The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-10-22
Ts$hting Bulbs.

g yellow or white glow of narcissus
daffodil. and jonquil, you must besir
= TO think of the early spring appear.
y ance of your garden in the fall, for
5 the bulbs of these flowers must be
planted in the fall before the ground
is frozen. In fact, this work should
be undertaken as soon as or before
an early frost has begun to make
the annual flowers in the beds look
weakened. In dealing with narcis-
sus, which is the family to which the
daffodil and jonquil belong, ii might
be well to think of trying to natural
ize the narcissus to grow and bios
som on the lawn much as do the
wild flowers. How to plant and
handle the bulbs. as well as the best
method OF getting them to become
spring residents of grassy corners,
are described in the following di-
rections issued by the bulb special
lists of the department
These bulbs should be planted in
Hight, rich soil that has been to
'.fepth of at least 10 inches. The
II tulip bulbs should be set 3 inches
apart and inches deep and the mar
cissus bulbs about 10 inches apart
and s inches deep.
II they are TO be grown in pots or
window boxes, light, rich soil should
he used. Place / TO 9 inches of Gin
ders or broken pots in the bottom of
the pots or boxes to insure good
drainage. After planting, place the
pots or boxes out of doors and cover
them with about inches of ashes
or sand; or they may be placed in
dark cool room or cellar for few
weeks until the bulbs have formed
a quantity of roots. They may then
be brought into the light and heat
for Towering. Keep the soil well
moistened from time to time of
planting, but avoid overmoistening,
for if kept too wet the bulbs will de-
cay.
If planted in beds. the surface of
the soil should be loosened after
each rain and the bed kept from
weeds. In the late fall or early
winter months, il is well to cover the
beds with a light mulch of straw or
leaves to prevent injury to the young
roots from the alternate freezing and
thawing of the soil. This mulch
should be gradually removed in the
spring, as soon as growth appears
above ground. The bulbs are quite |
hardy and are not injured by severe
cold If the soil is wei drained
Tulip and narcissus plants are
perennial, and if given proper care
and grown under suitable soil and
climate conditions VIII increase AID
multiply from year to year. The bulbs |
may remain in the ground two or
three years, or until the clumps be-
gin to crowd. After blossoming in
the spring. from six to eight weeks |
should elapse TO allow the foliage to
die partially down, when the bulbs |
may be lifted with a spade or fork. |
Shake the son from the roots and !
store the bulbs In a cool, shady |
place where they will ripen and cure. |
When the old leaves and roots are |
thoroughly dry they may be easily |
rubbed off and the clusters of bulbs |!
divided. The bulbs may then be |
planted in the same manner as the |
bnEps. In this way the |
stock may be increased IN a few
years.
The narcissus often becomes natur-
allied when planted in the sod OF
partial shade where it will .o1tin lie
to grow, blossom. and multiply for
many years without further atten-
tion. Simply make a small hole in
the soil or inches deep, insert the
bulb pointed end up. press the soil
over the top and nature will do the
rest. For naturalizing. avoid plant
ing i'm rows or rigid geometrical fig
ures. A good plan is to scatter the
bulbs like seed and plant where they
fall. This method if planting is eX-
tensively followed in the home
grounds and parks of England and
other countries in Europe. In por-
lions of North Carolina, on large es-
tates along the James river in Vir-
ginia, and in old gardens in New |
England narcissuses that were plant
ed over half century ago are still
growing vigorously and every spring
produce beautiful displays of bios
sons