798 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 2, 
soft, spongy, ill-shapen bulb is of little use to produce 
a flower spike under any conditions, more especially 
in pot culture. Cheap bulbs are usually very disap¬ 
pointing. Buy the best. Avoid mixed collections, as 
ofttimes many of the varieties in collections are useless, 
or not wanted. Named varieties give the best results, 
especially in Dutch hyacinths. A good selection of 
bulbs for a young beginner are: First, white Roman 
hyacinths; second, named Dutch hyacinths; and third, 
TOT PROPER 1 Y FILLED WITH SOIL. Fig. 395. 
Narcissi in variety. Tulips and Crocus do not give as 
good results under pot culture as do hyacinths and 
Narcissi. 
ROMAN HYACINTHS.—The white flowering va¬ 
riety of Roman hyacinth is the best. The other colors 
are not as pretty in form or as free or early flowering 
as the white. Put three Roman hyacinth bulbs in a 
five-inch pot, or more in one of larger size. They look 
best grouped so that there is about 1/2 inch space be¬ 
tween them. 
DUTCH HYACINTHS.—Thei single flowering vari¬ 
eties of Dutch hyacinths are usually best in pots. The 
following list of double and single sorts is given: 
Single white, Grand Vedette, Grand Vainqueur, Mont 
Blanc; single red or rose, Gertrude, Moreno, Norma; 
single blue, Charles Dickens, Baron Von Thuyll, Queen 
of Blues; double white, Flevo, La Tour d’Auvergne; 
double rose, Koh-’i-Noor, Regina Victoria; double blue, 
Bloksberg, Laurens Koster. The Dutch hyacinths look 
well planted with one bulb in the center of a four or 
five-inch not, or in groups of three, five or seven in 
bulb pans or jardinieres. There should be about two 
inches of space between the bulbs. 
NARCISSI.—Most varieties of the Narcissi are suit¬ 
able for pot culture. Among double ones the Von Sion, 
generally known as the English daffodil, ranks first, 
N. incomparabilis and N. alba plena odorata being also 
good kinds. Among good single sorts, which are many, 
are Golden Spur, Horsfieldi, Princeps, Trumpet Major 
and Poeticus ornatus. Jonquils will give delicious 
fragrance, while the Polyanthus sorts are also desirable, 
the form known as Paper White being one of the best 
on account of its earliness. The Chinese sacred lily is 
also a favorite in this class. 
CULTURE AND CARE.—The soil for bulbs need 
not be very rich in fertilizer, although poor soil does 
not give the best results. Four parts of well-rotted sod, 
with one part of barnyard or cow manure and one- 
eighth of fine sand, well mixed, makes a good compost 
for bulbs. In case it cannot be obtained, get some good, 
light, loamy garden soil, mix with this some pulverized 
dry cow manure, four parts of soil to one of manure. 
Or about one quart of fine bone meal to half a bushel 
of soil will make a good compost, or some of the com¬ 
mercial fertilizers sold at seed stores could be used to 
mix with the garden soil. If the soil is heavy, mix in 
a little fine, sharp ssnd as before recommended. The 
soil should be fairly dry when used for potting. Care 
should be taken that all boxes or pans used should have 
holes in the bottom sufficient for drainage. 
HOW TO POT BULBS.—Fir;st of all fill the pot or 
box from one-half to about two-thirds full—according 
DUTCn HYACINTHS PLANTED TOO SHALLOW. Fig. 38G. 
to size of bulbs—with the soil, press the soil down 
slightly. Then place the bulbs in position at proper 
distances apart as before mentioned, so that the top 
or apex of the bulb is about an inch below the top of 
the pot or box. It may be necessary to take the bulbs 
out and add more soil, or remove some, perhaps,.before 
the bulbs are placed at the proper depth. Fig. 396 
shows Dutch hyacinths too near the surface, while 
Fig. 395 shows the pot properly filled. When this lat¬ 
ter point is assured, fill the pots loosely full level to 
the brim, then press the soil fairly firm around the 
bulbs until the surface is about half an inch below the 
edge of the pot or box, leaving the surface quite level. 
Give the pots sufficient water to moisten well all the 
soil in the pots. Two waterings may be necessary for 
this purpose. Then stand the pots away in a cool, 
damp, dark place in a temperature of from forty to 
fifty degrees to secure good roots on the bulbs. The 
cellar floor, or a dark basement, or close cupboard or 
box will suit them for this purpose. The pots should 
be buried in sand, sawdust or dry soil to induce good 
root growth. This material should be packed closely 
around the pots and cover the pots to the depth of an 
inch or two. The pots seldom require water again until 
rooted, unless the place they are in is very hot and dry. 
Early potted bulbs can be placed out of doors and cov¬ 
ered in the manner described, but must be protected 
from sharp frosts so that they can be got at easily to 
be brought indoors when rooted. The bulbs usually 
take from about four to five weeks to root well. To 
secure good roots to bulbs before bringing them into 
TOP GROWTH OF BULBS. Fig. 397. 
the window is absolutely necessary to ensure the best 
flowering results. 
% 
WHEN TO TAKE BULBS INTO WINDOW.— 
After the pots have been in their dark cool quarters 
for four or five weeks, they can be examined. If their 
delicate white roots appear through the holes, in the 
bottom of the pots the* bulbs can be brought into the 
window. If no roots appear the pots can be taken out 
and carefully examined. This is best done by taking 
the pot in both hands as seen in Fig. 398, and then 
turning the pot upside down and striking the edge or 
rim of the pot on a solid bench or table, until the ball 
of earth and roots is removed, as seen in Fig. 399. If 
the bulbs are as well rooted as seen in this picture, the 
pot should be placed over the ball of earth while still 
in the position shown in Fig. 399, and then restore the 
pot with the plant to its proper position. Examining 
the roots of bulbs is a delicate operation, and should be 
done as seldom as possible, as there is danger of break¬ 
ing the ball of .earth and the roots, which latter would 
seriously injure, if not ruin, the bulbs altogether. The 
bulbs should be watered at once again after being exam¬ 
ined to settle the earth around the roots. The bulbs 
can remain in their cool, dark quarters for several 
HOW TO HANDLE A POT OF BULBS. Fig. 398. 
weeks after being rooted if desired, but must be brought 
into the window when the top growth has attained to 
a height of about two inches, or the flowering results 
will not likely be as good as they should be. Fig. 397 
gives a good idea as to the stage of top growth when 
it is advisable to bring the bulbs into the window. 
When brought into the window, place them in a not 
too sunny position, and see that the soil is kept well 
moist by regular and copious waterings, always giving 
enough water to moisten all the soil in the pot. 
AFTER TREATMENT.—Bulbs grown in pots in 
the Winter are seldom of any use for the following 
season, and it is better to purchase fresh bulbs every 
year. After flowering the bulbs can be dried off grad¬ 
ually. When the foliage is quite dead, no more water 
should be given them. Stand the pots away in a cool 
place until Spring or Summer, when the bulbs can be 
planted out in the border, where they mav throw a few 
blossoms the next season, especially the Narcissi. The 
hyacinths are not as likely to give good results in this 
way, especially Roman hyacinths, as the latter are not 
hardy out of doors. 
BULBS IN WATER.—Dutch hyacinths can be 
grown in glasses made for this purpose. The glasses 
should be filled with rain water, so that when the bulb 
is placed on the top of the glass the water barely touches 
the bottom of the bulb. The bulbs should be stood 
away in this position for a few weeks in a dark cellar. 
When the vase or glass is fairly well filled with roots, 
the plants can be gradually introduced into the light to 
flower. The water should be changed occasionally 
POT OF BULBS NICELY ROOTED. Fig. 399. 
when looking stagnant or dirty. Rain water or clean 
water that has been exposed to the sun and air is best 
for this purpose. The bulbs must not be removed from 
the vases after they are once rooted until the flowering 
is over. Good sound bulbs of best quality are abso¬ 
lutely necessary for success in the culture of hyacinths in 
glasses. The Chinese sacred lily can be grown by placing 
a few gravel stones in a dish or saucer, and the saucer 
kept nearly filled with water. Set the bulb or bulbs 
firmly in the gravel. The bulbs should be placed in a 
cool, dark place to root in, the same as recommended 
before. When top growth has advanced as seen in 
Fig. 400, the bulbs should be brought into the window. 
These bulbs can also be grown in soil, sand or moss 
successfully. Grown among pebbles in water in clear 
glass bowls or in Japanese bulb bowls, it is very inter¬ 
esting to watch the action of root development. Bulbs 
not potted early in the season should be kept in a cool 
room or cellar until wanted so as to prevent them 
starting into top growth. 
ONE MAN AND A SILO . 
F. B., page 730, who gives experience in silo filling, 
makes me feel sorry for such poor judgment, hard 
work and undoubtedly poor silage. As a native of 
New York State, I often wonder if such impracticable 
farming is the cause of the farms being abandoned, or 
sold for less than the barn is worth. I will give you 
how a New York State man works at the job of silo 
filling in Illinois. I go to the field with a corn har¬ 
vester, cut five or six wagon loads, not bound, time 
required about one hour; take low-wheel wagon with 
hayrack, flat top, seven by 16 feet in size, top of the 
rack three feet above the ground. I load stalks across 
the rack as high as convenient, the butts one way; this 
will make a load of a ton or more. Drive wagon to 
cutter and blower, start gasoline engine, unload from 
the butt side. A fair sort of a man should put the load 
through the cutter in 15 to 20 minutes, making six to 
eight loads per day. Thus one man has put in 73 loads 
of corn in silo, at the cost of $3 for gasoline. My silo 
(Green Mountain) cost me $97.50; cutter and blower 
$85; gasoline engine, 5 horse power, $99; all new and 
first-class goods, doing the work equally as well as the 
CHINESE SACRED LILY. Fig. 400. 
very best, durable and all right. These prices may 
seem pretty low to the average farmer; it is what I 
paid. It may also surprise my brother farmer in know¬ 
ing that this corn ground, where this corn was grown, 
would sell quickly at $500 per acre; some I have sold 
at $800. It is in town, that is why, probably, I cannot 
afford a square silo, and full-grown cornstalks put in 
same without cutting. 1 must have good silage for my 
Jersey cows. j. s. P. 
Illinois. 
