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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  May, 
  1907 
  

  

  A 
  Truck 
  Load 
  of 
  Hyacinth 
  Blooms 
  on 
  Its 
  Way 
  to 
  the 
  Waste 
  Heap 
  

  

  his 
  largest 
  hyacinth 
  bulbs 
  and 
  sets 
  these 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  increasing 
  his 
  stock. 
  These 
  bulbs 
  are 
  technically 
  known 
  

   as 
  "mothers," 
  and 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  them 
  one 
  of 
  two 
  methods 
  

   is 
  adopted 
  — 
  "crossing" 
  and 
  "scooping." 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   former, 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bulb 
  is 
  cut 
  across 
  in 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  directions 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  knife. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  instance 
  

   the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  root 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  bulb 
  is 
  scooped 
  away, 
  thus 
  

   leaving 
  a 
  circular 
  cavity. 
  Whichever 
  process 
  is 
  adopted 
  the 
  

   "mother" 
  bulbs 
  are 
  carefully 
  stored 
  in 
  a 
  perfectly 
  dry 
  place. 
  

   Occasionally, 
  to 
  hasten 
  matters 
  they 
  are 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  sunny 
  posi- 
  

   tion. 
  When 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  moisture 
  has 
  passed 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

   bulbs 
  a 
  strange 
  thing 
  happens. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  each 
  "mother" 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  tiny 
  bulbils 
  begin 
  to 
  put 
  in 
  an 
  appearance; 
  as 
  

   the 
  weeks 
  go 
  by 
  these 
  increase 
  very 
  rapidly 
  both 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  

   number. 
  With 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  season 
  each 
  

   "mother," 
  with 
  all 
  her 
  offsprings 
  attached, 
  is 
  placed 
  out 
  into 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  warm 
  weather 
  sets 
  in 
  the 
  

   bulbils 
  commence 
  to 
  grow 
  on 
  their 
  own 
  account, 
  every 
  one 
  

   sending 
  up 
  a 
  long 
  green 
  shoot. 
  When 
  the 
  

   usual 
  time 
  for 
  harvesting 
  the 
  bulbs 
  arrives 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  "mothers" 
  have 
  

   well 
  nigh 
  rotted 
  away, 
  but 
  in 
  their 
  place 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  several 
  dozen 
  little 
  hya- 
  

   cinth 
  bulbs. 
  These 
  are 
  dried 
  off 
  and 
  stored 
  

   away, 
  there 
  to 
  await 
  the 
  autumn 
  planting, 
  

   when 
  they 
  will 
  take 
  their 
  places 
  at 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  row, 
  to 
  be 
  moved 
  up 
  into 
  

   a 
  fresh 
  section 
  year 
  by 
  year 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  

   fully 
  matured 
  bulbs. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  arduous 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  bulb 
  

   farmer 
  consist 
  in 
  the 
  annual 
  lifting 
  and 
  

   planting 
  of 
  the 
  crop. 
  Every 
  bulb 
  is 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  replaced 
  once 
  in 
  each 
  

   year. 
  After 
  blooming 
  time, 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  

   days 
  of 
  really 
  warm 
  sunshine 
  soon 
  cause 
  

   the 
  green 
  sap 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  bulbs 
  to 
  

   begin 
  its 
  return 
  journey 
  to 
  its 
  underground 
  

   storehouse. 
  When 
  the 
  crop 
  is 
  judged 
  to 
  

   be 
  in 
  a 
  ripe 
  condition, 
  small 
  armies 
  of 
  

   workers, 
  picturesquely 
  clad, 
  attired 
  in 
  long 
  

   smocks 
  and 
  wooden 
  shoes, 
  sally 
  forth 
  to 
  

   the 
  fields. 
  One 
  is 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  complete 
  

   absence 
  of 
  digging 
  utensils 
  among 
  the 
  little 
  

  

  companies. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  spades 
  

   and 
  forks 
  are 
  never 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  bulb 
  rais- 
  

   ing 
  operations, 
  the 
  whole 
  business 
  being 
  

   carried 
  on 
  entirely 
  by 
  hand. 
  In 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   fields 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  the 
  great- 
  

   est 
  ease. 
  Stooping 
  toward 
  the 
  ground, 
  the 
  

   worker 
  thrusts 
  both 
  his 
  hands 
  into 
  the 
  

   loose 
  sand 
  and 
  gently 
  drags 
  the 
  bulbs 
  from 
  

   the 
  soil. 
  As 
  the 
  crop 
  is 
  gathered 
  in 
  it 
  is 
  

   removed 
  to 
  the 
  storage 
  barns. 
  When 
  all 
  

   the 
  bulbs 
  have 
  been 
  lifted 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  

   the 
  grower 
  finds 
  himself 
  in 
  a 
  curious 
  posi- 
  

   tion. 
  His 
  land 
  is 
  so 
  light 
  and 
  sandy 
  that 
  

   he 
  dare 
  not 
  leave 
  it 
  without 
  a 
  crop, 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  it 
  will 
  certainly 
  be 
  blown 
  away. 
  In 
  

   many 
  instances 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  very 
  desirable 
  

   to 
  plant 
  other 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  land, 
  as 
  this 
  

   would 
  impoverish 
  the 
  soil, 
  and 
  under 
  such 
  

   circumstances 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  an 
  unusual 
  

   thing 
  for 
  the 
  farmer 
  actually 
  to 
  plant 
  

   wisps 
  of 
  straw 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  fields 
  in 
  position. 
  

   Early 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  the 
  bulb 
  farmer 
  

   must 
  set 
  about 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  his 
  stock, 
  

   which 
  has 
  all 
  the 
  summer 
  long 
  been 
  matur- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  storage 
  barns. 
  Again 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  

   accomplished 
  entirely 
  by 
  the 
  hands, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bulbs 
  once 
  more 
  safely 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  it 
  is 
  nec- 
  

   essary 
  to 
  take 
  steps 
  to 
  protect 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  severe 
  weather 
  

   to 
  come. 
  Winter 
  in 
  Holland 
  means 
  several 
  months 
  of 
  hard, 
  

   biting 
  frost, 
  and 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  bulbs 
  exposed, 
  even 
  though 
  

   well 
  covered 
  with 
  soil, 
  to 
  the 
  rigors 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  would 
  be 
  

   to 
  court 
  certain 
  disaster. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  damage 
  by 
  

   frost 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  fields 
  is 
  buried 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  five 
  

   or 
  six 
  inches 
  with 
  straw 
  and 
  other 
  litter. 
  At 
  the 
  approach 
  

   of 
  more 
  genial 
  weather 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  protecting 
  material 
  is 
  

   removed, 
  and 
  by 
  this 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  bulbs 
  

   will 
  already 
  be 
  sending 
  up 
  pale 
  green 
  shoots. 
  Naturally 
  

   the 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  bulbs 
  do 
  not 
  all 
  flower 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  

   but 
  the 
  display 
  of 
  bloom 
  is 
  at 
  its 
  height 
  about 
  the 
  last 
  fort- 
  

   night 
  in 
  April. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  one 
  may 
  see 
  hyacinths, 
  the 
  early 
  

   tulips, 
  and 
  narcissi 
  blossoming 
  literally 
  in 
  their 
  millions. 
  It 
  

   is 
  not 
  an 
  easy 
  matter 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  effective 
  idea 
  of 
  just 
  what 
  

   the 
  fields 
  look 
  like 
  in 
  a 
  photograph, 
  although 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   accompanying 
  pictures, 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  

   Ant 
  Roozen 
  & 
  Son, 
  at 
  Overeen, 
  near 
  Haarlem, 
  may 
  give 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  Manner 
  the 
  Blooms 
  are 
  Gathered 
  with 
  Extreme 
  Care 
  

  

  