6 BULLETIN 28, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



The time required to produce mature bulbs by this method is from 

 two or four years, depending, of course, upon the variety, the size 

 of the slabs, and the conditions under which they are grown. This 



Fig. 3. — Six equally good mother hyacinth hulbs of the Regulus variety ready for 

 scoring or scooping. Figure 4 shows bulbs of the same variety one month after 

 being scored and scooped. 



method is not employed to any great extent in commercial hyacinth 

 growing on account of the comparatively small number of slabs pro- 

 duced. 



Fig. 4. — Mother hyacinth bulbs scored and scooped. The work in the Netherlands, 

 and until last year in this country, has always been done by hand, an ordinary 

 straight-bladed knife being used in scoring and sometimes in scooping. As a rule, 

 however, the knife with a curved blade shown in figure 5 is used in scooping mother 

 bulbs. Bulbs on left, scored ; those on right, scooped. 



Owing to the wide variation in the bulbs grown, the method of 

 growing bulbs from seed is rarely, if ever, employed except for the 



Fig. 5. — Knife used in the Netherlands for scooping bulbs. 



production of new varieties. The time required to produce mature 

 bulbs from seed is longer than by any of the other methods. Nor- 

 mally from five to eight years are required, depending upon the 



