BULLETIN OF THE 



No. 28 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief 

 November 11, 1913. 



EXPERIMENTS IN BULB GROWING AT THE UNITED 

 STATES BULB GARDEN AT BELLINGHAM. 1 



By P. H. Dorsett, 



Plant Introducer in Charge of Plant-Introduction Field Stations, Office of 

 Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The United States to-day is one of the largest consumers of what 

 are known as " Dutch bulbs." The value of the annual imports of 

 these extremely popular spring-flowering bulbs for planting out of 

 doors and forcing under glass exceeds $1,000,000. The major part of 

 these should, and it is believed can, be grown at home. 



1 As a result of extensive tests of Holland bulbs on the trial grounds of the Department 

 of Agriculture on the Potomac Flats, which were carried on for several years under the 

 direction of Mr. A. J. Pieters, Botanist in Charge of the Office of Congressional Seed Dis- 

 tribution, Mr. L. C Corbett, Horticulturist, Mr. George W. Oliver, Expert in Plant Propa- 

 gation, and Mr. Henry B. Juenemann, Gardener, and after preliminary surveys by these 

 gentlemen in 1906 and 1907 in the Puget Sound region and other sections of the United 

 States, with a view to finding soil and climatic conditions similar to those of the bulb- 

 growing sections of the Netherlands, a garden for the propagation of these bulbs was 

 established near Bellingham, Wash., on a tract of 10 acres furnished by the Bellingham 

 Chamber of Commerce. The preliminary details involved in securing the active coopera- 

 tion of the local authorities and establishing the garden were arranged by Mr. Lisle Mor- 

 rison, Assistant in Charge of the Office of Congressional Seed Distribution, and the first 

 bulbs were planted in the autumn of 1908 by Mr. Juenemann, who has since resided at 

 the garden and personally superintended the work of propagating, planting, cultivating, 

 harvesting, and curing the bulbs. Since July, 1909, the administrative details connected 

 with the management of the garden have been under the supervision of Mr. Leon M. Esta- 

 brook, Assistant in Charge of the Office of Congressional Seed Distribution, from which 

 the funds for carrying on the work are supplied, while the cultural and practical work 

 at the garden has been under the supervision of Mr. P. H. Dorsett, Plant Introducer in 

 Charge of Plant-Introduction Field Stations, and Mr. Peter Bisset, Plant Introducer in 

 Charge of Foreign-Plant Distribution, both of the office of Foreign Seed and Plant Intro- 

 duction. 



It is in response to the increasing demand for information regarding the growing of 

 these bulbs in this country, especially at Bellingham, that this preliminary report show- 

 ing progress and the present status of this work has been prepared, but the results here 

 outlined should not induce anyone to take up " Dutch-bulb " growing in the United States 

 without first thoroughly investigating the local conditions. — Wm. A. Taylor, Chief of 

 Bureau. 



9217°— Bull. 28-13 1 



