Forcing Bulbs, and Bulbs Adapted to House Culture 
and about fourteen inches across. This gives an 
almost solid mass of flowers and foliage. A pan of 
Romans in full bloom is very eff ective for the decora¬ 
tion of the home or church. Florists otter us this 
variety in blue, yellow, and pink, but the whites are 
the only ones I would recommend. The colors of 
the others are dingy. 
The Holland hyacinth is easily forced. I prefer 
the single kind, for the reason that its flowers are less 
prim and formal than those of the double ones, which 
are so thickly crowded along the stalk that all individ¬ 
uality is lost. 
I have never been very successful in forcing tulips. 
The early single ones bloom fairly well, but the double 
kinds, and the late single ones, seldom develop 
satisfactorily under the conditions which prevail in 
the living-room. 
In potting narcissus, hyacinth and tulip, I simply 
press the bulbs down well into the soil, leaving the 
upper portion uncovered. 
It is always advisable to procure bulbs early in the 
season—in September, if possible—and to pot some 
of them as soon as received. These for early flower¬ 
ing. If some are potted at intervals of ten days or 
two weeks, a succession may be had which will 
pretty nearly cover the entire winter. Those not 
potted immediately should be well wrapped in thick 
paper and stored in a dark, cool place until needed. 
This to prevent the evaporation of moisture stored 
in their scales. A bulb exposed to light and air soon 
becomes flabby, and not much can be expected from 
it after this condition sets in. 
Many are under the impression that it is not really 
necessary to put potted bulbs away in a dark, cool 
place for a time after potting. But this is one of the 
important items to be considered. A bulb so treated 
will form roots without making much, if any, growth 
of top, this latter stage of development being de¬ 
pendent largely on warmth and light. Unless a bulb 
has strong roots it lacks ability to supply its top with 
sufficient nourishment to bring about proper develop¬ 
ment. If we were to place a potted bulb in the win¬ 
dow immediately after potting, the influence of 
warmth and light would stimulate it to attempt top- 
growth before roots had formed—or while they were 
forming—and the result would be disastrous in most 
cases. A period of several weeks in a place where the 
temperature is low, and from which light is excluded is 
one of the chief essentials of success. Very little water 
will be required during this period. Examine your 
bulbs from time to time, however, and if the soil seems 
to be getting quite dry, apply water enough to moisten 
it all through, but on no account give enough to make 
—and keep —it wet. Leave your bulbs in cold stor¬ 
age until they show that they are ready for active work 
by beginning to send up leaves. Then take them 
to the light, but do not encourage rapid development 
by subjecting them to much heat. A temperature 
of sixty or sixty-five degrees is much better for them 
than a hiffiier one. 
O 
The amaryllis is a favorite when grown success¬ 
fully, and certainly it deserves popularity, for choice 
varieties of it are magnificent in form and coloring. 
But judging from the many complaints of failure 
which come to me, it disappoints the grower oftener 
than it rewards his or her efforts to grow it satisfac¬ 
torily. I think most failures result from an im¬ 
perfect knowledge of the habits of the plant. Most 
persons give it about the same amount of water the 
year round, thus preventing it from taking the rest 
which it must have between each period of growth, 
in order to do itself justice. If you study the plant 
carefully, you will discover that it produces leaves 
freely for a time, and then ceases to grow. By and 
by there will be another production of leaves, followed 
by another period of inactivity. A continuous supply 
of water prevents the plant from becoming fully 
dormant between each period of growth, and this is 
just what causes the mischief . By withholding water, 
and allowing the soil to become almost dry, the plant 
apparently stands still for a time. It is really pre¬ 
paring itself for the next growing period. Keep it in 
this condition until new leaves—or possibly a bud— 
appears. Then—and not till then—apply more 
water, and make use of fertilizers. Encourage a 
strong growth by generous treatment, but as soon as 
leaf-production ceases again withhold water, and let 
the plant rest until such a time as it shows a disposi¬ 
tion to grow. By making these alternating periods 
of rest and growth as complete as possible, in them¬ 
selves, we may feel reasonably certain of securing 
two or three crops of flowers each year. Give it the 
same kind of soil advised for the other bulbs spoken 
of, arrange for perfect drainage, and disturb its roots 
as little as possible. It is very sensitive to root- 
disturbance, and often refuses to bloom for months 
after repotting. If a good liquid fertilizer is used it 
will not be necessary to repot oftener than once in two 
or three years. Remove the little bulblets that form 
about the old bulbs as soon as they appear, thus 
throwing all the strength of the plant into the three 
or four bulbs which a seven or eight inch pot will 
comfortably accommodate. 
Vallota purpurea, sometimes known as Scar¬ 
borough lily, is a fall-flowering variety of the amaryllis 
which the lover of really fine flowers cannot afford to 
be without. It increases rapidly, and a pot of it will 
soon have a dozen or more bulbs of flowering size. 
In August or September these bulbs will throw up 
stalks about a foot in height, each bearing from three 
to five flowers of the most dazzling vermilion. 
Unlike the variety of amaryllis first mentioned— 
which does not take kindly to the cellar—this 
sort can safely be stored there from November to 
March. The calla, agapanthus, imantophyllum and 
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