170 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  22.  I'."U. 
Bulbs  and  tlteir  Culture. 
Ever  onward  must  the  gardener  look.  While  the  heat  ot  summer 
is  still  with  us  preparations  must  be  made  for  producing  a  display  of 
flowers  during  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring  months.  What  would 
our  British  winters  be  without  the  touch  of  brightness  given  by  the 
hosts  of  flowers  obtained  from  forced  bulbs  ?  Money  spent  in  the 
purchase  of  bulbs  is  usually  repaid  a  hundredfold  in  the  pleasure 
derived  from  the  flowers  obtained.  Fortuna'ely  this  season  the  prices 
are  slightly  lower  than  those  quoted  last  year,  and  it  is,  I  think,  well 
for  all  of  us  to  remember  that  a  great  industry  in  bulb  growing, 
especially  Daffodils  and  Tulip0,  has  sprung  up  in  the  Emerald  Isle, 
and  that  Daffodils  and  Narcissi  are  also  largely  grown  in  England. 
As  we  can  obtain  bulbs  of  the  finest  quality  from  such  sources,  why 
should  we  send  our  orders  to  toreign  landB  ?  It  is  always  wise  to 
give  orders  early,  and  thus  secure  the  best  instead  of  waiting  to 
pick  up  “job”  lots  late  in  the  season,  when  they  are  practically 
useless  except  for  bringing  on  in  cool  structures,  and  are  usually  of 
very  inferior  quality. 
Bulbs  intended  for  very  early  forcing  ought  to  be  potted  during 
the  next  few  weeks  ;  I  will,  therefore  deal  with  them  in  this  note, 
and  refer  to  those  required  for  the  main  batches  in  a  subsequent 
article.  Roman  Hyacinths  are  still  as  popular  as  ever,  because  they 
are  so  easily  forced,  and  the  flowers  can  be  turned  to  account  in  so 
many  ways.  When  purchasing  bulbs  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  be 
dtceived,  for  the  largest  examples  are  by  no  means  always  the  best. 
Those  which  are  firm,  smooth  on  the  surface,  and,  above  all,  heavy 
for  their  s^ze,  will,  under  proper  treatment,  invariably  produce  fine 
flower  spikes  ;  indeed,  I  have  found  that  examples  of  this  description, 
if  only  of  moderate  size,  will  produce  larger  flower  spikes  and  a  greater 
number  per  bulb  than  can  often  be  obtained  from  examples  twice 
their  size.  Tire  reason  for  th  s  is  that  the  sm  ill  firm  bulbs  are  grown 
on  heavy  soil,  the  very  large  ones  on  light  land. 
In  preparing  the  potting  compost,  the  chief  points  to  bear  in  mind 
are  that  it  should  be  bw.  et,  free  from  insectp,  and  fairly  open,  so  that 
the  ro<  ts  can  work  (reely  in  it.  Soil  which  was  removed  from  a 
Cucumber  or  Tomato  house  six  or  nine  months  ago,  and  has  since 
been  fully  exposed  in  the  open  air,  will,  with  the  addition  of  one-fouith 
of  good  leaf  soil  and  sand,  answer  admirably.  If  turfy  loam  is 
employed,  it  should  be  in  a  decaying  state  through  having  been 
stacked  for  at  least  six  months ;  two  parts  of  this  to  one  of  leaf  soil 
then  form  a  suitable  compost.  When  the  expense  of  cocoa-nut  fibre 
can  be  incurred  I  advise  its  use  in  preference  to  leaf  soil,  as  bulbs  root 
with  wonderful  rapidity  in  it,  and  the  flowers  produced  are  equally 
satisfactory. 
In  writing  about  the  potting  of  bulbs,  and  the  depth  at  which 
they  should  he  buried,  I  am  afraid  we  sometimes  lay  down  rules  which 
are  too  hard-and-fast.  I  know  of  one  grower,  who  forces  from  forty 
to  fifty  thousand  annually,  who  has  his  pots  or  brxes  filled  almost  to 
the  iims  with  soil,  packs  the  bulbs  closely  upon  it,  and  presses  them 
in  very  slightly,  scarcely  enough  to  prevent  the  plunging  material 
from  forcing  them  out  of  position,  and  yet  he  obtains  first-rate  results. 
My  own  practice  is  to  sink  about  half  the  bulb  in  the  soil,  with  the 
exception  of  Daffodils,  which  I  like  to  bury  deeper,  so  that  the  point 
is  just  above  the  surface  of  the  soil  ;  and  this  practice  is  equally 
satisfactory.  I  find,  however,  that  in  the  case  of  bulbs  intended  for 
early  forcing,  it  is  a  bad  practice  to  cover  them  entirely  with  soil,  as 
it  olten  causes  the  young  shoots  to  rot,  but  when  potted  in  the  same 
way,  and  brought  on  in  a  cool  house,  they  succeed  quite  well  when 
buried  deeply.  When  boxes  2J  inches  in  depth  are  employed,  the 
only  drainage  necessary  is  a  little  rough  material  placed  at  the  botte  m  ; 
when  pots  are  used,  broken  poisherds  or  coal  ashes  are  necessary, 
the  depth,  of  course,  varying  according  to  the  size  of  the  pot  used. 
For  a  6-inch  pot  one  large  crc  ck  and  a  half-inch  layer  of  smaller  ones 
is  usually  enough.  Cocoa-nut  fibre  or  coal  ashes  are  excellent  mateiial 
to  employ  for  plunging.  If  ashes  are  used  they  should  be  previously 
exposed  to  the  air  for  a  few  months.  When  such  materials  are  scarce, 
light  garden  soil,  or  a  mixture  of  soil  and  sawdust,  answers  well.  rl  he 
great  essentials  to  success  in  forcing  bulbs  are  to  pot  early,  and  allow 
inch  of  growth  to  be  made  before  the  plants  are  removed  from  their 
plunging  material. 
In  addition  to  Roman  Hyacinths,  the  following  bulbs  are  particularly 
useful  for  supplying  early  flowers  : — Narcissus,  Paper  White,  grandi- 
flora,  and  double  Roman ;  these  two  may  be  had  in  flower  early  in 
November.  For  flowering  at  Christmas,  N.  bico’or  nobilis  and 
N.  princeps  are  excellent.  Among  Tulips  for  early  flowering  the 
Due  Yan  Thol  section  is  still  the  best ;  the  rose  variety  bears  sharp 
forcing  the  best  of  all,  and  the  well  known  scarlet  comes  next  to  it  in 
that  respect;  these,  with  the  white  Due  Yan  Thol,  form  a  fine  trio  fir 
early  work.  La  Reine  is  among  market  men  forced  more  largely  than 
any  other  Tulip  for  providing  white  flowers  throughout  January. 
When  brought  on  slowly  the  flowers  are  pale  rose,  but  with  sharp 
forcing  it  usually  comes  white  enough  to  sell  well  at  that  season  when 
flowers  are  scarce.  There  are,  however,  several  forms  of  La  Riinet 
some  have  a  greater  tendency  to  come  white  than  others. 
(To  be  continued.) 
- »  % - 
Gardening  in  %  Severn  Valley. 
A  great  deal  has  been  written  and  said  upon  helping  the 
agricultural  population  to  live  upon  their  land  and  stop  the  exodus 
of  labouring  men  to  the  cit  es,  but  this  desideratum  appears  to  be  as 
far  off  as  ever.  In  the  matter  of  small  holdings  there  are  a  few  men 
who,  by  dint  of  plenty  of  energy  and  hard  work,  make  a  living  out  of 
a  small  piece  ot  land,  hut  they  are  very  greatly  in  the  minority. 
The  Gloucestershire  bank  of  the  Severn,  say  from  the  Severn  Bridge 
or  Sharpness  to  Avonmouth,  borders  a  wide  tract  of  extremely  fertile 
country,  consisting  in  places  of  alluvial  deposits,  and  in  others  of  a> 
rich  red  loim.  Around  the  hamlets  and  villages  of  this  country  are 
scores  of  small  holdings  of  a  mixed  character — orchard,  meadow,  and 
cultivated  garden  ground  in  very  fair  proportions.  In  most  ca°es  only 
the  most  rudimentary  ideas  of  culture  are  practised  ;  the  vegetables 
and  fruit  are  bidly  grown,  packed  worse,  an!  reach  the  consumers  in 
all  sorts  of  irregu'ar  ways. 
It  is  true  that  in  some  parts  there  are  few  facility  s  for  transit,  but 
I  know  that  there  are  fruit  and  vegetable  merchants  in  plenty  who 
would  be  glad  to  send  regularly  to  these  parts  for  the  produce  if 
quantity  and  quality  were  forthcoming.  That  the  soil  is  suitable  for 
ihe  growth  of  this  produce  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as  witness  the 
enormous  crop*  of  second  cr  third-rate  Apples,  Pears,  and  other  fruits 
now  hanging  upon  the  poor  neglected  old  trees  ;  but  of  energy  on  the 
part  of  the  holders  of  this  valuable  land  there  is  extremely  little  as 
far  as  I  have  seen,  and  of  late  I  have  had  opportunities  of  judging- 
One  man  will  profess  to  grow  Strawberries,  but  after  the  plants  are  put 
out  the  principal  labour  expended  unon  the  plantation  is  the  gathering 
of  what  little  fruit  is  produced.  Gooseberries,  Currants,  and  other 
small  fruits  are  very  similarly  treated,  while  the  absolute  neglect  of 
the  orchard  trees  is  a  tale  that  has  been  too  oft  told  to  need  repeating. 
Yet  this  is  the  class  of  fruit  unfortunate  town  dwellers  are  supposed  to 
stand  in  need  of.  Little  wonder  that  big  steamers  are  required  to 
bring  us  the  produce  of  other  lands.  On  a  fine  day  recently  I  cycled 
with  a  friend  through  this  valley,  from  the  far-famed  Berkley  Castle 
down  to  the  dock  at  Avonmouth,  where,  by  a  strange  coincidence,  one 
of  those  splendid  steamers  run  by  the  Elder  Dempster  line  to  and  from. 
Jamaica  was  discharging  it*  enormous  cargo  of  Bananas  and  other 
lruits.  Here  was  this  beautiful  and  lus  ious  fruit  from  thousands  of 
miles  away,  that  within  a  few  hours  would  be  temptingly  displayed 
In  the  Bristol  and  Clifton  shops,  while  at  our  doors,  so  to  speak,  are 
tons  of  fruit  wasting  for  want  of  gathering,  or,  if  any  of  it  is  gathered, 
it  is  usually  crammed  into  a  dirty  box  or  basket  smelling  of  fish  or 
something  worse,  and  seldom  fresh. 
Our  market  gardeners  of  course  look  after  their  interests,  and, 
incidentally,  those  of  the  consumer,  better,  and  their  products  are 
fairly  well  packed  and  shown  by  the  retailer.  But  it  is  the  small 
grower  who  is  so  hopelessly  careless  and  slovenly,  both  in  the  culture, 
packing,  and  delivery,  and  he  it  is  who  expects  the  biggest  price, 
because  his  goods  are  “just  in  from  the  country.”  He  it  is,  too, 
whom  the  County  Council  hopes  to  reform,  by  sending  lecturers  to  his 
door  almost,  to  show  by  means  of  magic  lanterns  and  by  working 
experiments  how  he  may  increase  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  He  seldom 
attends  the  lectures,  and  the  lecturer  after,  perhaps,  a  ten  mile  drive 
in  the  depth  of  winter,  hes  the  felicity  of  speaking  to  half  a  dozen  of 
men  and  boys  who  will  ask  no  questions  when  invited  to  do  so, 
preferring  to  chat  the  matter  over  in  the  village  beer  house.  But  this 
is  another  story,  and  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  Severn  Yalley. 
I  am  acquainted  with  several  men  who  have  taken  up  small  plots 
of  land,  and  being  experienced  in  the  culture  of  the  better  class  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  are  increasing  the  output  of  the  land  to  a  large 
extent.  One  in  particular  has  gone  in  for  Strawberries,  Asparagus, 
and  Tomatoes.  He  finds  a  brisk  local  demand  for  them  ;  he  manages 
with  the  aid  of  a  strong  lad  to  keep  his  place  running,  and  anything 
he  has  over,  if  of  goed  quality,  is  sent  to  a  well-known  Bristol 
fruiterer,  who  supplies  his  own  empty  boxes  and  baskets.  This  is  the 
class  of  men  who  are  wanted  on  the  land,  and  there  are  scores  of  good 
gardeners  out  of  situations  up  and  down  the  country  who  could  do 
the  same,  and  perhaps  by  example,  and  by  that  sincere  desire  to  help 
others  that  is  so  common  amoDgst  gardeners  generally,  may  help  to 
shake  some  of  the  apathy  out  of  the  other  class  of  small  holders. 
What  is  true  of  this  part  of  the  country  is,  I  know,  true  of  many 
others,  and  I  have  often  thought  that  if  any  practical  scheme  could 
be  formed  whereby  the  s  und  knowledge  possessed  by  this  large  body 
of  gardeners  could  by  combination  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  land, 
their  labours  could  be  better  rewarded  than  by  taking  odd  jobs  in 
nurseries  or  otherwise  during  the  weary  wait  that  often  ensuts  before 
they  obtain  situations. — H.  Richards. 
