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F. A. McCLURE
Any diminution of the sunlight provided, however, results in undue lengthening of the leaves and less vigorous development of the flowers. Variations in sunlight or any of the other weather factors may conspire to hasten or defer the flowering, or to spoil the decorative effect of the final product. And here is where the art of the master forcer comes in. He must judge the season, start his bulbs at the right moment, tend them daily and stand guard constantly, anticipating the probable effect of every slight variation of the weather upon the rapidly developing plants. He must know how, with the simple devices at his disposal, to compensate for varia- The success tions in sunlight, temperature, humidity and wind velocity.
or failure of his venture depends upon his being able to bring his bulbs into full flowering during the fleeting hours at the end of the lunar year when the demand is at its peak. The demand suddenly soars during the last day or so of the old year, and begins to swoop to earth again with the birth of the first hour of the new. The truth of this is often eloquently demon- strated by the wholesale desertion of unsold flowers as the crowds that throng the streets on New Year's eve begin to disappear.
The forcing of these bulbs constitutes quite an important industry during the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, which corresponds roughly to January of our Western year. Depending upon the weather of the parti cular season, the bulbs are started anywhere from the 28th of the eleventh moon. In a cold, cloudy season they are started earlier, while in a warm, sunny season they are started later. Warm sunny weather is considered ideal for the best development of the Narcissus plant, while cold, cloudy weather is anathema to those who force the bulbs for the market.
As they come into the hands of the forcer, the bulbs occur in bilateral clusters of three to seven, the central one of which may be up to 3 or 3.3 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height. On either side of this and pro- ceeding from its base, will usually be found from one to three smaller bulbs (Plate 26, Fig. 1). The leaves of the plant are two-ranked and the lateral bulbs follow this arrangement. There is a distinct hollow at the base of the bulb from the periphery of which the roots are produced. The depth of this de- pression is emphasized by the downward curve of the bases of the secondary bulbs. The bulbs are made up of leaf buds and flower buds encased by several layers of thick, tough scale leaves, each of which forms a continuous sheath. After the removal of the dry outer scales and the dry roots, the first act in the process of preparing the bulbs for forcing is to make a deep incision in the summit of the bulbs at either side of the first protruding leaf tip (Figure 1). The forcers say that, if this precaution is neglected, the flowers sometimes become misshapen as a result of the pressure which they must overcome in issuing from the midst of the bulb. There doubtless are other good reasons for this practice which are not yet fully understood. It may be that the incision allows more freedom in spreading the flower stalks, making possible a more shapely plant.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
1.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
Plate 27.
Vol. III, Nos. 3 and 4.
169
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