256 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 5,1894. 
Three rows are arranged together, and then a wide alley to get at the 
plants. Water during drought is indispensable. Manurial dressings 
applied to the surface of the soil, to be washed in by rain or by 
watering, is of much benefit. Of these the cheapest and not the 
least efEective is soot, while dry cleanings of pigeon cots mixed 
with an equal bulk of soil is very good. 
As has been said, the practice of planting out bulbs well 
started into growth extends the period of flowering. It does this 
by forcing the whole stock into flower earlier, so that spikes are 
produced almost as early in Scotland as they are in the south of 
England. Several years I have had spikes in July, before the last 
ones of The Bride and Insignis were cut. I fancy also that the 
plants contract a habit of flowering earlier, in the same way that 
the Arum and Lily of the Valley which are forced year after year 
do. It has also been noted that all the late sorts flower out their 
spikes. This, of course, indicates the growth of the plant to be 
finished at an earlier period of the autumn. For several years 
I have made a practice of lifting the bulbs when the season of 
flowering is ended. The rule is to ripen off green-leaved plants in 
cool glass structures. This, however, has a disadvantage in the 
corms shrinking, no matter how careful one may be in carrying 
out details. If the plants are left lying on the surface of the 
ground, exposed to sun by day and to dew by night, no shrinkage 
takes place, while the ripening process is perhaps better completed 
by this method than by any other. I lift the earlier flowering 
varieties immediately the foliage of these decays, for if left in the 
ground they are apt to push new roots during the autumn, and 
I do not think this can be of any benefit to the corms.—R. P. 
Brotherston. 
CTo be continued.) 
HOW TO MAKE GOOD USE OF BULBS. 
It seems to me that one feature of the gardening of the future 
will be the great attention paid to the employment, in various 
ways, of the many beautiful species and varieties of spring flowering 
bulbous plants, springing up as they do at a time when Nature is 
awakening from her long winter’s rest, when the budding trees and 
deep green verdure give a peculiar charm and freshness to all 
around, their own intrinsic beauty is displayed under conspicuously 
favourable conditions. Then, too, this numerous class of easily 
grown plants supply such infinite variety in the form and colour of 
their flowers, that fastidious indeed must be the taste that is not 
suited among some or other of them. Those who have a decided 
preference for the most showy colours to be met with in our 
gardens may have them in abundance among Tulips, Daffodils, 
Hyacinths, and Narcissi. Others who prefer deeper and richer 
colours will have no difficulty in flnding them among the same 
species, and many who find an endless charm in studying the 
exquisitely blended tints of less pronounced and more delicate 
colours will be able to suit their taste among some varieties of 
each section. So great is the demand for cut flowers in the 
majority of private establishments, that it is necessary to have 
large supplies to draw upon in addition to those which are grown 
under glass. During the summer mouths there is usually abundance 
of materials suitable for the purpose, such as Roses, Heliotropes, 
Carnations, Pseonies, Clematis, Asters, Stocks, as well as hosts of 
herbaceous plants, but I think with a slight outlay and thoughtful 
management our gardens might be made more attractive than they 
frequently are during the spring months. 
Large numbers of bulbs are grown in pots in most gardens of 
pretension. Every one of these bulbs ought to be taken care of, 
and eventually planted in the open air, where they each year 
increase in strength, beautify many an unsightly spot, and yield 
abundance of exquisite flowers well adapted for use in a cut state. 
It is well to bear these facts in mind from the present time 
onwards, and take the first step towards securing a good display 
in the future by paying a little extra attention to bulbs in pots as 
they go out of flower. Too often they are brought from the 
heated rooms of the mansion, placed in any out-of-the-way position 
in the open air, and left to take their chance. Instead of doing 
this, if a cold pit or rough frame can be set asunder for the purpose 
of receiving bulbs in pots for a few weeks after they have done 
flowering, they will then be sufficiently hardened to bear placing in 
a sheltered position in the open air. Then with regular atten¬ 
tion to watering till the leaves die down naturally, sound, well 
ripened, healthy bulbs are the result, instead of starvelings, which 
are scarcely fit for anything but the rubbish heap, for if planted 
in the open air such take several years to recover themselves. I 
like ^ to leave the bulbs in pots for some weeks after every 
vestige of foliage has died down, and allow the soil to become 
quite dry. They are then in excellent condition for storing away 
till planting time. A good method of storing is to place each 
variety separately in shallow boxes or pans, cover the bulbs with 
dry soil, which helps to keep them plump, and stand in a dry 
cool position till October, when they will be ready for planting in 
their permanent quarters. 
In many establishments a strip of soil in the reserve garden is 
set apart for these forced bulbs, where they gradually recoup them¬ 
selves and supply numbers of useful cut flowers. This is an 
excellent plan in those instances where they are not required to 
adorn some portion of the wild garden or shrubberies, and a great 
advantage of the system is that proper cultivation can be given 
them. 
Another good method of turning forced bulbs to account is to 
plant them in the foreground of shrubberies or in clamps in mixed 
borders. If set from 4 to 6 inches (according to the size cf the 
bulbs) below the surface they may remain undisturbed for years 
without interfering greatly with those plants employed in the same 
positions for providing a summer display. 
Another way of putting bulbs of the above description to a 
good use, and one which I wish to especially advocate, is that of 
planting them in masses under trees, where the grass is occasion¬ 
ally mown with a scythe during the summer months. In nes”'^ 
all private gardens such spots may be found, and with but little 
expenditure of labour may be converted into a veritable paradise 
of flowers during spring time. In order to produce a fine effect 
it is important not to dot the bulbs about indiscriminately, but 
rather to plant large masses of each variety. To accomplish this 
with bulbs which have been used for forcing is a matter of years. 
A certain space should therefore be set apart for each kind, and 
be filled up by degrees, except in the case of Snowdrops, Crocuses, 
Scillas, and the more common kinds of Daffodils, which are seldom 
grown in pots, and which can be bought so cheaply that in many 
instances bold masses of some of them may be planted completely 
each year. In planting I find it advisable to make the holes in 
the turf with a crowbar or stick, drop in the bulbs, and fill the 
holes with good garden soil. 
When a natural garden of spring-flowering bulbs is thus 
established, they should not be left entirely to themselves, but 
ought to receive a dressing of well decayed manure in the autumn 
at least once in two years. This little attention will be repaid 
tenfold by the extra vigour and good health in which the plants 
will be maintained. 
Those who venture to carry out the ideas I have attempted to 
elucidate will, I think, be delighted with the results, and I am sure 
they will find it difficult to convert so easily by other means 
many an unattractive spot into a vision of surpassing beauty.— 
A Flower Gardener. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND THE 
CRYSTAL PALACE. 
In thanking you for the notice (page 240) which you gave 
last week of the proposed renewal of the Great Autumn Fruit 
Show at the Crystal Palace, may I be allowed to again draw your 
readers’ attention to the subject? 
1, There is, I believe, no such place in the world so suitable for 
a great fruit show as the Crystal Palace ; there space and light, 
the two great desiderata, are practically unlimited. 
2, Other shows have come and gone, but until 1892 the Palace 
Show never failed, and was unanimously regarded as the great fruit 
event of each year, 
3, The Royal Horticultural Society has offered, with the con¬ 
sent and co-operation of the Palace authorities, to revive this 
autumn fruit show, if those interested in fruit growing in this 
country will manifest that interest by practical support. 
4, (a) The Palace offer £100 towards the prizes, undertake 
the advertising, will lend their staging, and will “pass” all Fellows’ 
tickets of the Society, (i). The Society will undertake the whole 
of the correspondence, work, and labour of the Show, and all 
further pecuniary and other responsibility (the total cost cannot 
be far short of £400). Except (c), a sum of £100 towards the 
prizes, which they ask in subscriptions from the public as a proof 
and earnest of the practical interest they feel in the matter, this 
£100 to be promised on or before Tuesday, April 10th at noon, 
when a definite decision of whether to hold the Show or not has 
to be arrived at. 
5, The Show (if it be held) will not be a mere show, but 
advantage will be taken of it to gather together representative 
collections of hardy English fruits, and public lectures will be 
given on two days of the Show on the subjects concerned. 
6, This is how the matter stands at present. It rests entirely 
with growers of fruit trees and of fruit to say whether the Show 
shall or shall not be revived, and this they will say by their 
promised or withheld subscriptions. 
