JAMES VICK'S SONS , ROCHESTER , vV. K 
3 
place, and the water kept up to the base of the bulb. Hyacinths may be raised in the same way, if desired. 
The Dutch bulbs do well in ordinary garden soil if it is dry, that is, if water does not 
Bulbs in lie on it in the winter season. A compact clayey soil may be improved for bulbs by 
the Garden. mixing with it a quantity of sand. A sandy loam is all that is desirable. The ground 
should be spaded deep immediately before planting. When planting a large number 
in a border or bed it is well to remove entirely the upper layer of soil to a depth of four inches and then spade 
the lower soil a good depth. Rake it smooth and level, and, if possible, spread over the surface a layer of 
sand an inch in depth; this provides a bed for the roots to run in freely, and enables them to make a 
vigorous growth from the start. Providing a bed of sand is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient to 
do so it is an advantage. The bulbs, Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, Crocus, etc., are now set on the bed, the 
largest bulbs from four to six inches apart, and Crocus, Snowdrop, and Snowflake about two inches apart, 
and when all are in place the surface soil that was removed is gently spread over them without disturbing them, 
and they thus get covered some three or four inches in depth. At the north bulbs should by preference 
be planted from the last of September up to November, while at the south November will be early enough. 
When but a few dozen bulbs are to be planted, they can be set by removing the soil with a trowel to the 
proper depth, and dropping a little sand into the hole before placing in the bulb is also a good practice, 
though ordinarily it is not done. 
When the bulbs are set and covered, then before hard freezing weather comes they will 
After Planting need to be covered with leaves or litter, enough to prevent the ground from freezing 
the Bulbs. much, for the bulbs are injured by the movement of the soil about them that takes place 
when the ground thaws, tearing or straining the roots and enfeebling the plants. 
Early in spring the most of the covering can be removed, leaving a little to remain over the bed until the 
leaves begin to push, and then clearing it all off. 
Bulbs in a shrubbery border may be left after blooming without disturbance, and each 
After the Bulbs spring they will renew their growth and bloom. At the last of May or early in June 
have bloomed. summer blooming plants can be set in between the bulbous plants whose ripening 
foliage will soon after wither and disappear. When bulb beds are in a conspicuous 
place, and it is desirable that they should be set early with summer-flowering plants, the bulbs can be carefully 
lifted with soil attached, taken away, and placed in a trench previously prepared for them in a half shady 
place. There they can remain until the foliage has decayed, when the bulbs can be removed from the soil 
and be placed away in a dry, airy, cool place, to remain until time for planting in early autumn. 
POLYANTHUS NARCISSUS, PAPER WHITE GRANDIFLORUS 
