Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-10-14
THE HOME SPHERE

lHE HOE
Edited by
MISS FLORENCE COX
Home Demonstration Agent
MRS. ESTELLE WHITE
Assistant Home Demonstration
Agent
MISS LILLIAN HARRIS
Assistant Home Demonstration
Agent
Planting Spring Blooming Bulbs:
Spring -flowering bulbs should
60 into the ground this fall
while the soil is still warm but
the air is cool in order to make
good root growth before freez-
ing weather, horticulturists of
the U. S. Department of Ag-
riculture remind gardeners.
Planting too late is a common
mistake, causing much disap-
pointment and misunderstanding
IN the spring.
Bulbs should be in the ground
by the last of October in the
South. Daffodils can stand late
planting better than other flow
ering bulbs and planting may be
delayed several weeks for them
Before planting the soil should
be dug and thoroughly pulver-
lzed a foot deep at least, and
deeper if the ground beneath
is hard and poorly drained.
Depth for planting depends or
the size of the biub and the
soil. Planting should be deeper
in light than in heavy soil. lr
average garden loan, a rough
guide is to plant at a depth
that is two or three times the
diameter of the bulb-that is
crocus and snowdrops about :
inches deep, dubious iris
inches, hyancinths 4 inches, tul
ips 6 to 7 inches, daffodils 6 tc
inches.
If the soil is fertile bulbs may
need no fertilizing except {
little nitrogen applied in the
spring. In poorer soil commercial
fertilizer, such as 5.-l0-5, may
be worked into the soil before
planting, using about a poune
for each Is square feet. Because
animal manure Or other organic
fertilizer applied at the time o:
planting causes some bulbs tt
rot, it is safer to work it in the
ground some m, lths in advance
When planting take care tina
no air space or pocket is left un
der the bulb to catch and hole
water, as sometimes happen:
when holes are made with {
crowbar, the horticulturist:
warn. For safety some garden
ers fill the bottom of each hole
with a little sand to provide
drainage. An easy way to plan
is to open holes with a narrow
pointed trowel at the proper
depth and then set each bulb al
the bottom.
Because field mice have ar
appetite especially for tulip
bulbs, they often do a great deal
of damage during the winter
and various remedies have been
suggested against them. The
horticulturists believe, however
that the only real protection
where these rodents are numer-
Gus is to plant tulips in pals
made of fine wire mesh OF
hardware cloth, sunk into the
ground.
Bone meal. often recommend
ed for fertilizing bulbs has the
disadvantage of attracting mice
Fortunately date- --dils or narcis-
sus are not attractive to rod
ents.
l948-l949 All Club Officers:
Aurelian Springs Junior; Ruby
Afford, President; Hazelent
Jones, Vice President; Camil'
Wollett, Secretary; Eudene Jon
es, Treasurer; Joyce Pittard, Pro
gram Chairman; Camille VOL
lett, Song Leader; and Eleano
Jones, Reporter Aurelian Spring
Senior Club: Opal Jones, Presi
dent; Sarah Ann Butts, Vice
President; Carrie Best, Secre
tary; Louise Butts, Treasurer
Eunice Jenkins, Program Chan
man; Joyce Gibson, Song Leao
er; and Bobbie White, Reporte
Enfield Junior Club: Margare
Sherrod, President; Alic
Thompson, Vice-President; Jear
can Dickens, Secretary; Joyc
Hargrove, Treasurer; Miriar
Joyner, Program Chairman; An
McGwigian, Song Leader. Enfiel
Senior Club: Alice Clark, Pres