PEODUCTIOISr OE TULIP BULBS. 33 



Labor summary. — The labor of growing an acre of tulip bulbs is 

 summarized in Table 4. To arrive at the total cost the interest on 

 the investment must be added and also the cost of preparing che 

 ground, which will not differ materially from the preparation for 

 potatoes or any other similar crop. 



SOUS. 



A soil which will not bake is suitable for the production of tulip 

 bulbs. If it is light and friable, it will be much more easily handled. 

 If it is lean and sandy, the cost of fertilizer will be heavier, but this 

 will probably be compensated by a much lower charge than is re- 

 quired for handling a heavy loam. 



FERTILITY OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. 



That tulip bulbs of good quality can not be produced on infertile 

 soil should be recognized as axiomatic. The numerous failures 

 experienced by the householder who has endeavored to continue his 

 stocks of bulbs year after year are due to a lack of proper soil fer- 

 tility more than to any other cause. Tulip stocks of practically aU 

 varieties "go all to pieces," so to speak, when grown year after year 

 on poor soil. 



EXCESSIVE FERTILITY. 



While tulips, like most bulbous stocks, require heavy fertility, it 

 is possible to apply too much raw manure for them to give best 

 results. An application of manure too near the time of planting, 

 even though it be not excessive in quantity, is also likely to cause 

 injury. A heavy application of manure with the removal of some 

 other crop previous to planting the bulbs furnishes the ideal condi- 

 tion for tulips. 



Excessive stimulation often manifests itseK in the tulip by a large 

 approximately horizontal gash in the coat across the back of the 

 bulb, as well as by excessive size. (PI. XI, Fig. 1.) The bulb seems 

 to expand at too great a rate for the coat, which is ruptured and 

 slightly wrinkled, as well as somewhat thickened over the remainder 

 of the bulb. This is very different from the irregular splitting of the 

 coats due to too great exposure. Here the split has already occurred 

 before the time of digging, and the white, living scales beneath are 

 already somewhat discolored by contact with the soil. 



Such conditions are likely to occur to some extent when tulips are 

 grown on new, fertile soil, even though it be not heavily fertilized, 

 but in the absence of added manures it is not likely to be serious. 



Some varieties are much more susceptible to injury from this 

 cause than others. Cardinal's Hat is very susceptible. In 1919 the 

 stocks of this tulip at Bellingham, Wash., had not over 5 per cent of 

 102949°— 22— Bull. 1082 3 



