BULB GROWING AT THE UNITED STATES BULB GARDEN. 



15 



The experiments at the Bellingham garden have demonstrated 

 beyond question that narcissuses of excellent quality can be grown 

 there and that the Double Van Sion variety, one of the most popular 

 of the forcing narcissuses and one that heretofore has baffled every 

 effort to produce it commercially in this country, can be successfully 

 grown in the Puget Sound region. The first flowers from imported 

 bulbs of this, variety are usually fine, perfect, double flowers of ex- 

 cellent substance and quality. (Fig. 13.) The same bulbs if grown 

 longer than the first season after being imported produce as a rule 

 throughout the United States, with the apparent exception of the 

 Puget Sound region, greenish, malformed flowers. The trumpet 



Fig. 14. — Flowers of the Double Van Sion narcissus, showing a striking improvement 

 and return to the normal flower. A. — An average malformed flower the first season 

 after planting at the United States Bulb Garden, produced from a bulb grown in 

 the bulb-growing districts of the East for more than one season after being im- 

 ported. B. — An average flower the second season after planting, from a bulb from 

 the same source. C. — An average flower the third season after planting, from a 

 bulb from the same source. Photographed April 19, 1911. 



splits or breaks into perianthlike segments and very frequently takes 

 on a greenish yellow or green color, i. e., the flowers are said to " go 

 green." The perianth also often becomes greenish or greenish yellow. 

 Such flowers are absolutely worthless. 



For the purpose of determining what effect the climatic and soil 

 conditions of the Puget Sound region would exert upon bulbs of the 

 Double Van Sion narcissus that have been grown in other parts of 

 the United States for several years, a number of the bulbs were 



