GOLDEN DAFFODILS 
By S. LEONARD BASTIN 
T HERE can be small doubt that a profitable 
hobby has a fascination which is all its own. 
Whilst it is deplorable to prosecute a spare 
time occupation solely for the sake of gain, yet the 
hope of reaping substantial reward for any pastime 
is hound to add a special zest to the indulgence of 
one’s fancy. There is perhaps nothing which can 
so well be turned to good account as gardening, 
particularly if attention be 
given to the special forms 
of the art. The fashions 
in flowers are quite as well 
defined as are the modes 
in gowns, and the horti- 
culturist in consid¬ 
ering where he shall 
turn his attention, should 
certainly bear in mind the 
trend of popular taste. At 
the present time it is safe 
to say that there is no flow¬ 
er which is more to the 
front than the narcissus 
for some reason which it is 
not very easy to guess at, 
an immense wave of en¬ 
thusiasm for daffodils is 
passing round the whole 
world. 
Now, to all intents and 
purposes the narcissi are 
amongst the simplest 
plants to he grown. There 
is scarcely any soil in which 
they will not thrive, 
although the bulbs would 
be least successful on a cold 
clay. To get the best re¬ 
sults, however, the grower 
will find that it is well to 
dig his beds deeply, and 
if the mold be of a light sandy nature some addi¬ 
tion in the way of manuremay be added. Of course, 
with a few exceptions, all the commonly grown 
varieties of narcissi are amongst the hardiest of 
plants, well able to take care of themselves and re¬ 
quiring little or no shelter under ordinary conditions 
of climate. 
The acquisition of narcissus bulbs is not at all a 
difficult or an expensive matter nowadays, but it is 
not wise to lay out a great deal of money on expensive 
varieties at the start. The aim of the gardener 
should be rather to grow good varieties for himself, a 
matter requiring a considerable amount of patience, 
but one which sooner or later is amply rewarded. 
Excepting occasional sports which all plants are 
liable to produce, the only way in which new varieties 
from daffodils may be produced is from seed. Every 
distinct and characteristic feature which marks a 
sport is of much value to the grower. Their devel¬ 
opment may result in a very popular new variety 
which may not only make 
the name of the “ origin a- 
tor ” famous, but may also 
increase bis bank account 
by several figures, both of 
which would, without 
doubt, be gladly welcomed. 
In order to illustrate the 
manner in which the arti¬ 
ficial, cross fertilization of 
narcissus blooms may be 
carried on it may be of 
interest to give a definite 
instance. The flowers of 
two varieties possess quali¬ 
ties which it is desired to 
combine. With a cam- 
el’s-hair brush the florist 
removes the pollen from 
the stamens of one bloom 
and places it upon the 
pistil of another, by this 
means hoping to affect 
t h e s ee d w h ic h w i 11 be 
forthcoming as the result 
of the impregnation. The 
fertilized flower is most 
carefully shielded from 
injury, and the head is en¬ 
closed in a muslin bag to 
prevent the loss of any 
seed. As soon as it is ripe 
the seed is gathered and 
this is sown in a sheltered plot of ground. It will not 
be long before the seedlings appear and when 
these are of a large enough size to handle readily, 
they should be placed into a fresb bed. Here they 
must be grown on without a check, every year the 
bulbs being lifted in the late spring and planted 
again in the autumn. Eventually they attain to flow¬ 
ering size and then the gardener will be able to see 
whether his work has been crowned with any sort of 
success. Of course there are plenty of disappoint¬ 
ments, but the chances are that from a number of 
batches of seedlings raised from different flowers 
DAFFODILS 
Seed L. Ortho and Compensator 
227 
