REGI8TCRED TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS! BARR, LONDON." 
Autumn 1917. 
Barr’s “Gold Medal” Daffodils 
AWARDED 
Forty-five Gold Medals, Three Challenge Cups, 
AND THE R.H.S. STANDARD CUP FOR NEW SEEDLINGS 
1915 & 1916. 
Also many First-class Certificates and other high awards. 
Culture and Adaptation of the Daffodil Outdoors. 
Soil and its Treatment. — The Daffodil will thrive in any ordinary garden soil, but prefers 
a deep, rather moist sandy loam. When the soil is of a dry and sandy nature, it should be deeply dug, if 
possible a season previous to planting the bulbs, well-decayed cow manure being added, and a vegetable 
or annual crop grown on the ground. Before the bulbs are planted a sprinkling of quick-lime should 
be spread on the surface and dug in. If it is not convenient to first take off a crop of Vegetables or 
Annuals, then, in digging, mix with the soil crushed bones at the rate of i-J oz. to the square yard. The 
ammoniacal properties of stable manure are injurious to the Daffodil ; if used, therefore, it should be placed 
well below the bulb. On good retentive loamy soils a dressing of lime may be given every three years, 
with an annual dressing of Basic Slag, at the rate of oz. to the square yard. 
Freshly dug Soil should be allowed to stand vacant two to three weeks before planting, to allow 
the ground to settle down, otherwise the freshly planted bulbs are sometimes drawn under considerably 
below their proper depth, and the bloom in consequence is apt to be weakened and retarded the first season. 
The Best and Safe.st Manures to use are Crushed Bones, Dissolved Bones, Basic Slag, or 
Phytobroma applied at planting time, and mixed with the soil ; the Crushed or Dissolved Bones at the 
rate of 6 cwt. to the acre, or 2 oz. to the square yard, and Basic Slag at the rate of l ton to the acre, 
or 7j oz. to the square yard. We recommend for light soils Crushed Bones in preference to Basic Slag. 
On very poor and dry sandy soils we recommend in addition Sulphate of Potash, to be sprinkled 
annually in the autumn over the surface of the ground, after planting, at the rate of 2 cwt. to the acre, or 
about J oz. to the square yard. The potash not only increases the depth of colour in the flowers, but also 
helps to hold moisture in the soil, an essential condition to the perfect development of the Daffodil. 
In the case of bulbs which have not been lifted we recommend a top dressing (well hoed in) of Phytobroma 
or Dissolved Bones in November and again in January or early February, at the rate of 3 oz. to the square 
yard. /V;V« /.is/ of Manures will be found on page 32. 
In Early Spring, as soon as the Daffodils begin to show above ground, the surface .soil should be 
well broken with a hoe, to sweeten it after the heavy winter rains ; a handy tool for this purpose will be 
found offered on page 31. Where practicable it is advisable to cover the ground in November with some 
light covering material, such as peat-fibre, pulled heather, cut furze, or gorse, or even old pea sticks laid 
across the ground ; stable manure is not a good mulch for Daffodils. The primary object of a mulch is to 
prevent the autumn rains hardening the crust of the ground and to break the severity of a sudden frost. 
Planting and Lifting. — The best time to plant, to obtain the finest flowers, is early 
Autumn (as early as possible), allhough bulbs may be pul in as tale as Ckrislmas with fairly satisfactory 
results ; we have planted some Daffodils as late as the second week in February, and had some very good 
blooms in May. We recommend, however, early planting for best results. The bulbs may be left undis- 
turbed for years in ordinary good loamy soils, but on poor or light soils they are better lifted every two 
years, as soon as the foliage has died down, replanting the best bulbs eilher immediately or as early as 
convenient. Never plant when the ground is wet and sticky. Do not put silver sand around the bulbs 
of Narcissi except in the case of the Bulbocodium varieties. 
Depth to Plant. — The average depth to plant is from 2 to 3 inches, that is to say, a covering 
of 2 to 3 inches of soil. As the bulbs vary considerably in size, according to the relative varieties, the 
best rule to go by is the bulb itself, which should be covered with soil once and a half its own depth, 
measuiing 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 England and in cold localities they 
should be put in a little deeper than in the warmer southern districts. 
