the bulbs of Narcissi except in the case of N. corbularia. 
V* depth to plant is from 2 to 3 inches, that is to say, a covering 
ol 2 to J inches of soil, but not more. As the bulbs vary considerably in size, according to tbe 
relative v-ineties, the best rule to go by is the bulb itself, which should be covered with soil ouce aud a half 
Its own depth, measuring the bulb from the collar of its neck to its actual base. On light sandy soils the 
bulbs may be planted a trifle deeper than on heavy stiff soils, and in the North of Kngland and in cold 
localities ihey should be put in a little deeper than in the warmer southern districts. 
grouping FOR EFFEOT.-All Daffodils prefer partial shade, although 
most of them will groiv equally well in the open. The varieties which are best grown in partial shade 
"’“‘cated m the following pages by an '. In the flower border, to obtain the best effect. Daffodils 
shou d be planted in large groups of irregular outline, each group or clump to contain one variety only • 
avoid straight lines circles, and symmetrical designs. Masses of Daffodils should always appear in the 
Hardy l-lower border, where irregular and effective sweeps can be planted between Ihe clumps of 
herbaceous plants which in their turn grow up and hide as well as shelter the Daffodil foliage while it is 
going to rest. In grouping Daffodils the season of flowering should be borne in mind, as the varieties 
bloom in succession from the end of February to the end of .May, during which period, by a judicious 
arrangement, a constant succession of flower is obtainable. On page 17 wc denote the rotation of blooming 
IN grass, EtC.-All Daflbdils may be planted in grats 
with perfect success. To produce the best eflect, the three groups should be kept separate ; ihus the Star 
Narcissi should not be mixed with the Great Trumpets, nor Poet’s Narcissi with the .Star Narcissi In 
arranging, make the breaks large and bold, scatteiing the bulbs over the ground broadcast with the hand 
and planting them where they fall. Avoid symmetrical lines or formal circles as far as possible, as these 
are never found in nature. In planting under trees, avoid places where the drip from the branches is 
greatest, also where the mam roots of the trees come close to the surface. 
specially Suitable for Naturalisingi in Grass, Woodlands, 
etc.— Ihese are all free seeders, and will therefore spread naturally; they are mostly wild plants— 
Abscissus, Achille.s, Countess of Annesicv. Golden Spur, Henry Irving, Obvallari.s, Smtriiis, English 
Lei^Lily, Princeps, Scoticus, V ariilormis. Albicans, Pallidus Praccox , Moschalus of HaworTi iTv'^ pr^ hi 
grass), ami all vaiietics of Poeticus. The Varieties t nderlinkd we do not recommend for the 
cultivated border, as they deteriorate the second year, while in glass or meadowland they flourish. 
Varieties Suitable for Planting by the Water Side,— Daffodils produce a 
chaiming effect when growing at the water’s edge. The following varieties we can strongly recommend 
lor this purpose -Dh'a/rrr and Odoms rugulosus, with their rush-like foliage and graceful golden flowers ; 
Vuchess of I Westminster, John Bain, and the old late Bheasant's Eye A’arcissus (Poetic us), with their 
gracelul starry flowers; Emperor, P. R. Barr, and Empress, three noble trumpeters \Sir Watkin, Barrii 
conspiruus, Stella superba. Beauty. Frank Miles, etc. In choice sjiots near the water’s edge the charming 
little tyclainincus also should be planted. 
