198 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
death of the bulb ; it also offers less resistance to the progress of 
the young shoots, which is very desirable. 
Some persons have fixed boards round their beds : in that case, 
there is an easy mode of levelling and marking the places for the 
roots, which I made known some years since. It consists in 
having a strike, which is made of wood, about two feet longer 
than the width of the bed ; its lower edge, which is used for 
levelling the bed to receive the roots, and marking their places, 
is 4 inches deep, and fits between the boards ; on being moved 
backwards and forwards by a man at each end, it lays the mould 
in the desired form, having a curve two inches higher in the 
middle than at the sides for that purpose. Thus levelled, the bed 
is ready for marking the places for the bulbs, which is done by 
having seven pegs to fit into staples placed at proper distances on 
the face of the strike ; they should project a little below the edge. 
The strike should be put down at the distances for the cross rows, 
and the exact places for the bulbs will be marked. The roots are 
then to be placed on those marks, and the bed filled with mould ; 
the strike must be reversed and drawn from one end of the bed to 
the other, which will remove the mould not required ; the curve 
on this edge may be rather deeper than on the lower edge. 
Nothing more will be necessary until the latter end of January 
or beginning of February, when the bed will require protection. 
The bulbs will bear all the variations of weather until that period, 
unless the frost should be similar to what it was in January 1838, 
when it would be advisable to cover the bed with mats. 
Having given the necessary directions until February, I shall 
reserve the spring management for a future number. 
H. Groom. 
Walworth, Nov. 19, 1840. 
