BARR & SONS, 11, 12 & 13 Kin£ Street, Covent Garden, London. 
3 
CULTURE AND ADAPTATION OF THE DAFFODIL OUTDOORS. 
SOIL 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, rotten stable manure should be added, and a potato or other crop taken off before planting. If this 
is not convenient, then place the manure at least I2 inches deep, so as to be out of the reach of the bulbs ; 
the manure is used not as a stimulant but as a sponge to hold moisture in the soil. The ammoniacal 
properties of manure are injurious to the Daffodil, hence great care is necessaiy in the use of it. 
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 often drawn under considerably 
below their proper depth, and the bloom in consequence is weakened and retarded. 
BOS't S&>f<6St IMEsnurO to USO is Crushed Bones or Basic Slag {Jor price see page 27). 
This should be applied at planting time, and may be mixed with the soil or placed next the bulbs ; the 
Crushed Bones may be applied at the rate of 4 cwt. to the acre, or i j 02. to the square yard, and Basic 
Slag may be applied in same manner at the rate of i ton to the acre, or •j\ oz. to the square yard. We 
recommend for light soils Crushed Bones (providing 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 page 
27), 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 f 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, a condition so essential to the perfect develop- 
ment of the Daffodil. We also recommend the use of Phytobroma in autumn and spring (see particulars, 
page 27). 
In Enrly 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. 
. PLANTING ANR LIFTING. — The best time to plant, to obtain the finest flowers, is 
during August and September, although bulbs may be planted as late as Christmas with very satis- 
factory results. (Mr. William Robinson has planted Daffodils at Gravetye as late as February, and they 
have bloomed well.) The 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 silver sand around the bulbs of Narcissi except in the case of N. corbularia. 
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, but not more. 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, measuring the bulb from the collar of its neck to its actual base. (See page 26 for Barr’s 
Special Bulb Planter.) 
POSITION AND GROUPING FOR EFFECT. — All Daffodils prefer partial shade, 
although most of them will grow equally well in the open. The varieties which are best grown in partial 
shade are indicated in the following pages by a *. In the flower border, to obtain the best effect. Daffodils 
should 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 Flower border, where irregular and effective sweeps can be planted between the 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. In the following pages we denote the rotation 
of blooming. (See page 12). 
NATURALISING DAFFODILS IN GRASS. — All Daffodils may be planted in 
grass with perfect success. To produce the best effect, the three groups should be kept separate : thus 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, scattering 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. 
Varieties specially Suitable for Naturalising’ In Grass, Woodlands, 
etc. — These are all free seeders, and will therefore spread naturally ; they are mostly wild plants — 
Abscissas, Achilles, Countess of Annesley, Golden Spur, Henry Irving, Obvallaris, Spurius, Fnglish 
Lent Lily, Princeps, Scoticus, V ariiformis. Albicans, Pallidus Proecox, Moschatus of Haworth (very pretty in 
grass), and all varieties of Poeticus. The Varieties underlined we do not recommend for the 
cultivated border, as they deteriorate the second year, while in grass or meadowland they flourish. 
Method of Planting Daffodils in Grass. — We recommend for this work our Special 
Bulb Planter (see illustration, page 26}, which we have much pleasure in introducing this season. By 
the use of this implement the trouble of planting bulbs in grass is reduced to a minimum. It takes out 
a clean, circular little sod of turf 2 inches in diameter, and of sufficient depth. On making the second hole 
this piece of turf is released from the planter and lies ready on the ground to cover the bulb with. The 
soil is not in any way tightly pressed and made hard, which is the case when an ordinary dibber is 
used, and the appearance of the grass is not spoilt ; in fact, after planting 10,000 bulbs with this tool on 
a greensward, one could not detect that the grass had been touclied. If the ground is very poor and thin, 
a compost of fresh soil with an abundance of Crushed Bones (7 lbs to a bushel) should be made and 
dropped into each hole before placing in the bulb, a little more should be given as a covering, and then 
the sod of turf be replaced and pressed down. The bulbs will then be given a fair start in their new 
quarters. In planting under trees, avoid places where the drip from the branches is greatest, also where 
the main roots of the trees come close to thesurface. (For triceof Ban's Special Bulb Planter, see page26.) 
