A. H. NICHOLS 
26 
shows very little and gives good support. Over-fertilizing will 
tend to make them “flop”, too. But the better sorts have fine 
straight stems that stand up well. 
3. If you are planting bulbs that you have carried over from 
last season dip them for twelve to twenty-four hours in a 
solution made up in the proportion of one ounce of Bi-chloride 
of Mercury to ten gallons of water. Your druggist will put this 
powder up for you in the amounts you need for small or large 
quantities of bulbs. 
Use non-metal containers, as Bi-chloride of Mercury attacks 
metal. For small numbers of several varieties of bulbs we use 
large fruit jars. Put bulbs in jars, mix solution in larger con¬ 
tainer and pour over the bulbs, after six hours pour off the 
solution and plant the bulbs—easy to do? Remember Bi¬ 
chloride of Mercury is POISONOUS so do not leave around 
where humans or animals can get into it. 
We treat every bulb we plant, destroying any questionable 
looking ones and treating only good clean stock, this is an 
insurance against any trouble from the outside. This treatment 
delays blooming a week or so. Allow for that if planning 
bloom for a certain time. 
Peeled or sprouted bulbs should not be left in solution more 
than six hours. 
USE SOME FERTILIZER FOR FLOWERS 
If you wish to increase the size of your flowers, work in 
some fertilizer around the plants when they are eight or nine 
inches high and again when the flower spike begins to show. 
Plenty of water is necessary, too. We have found that a plant 
has seven leaves before the bloom spike shows and it is then 
about three weeks before the flowers are at their best. But 
remember that large florets are bred in the variety and no 
amount of fertilizer or care can make the flower of a smaller 
typed sort grow to the size of the newer large kinds. It will 
improve the spike a lot, but size is in the variety. 
