COMMERCIAL DUTCH-BULB CULTURE. 11 



may roll off of one tray into another, or when bulbs follow bulbs in 

 the rotation the ones accidentally missed in digging and the droppers 

 to a large extent may come up in subsequent years, all producing a 

 mixture of varieties. To prevent these so-called " rogues " atten- 

 tion must be given at the time of flowering and they must be dug out. 

 "Were it not for the necessity of roguing when the flowers are fully 

 open, other practices could be carried on in commercial work, such 

 as cutting the flowers in the bud or not allowing them to open at all, 

 and this would probably be a benefit to bulb production. However, 

 in our work and in commercial work as well, certain benefits accrue 

 in public appreciation which amply repay one for leaving the flowers 

 until they begin to fade. This also allows the study and comparison 

 of the different varieties, which in the rapid changes which take place 

 in the relative merits of stocks due to constant improvement is all but 

 imperative. 



HARVESTING THE FLOWERS. 



When there is a market for cut flowers from commercial bulb 

 growing this is an added revenue. Indeed, in the Virginia bulb sec- 

 tion the cut flower is the most profitable end of the business, and 

 bulb production is purely secondary. The method of cutting the 

 flowers is important. In the Virginia fields, where the stems of the 

 narcissus, owing to the rather sudden advent of spring with attend- 

 ant comparatively high temperatures, are short, the flower stem is 

 pulled in gathering the flowers. In regions where the springs are 

 cooler and the stems produced are longer they can be cut to better ad- 

 vantage, and this method is better for the bulb crop. In harvesting 

 flowers from tulips, care must be taken not to rob the bulb of its 

 leafage. In most sections it is not practicable to harvest tulip flow- 

 ers for sale, except to a limited extent from the robust late varieties 

 which have a foot or more of stem above the upper leaf. In re- 

 moving tulip flowers after they have faded no leafage is destroyed, 

 only the flower and 2 or 3 inches of stem being removed. The hya- 

 cinth spike of flowers is removed by severing the scape, or stem, with 

 a knife. 



There is a possibility that a by-product in the form of an essential 

 oil may be made an added source of revenue here. 



CULTIVATION. 



There is no uniformity of practice in cultivating Dutch bulbs in 

 this country. In the !N"etherlands the hoe and the hand serve every 

 purpose after the plants appear above ground. The hoe for the 

 paths and hand weeding for the beds are universal practices. It is 

 difficult to use a tool in plantings of bulbs only 6 inches apart. In 



