﻿May, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  197 
  

  

  Round 
  a 
  Dutch 
  Bulb 
  Farm 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  Leonard 
  Bastin 
  

  

  ROM 
  very 
  early 
  times 
  the 
  industrious 
  people 
  

   of 
  Holland 
  have 
  been 
  famed 
  for 
  their 
  horti- 
  

   cultural 
  achievements. 
  Indeed 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  

   exaggeration 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  over 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  

   they 
  practically 
  kept 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  gardening 
  

   alive 
  in 
  Europe. 
  To-day 
  the 
  Dutch 
  people 
  

   are 
  well 
  up 
  in 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  wealthy 
  and 
  larger 
  

   nations 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  point 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  Netherlands 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  stand 
  alone 
  — 
  

   its 
  unquestioned 
  supremacy 
  as 
  the 
  bulb-producing 
  country 
  of 
  

   the 
  world. 
  The 
  reason 
  tor 
  this 
  may 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   two 
  circumstances. 
  Firstly, 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  which 
  

   has 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  growers 
  such 
  a 
  grasp 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  subject 
  

   as 
  is 
  bound 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  a 
  great 
  start 
  over 
  more 
  recent 
  com- 
  

   petitors, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  place 
  the 
  out 
  and 
  out 
  suitability 
  

   of 
  the 
  soil 
  in 
  Holland 
  for 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  bulbous 
  

   plants. 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  the 
  larger 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Netherlands 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  flat 
  sandy 
  plain 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  wrested 
  from 
  the 
  

   bed 
  of 
  the 
  ocean. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  Holland 
  is 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea, 
  and 
  would 
  quickly 
  be 
  flooded 
  with 
  water 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  

   for 
  the 
  embankments 
  which 
  keep 
  the 
  waves 
  in 
  check 
  on 
  the 
  

   ocean 
  side, 
  and 
  the 
  busily 
  pumping 
  windmills 
  which 
  draw 
  

   up 
  the 
  accumulated 
  inland 
  moisture 
  into 
  elevated 
  canals 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior. 
  The 
  whole 
  country 
  therefore 
  never 
  knows 
  the 
  

   meaning 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  drought, 
  while 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   cessively 
  light 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  the 
  drainage 
  is 
  perfect. 
  

   Here 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  ideal 
  conditions 
  for 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  

   hardy 
  bulbs 
  — 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  dry 
  and 
  warm 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  but 
  

   plentifully 
  supplied 
  with 
  moisture 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  down. 
  In 
  

   addition 
  to 
  this, 
  the 
  Dutch 
  growers 
  have 
  perfected 
  a 
  system 
  

   for 
  obtaining 
  regular 
  supplies 
  of 
  manure 
  from 
  the 
  extensive 
  

   dairy 
  farms 
  in 
  South 
  Holland 
  and 
  elsewhere, 
  the 
  splendid 
  

   waterways 
  enabling 
  the 
  material 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  by 
  barge 
  at 
  

   a 
  low 
  rate, 
  and 
  finally 
  in 
  smaller 
  boats, 
  using 
  the 
  lesser 
  canals, 
  

   conveyed 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  intended 
  without 
  any 
  

   need 
  for 
  carting 
  at 
  all. 
  The 
  soil 
  in 
  Holland 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  

   natural 
  condition 
  is 
  almost 
  pure 
  sand, 
  and 
  may 
  thus 
  be 
  spoken 
  

   of 
  as 
  almost 
  a 
  nega- 
  

   tive 
  quantity, 
  can 
  

  

  be 
  brought 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  exact 
  degree 
  of 
  

   richness 
  required 
  for 
  

   any 
  particular 
  bulb 
  

   by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  ma- 
  

   nure. 
  

  

  Undoubtedly 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  all 
  others 
  to 
  

   pay 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  a 
  

   Dutch 
  bulb 
  farm 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  — 
  about 
  April. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  whole 
  dis- 
  

   trict, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   city 
  of 
  H 
  a 
  a 
  r 
  1 
  e 
  m 
  

   may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  

   center, 
  is 
  simply 
  

   aglow 
  with 
  loveli- 
  

   ness. 
  In 
  such 
  a 
  flat 
  

   land, 
  extensive 
  

   views 
  are 
  not 
  easy 
  

  

  

  

  A 
  Fine 
  Tulip 
  Field 
  

  

  to 
  obtain, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  the 
  best 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  bulb 
  fields 
  is, 
  after 
  

   all, 
  from 
  a 
  train, 
  which 
  cautiously 
  pursues 
  its 
  way 
  along 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  embankments. 
  The 
  whole 
  countryside 
  reminds 
  one 
  

   of 
  nothing 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  huge 
  patchwork 
  quilt, 
  composed 
  in- 
  

   deed 
  of 
  far 
  more 
  glowing 
  colors 
  than 
  were 
  ever 
  wrought 
  

   into 
  the 
  homely 
  bedspread. 
  Red, 
  blue, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  every 
  

   conceivable 
  intermediate 
  shade 
  flash 
  up 
  in 
  blazing 
  response 
  

   to 
  the 
  gay 
  sunshine, 
  till 
  the 
  eye 
  is 
  well 
  nigh 
  satiated 
  with 
  the 
  

   orgy 
  of 
  color. 
  But 
  even 
  Dutch 
  trains 
  (which 
  will 
  never 
  

   come 
  to 
  grief 
  through 
  excessive 
  speed) 
  arrive 
  at 
  their 
  desti- 
  

   nation 
  sooner 
  or 
  later, 
  and 
  one 
  alights 
  with 
  a 
  fine 
  curiosity 
  

   to 
  see 
  and 
  learn 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  about 
  these 
  wonderful 
  bulb 
  

   fields. 
  Let 
  us, 
  therefore, 
  accept 
  the 
  invitation 
  of 
  this 
  hearty 
  

   Dutchman 
  — 
  who, 
  by 
  the 
  way, 
  speaks 
  English 
  perfectly 
  — 
  to 
  

   go 
  over 
  the 
  bulb 
  farm 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  the 
  owner. 
  

  

  A 
  closer 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  patches 
  of 
  color 
  which 
  were 
  

   seen 
  just 
  now 
  from 
  a 
  distance, 
  reveals 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  each 
  is 
  

   composed 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  separate 
  blossoms. 
  These 
  flower- 
  

   ing 
  bulbs 
  are 
  planted 
  with 
  a 
  wonderful 
  regularity, 
  being 
  

   drawn 
  up 
  in 
  rigid 
  lines 
  like 
  so 
  many 
  soldiers. 
  All 
  those 
  

   bulbs 
  of 
  a 
  like 
  age 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  sections 
  together, 
  and 
  this 
  

   method 
  of 
  planting 
  produces 
  rather 
  a 
  singular 
  effect. 
  Start- 
  

   ing 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  long 
  row 
  of 
  hyacinths 
  are 
  the 
  one- 
  

   year-old 
  bulbs; 
  these 
  have 
  produced 
  nothing 
  but 
  tufts 
  of 
  

   green 
  leaves. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  one 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  bulbs 
  in 
  

   their 
  second 
  year; 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  distinguished 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  bloom. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  three-year-old 
  

   plants 
  the 
  blossoms 
  are 
  much 
  finer, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  flowers 
  go 
  on 
  

   gradually 
  increasing 
  in 
  fineness, 
  as 
  we 
  walk 
  from 
  section 
  to 
  

   section, 
  until 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  row 
  one 
  finds 
  the 
  bulbs 
  which 
  

   are 
  in 
  their 
  sixth 
  or 
  seventh 
  year. 
  Thus 
  it 
  takes 
  seven 
  long 
  

   years 
  or 
  thereabouts 
  to 
  grow 
  a 
  marketable 
  hyacinth 
  bulb. 
  

   The 
  same 
  manner 
  of 
  planting 
  as 
  described 
  above 
  is 
  followed 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  both 
  tulips 
  and 
  narcissi, 
  although 
  in 
  these 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  mature 
  bulb 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  

   great. 
  But 
  one's 
  curiosity 
  is 
  excited 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  the 
  original 
  

   bulbs 
  are 
  obtained, 
  and 
  this 
  question 
  opens 
  up 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  interesting 
  chapters 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  bulb 
  farming. 
  

  

  With 
  tulips 
  and 
  

   narcissi 
  the 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  methods 
  of 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  are 
  decidedly 
  

   slow. 
  Apart 
  from 
  

   the 
  raising 
  of 
  bulbs 
  

   from 
  seed 
  — 
  a 
  most 
  

   laborious 
  process 
  — 
  

   the 
  grower 
  is 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  dependent 
  for 
  

   fresh 
  stock 
  upon 
  

   the 
  offshoots 
  which 
  

   the 
  parent 
  bulbs 
  an- 
  

   nually 
  produce. 
  In 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  hya- 
  

   cinths 
  a 
  kindly 
  pro- 
  

   vision 
  of 
  Nature 
  

   has 
  made 
  the 
  propa- 
  

   gation 
  of 
  bulbs 
  in 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  an 
  

   extremely 
  simple 
  

   matter. 
  Each 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  the 
  grower 
  se- 
  

   lects 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

  

  