erowth from dormant vegetative “eyes.” This fact can be utilized in vege- 
tative propagation from old back-bulbs. When they are cut from the plant, 
individually or in groups, new plants can be started from them. The opti- 
mum time to cut they and start them off is repotting time — middle of Feb- 
ruary. If the plant is not to be repotted, they can be “pulled” to break the 
rhizome, or the rhizome completely cut through and the bulbs left in the 
pot. In this case the conditions of starting new srowth are liable to be too 
severe to obtain the best results. 
It is better to completely sever them from the main plant at repotting 
time, which anticipates warm spring weather, and repot them separately 
as single bulbs. 
The method of starting the old bulbs is easy, especially if the old bulbs 
are not too senile, and one to four new growths from each back-bulb is pos- 
ROSANNA ‘Imperial’ 
Bronze Award S.C.O.S., 1954 
sible. They need only moisture and warmth and will even start in garden 
soil, provided these requirements are met continuously. A safe and quicker 
method, giving a greater percentage of good results, with multiple or stronger 
new growth, is as follows: (1) Do not peel off the old protective leaf bases 
covering the bulb. They cover and protect the vegetative eyes from excessive 
contact with water, pests and light, They are designed by nature to protect, 
so leave them. (2) Make up a tray, well drained at the bottom, and fill it 
with three or four inches of live moss or a mixture of two parts tan bark, 
two parts chopped, clean fibre and two parts leaf mould. It should not be 
packed tightly. (3) Insert each bulb, vertically, to one-third of its depth 
into this, base downwards. Place in the glass-house, preferably but not es- 
sentially, and keep warm and moist. (4) Start your back-bulbs early in the 
season so that you give them the whole growing season of summer and 
autumn to develop strong leads which will make up into small bulbs early 
fea PE 
