30 
practically 100% and many varieties have given us bet¬ 
ter than 95%. We have more than doubled the per¬ 
centage of germination we used to get from Purple 
Glory and Diener’s American Beaut}^. 
In order to get the best germination we must go 
back to the time of digging. This should be done as 
late in the season as possible so as to give the bulblets 
the best opportunity to mature. Leave the bulblets at¬ 
tached to the bulb in so far as possible for a month or 
two and cure slowly. Then when the bulbs are cleaned 
the bulblets may be left in the dirt. When thoroughly 
ripened, the bulblets may be cleaned at any time dur¬ 
ing the winter and stored in very fine dirt which has 
passed through a 12-mesh screen (fly screen). Fine 
dirt is better than sand in which to store bulblets, as it 
retains moisture, even though it may look dry. Sand 
dries too quickly. 
The bulblets should be kept in a separate room from 
that in which the bulbs are stored. The bulbs should 
be kept rather dry, while for the bulblets there should 
be more moisture in the air. This may be supplied by 
the steam from an occasional tub of hot water. Here 
in our Willamette Valley climate the air usually con¬ 
tains plenty of moisture. 
The bulblets should be kept just dry enough that 
they will not sprout to any extent till we are ready for 
them to. If they are kept too wet there is danger of 
mold and rot, and if they show any signs of this they 
should be washed and spread in the sunshine and dried 
a little. 
Having gotten the bulblets safely through the win¬ 
ter, the next task is to make them grow. This is the 
thing which is apt to fill the beginner with alarm, espe- 
