The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 7 (November 1, 1928)
“Floral apostles! that in deny splendour weep without woe, and blush without a crime.” —Horace Smith
“Floral apostles! that in deny splendour weep without woe, and blush without a crime.” —Horace Smith.
The Narcissus, the “Queen of Spring,” is again abloom in our gardens, and, no doubt, among the ranks of raiwaymen there are many who desire to produce these lovely flowers in all their glory. The Narcissus is easily cultivated and requires very little attention after the bulbs have been planted.
Now, to the surface of the bed thus excavated, give a dressing per square yard as follows: —1lb. of fresh slaked lime, 8ozs. of soot and 4ozs. of pure bone dust. Thoroughly dig this dressing into the bed (breaking up the soil well), and then level off. Proceed then to apply a double layer of good cow-pasture turf, or cocksfoot clumps, placed grass-side down. When the turf has been laid evenly in the bed, replace (on to the top of the turf) the soil which was first removed. This will raise the surface of the bed to the top of the boards—six inches above the level of the surrounding ground—thus ensuring perfect drainage.
That this bed may not lie idle for the three months it would not be required for Narcissi culture, it could be utilised for raising cabbage, cauliflower or like plants. It is essential, however, page 36 that these be transplanted before January, A week to ten days before the planting time for bulbs, give the bed a further top dressing of lime (4ozs, to the square yard), and lightly fork this in and level off the surface.