es are of practically no use for cut-flower purposes.

The school tulip bed was made just as Philip's round bed was made. The
time to plant depends on the weather. It is always well to get all
outdoor planting done before the time of frost. Why? Because you wish to
get the bulbs in while the earth is still warm. Bulbs lie in the ground
all winter slowly putting out roots, slowly starting to push up toward
the light above. For good root forming they need this long time of slow
growth. Get the outdoor bulbs in the ground during September.

Before this the ground may be prepared. In all the beds dig down about
two feet. Work over the soil well. Make it fine and free from lumps and
stones. Ordinary garden soil will be right for these beds. Put no
fertilizer in. If your ground is clayey, mix sand with it. Use
one-quarter sand in a mixture of this sort. This makes a lighter soil.
Clay soil is what we call a heavy soil. Bulbs require light soils.

Now comes planting. Different kinds of bulbs require different depths
of soil. Place the tulip bulbs four inches deep, and six inches apart.

Hyacinths were planted by Elizabeth in a strip beside the house. Jack
also planted daffodils in a corner sheltered by the house foundation and
an old high fence. The daffodils were planted exactly as the tulips, but
the hyacinths were planted six inches deep, instead of four.

In buying bulbs for outdoor planting ask for bedding bulbs, while for
indoor work buy forcing varieties.

One bright day in October the girls met at Katharine's house to pot
their bulbs for winter. Some had made wooden boxes or flats during the
winter; others had bought low pots; while still others had the ordinary
high pot.

In potting bulbs or any other plant two things are to be kept in
mind--first, the soil, and second, the drainage. The soil may be any
good garden soil. To a given quantity one may add one-fourth rotted
manure and one-fourth sand. This last helps lighten the material,
allowing more air to get at the entire mass and making good drainage
easier. Mix all this together. If one lacks the well-rotted manure and
sand, any good garden soil may be used. Sift the soil until it is
perfectly fine.

A simple sieve, which works well, may be made from a small soap or
starch box. Knock the bottom out and use in place of this wire netting.
Helena and Eloise made two sieves which did for all the girls. Eloise
also made some very good flats as described before u