December  Is,  1603.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  451 
I'  ollow  on  with  the  remainder,  and  When  the  last  trench  in  the  first 
part  is  ready  commence  the  second  part,  filling  np  with  soil  from 
it.  Continue  until  finished,  when  the  soil  taken  out  from  the  first 
trench  will  lie  ready  for  completing  the  work.  In  narrow  plots  of 
land  the  soil  may  be  dug  out  at  one  end,  wheeling  it  to  the  ether  for 
filling  in  ou  completion  of  the  trenching. 
Ground  that  has  been  recently  trenched  will  not  require  it  again 
for  several  years;  but  it  is  advisable  to  dig  with  a  spade  as  deeply  as 
possible,  spreading  on  the  land  previously  a  generous  layer  of  partially 
decomposed  manure,  except  where  Carrots,  Parsnips,  and  Beet  are  to 
be  grown.  These  crops,  however,  like  good  soil,  but  it  should  be  that 
which  has  been  liberally  manured  for  a  previous  crop  and  afterwards 
well  worked. — E.  D.  S. 
BULBS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
C Concluded  from  page  413.) 
Ihe  early  plants  of  Roman  Hyacinths  should  by  this  time, 
November  30th,  be  in  flower.  I  have  already  finished  cutting  the 
flowers  of  the  first  pots  I  placed  in  heat,  and  now  have  Tulips  White 
Swan  and  Due  Van  Thol  in  flower,  with  numbers  of  others  following 
them  closely.  Flowering  them  thus  early  is  quite  a  simple  matter,  if 
the  right  course  is  pursued;  on  the  other  hand,  a  slight  mistake  will 
cause  disaster,  and  it  is  no  unusual  occurrence  to  seo  attempts  at 
early  forcing  end  in  failure.  The  secret — if  secret  there  be — of  success 
is  to  pot  early,  plunge,  and  then  let  nothing  induce  the  cultivator  to 
remove  the  bulbs  from  the  plunging  material  till  they  have  made  at 
least  an  inch  ot  top  growth  and  plenty  of  roots.  When  they  have 
reached  this  stage  they  will  bear  a  great  amouut  of  heat ;  in  fact,  both 
Romans  and  the  early  varieties  of  Tulips  seem  to  revel  in  it,  so  loDg 
as  moisture  is  given  in  proportion  to  the  heat. 
All  Tulips  and  Hyacinths  which  are  introduced  to  the  forcing 
house  during  November  I  place  on  the  plunging  material  in  propagat¬ 
ing  frames,  where  they  are  kept  quite  close  and  dark  until  the  flower 
buds  are  just  visible  ;  a  little  air  is  then  admitted,  but  the  frame  is 
kept  shaded  for  a  few  days  longer,  and  when  the  covering  is  removed 
it  is  done  toward  evening,  and  put  on  again  the  next  day  if  there  is 
the  least  appearance  of  sunshine.  When  there  is  a  strong  bottom  heat 
it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  remove  the  boxes  from  the  frame  and 
thoroughly  moisten  the  plunging  material,  and  an  occasional  damping 
with  the  syringe  benefits  the  young  growths.  If  this  treatment  is 
followed  I  u lips  with  a  good  length  ot  foliage  and  flower  stems  may  be 
obtained  in  November.  After  the  present  date  all  bulbs  of  the  early 
flowering  species  and  varieties  will  come  on  freely  enough  if  thev  were 
potted  early. 
.  Space  in  forcing  houses  fitted  with  frames  is  just  at  present  much 
in  demand  for  forcing  large  quantities  of  Lilies  ;  it  is,  therefore,  con¬ 
venient  to  know  that  Tulips,  Hyacinths,  and  Narcissus  may  be  given 
what  I  will  term  more  “  rough-and-ready  ”  treatment.  We  have  a  Fern 
house  with  several  rows  of  hot-water  pipes  under  the  stages.  These 
pipes  are  fixed  about  9  inches  above  the  floors  ;  this  allows  sufficient 
room  to  place  boxes  containing  started  bulbs  under  the  pipes.  Plenty 
of  moisture  is  kept  around  them,  and  mats  are  hung  from  the  stages 
to  the  ground.  In  this  position  I  find  the  bulbs  grow  splendidly,  and 
get  drawn  up  to  the  required  height.  When  the  shoots  are  of  suffi¬ 
cient  length  the  boxes  are  removed  to  a  bed  in  the  forcing  house 
covered  with  paper  for  a  day  or  two,  and  then  fully  exposed.  This 
plan  is  one  which  might  with  advantage  be  adopted  in  many  private 
gardens.  When  followed  it  is  astonishing  what  large  numbers  of 
bulbs  may  be  forced  when  only  a  very  limited  amount  of  space  is  at 
command  for  finishing  them. 
,  ,:rhe,mikl  weatller  again  experienced  tin's  autumn  has  caused  all 
bulbs  plunged  in  the  open  air  to  start  quickly.  They  will  now  require 
inspecting  once  a  week,  and  all  which  have  made  growth  from  1  to 
2  inches  in  length  should  be  removed  to  cold  pits  or  frames,  of  course 
darkening  them  for  a  few  days.  Should  sharp  frosts  prevail  a 
covering  of  strawy  material  placed  over  the  glass  will  afford  ample 
protection.  S  me  cultivators  are  unduly  nervous  in  this  matter  and 
take  a  great  deal  more  trouble  in  protecting  bulbous  plants  in  pits 
than  they  need  do.  I  have  frequently  had  the  soil  in  the  pots  frozen 
—to  use  a  common  expression— as  “hard  as  a  brick”  without  the 
slightest  injury  being  done.  In  fact,  when  afterwards  taken  into  heat 
1  think  they  grow  more  rapidly  for  having  experienced  a  taste  of 
winter. 
After  the  beginning  of  January  all  bulbs  come  on  freely,  and  a 
succession  of  flowers  can  easily  bo  maintained  by  placing  in  heat  the 
requisite  number  two  or  three  times  weekly.  The  amount  of  artificial 
heat  required  to  bring  them  on  will,  of  course,  vary  according  to  the 
weather  experienced.  During  frosty  weather  a  night  temperature  of 
from  GO  to  G:>°  is  generally  sufficient,  except  in  cases  when  they  are 
wanted  quickly  for  some  special  purpose.  In  such  instances  I  have 
frequently  kept  them  at  a  night  temperature  of  from  TO3  to  75°  with 
excellent  results.  When  such  high  temperatures  are  given  plenty  of 
atmospheric  moisture  must  be  maintained,  and  the  top  growth  finely 
sprayed  with  the  syringe  once  or  twice  daily.  Care  should  also  be 
exercised  in  stopping  the  fire  early  in  the  morning  when  the  day 
promises  to  be  bright.  If  this  matter  is  overlooked  at  any  time 
shading  for  a  few  hours  should  be  resorted  to  to  prevent  the  flowers 
from  becoming  limp,  or  in  the  case  of  Tulips  from  expanding  quiekhq 
which  means  a  loss  of  substance,  and  often  of  colour  in  the  flowers. 
By  February  and  March,  if  the  weather  is  bright,  nearly  all  bulbous 
plants  come  on  quickly  enough  if  kept  in  an  ordinary  greenhouse 
temperature — i.e.,  a  house  which  only  receives  artificial  in  order  to 
exclude  frost. 
I  do  not  feel  justified:  in  concluding  this  subject  without  dealing 
briefly  with  the  matter  of  watering,  as  in  this  case  it  is  one  of  vital 
importance.  Thousands  of  bulbs  grown  in  pots  and  boxes  are  each 
year  partial  failures  through  being  overwatered.  When  they  are 
removed  from  the  plunging  material  the  roots  ought  to  be  showing 
through  the  cracks  of  the  boxes  whore  the  sides  and  bottom  join. 
This  seems  to  lead  some  cultivators  to  believe  that  the  soil  should  bo 
at  once  saturated  with  water;  it  is.  often  done,  with  the  result  that 
the  white  healthy  roots  soon  become  browned  and  rotten,  and  the 
flower  spikes  scarcely  emerge  above  the  leaf  growth.  The  correct  plan 
to  follow,  according  to  my  experience,  is  to  thoroughly  saturate  the 
stages  or  beds  upon  which  the  boxes  are  to  be  placed,  maintain 
plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture,  damp  the  top  growths  lightly  with 
the  syringe,  and  water  only  when  the  surface  soil  is  found  to  be  fairly 
dry.  In  the  spring,  when  bright  weather  prevails  and  more  top 
growth  is  made,  more  water  is  necessary,  but  even  then  it  can  easily 
be  overdone.  At  that  season  a  little  weak  soot  water,  or  other  liquid 
manure  given  occasionally,  is  beneficial,  as  it  helps  to  give  intensity  to 
the  colour  of  the  flowers,  as  well  as  to  develop  them  to  their  lull 
size. 
In  drawing  these  notes  to  a  close  I  feel  guilty  of  having  given 
great  infliction  to  Journal  readers,  but  the  young  are  always  with  us, 
to  need  help  and  guidance,  and  I  look  back  with  pleasure  to  the  many 
valuable  lessons  learnt  from  old  Journal  writers.  I  have  perhaps, 
advanced  nothing  particularly  new  on  the  subject,  but  many  old 
cultivators  will  know  how  important  it  is  to  remember  and  to  practise 
some  of  the  details  given.  Every  cultural  practice  recommended  I 
have  thoroughly  tested  by  experience,  and  I  am  following  the  advice 
given,  in  the  considerable  task  of  forcing  40,000  bulbs  of  various 
descriptions. — FI.  D. 
ACROSS  THE  ROCKIES  IN  APRIL. 
To  the  uninitiated  this  may  sound  a  paradise  of  budding  Nature 
and  spring  flowers.  Very  different,  however,  is  the  reality.  Van¬ 
couver  in  early  April  may  be  free  from  snow,  but  the  mountains 
around  will  still  wear  their  winter  dress,  and  as  one  gradually  ascends 
to  the  mountain  ranges  which  load  up  to  the  Rockies,  it  is  speedily 
evident  that  though  there  are  manifold  signs  of  a  natural  resurrection, 
the  iron  grip  and  snowy  garb  of  winter  still  holds  sway  in  these 
higher  regions,  and  this  huge  mountain  barrier  between  the  Pacific 
and  the  plains  of  the  North  American  continent.  The  writer  recently 
took  this  journey  in  the  above  month,  and  nothing  more  truly 
magnificent  could  be  imagined. 
Vancouver  itself  is  beautifully  situate  with  mountains,  and  Pine 
woods  all  around,  and  flanked  partly  by  the  seaboard  and  partly  by 
the  river.  To  a  sfranger  to  tho  American  continent  the  first  thing 
which  strikes  the  eye  is  the  system  of  side  walks,  being  roughly 
boarded  paths  alongside  the  main  roads,  the  huge  forests  around 
supplying  endless  material  for  such,  The  town  and  suburbs,  which 
are  steadily  growing,  have  already  caused  the  clearance  of  a  very 
large  area  of  these  magnificent  specimens  of  tree  life,  each  one  of 
which  is  of  colossal  height  and  growth,  and  individual  trees  being 
veritable  giants  of  their  kind.  A  beautiful  park  in  the  near  vicinity 
is  being  laid  out  by  the  authorities  with  fine  roads  and  occasional 
clearances,  thus  enabling  the  wonderful  Ferns  and  varied  undergrowth 
to  be  seen.  Winter  had  but  just  relaxed  its  grip  when  the  writer 
visited  the  place,  and  nothing  much  in  plant  life  was  yet  up;  the 
outer  streets  and  reads,  moreover,  being  in  places  ankle  deep  in  mud 
from  recently  melted  snow. 
Leaving  Vancouver,  for  some  consideiable  distance  there  is  the 
continuous  pitiable,  and,  to  an  extent,  depressing  sight  of  charred 
trunks  of  giant  Firs,  a  permanent  evidence  of  the  prairie  fires,  and., 
par  excellence,  of  the  huge  conflagration  which  burnt  down  the  whole 
of  Vancouver  a  decade  or  so  ago  at  its  very  initial  stage  of  existence. 
At  present  Vancouver  seems  entirely  taken  up  with  Klondike  and  the 
Yukon,  and  not  a  street  or  shop  but  bears  record  of  some  direct 
connection  with  this  wonderful  new  Eldorado.  Equipment  of  every 
imaginary  kind  and  miners  galore  from  probably  every  part  of  the 
world  met  one’s  eyes  at  every  turn. 
Tho  Cascade  Mountains  and  the  mighty  rivers  of  the  early  part  of 
the  journey  are  a  fitting  preparation  for  the  sublime  splendours  of  the 
