1386 



POLIANTHES 



POLIANTHES 



double-flowered form was secured from seed about 1780- 

 1790 by one de la Cour of Leyden, Holland, who for 

 many years destroyed all his surplus bulbs in order to 

 be the sole possessor of the double-flowered Tuberose. 



The Tuberose reached the zenith of its fame about 

 1870, while the equally waxy Camellia and the formal 

 Dahlia were still fashionable. In 1865 Peter Henderson 

 sold $1,500 worth of Tuberoses from a glasshouse 

 10 x 100 ft. Wm. Scott, of Buffalo, writes that he can 

 remember when it was as much trouble to procure a 

 dozen Tuberose bulbs " as it would be now to get a young 

 kangaroo from Tasmania." "Twenty -five years ago," 

 he continues, "the Tuberose was a flower of the first 

 importance, but how are the mighty fallen!" 



In recent times the greatest improvement in the Tuber- 

 ose is represented by the Pearl, a dwarf variety which 

 originated with John Henderson, of Flushing, L. I., 

 in 1865. It was introduced by Peter Henderson in 1867. 

 Being a foot shorter than the common double type, it is 

 the best form for greenhouse culture; also the fls. are 

 more numerous and nearly twice the size. 



Tuberose Culture by Northern Florists. Tuberoses 

 are chiefly grown by American florists for summer and 

 fall bloom. It is a very difficult operation to force 

 Tuberoses so as to bloom from January to March, but 

 they can be forced with comparative ease to bloom from 

 April to June. Also flowers may readily be secured for 

 November and December by 

 retarding the bulbs. 



In forcing, the bulbs are 

 started about the first of 

 January, being placed close 

 together in boxes only 3 in. 

 deep, with 2 inches or so of 

 moss on the bottom. These 

 boxes are placed over the 

 pipe where a temperature of 



1868. Polianthes tuberosa 

 Tuberose (X %). 



75 may be maintained. In four 

 or five weeks the tubers will 

 have sent roots all through the 

 moss, and they should then be 

 potted in 4- or 5-in. pots, or 

 planted in a bench containing 4 

 or 5 inches of soil. The tem- 

 perature should never be less 

 than 75, and 80 is better. For 

 May and June bloom, succes- 

 sional batches may be planted 



at intervals of three or four weeks after New Years. 



The las* crops will usually be the best. 

 For November bloom the bulbs are retarded in some 



cool, dry place until the middle of August. The second 



batch should not be planted until the middle of Sep. 

 tember. This will produce December bloom. 



For summer blooming in the open ground, the form 

 known as the "Tall Double " is the most to be preferred. 

 In this variety, the flowers open better and are a clearer 

 and purer white than those of the Pearl. The Albino is 

 a single white Tuberose blooming in July and August. 

 It is a very floriferous variety, with flowers that lack 

 the brown or stained tint of some of the older forms. 

 The odor is less powerful, and therefore more pleasant, 

 than that of the ordinary Tuberose. 



Tuberose Culture in Europe. In Europe there is 

 demand for Tuberoses the year round. The Natal-grown 

 bulbs arrive in September, while the American-grown 

 bulbs do not reach Europe until December or even Jan- 

 uary. The former are forced, and the latter retarded. 

 In an excellent review of Tuberose culture in Gn. 

 47:330, "Southron" says: "No manure is needed in the 

 soil, otherwise it will tend to produce a superabundant 

 leaf -growth ; but manure water will, if given after the 

 spikes are fairly started, greatly assist the bulbs in de- 

 veloping the flowers. In private gardens the one great 

 trouble oftentimes is that of red spider." * * * "The 

 Tuberose makes one of the prettiest buttonhole bou- 

 quets imaginable." * * * "Where many suckers appear 

 around the crown-growth, it is a good plan to thin them 

 out, otherwise the flower-spike will be weakened. Per- 

 sonally, I have had a preference for growing the Tuber- 

 ose in the long pots, oftentimes termed hyacinth pots; 

 these take less room and are quite large enough." 



PETER HENDERSON & Co. 



Commercial Production of Tuberose Bulbs. Tuberose 

 bulbs were formerly grown extensively for commercial 

 purposes in Italy, and are grown in a small way at the 

 present time in South Africa, though the African bulbs 

 are not in much favor with European florists because 

 the bulbs ripen and are shipped in midsummer and a 

 great number fail to bloom. None of the foreign-grown 

 bulbs are imported into the United States and, owing to 

 the superiority of the American-grown Tuberoses and 

 the low price at which they are produced, they have 

 driven the Italian-grown bulbs out of the American 

 market. About 80 per cent of the American crop is 

 exported. Practically the entire product of this country 

 is grown in a limited area in the southeastern part of 

 the state of North Carolina. 



Tuberose bulb culture in the southern states was first 

 attempted by F. A. Newbury in Duplin county, N. C. v 

 in 1868. Beginning with a dozen bulbs, he propagated 

 stock until, in 1888, the yield was about 1,000,000 bulbs. 

 During these years the crop was cultivated entirely by 

 hand and consequently was very expensive. The prices 

 received at first were $40 per 1,000, but since then 

 prices have declined each year as quantity increased 

 until, in 1888, bulbs were selling at $6 to $8 per 1,000. 

 In 1888 H. E. Newbury, a brother, bought out the 

 business, and he and J. F. Groom, another grower 

 who had propagated considerable stock, extended the 

 business very greatly, introducing less expensive meth- 

 ods of cultivation. By use of the horse-plow they 

 were enabled to greatly reduce the selling price and 

 stimulate demand for bulbs, so that the crop of 1900, 

 within a radius of 20 miles of one point (Magnolia, N., 

 C.), amounted to 6,000,000 bulbs, selling at wholesale in 

 car-load lots at $3.50 per 1,000. This yield is secured 

 from over 300 acres. 



The soil in the section around Magnolia, which seems 

 so especially adapted to the culture of Tuberose bulbs, 

 is a light, sandy surface with a porous clay subsoil at 

 a depth varying from 2 to 8 ft., with the bottom lands 

 a dark but porous sandy formation. In wet or rainy 

 seasons the bulbs thrive best on the uplands, and 

 in dry seasons best on the dark moist bottoms, though 

 they withstand equally well a great deal of wet or 

 drought. 



The crop is set in April, after the soil has been 

 thoroughly pulverized. It is then laid off in rows or 

 furrows 22 in. apart; into these is sowed fertilizer at 

 the rate of 600 Ibs. to the acre. About 400 Ibs. of cotton- 

 seed meal and 20 bus. of good wood ashes to the acre 

 have given the best results, though any reliable fer- 

 tilizer with a good percentage of potash is all right. 



