1386 
1386 
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 
10x100 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 
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 the tem- nk th 
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 last crops will usually be the best. 
For November bloom the bulbs are retarded in some 
cool, dry place until the middle of August. The or 5 inches of soil. 
POLIANTHES 
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, 
in 1868. Beginning with a dozen bulbs, be 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. Croom, 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 lbs. to the acre. About 400 lbs. 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. 
