4. Storing in cellars. 
A bulb cellar is a great convenience provided it is dark, well venti- 
lated and can be kept at a temperature between 48 and 50 °F. 
During the fall you can regulate the temperature by opening doors and 
windows at night, as the bulbous plants need ventilation as much as 
coolness. Close the doors and windows early in the morning to pre- 
serve the cool air. Be sure to have good ventilation in the corners and 
especially along the floor. 
Bulbs in a cellar should be kept watered regulary. 
It is advisable to cover your bulbs in the cellar with a layer of sand 
to prevent the bulbs from being lifted out of the soil during the root 
formation. 
When taking bulbs out of the cellar into the greenhouse it is advisable 
to give them a good splash of water, to settle the soil between the 
roots. 
Bulbs for later forcing should be stored in a lower temperature and 
if it is not possible to keep your cellar cool enough, the bulbs might 
be better buried outdoors until the weather is getting cold and you 
can then bring the bulbs into the cellar safely. 
Special rules for Hyacinths 
Hyacinth bulbs are sold prepared and unprepared in different sizes: 
viz. Ist, 2nd, and 3rd size, ,,miniature” etc. 
The large bulbs are planted singly, one in pot. 
Those of the smaller sizes can be planted, 3 or more in a pot, but 
mostly pans or flats are used for these grades. 
1. Treatment of prepared hyacinths in the greenhouse. 
Generally speaking it is advisable to bring the prepared hyacinths 
into the greenhouse about the 1st day of December. In distsicts where 
on account of the weather in the fall, the bulbs are retarded, it might 
be better to wait until the middle of December. 
In districts where as a rule early frosts can be expected and where 
at that date the soil might be frozen solid, another practice can be carried 
out. Bring the pots into a cold greenhouse, protected from frosts and 
keep the bulbs absolutely in the dark. Cover the pots and flats with a 
layer of soil, 4 in. thick, and leave them there until the beginning of 
December. The temperature in the place where they are buried should 
not be higher than 50 °F. Higher temperature in that period may cause 
premature development of the upper part of the flowerspike, so that the 
plants fail to produce normal flowers. 
All bulbs must be well rooted before they can be forced. 
The place where prepared hyacinths are being forced, should be kept 
dark or almost so, for the first 10 days. Starting them off in about 55 °F 
for the first two days, the temperature can be gradually raised till 75° F. 
When the sprouts are about 4 in. long, the bulbs should be placed in 
a partly shaded part of the greenhouse. They will soon be in bloom and 
ready for sale. 
Atmosphere in the greenhouse is to be kept moist, water freely at the 
time for forcing. A daily spray keeps the roots damp, especially when 
bottom heat is applied. It is recommendable to use water of about the 
same temperature as prevails in the forcing house, thereby avoiding chil- 
ling the soil, bulbs and pots with cold water. 
2. Unprepared (ordinary) Hyacinths. 
Some of the earliest varieties can be brought into the greenhouse be- 
tween Christmas and New-Year. They need the same treatment as the 
prepared bulbs. 
All January and sometimes February forcing should take place in 
darkness until the sprouts reach about 4 inches growth. Later in the 
season the sprouts will have reached this height outside or in the bulb- 
cellar and can therefore be placed directly on the bench in the greenhouse. 
Hyacinths to be used for cutflowers (prepared as well as unprepared) 
can be drawn up longer. 
3. Late forcing. 
When Easter is late or Hyacinths are wanted even later than Easter, 
the bulbs should not be planted at the same time as the other ones 
used for earliest or early forcing. 
The bulbs should be kept in trays in a dry, warm place, at a tem- 
perature of preferably 70 °F. Make sure that the atmosphere is dry as 
the slightest bit of moisture in the air, will make them root prematurely. 
For late forcing, hyacinths can be planted as late as the middle of 
January and than treated in the same way as all other hyacinths, plan- 
ted and kept in a col place of 48 to 50 °F, where they are kept moist. 
With 6 to 8 week they will have sufficient roots to be forced in the 
greenhouse 
4. How to prevent spitting or casting off the buds (,,Loose bud”) 
Some vatieties may show the phenomenon of spitting out the flower 
buds. Mostly the cause of this trouble has already developed during 
the time the bulbs remained in the plunging bed. The best ways to 
prevent the spitting out of the buds are: 
1. do not plant too early. 
2. prevent excessive water content of the plunging bed by good drainage. 
3. prevent too high temperature (48°F. and higher) in the plunging 
bed, especially about 6-8 weeks after planting the bulbs. 
To prevent damage, the transferring of the pots or flats during very 
cold weather from the trenches into the greenhouse should be done 
very quickly. Moreover, the bulbs should be covered during transport 
and after arrival in the greenhonse, the temperature should be brought 
higher gradually. 
