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BULBS AND TUBERS FOR JUNE PLANTING—USING THEM FOR THE BEST EFFECTS—HOW TO SAVE 
THEM FOR THE NEXT YEAR 
F. F. Rockwell 
A MONG the plants which may be classed as tender bulbs 
and tubers are some of the most indispensable of the gar¬ 
den’s flowers, and a few, such as dahlias, gladioli and cannas, 
which are universally considered as belonging in the front rank. 
Besides these there are a number of others not nearly so well 
known as the fall bulbs, not because they are less useful or 
beautiful, but simply because the seedsman usually has less room 
to talk about them in his spring catalogue. Like several other 
groups of flowers which have been discussed, the summer bulbs 
have a number of points in their favor. They are adapted for 
use in many ways, with the exception, of course, of formal design¬ 
bedding; but that is, perhaps, an advantage rather than a dis¬ 
advantage. They have to be planted out every year, for the 
most part; but, on the other hand, they 
do not have to be given winter protection, 
and in many cases it is much easier to take 
a few bulbs up, store them and put them 
out again in the spring, than to find the 
manure or leaves with which to protect 
them. 
For quick, striking and certain results, 
and for cut flowers that are beautiful and 
lasting the best of the bulbs in this class 
are without superiors. Another distinct 
advantage of this class of flowers 
is that they are well adapted to the 
late-made or temporary garden. 
They can be used in a place one 
year and, if necessary, moved with 
the other household goods and chat¬ 
tels to be enjoyed wherever the 
garden may happen to be made 
another year. In their dry state 
they take up very little room, and 
are easily cared for so long as they 
are kept away from a freezing 
temperature. Most of the bulbs in 
this group are tender, and, as it is 
not safe to plant them until after 
danger of frost, but as they grow 
rapidly when warm weather has set 
in, they are quite ideal for the gar¬ 
den which must be made late. 
Their demands in the way of 
general care are simple. A well- 
drained soil, made rich with a well- 
rotted manure or compost and bone 
flour. They are comparatively free from the attacks of insects 
or diseases. They do require, however, an abundance of moisture, 
as many of them are of a tropical nature. Liquid manuring, after 
they are well started, is particularly beneficial. Cow manure, 
or stable or hen manure, diluted with water until the color of 
weak tea, will prove a great stimulant and is not likely to be 
used to excess. The taller growing plants, such as dahlias and 
gladioli, in exposed position should be staked. Where they are 
planted in beds it is not necessary to stake each individual plant, 
as a few stakes driven about the circumference and at intervals 
through the bed will serve to hold a heavy, loose-woven twine 
that may be stretched between them in a coarse network. Where 
support is to be given, give it early; it is a thankless task to 
try to tie up plants that have once been beaten 
down by wind and rain. Tbe cultivation of the 
surface soil should not, of course, be neglected, 
and a light mulching where small plantings are 
to be made in sunny positions is highly effective 
in maintaining the soil moisture. 
Towards the close of the season, before danger 
of the first frost for the tenderer varieties, such 
as calla lilies and caladium, and after the first 
foliage-killing frost for other bulbs, such as 
cannas and dahlias, the tops should be cut 
off several inches above the ground, and 
the bulbs carefully forked up and put where 
they will dry thoroughly, with plenty of 
sunshine and air, but safe from the 
night frost. An old blanket or a 
few burlap bags thrown over them 
at night will protect them suf¬ 
ficiently for a week or two after 
♦taking them up. Then they should 
be stored carefully, preferably in 
sand or sawdust, where the tem¬ 
perature is between 35 degrees and 
40 degrees. Caladiums, which are 
exceptionally tender, should be kept 
in a temperature between 40 degrees 
and 50 degrees. 
The most popular of the several 
excellent things in this class are, of 
course, the dahlias. Iheir remark¬ 
able development during the last 
decade or so has been one of the 
sensations of flower history. They 
(Continued on page 459) 
Towards the close of the season, before danger of the first frost, 
cut off the tops, fork up the bulbs and dry them out 
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