174
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
Vol. III, Nos. 3 and 4.
192
F. A. McCLURE
permitted to see the very simple but scientifically constructed bins where the bulbs are stored, and Mr. Ch'an outlined for me the methods used in this fascinating industry.
The soil, which is a rich black loam, is thoroughly cultivated and raised into beds. The bulbs are taken from storage at the beginning of the ninth lunar month (October) and soaked in water for an hour or so. They are then planted in rows at a distance of about one foot and at such a depth that the tip of the bulb is just below the surface of the ground. They are watered regularly whenever the rainfall is inadequate. Fertilizer is applied in the form of a liquid suspension of pig manure. The soil is cultivated to keep the surface pulverized and all weeds are removed. The plants reach the end of their annual growth cycle by the end of the fifth lunar month (June) when the bulbs are dug up and allowed to remain on the surface of the soil until the leaves and roots are thoroughly dry. The dead, shrivelled leaves are then removed, the roots are trimmed and the hollow at the base of the bulb is filled with black mud which is held in place by the bases of the roots which it encases. When the mud is dry the bulbs are put into storage to await the planting time in the autumn. This cycle is repeated until the bulbs are three years old, at which time they are placed on the market.
The storage
bin examined is located in one corner of an adobe-walled structure with a tile roof and a floor of beaten clay. The bin is some fifteen feet long, six feet wide and four feet deep. The two adjacent walls of the house form two of the walls of the bin while the other two walls are con- structed of boards. The bottom is lined with a deep layer of rice straw spread on the earthen floor. The bulbs are arranged, very carefully, being placed an upright position and so stacked as to leave large open spaces for ventilation. When the bin is full a thick cover of rice straw is put on. There are four feet of space between the top of the cover and the low ceiling of the room.
In preparation for the market, the bulbs are packed in cylindrical bamboo baskets of uniform size, whose bottoms are first lined with rice straw. They are graded according to size, the standard being described by the number of bulbs of a given size which are required to fill a basket. Of the largest size, thirty are placed in each basket, and this grade is spoken of as thirties" ( ). The other grades are indicated respectively as forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. The eighties are, of course, quite small. In former years bulbs for export were allowed to retain the filling of mud around the roots, but quarantine regulations in various coun- tries now make it necessary to remove this before the bulbs are packed.
There is a considerable volume of literature in Chinese which deals to a alight extent with the culture of Narcissus, but chiefly with the charms of the flowers and with poetical lengends and lore which have grown up about it. For the convenience of those wishing to refer to such sources I append hereto a few titles.
Plate 29.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.