F. C. Hornberger, Home and Garden Service 
9 
GERMINATING BULBLETS: Due 
to their very hard shell, bulblets are 
somewhat insulated against moisture, 
they are often kept in an ordinary cellar 
for two years and give as good or better 
germination, than newer bulblets do. 
That hard shell prevents the tiny minia' 
ture bulb, that is inside, from contacting 
the air and so drying up. You could not 
keep bulbs in the same condition that 
you can keep the bulblets. While this 
shell is an advantage, in preserving the 
bulblets, it is also an obstacle in getting 
them to grow, because if planted dry, in 
dry ground, the chances are that only a 
few will come up. They will be preserved 
in the ground in the same manner as in 
storage, so we must use man’s devices to 
induce the moisture to penetrate that 
shell, and so start that little plant to 
grow. Many devices,—methods are in 
use, some use strong acids, lye, and other 
materials, some mix with wet sand and 
let stand in the sun, or heat until they 
germinate, some strip part of the shell 
from the higher priced varieties, but this 
method would be too slow and costly for 
cheaper varieties; perhaps the most prac' 
tical, is to put your bulblets in cloth 
bags; soak them in water several days, 
then place the wet bags on the ground 
where the sun can reach them with its 
heat, cover the wet bags with a heavy 
blanket, keep wet, examine each day, 
turn the bags from side to side, and also 
stir the bulblets, when they show small 
sprouts and signs of sprouts, you will 
know that the moisture and the heat 
combined have induced the moisture to 
penetrate the shell and so start the germ 
to grow. Now you can plant them in 
shallow drills something like garden 
peas, about two inches deep, and from 
two to six inches wide, do not sow too 
thick, after planting soak the bed with 
water. Covering the rows with heavy 
bags for a short time will help to hold 
the moisture longer and so cause quick 
germination, remove bags as soon as 
sprouts appear. 
IRRIGATION: Perhaps in no other 
place is irrigation so desirable as in germ¬ 
mating, and starting the bulblets to 
grow, larger bulbs are planted deeper, 
and even moderate moisture starts them 
to grow, and they root deep, so that in 
all sections of the country, where you 
have ample rainfall for a good crop of 
garden vegetables, you can grow very 
nice flowers without any artificial irriga- 
tion; of course, it helps if you have it 
available, you can produce a bigger crop, 
and better flowers, but irrigation will not 
give you better quality bulbs. Some 
growers use irrigation to get a bumper 
crop of bulbs and flowers, then they 
advertise that bulbs grown by irrigation 
are superior, this is untrue, if anything 
the bulbs that are grown slow and not 
forced in growth are superior as seed 
stock, scientific proof has been estab' 
lished. 
TEST YOUR SOIL: Experiments 
concluded by our experiment stations 
and other investigators have proven that 
what they term the P.H. value of soil 
and its range of acid or alkaline condi' 
tion has much to do with the yield of 
your crops. As each kind of plant 
grown needs slightly different require' 
ments, it is important that you have 
your soil tested for any important or 
valuable crop. It may mean a difference 
of 50% or more in yield. If you live 
where there is an active membership of 
the Farm Bureau Movement, you can 
secure free soil tests and other valuable 
information by becoming a member, or 
you can ask for facts from your state 
agricultural department. 
VALUE OF SOIL TESTS 
Dr. H. J. Wheeler has discussed the 
ph value of soils at some length in several 
issues of the Rural New Yorker. He 
shows us the importance of soil tests, to 
determine the acidity or alkaline condi' 
tion of any soil, he points out that where 
soils are supplied with plenty of humus, 
they are not influenced as much by any 
extreme condition of acidity or alkalim 
ity. He says—“In a word a soil well 
supplied with humus from turning under 
green crops or animal manures will in' 
jure plants less at any given very high or 
