PRODUCTIOIT or TULIP BULBS. 21 



The drier the situation the less shelf room is required for a given 

 quantity. Indeed, it is found that the new location of these experi- 

 ments on Puget Sound requires less shelf room for a given area of 

 ground planted than did the old one, although the yield is greater. 

 This is due to drier, better drained soils and to the better atmospheric 

 conditions that exist farther back from the coast. 



In handling an acre of tulips in 1920, the bulbs were brought into 

 the house in rotation. The shelf room occupied may be accepted as 

 rather more than is necessary to hold a good crop of these bulbs for 

 the proper curing of stock on such an area at one time under commer- 

 cial conditions. In practice, when digging is not continuous or rapid 

 it is possible to clean and condense the stocks on the shelves and thus 

 occupy some of the shelf space more than once. 



A total of 180 trays 4 feet square held the bulbs from 1 acre for 

 curing in 1920. This in round numbers is 2,880 square feet of shelv- 

 ing, which was ample for a 1-acre crop. It is thought that 2,000 to 

 2,500 feet of shelving for an acre of tulips under commercial condi- 

 tions where comparatively large lots of few varieties are handled 

 would be ample. 



It will be seen that over twice as much shelf space proportionally 

 was used in the 1920 season in handling an acre as was required the 

 year before for a single variety. Cardinal's Hat, on solid shelves. It 

 will always be true that solid shelving, although not so handy, will be 

 more heavily loaded per square foot than trays. It is also to be noted 

 that in 1919 the crop was much drier when dug, and this particular 

 variety really could have been cleaned without any drying. 



CLEANING TULIP BULBS. 



The separation of the bulbs from the clumps and the removal of the 

 old coats preparatory to sale and resetting of the stocks are at 

 present done by hand wherever tulips are grown. The work is so 

 variable and of such a nature that it is not clear how a machine can 

 be made to perform the operations successfully, but there are a 

 number of devices which can be used greatly to assist in the process. 

 The operations at Bellingham, Wash., where more than 250,000 tulip 

 bulbs a year have been turned off, have given a fairly good oppor- 

 tunity to study the requirements rather closely. 



Emphasis should be put on the fact that if possible tulip bulbs 

 should be cleaned before they are too dry, for the reason that the 

 coats are much more likely to be preserved from cracking in the 

 handling aiid exposure to light incident to the cleaning if they are 

 not too thoroughly dried out. There is always more or less abrasion, 

 and it is necessary for the cleaners to have good light to work by. 

 The bulbs are consequently exposed for some time to detrimental 

 influences during this operation. Of course, one who grows bulbs on 



