When done blooming cut away the flower spikes— not the leaves —
and allow the bulb to ripen. It will be ready to dig when the leaves have
turned dry and yellow. When dug it will be found there are at least two
and often three bulbs in place of one planted, so rapidly do they increase.
Keep in the house over winter in a dry state and plant out again the f oUow
ing spring.
TUBXB06E8.
The best bulbs for flowering are those which are large and plump. Those
which are wanted to bloom very early.should be started in April or May in.
pots or boxes of earth set in a green house, hot-bed or even a warm room.
In about four or flve weeks later they may be put£in the garden, where they
will usually bloom in August. But supposing yen, by some means, had no
opportunity to start them in the manner suggestea, proceed as toUows :
Prepare the ground by deep digging and apply old manure liberally, then
first having removed all the offsets which are clustered around the large bulbs,
plant the bulbs in rows twelve inches a^rt, and six inches apart in the
rows, setting them three inches deep. Keep the ground at all times free
from weeds, and well stirred up by the use of a hoe. After the first frost,
which usually occurs in October, the bulbs should be lifted and allowed to
dry in the sun a day or two, being careful to protect from frost at night.
Waen thoroughly dried they should be cleaned, removing the leaves and
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 671
allowing two or three inches of the stalk to remain ; then store in a warm
closet until wanted for planting.
The very small hulbs or offsets are planted like peas in rows one foot
apart, six inches between every two bulbs in the row, and three or four
inches deep. Cultivate the same as the full-grown bulbs, and these offscrts
with two years' cultivation will form bulbs of blooming size.
CANMAS.
To my mind these are the handsomest and most stately of all the summer
blooming bulbs. They are chiefly used as ornamental plants at the backs of
borders on lawns. They grow readily from seeds, whicn are very hard, and
should be soaked in tepid water before sowing. The most common wa^ to
fet these plants, however, is to buy a tuber from a florist in the sprmg;
>o not put it out in the open ground until the weather has become warm —
say the flrst of June. At that time make a hole about eighteen inches square,
and put in a eood supply of old manure, cover with an inch or two ot soil,
and on this place your canna tuber. If the weather is favorable by August,
this tuber will have produced from four to six stalks, usually about six-feet
high, surmounted by lovely flowers. There are several varieties, and in
nearly all of them both the foliage and the bloom is different. The roots are
difficult to keep over winter, but where one has a real warm room, dig up the
roots after first frost and set in a warm place to evaporate the moisture. In
the greenhouse we keep these by the siaes of the flues and even then loose
some to rot. The seedlings usually bloom the second year.
CALADIUM BRGULBirrUM.
Page 590
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
When done blooming cut away the flower spikes— not the leaves — and allow the bulb to ripen. It will be ready to dig when the leaves have turned dry and yellow. When dug it will be found there are at least two and often three bulbs in place of one planted, so rapidly do they increase. Keep in the house over winter in a dry state and plant out again the f oUow ing spring.
TUBEROSE.
The best bulbs for flowering are those which are large and plump. Those which are wanted to bloom very early should be started in April or May in pots or boxes of earth set in a green house, hot-bed or even a warm room. In about four or five weeks later they may be put in the garden, where they will usually bloom in August. But supposing you, by some means, had no opportunity to start them in the manner suggested, proceed as follows : Prepare the ground by deep digging and apply old manure liberally, then first having removed all the offsets which are clustered around the large bulbs, plant the bulbs in rows twelve inches apart, and six inches apart in the rows, setting them three inches deep. Keep the ground at all times free from weeds, and well stirred up by the use of a hoe. After the first frost, which usually occurs in October, the bulbs should be lifted and allowed to dry in the sun a day or two, being careful to protect from frost at night. When thoroughly dried they should be cleaned, removing the leaves and
allowing two or three inches of the stalk to remain ; then store in a warm closet until wanted for planting.
The very small bulbs or offsets are planted like peas in rows one foot apart, six inches between every two bulbs in the row, and three or four inches deep. Cultivate the same as the full-grown bulbs, and these offscrts with two years' cultivation will form bulbs of blooming size.
CANNAS.
To my mind these are the handsomest and most stately of all the summer blooming bulbs. They are chiefly used as ornamental plants at the backs of borders on lawns. They grow readily from seeds, which are very hard, and should be soaked in tepid water before sowing. The most common way to
get these plants, however, is to buy a tuber from a florist in the spring; do not put it out in the open ground until the weather has become warm — say the first of June. At that time make a hole about eighteen inches square, and put in a eood supply of old manure, cover with an inch or two ot soil, and on this place your canna tuber. If the weather is favorable by August, this tuber will have produced from four to six stalks, usually about six-feet high, surmounted by lovely flowers. There are several varieties, and in nearly all of them both the foliage and the bloom is different. The roots are difficult to keep over winter, but where one has a real warm room, dig up the roots after first frost and set in a warm place to evaporate the moisture. In the greenhouse we keep these by the sides of the flues and even then lose some to rot. The seedlings usually bloom the second year.
CALADIUM BICOLOR.