September, 191C 
THE GARDEN U A G A Z I N E 
47 
inches high, and ten wide, the length of the 
ordinary window, can be procured from a hard- 
ware store at the cost of about a dollar. It 
may be painted to harmonize with the color 
scheme of the room. In the bottom of this 
box place at least three Inches of the best farm- 
yard dressing that it is possible to obtain, the 
older the better. Or if this is hard to procure, 
use a little good loam, mixed with at least 
three or four pounds of coarsely ground bone 
that can be procured at any seed store. Fill 
the box to within two inches of the brim with 
rather coarse sand to which a very small pro- 
portion of good loam has been added. 
Plant the bulbs in September, in pots or 
pans, the six-inch bulb pan being a convenient 
size. They then receive the ordinary" treat- 
ment of storage in a cool dark cellar, covered 
to exclude the smallest ray of light, for the 
period of from six to eight weeks, during which 
they form the root growth necessary for the 
proper development of their flowers. I store 
my own in a cool corner away from the fur- 
nace, under my cellar stairs, and cover them 
with two or three thicknesses of old awnings 
and burlap. The covering of coal ashes 
advised in my garden books, and by most 
florists is too dirty for adoption in most 
cellars, and is not necessary for the success of 
the bulbs. 
W ater the bulbs whenever the soil shows 
signs of becoming dust dry, which will be 
about once every two weeks. Lift the pots 
occasionally to see if the roots show through 
the small hole in the bottom. As in the case 
of this new method the bulbs may be grown in 
much smaller pots than ordinarily, or several 
more bulbs to a pot, the roots will be apt to 
make their appearance at the end of the fourth 
or fifth week, instead of at the end of the sixth 
which is usual when the bulbs are grown in the 
ordinary manner. 4 he bulbs can be set as 
close together as possible in the pots, merely 
avoiding touching each other. 
.At the first sign of the roots appearing 
through the hole in the bottom of the pot, the 
pots may be brought to the window box, 
though if not desired immediately they may be 
left several weeks longer without detriment 
to their contents. 
\^ hen the pots are taken from the cellar it is 
well to place them in a rather cool room away 
from direct sunlight for a day at least, so that 
the change from the cellar darkness will not be 
too sudden when they are brought to the full 
sunlight. The pots are then sunk into the soil 
of the window box, lea\ ing about two inches 
of the rim of the pot visible. 1 he bulbs are 
then watered thoroughly, and the soil in the 
window box kept well wet. 
The advantages of this “new wrinkle” in 
bulb growing are manifold. The soil in the 
pots does not dry out, but keeps moist and re- 
freshing to the roots, so that the bulbs receive 
no check such as will be the case if the small 
pots grown by the other method are not kept 
conscientiously watered. The bulbs send out 
their roots through the bottom of the pot 
deep into the soil of the window box, and reach 
the extra nutriment at the bottom just when 
it is most needed for the perfection of the blos- 
soms. The same quality bulbs grown under 
these two methods prove decisively the great 
superiority -of this extra root room and en- 
richment. In the case of some miniature 
Hyacinths, two pots of bulbs of identical size, 
bought from the same firm, were chosen. They 
were both brought to the light on the same 
date, and given the same treatment, with the 
exception that one was sunk in the window 
box. By actual measurement the six bulbs 
grown by the old method averaged about five 
inches in height, which was a good size for the 
miniature Hyacinths. Those with the extra 
Crocus is easy enough to handle, but takes its own time. It 
makes a welcome pot plant of low stature 
root room showed a flower spike, without ex- 
ception, of seven inches, and two were nearly 
eight. 
The planning of the window displays affords 
a fascinating pastime. Each display, from 
the first bringing up of the bulbs from the cel- 
lar to the final perfection of the flowers, can be 
roughly estimated as taking about two and a 
half weeks. A slight knowledge of what bulbs 
can be forced earliest will help in deciding. 
The following table will give tbe beginner some 
idea in planning his bulb displays, as to the 
order of forcing. 
Polyanthus Narcissus Paper White; White Roman Hyacinth: 
Due Van Thol Tulips; White Italian Hyacinths (the pink and 
light blue varieties of this type of Hyacinth are unsatisfactory for 
amateur culture); Princeps Narcissus and early single Tulips; 
Miniature Hyacinths of all colors; Exhibition Hyacinths; 
Double Tulips; Large trumpet Narcissus; Crocus; Campernelle 
Jonquils; Spanish Iris and forcing Gladiolus. 
These comprise the more usual bulbs for 
general culture, and the amateur will do well 
to confine his attentions to them. The follow- 
ing, roughly estimated as to dates, shows the 
record of one winter’s “displays” in my win- 
dow box. The colors of course can be varied 
to suit the individual taste, and the record is 
intended merely as a suggestion for color 
scheme and general effect. In this table, the 
bulbs were planted September ist, and the first 
display was brought to the light about 
October zoth. The Paper White Narcissus 
were grown in bowls of water and pebbles, and 
were not counted as one of the window dis- 
plays in this experiment. 
Oct. 20th to Nov*. loth. \Vhite Roman Hyacinths. 
Nov. loth to Dec. ist. White Roman Hyacinths and pale 
pink and scarlet Due Van Thol Tulips. 
Dec. 1st through Christmas. Scarlet Due Van Thol Tulips to 
match my Holly. * 
Dec. 25th to Jan. 15th. Princeps Narcissus and pale pink 
miniature Hyacinths. 
Jan. 15th to Feb. 7th. Empress Narcissus and pale blue 
miniature Hyacinths. 
Feb. 7th to March ist. Emperor Narcissus and double pink 
Tulips. 
March 1st to 21st. Crocus in purple and white, planted 
separately, with double yellow Tulips. 
March 2ist, last display. Blushing Bride Gladiolus. 
In some cases of course the bulbs lasted a 
longer or shorter time than here indicated, but 
my effects did bloom together as they were 
planned. 
A particular feature in bulb growing by this 
method as well as by any other is to get your 
bulbs potted and stored in the dark at the 
earliest possible date. Nowhere is the motto 
“First come first ser\ed” better illustrated 
than in the routine of a seed firm. And in 
most cases, too, I have found that an early 
order means the pick of the bulbs in size and 
quality. 
Again, an early order, and your bulbs in 
storage well before the m'ddle of September 
means early blossoms, for during the warmer 
autumn weather the bulbs make roots more 
quickly than later. A friend was most aston- 
ished to find me with Roman Hyacinths in 
blossom at a time when hers had barely been 
two weeks in storage. 
