a 
140 TH E GAR D EEN MAGAZINE APRIL, 1916 
Bulbs and the War 
T HAS been rather interesting to notice, dur- 
ing the last year and a half, in the various 
gardening papers and magazines, the part that 
bulbs have played in the war. 
First of all, shortly after the war broke out, 
there was great excitement as to the possible 
shortage, loss of rare varieties, etc. Many set 
to work to plant their small bulbs, those they 
would have thrown away in ordinary times, 
thinking to keep a good stock of favorite kinds. 
In this country instead of a shortage, the re- 
verse has been the case. One had planted the 
small bulbs early, because it was the right thing 
to do, and then later the market was floode 
with splendid bulbs at very reasonable prices 
and one wished for the room those small fellows 
were taking up! We have profited by other 
people’s inability to use or purchase varieties 
that were not offered to us heretofore. A bet- 
ter quality seems to have been sent us in the 
cheaper bulbs, and the choice has been far larger 
and the very large shipments have Kept the 
prices fairly low. Anent the low prices, the 
Dutch growers at one time sent out “frenzied ap- 
D3)!:R!0i«]K(]:]: W«):!/:W'/W\W';’=™’—Wéiw’«;“«;W“;W’'™“~W«iC IW W/W} 0 i pp J, {| \ |, JU API 
free on 
request 
Acomplete garden guide of 
240 pages—full of helpful sug- 
gestions —on what—when— 
and how to plant. A reliable 
help to success with flowers, 
vegetables, hardy perennials, 
_annuals, vines, shrubbery and 
plants in general. Includes 
plants, seeds, bulbs, garden 
sundries and implements. 
Hundreds of illustrations, many 
in natural colors. Full description 
of the 
CMM@EXC@@ET=T@@J@@Z@VZE@ECE 
NS 
N 
N 
N 
N 
N 
, 
N 
N 
N 
| 
N 
\ 
N 
, 
\ 
N 
N 
| 
, 
, 
N 
, 
Ya 
\ 
N 
\ 
\ 
\ 
CMM 
VMMXXCTXCZ 
I MM@XCTZZ”7z 
Wonderful Everblooming 
Butterfly Bush 
—the perfectly hardy shrub which 
bears every year a wealth of beau- 
tiful claret-colored flowers, of rare 
fragrance —like the blending of 
lilac and heliotrope. A single plant 
scents a whole garden — drawing 
the butterflies from all around. 
Strong plants which will bloom 
first season, 25c. (postpaid 30c.); 
$2.50 per dozen (by express, 
not prepaid). 
Free Copy | Henry F. Michell Co. 
Y 520 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
VM@EE 
YW 
Y, 
Surely we all sincerely hope that the war will not cyr- 
tail our supply of Tulip bulbs 
peals” to the British public asking them to buy 
of their wares, saying they were in a very bad 
way and needed support. But fortunately the 
trade did not suffer to any extent, the failures 
were about the same as in a normal year, and 
the growers seemed to be making a good living. 
On the other hand, after investigating the sit- 
uation, the British growers proved that their 
Dutch competitors were trying to werk upon 
the feelings of the British public and showed 
that the reliable Dutch firms made no claim to 
be suffering. Many people pointed out that as 
quantities of bulbs were grown in Great Britain 
and Ireland, purchases should be made at home. 
Of course the usual objection was raised, that 
British grown bulbs “were not half so good.” 
However, this has been pretty fairly disproved 
by the experience of those that did buy at home. 
Meanwhile, Americans profited again in that 
| both the British and Dutch growers tried to 
WNyQ enlarge their fields of operation by sending 
Wo” fi more catalogues to this country and showing 
al : ee ; moe paeest in sage foe asthe é 
Sy oT We GE & nother innovation, a result o is contro- 
SESH 64 versy, is the Show to be held on August Ist 
next by the Royal Horticultural Society “to 
Y), 
VW MMEE@@@CE EC] @ E@@ETTZTZZHZZzzz 
Y, 
MMMM@HHCCC@CH€CT€ 
Wd 
YY S 
PIAS 
LF IF FF FEL IF SNS 
DSI ECE WCMES 
Planted Now Will 
Bloom This Year 
ICKS’ hardy rhododendrons are as 
easily grown as lilacs. 
Guaranteed to bloom this year if planted 
now according to our easy instructions. 
Our magnificent stock of these most beau- 
tiful of flowering evergreen shrubs in- 
cludes all *‘clear colors.’’ An unusually 
large selection at moderate prices. 
Free booklet, *‘Flowers and Shrubs,’’ will 
tell you how to grow rhododendrons and 
other hardy flowers. 
HICKS NURSERIES 
Shrubs, Hardy Plants, Trees 
Dept. M Westbury, Long Island 
GARDEN SEEDS 
IE you want your garden to bea real success this 
year year (and of course you do) send for our big 
spring catalog. The “collections” of flowers and 
vegetable seeds on pages 11 and 12, ranging in price 
from $1.00 upwards, will specially interest you. 
Write today. A postal addressed to us will bring it: Free 
J. M. THORBURN & CO. 
Established 1802 
53B Barclay St., through to 54 Park Place, New York 
demonstrate the excellence to which such bulbs 
can be grown in Great Britain and Ireland.” 
The idea, I believe, came originally from the 
Rey. Joseph Jacob. ee came from the 
war-zone for bulbs to make gay the ground of 
hospitals and convalescent homes and were well 
responded to. Recently there has again been 
a rumor that the Dutch were using tulip bulbs 
to make flour. It may be so, but there has 
never been anything to show that such flour was 
pleasant to the taste. 
New York. Erne. A. 8. PECKHAM. 
The Readers’ Service will gladly furnish information about Interior Decoration 
