Chapter 8

Winter Storage.

An excellent way to keep blooming bulbs through the winter is to pack them in crates, and pile these in a cellar without artificial heat, where the mercury ranges from thirty-five to forty degrees in cold weather.

Small bulbs may be kept in the same way, but they should not be more than two or three inches deep in the crates. They settle into a more solid mass than large bulbs, and if too deep they are liable to start into growth. This should be carefully guarded against.

Small quantities of bulbs may be stored in half-bushel baskets, from two to four inches deep, according to size, and hung up in the cellar.

Bulblets may be packed in boxes or barrels without regard to depth. They do not need to be cured in the fall, like bulbs, as a little drying hardens the shells in which they are enclosed to such an extent that many of the tiny shoots are unable to break through when the growing season comes. They should be packed away when taken off from the bulbs at digging or cleaning time, and a cool, damp place for keeping them is best. Some of them will sprout in storage, which, of course, is not to be desired, but it is better to lose the few that will grow too soon by dampness than the many that will be kept from growing at all by drying. The ideal place for storing bulblets is a root cellar, or underground room not connected with any building, which is securely closed after the stock is put in, and not opened till spring. Here it is kept fresh and moist and perfectly safe from fire and frost. Another excellent way to preserve bulblets is to pack them in boxes and bury them in the ground, as our forefathers did potatoes and apples. They must be covered sufficiently to guard against any possible danger from freezing, and with this precaution they come out in fine condition at planting time.

When a few bulblets of some choice variety are to be kept by themselves, it is a good plan to wrap them in paraffin paper, and enclose them in a paper bag, which may be marked to show its contents.

Packing Bulbs for Shipment.

When bulbs are well cured, the chief danger in shipping is from frost, and this is much greater in transportation by freight than by express. They are longer on the way, and more exposed to cold. However and whenever shipment is made, and whatever packages are used, whether boxes, barrels or baskets, they should be thoroughly lined with many thicknesses of paper to guard against possible harm. Paper is an excellent non-conductor of heat and cold, and packages well protected with it may be considered secure for fall or spring shipments, when a few degrees of frost are to be guarded against, but not extreme cold. When bulbs are to go by freight in winter, every precaution should be taken to make them absolutely safe. The paper linings of the packages should be increased in thickness, and in addition to this some good packing material, as sawdust thoroughly dried, planer shavings, buckwheat chaff, or ground cork, should be mixed all through among the bulbs. This prevents the frost from entering. As an additional safeguard, the bulbs may be put into strong sacks, with some one of the materials before mentioned among them, the sacks packed into the box or barrel, and all crevices among them filled with straw, excelsior or paper. This mode of packing is especially suitable when several varieties are comprised in one order.

In shipping high-priced bulbs, it is sometimes advisable to pack them carefully in a box, and enclose this box in another a few inches larger every way, filling the space between on all sides with dry sawdust. It is much the better way to make costly shipments in mild weather, if possible.

It seems hardly necessary to speak of sending bulbs by mail, but a few words may not be amiss. Almost the only danger in such cases is that of freezing on the ride with the rural carrier, and this can be guarded against in a great measure by using plenty of paper in wrapping, and buckwheat hulls for filling. It is better to pay postage on a little extra weight than to risk injury to the valuable goods enclosed.