90 
There are even thing's that the tulip bulb craves, 
such as a friable well-drained soil. In our experience 
the kind of soil, be it ordinary loam, clay loam, red 
shot soil or sand silt, is not so material to the quality of 
the bulb as it is to economical handling. A good bulb 
can be grown in most soils, but in all, the mechanics of 
the soil must be looked into and built up. A heavy 
soil should be lightened with cover crops, but a light 
sandy soil must attain character through the humus 
route. But if one is looking for desirable land on which 
to grow bulbs, soil with a good sand content as a basis 
will save trouble and expense. And there is another 
consideration just at this time, choose land which has 
good drainage. If there is one thing that the tulip 
bulb insists upon, it is that its feet shall not stand in 
water. Hence we would sacrifice points in the content 
of the land that there should be unquestioned natural 
drainage. 
Tillage for tulips should be thorough, it should also 
be deep. Ten inches of preparation is not at all too 
deep. Then the soil should be put in the best possible 
state of fineness and compactness, using harrow disk 
and some kind of packer. We have grown our bulbs 
for the past three years upon a Willamette Valley red 
shot hillside soil. This is a porous but not a light soil, 
and we speak with some severity when we advise thor¬ 
ough tillage. A square rod of honest tilth in time— 
saves the crop and the reputation of the grower. 
Shall we fertilize? That question may always be 
answered in the affirmative, and it is still an individual 
one. There is no doubt that we in America have failed 
to appreciate fully the requirements of these bulbs in 
maintaining size and vigor. A postulate of the Bureau 
