, CULTURAL NOTES (cont. ) 
possible, to prevent baking and packing hard. A mulch of straw, peat-moss or any zood 
mulching material, applied in late winter while the ground is still frozen, wil ce 
“beneficial in many ways, not the least of which is preventing heavy rains fron 
splashing and spoiling the flowers. 
Daffodils should not be planted in lawns, or any place where the foliaze 
will be cut off before it ripens, as this will weaken the bulbs. If you like lcaves 
to use with your cut flowers, take them from old varieties which you have lots of, 
possibly planted especially for this purpose. 
Unless you want the largest and best flowers possible, to win Blue Rib- 
bons at your flower show, your bulbs need not be moved more often than every 5 or 4 
years, or when they have increased to the point that they are too thick to bloom 
well; naturalized plantings may remain undisturbed for 10 or 15 years, or mere. 
When you decide to dig them, it should be done soon after the tops begin to turn yel- 
low, usually about 6 weeks after the end of the blooming season. It is better io dig 
them a little too soon than too late, as many kinds, especially the Poets, start mak- 
ing new root growth for the coming season before the tops have died down. Do not 
leave the bulbs in the sunshine at all for curing, but place immediately in a cool 
airy shed, spread out thinly in flat boxes, or hung up in onion or orange bags, if 
you have only a few of a kind. The tops may be left on to dry up or broken off, as 
you Wish,~ we break tham off. After curing for a month or 6 weeks, the roots and out~ 
er skins will be dry enogh to be removed; this may be done by hand, or if you have 
any quantity, place in a burlap or mesh bag and shake gently a few minutes. This will 
remove the shells and most of the roots, leaving the bulbs polished and shining. If 
your bulbs have been in the ground several years, you will likely find several bulbs 
for each one planted; these should be separated, if they come apart easily,- other- 
wise leave them together. At planting time a few more may be separated, which were 
not ready to break apart when cleaned« 
If you wish to have the finest flowers possible, for Winning Blue Ribbons 
at your flower shows, here are some further suggestions. In preparing the soil, in- 
stead of just working it up to one spade depth, take the topsoil out of the bed or 
place to be planted, and loosen up the subsoil another spade depth, mixing with it a 
quantity of well rotted manure or doiipost. Then replace the topsoil, pulverizing it 
thoroly. This should be done several weeks ahead of time, so that the ground will be 
all settled and ready by planting time. 
Also, mulching,- in addition to keeping the flowers clean,~ will make the 
ground cooler and moister, so that the flowers will be larger, and have better color- 
ing. Many varieties, especially the red and orange cupped ones, and those with deli- 
cate apricot, buff and pink coloring, seldom here attain the perfection and brilli- 
ancy of color, or the lasting quality that is common in England and Ireland, with 
their long cool rainy spring seasons. ‘Ie can always hope for this kind of a spring, 
but if it be quite the opposite, as so often happens, wonders can be accomplished by 
the use of lath or burlap shading, and the erection of windbreaks, - if there is no 
hedge or garden wall to break the force of the strong winds generally prevailing at 
this season. And of course a generous amount of water should be supplied, 
The best time to pick your flowers for exhibiting is as soon as they are 
partly open, preferrably early in the morning, By doing this, and placing them in a 
cool dark room, in deep water, the coloring will be much better, and you will be cer- 
tain that they will not be spoiled by a hard rain, or wind. If necessary to keep the 
flowers several days or longer before the Show, they should be taken out of the deep 
water after 6 or 8 hours, and placed in only 2 or 3 inches; ice cubes may be used to 
keep the water cold, and make the flowers keep better. 
Another thing to remember, if you hope to have prize-winning flowers ev- 
ery season, is that your bulbs should be talten up and replanted every second year. 
The bulbs which you purchase are usually about as largo as they will become, and at 
that stage of growth which will produce the best flowers possible the coming spring; 
by the second season the bulbs will have begun to split up, and there will be a few 
more flowers, but they should still be nearly as good as the first year. However, if 
left in for the third season, there would be from 2 to 4 or 5 bulbs for each one 
planted (some varieties increase faster than others), with maybe 4 to 8 or more 
