182 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  31,  1899. 
This  "being  so,  their  home  production  is  confined  to  a  limited  number 
of  growers,  who  devote  their  energies  towards  superior  sorts,  and  leave 
the  foreigner  to  produce  those  that  are  required  in  hundreds  of 
thousands.  Then  it  is  only  fair  to  add  that  at  least  one  firm  has 
undertaken  the  production  of  Tulips  at  home,  and  the  flowers  which 
have  been  exhibited  from  these  bulbs  are  quite  equal,  if  not  superior 
to  the  flowers  from  the  more  familiar  Dutch  stocks. 
Not  only  have  these  spring  flowering  bulbous  plants  diversity  of 
form,  size,  and  colour,  with  frequently  delightful  fragrance,  but  they 
also  possess  the  equally  desirable  attributes  of  thriving  in  almost  any 
soil  and  in  town  as  well  as  country.  As  a  matter  of  fact  they  never 
call  for  more  admiration  than  when  they  crace  the  small  garden,  or 
are  the  principal  occupants  of  the  very  obviously  home-built  green¬ 
house.  The  tender  care  that  has  been  bestowed  upon  them  is  amply 
rewarded,  though  the  spikes  may  not  be  so  big  or  the  colour  so  bright 
as  when  grown  under  more  congenial  conditions.  Look,  too,  at  the 
beds  in  the  London  and  provincial  public  parks,  which  delight 
thousands  of  visitors  year  by  year.  Could  any  other  flower  be  brought 
forward  that  with  similar  attention  would  produce  an  equal  display  ? 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  these  plants  will  flourish  in  well 
nigh  any  soil  or  situation,  they  repay  all  the  care  that  can  be 
bestowed  on  them.  If  they  are  to  be  grown  in  beds,  and  these  are 
carefully  prepared  previous  to  planting,  the  spikes  of  flowers  will  be 
considerably  larger,  and  the  same  may  be  said  in  regard  to  those 
cultivated  in  pots.  It  is  not  as  a  rule  in  the  direction  of  enrichment 
by  the  aid  of  manures  that  is  required,  but  rather  thorough  mecha¬ 
nical  working  with  the  addition  of  quite  decomposed  manure,  if  the 
ground  be  very  poor.  The  disadvantage  that  accrues  to  the  use  of  much 
manure  lies  in  the  frequent  splitting  of  the  bulb  into  several  medium 
spikes  instead  of  the  whole  energy  of  the  bulb  berng  concentrated  into 
one  flower  of  super-excellence.  With  plants  in  pots  the  same  difficulty 
arises,  as  I  have  known  bulbs  absolutely  refuse  to  emit  roots  when 
they  were  in  an  over-rich  medium.  One  large  collection  of  all  kinds 
of  bulbs  proved  a  failure  from  an  error  that  was  made  when  the 
compost  was  prepared. 
So  far  as  my  own  personal  experience  guides  me,  and  also  from 
close  observations  of  the  practices  of  my  friends,  both  professional 
and  amateur,  the  best  results  are  insured  by  the  proper  working  of 
soil  that  was  manured  for  the  previous  occupants,  the  careful  planting 
of  sound  bulbs,  and  the  subsequent  mulching  with  short  manure. 
This  practice  I  know  to  be  objected  to  in  many  establishments,  and 
have  not  the  slightest  doubt  it  would  be  in  my  case  did  I  not  cover 
the  manure  with  a  little  fine  soil,  or  on  occasions  I  have  employed 
cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  for  the  same  purpose.  There  is  nothing 
unsightly  under  these  circumstances,  and  the  soil  is  stored  with  food 
that  will  be  readily  available  when  the  roots  are  in  condition  to 
imbibe  it;  while  there  is  no  tendency  towards  forcing,  as  is  the  case 
when  rich  manure  is  added  to  the  soil  prior  to  planting. 
When  dealing  with  bulbs  in  pots  the  same  principles  hold  good, 
but  they  are  arrived  at  by  a  slightly  different  route.  A  good  soil 
]s  used  at  the  outset  with  perhaps  a  suspicion  of  artificial  food 
incorporated.  Instead,  however,  of  top-dressing,  the  stimulants 
when  required  are  applied  in  the  form  of  liquids  made  from  soot, 
guano,  and  natural  manures  alternately,  and  it  is  surprising  how  a 
change  of  diet  is  appreciated.  Plants  quickly  become  satiated  with 
one  kind  of  food,  and  make  no  progress  until  a  corrective  application 
in  the  form  of  a  different  stimulant  is  applied.  It  has  long  been 
my  opinion  that  too  much  reliance  is  placed  on  one  form  of  diet, 
and  that  with  all  plants  the  best  results  follow  the  system  of  pro¬ 
cedure  that  embodies  judicious  changes. 
Beyond  the  planting  of  bulbs  iu  beds  and  in  pots,  we  have  the 
third  system — namely,  placing  in  grass.  Beautiful  as  is  a  bed  of 
Narcissi  or  a  collection  in  pots,  the  flowers  thus  never  approach  the 
charm  of  those  that  raise  their  nodding  flowers  from  a  carpet  of  grass. 
And  the  same  applies  to  practically  all  kinds  of  hardy  bulbs.  Why 
they  are  not  planted  literally  in  millions  is  difficult  to  conceive,  as 
they  are  cheap  to  purchase,  easy  to  plant,  and  are  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  perennial.  Not  that  I  would  go  to  the  other  extreme  and 
plant  every  square  yard  of  the  lawns  with  bulbs.  By  no  means,  as  I 
do  not  hold  with  this  for  a  moment,  because  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the 
grass  must  be  mown  before  the  foliage  of  the  bulbs  is  dead,  and  the 
latter  are  prejudiced  for  future  seasons,  while  if  mowing  is  postponed 
for  the  sake  of  the  bulbs,  then  the  grass  and  the  general  appearance  of 
the  lawns  both  suffer. 
If  they  are  what  may  be  termed  injudiciously  utilised,  then  they 
lose  in  effect  and  the  appreciation  of  observers.  For  mounds  and 
dells,  wilderness  gardens,  not  too  conspicuous  corners  of  lawns, 
beneath  trees,  and  indeed  in  every  situation  where  the  dying  foliage 
amidst  the  uncut  grass  is  not  liable  to  become  an  eyesore,  there  ought 
bulbs  to  be  planted.  Comparatively  low  priced  ones  may  be  procured 
for  the  purpose,  and  every  bulb  that  has  been  flowered  in  pot  or  bed 
must  be  accorded  a  position  in  the  grass.  They  will  then  flower  year 
by  year,  and  as  the  clumps  increase  and  multiply  the  display  will 
become  more  and  more  attractive  every  season.  I  have  visited  gardens 
where  by  constantly  planting  previously  flowered  bulbs  the  spring 
beauty  has  been  improved  50  per  cent.,  and  that  without  the  purchase 
of  a  single  bulb  for  this  specific  purpose. 
As  with  those  that  are  placed  in  beds,  so  with  the  stock  to  go 
beneath  the  turves,  some  varieties  are  far  more  suitable  than  others  ; 
indeed,  for  the  latter  purpose  especially  I  have  seen  some  that  were 
really  not  worth  the  planting.  Then,  too,  there  can  be  little  or  no 
doubt  but  that  soil  and  situation  have  a  marked  effect  on  eventual 
results,  so  that,  with  the  exception  of  some  that  are  known  to  flourish 
everywhere,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  learning  by  individual  experience; 
or  if  the  practice  be  preferred,  the  selection,  as  with  those  for  pots  and 
beds,  can  safely  be  left  in  the  hands  of  the  vendors,  who  always  strive 
to  do  their  best  to  exactly  meet  the  requirements  of  customers. 
Speaking  of  leaving  the  selection  of  bulbs  to  the  merchants 
reminds  me  of  one  of  my  objects  in  writing  these  notes,  namely,  to 
order  early.  Many  purchasers  postpone  the  despatch  of  their  orders  until 
they  are  positively  waiting  to  pot  or  plant,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
as  they  do  not  receive  the  goods  immediately,  they  promptly  con¬ 
demn  the  seedsmen.  This  should  not  be,  as  the  latter  are  anxious 
to  fulfil  the  orders  with  the  utmost  promptitude,  and  work  late 
hours  with  that  object,  but  they  are  bound  to  get  behind  when  the 
orders  arrive  in  heavy  batches,  as  is  too  often  the  case.  The  con¬ 
sequence  is  that  the  purchaser  must  wait,  as  the  seedsmen,  as  a 
rule,  endeavour  to  execute  the  orders  strictly  in  rotation  of  date  of 
receipt. 
To  obviate  this,  write  early.  The  catalogues  and  order  sheets  are 
now  before  you,  and  the  selection  can  soon  be  made  and  the  order 
despatched.  This  is  put  in  hand  by  the  vendor,  and  can  be  filled  with 
care  and  expedition.  The  purchaser  thus  gains  the  advantage  of 
having  the  bulbs  ready  for  the  moment  when  they  are  required,  and 
furthermore,  may  be  sure  that  “  the  early  bird  catches  the  worm  ”  in 
the  form  of  the  best  bulbs,  notwithstanding  the  assertions  that  they 
are  never  picked.  They  may  not  be,  but  with  no  rush  the  men  have 
more  time  to  count,  and  consequently  notice  a  bulb  that  appears  slightly 
inferior,  which  they  promptly  replace  into  stock.  Watch  them  later, 
however,  vTien  they  are  working  thirteen  or  more  hours  a  day,  and 
beyond  positively  bad  bulbs,  the  fives  and  tens  are  counted  with  a 
celerity  that  renders  close  examination  beyond  the  region  of  possibility. 
— G,  H.  F. 
NOTES  FROM  IRELAND. 
The  passing  summer  will,  perhaps,  be  more  remarkable  for  a 
violent  electric  disturbance  which  occurred  in  the  early  hours  of 
Sunday,  August  6th,  than  for  superabundant  returns  of  garden  or 
farm  produce.  Barely,  indeed,  is  the  seaboard  of  Dublin  visited  by 
a  storm  of  such  intensity,  accompanied,  as  it  was,  by  a  tropical  deluge 
which  stripped  many  roads  and  avenues  to  the  bone.  Such  rains,  even 
should  rain  be  wanted,  are  only  qualified  blessings,  for  in  contradistinc¬ 
tion  to  those  which  fall  like  “  the  gentle  dew  from  heaven,”  the  results 
in  a  few  hours  after  were  a  caked  and  crusted  surface  of  the  soil  over 
which  the  water  had  run  rather  than  penetrated.  However,  the 
summer  has,  on  the  whole,  been  summer-lilre,  for  since  the  breakina- 
up  of  a  three  w'eeks  spell  of  drought  at  the  end  of  June  heat  and 
moisture  have  generally  prevailed.  Prior  to  that  change  a  great  deal 
of  first-crop  hay  was  saved  over  the  area  of  County  Dublin,  and 
although  heavier  swaths  were  gained  by  waiting,  haymaking  was 
not  only  troublesome  but  unsatisfactory,  quantity  rather  than  quality 
char ’cterising  the  hay  harvest  of  1899. 
