Ailments and Troubles 49 
neled. If the litter is not there to draw 
them until the ground is hard with frost, 
however, the bulbs are safe. 
Manure in contact with bulbs is almost 
sure death to them, for even where it is 
old and so does not actually burn them, it 
is still too heavy in humus and conse- 
quently rots them. An over supply of 
it in the soil will have this effect some- 
times, even though none is actually in 
contact with them, for it is clogging to 
the soil and excludes air, consequently 
harbors moisture. When it is used in 
the border with them at all, it should be 
used well below the bottom of the bulbs 
or tubers which are to feed on it. At 
such a depth it does not matter if air 
is missing and moisture is retained, for 
only the feeding roots reach down there, 
leaving the bulb itself up above, freehand 
dry. 
Bulbs lose vitality by being out of the 
ground, therefore it is always well to get 
them into the ground as soon as possible 
