IS J HORTICULTUltAL TOUK. 



purities, and the water was of the most limpid transparen- 

 cy. A great deal of extremely fine thread was now blcaeh- 

 ing ; but Mr Eldering did not conceal from us, that, not- 

 withstanding the celebrated whitening property of Haarlem 

 water, he experienced the greatest advantage from employ- 

 ing chemical means (oxymuriatic acid) in destroying the 

 vegetable colour. 



All around the little village of Overveen, the soil is ad- 

 mirably adapted to the raising of bulbous-rooted plants, 

 consisting of a light vegetable mould resting on fine sand ; 

 and in this favourable situation, we now found, have been 

 established the most extensive bulb-nurseries. Above a 

 hundred English acres, Mr Eldering thinks, are in this 

 neighbourhood occupied in producing the different kinds of 

 bulbous and tuberous flower-roots. All of these, it is to 

 be understood, require nursing for several successive years, 

 some of them for not less than six or seven, before they be- 

 come ready for the market. The gardens of the florists on 

 the south side of Haarlem arc chiefly for show, and contain 

 only bulbs which have attained maturity, or are in a flow- 

 ering condition. These florists frequently purchase sup- 

 plies of bulbs from the growers at Overveen. The most 

 extensive cultivators are Messrs Veen and Co., and Mr 

 Eldering. The latter was at this time engaged in packing 

 a very large case of bulbs for England ; and he told us, 

 that he had already dispatched about thirty similar cases, 

 many of them for the same country. Notwithstanding the 

 great inroads thus made on his stock, his col lection is so ample, 

 that he estimated the flowering-roots (chiefly hyacinth, tu- 

 lip, and polyanthus-narcissus) still on hand, and of which 

 Ik- could dispose, without depriving himself of a sufficient 

 store of breeders, as probably ftot fewer in number than 

 50,000 



