The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-15

For those distrustful of their garden
ing abilities and inclined to be discour-
aged over failures the above list will be
wise to stick to. The man who has
learned by experience that he succeeds
pretty we'll in cdaxing shy plants or the
optimistic experimenter may add to this
list considerably with moderate chances
of satisfying returns.
Bulbs for House Culture.
For the gardener who wants to do the
whole thing himself there is little that
is possible at this time of year but Gull
tivating bulbs, but this is we'll worth the
experiment. The main dependence should
be put on the varieties already named,
but a few pots of ionquils, freesias, star
Of Bethlehem, English and Spanish iris,
tulips and crocus will add to the variety
and the interest of the garden. TO these
should be added the Chinese sacred lily,
or Joss flower, which is in reality a
polyanthus narcissus that Is usually
grown in water as kind of curiosity.
All of the bulbs mentioned, except the
freesias require about the same treat
ment and must be rooted in a cool dark
place. A light porous soil is required and
pieces of broken pot in the bottom of the
pots used insure proper drainage. A good
combination in soil for bulbs or indeed for
most plants Is a mixture of garden loan,
leaf mold and sand. Dutch hyacinths
and large Towering narctssus require
about a five-inch pot and medium size
Easter lily bulb will need about the same
size. Four or five tulip bulbs are placed
in a five-inch pot or three Roman
hyacinths. Several Of all Of the smaller
bulbs are planted in a fve-inch pot.
The bulbs should be about two-thirds
covered and the soil should not come
within about an inch Of the top Of the pot
after it has settled down well. They
must now be thoroughly watered with
| tepid water. 1t Is more convenient TO DC
all Of the potting at once If possible and
put the pots away together. In order TIC
| prevent the pots from drying out, 1t Is a
good plan to sink them In boxes of earth
reaching nearly to the pot rims, and they
will need very little water during the SIX
or eight weeks required for the bulbs tc
fill the pots with roots. Very little heal
| is necessary for root growth. and there Is
no danger in any temperature kept vel
above freezing.
Some bulbs root faster than others, an6
those showing signs Of leaf growth should
be taken to the light first. There Is 6
| tendency for the blossom to develop in.
mediately, without the formation Of {
stem or much leaf, and these abortivt
blossoms are a disappointment, that have
made many plant lovers give up In despair
trying to raise Towering bulbs. This diff.
ficulty may be obviated by making fool:
caps Of paper and putting over the pots
This will exclude strong light and will
draw out top growth.
A good many people like to have thei
Towering plants in pans and receptacle
prepared for setting into jardinieres ant
fancy dishes, and any Of these dishes O.
boxes may be used instead Of pots.
! Freesias and oxaIis.
Il Freesias do not require roofing in tn
dark, but instead are planted about thre
! in a fve-inch pot and given at ono
/ strong, warm sunlight and plenty o
water. Their growth Is slow but they ar
very satisfactory in their results. Tn
stems are very slender and the blossom
heavy. so it is generally necessary to sup
port them with slender stakes. Many vii