and high thinking. The editor, Madison Cooper, is a unique personality and his 
magazine is full of practical advice, information akut plants, as well as ideas and 
ideals for more sane living. 
The Flower Garden is an essential part of a gardener’s equipment. Ably 
edited, beautifully printed and illustrated. There are no finer garden maga¬ 
zines published anywhere. 
The Sunset for the west and south is indispensable, readable and useful 
everywhere. 
Southland Homes and Gardens brings the best ideas, methods and advice 
from those most able to give them for this southland. 
GENERAL CULTURE DIRECTIONS 
The “green finger” (or thumb) is not essential in the make up of a suc¬ 
cessful gardener. A “good head” is better. No genius is required because na¬ 
ture itself fits plants to all conditions, not excluding the face of a rock wall. 
But we want plants in situations where nature did not place them and that 
requires some study and thought, some ability to observe and reason, in order 
to bring about the conditions which the desiied plants require. 
Our catalogs and magazines and reference works we have recommended 
supply most of the preliminary information needed. But for complete success 
it needs to be carefully blended with experience and good judgement. 
One needs to accept as a fact that some unlooked for circumstance can 
cause failure, but such failures need occur only rarely and each failure and each 
success make us better gardners. 
Special directions are given in this catalog for the culture of bulbs along 
with the descriptions. But certain general rules apply to most of them. 
Depth and spacing. Usually bulbs may be planted about two or three times 
their diameter apart. Small bulbs like Zephyranthes and No. 3 Ranunculus and 
Anemones should be covered 1" or 2"; large bulbs should usually be planted 
4" or 5" deep. Exceptions, are mentioned in the proper place. Bulbs should be 
planted deeper in sandy than heavy soils. 
Some bulbs like certain varieties of Glads, make very tall, heavy stems that 
aie easily blown over. Some of them need to be planted 5" or 6" deep. Be sure 
there is at least 6" of good rich loose earth under the bulb, and 12" is better. 
In cold countries bulbs that remain in the ground over winter may be planted 
somewhat deeper and ground mulched in fall. 
Soil. Rich sandy loam is probably the best soil for most bulbs. But heav¬ 
ier soils are also good and are preferred by some, especially Bearded Iris. In 
heavier soils the drainage is likely to be poor if the ground is flat, and this may 
be improved by deep spading, even to 2', and the incorporation of much humus. 
Weeds should be turned under, not burned. Half decayed and broken tree and 
shrub trimmings buried between the 1 foot and 2 foot levels helps the drainage. 
This physical structure of the soil is even more important than its fertility. 
Fertilizers. Manure is \he safest, all around fertilizer. It can be applied 
fresh to fallow soils and thus save the nitrates. Do not plant until it 
has fully rotted. Thoroughly rotted manure can be spaded in a week or so 
before planting. A month before is safer. Some plants, like Iris and Lilies, 
should not be planted in manured soils for a long time. Acid loving plants 
should have much peat or leaf mold, especially from oak trees, in the soil. Use 
imported peat, as many American peats contain alkali. 
Chemical fertilizers are a hazard if not properly used. We will not attempt 
to tell you how. Superphosphate in small doses is good for Glads and other 
acid loving plants. For “big feeders” like Hippeasrums, Crinums, Clivias, 
Fancy Leaf Caladirms, etc., use manure and balanced fertilizers. 
Many cut off the tops of bulbous plants as soon as they are thru blooming. 
Or they let them dry up and die. Results are usually fatal. Keep them watered 
and cultivated as long as they will grow. That makes good bulbs and good 
flower buds. Daffodils should grow until late June here and later in the north 
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