﻿May, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  199 
  

  

  some 
  kind 
  of 
  impression. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  

   which 
  is 
  often 
  asked 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  

   Dutch 
  growers 
  gather 
  the 
  flowers 
  from 
  

   the 
  bulbs. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  this 
  is 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  done, 
  though 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  blossoms 
  

   are 
  fading. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  removal 
  

   of 
  the 
  flowers 
  is 
  a 
  simple 
  one: 
  the 
  grower 
  

   is 
  anxious 
  to 
  prevent 
  any 
  formation 
  of 
  

   seed, 
  as 
  such 
  a 
  development 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  serious 
  drain 
  on 
  the 
  bulb. 
  

  

  The 
  spring 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  busy 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  

   Dutch 
  grower, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  then 
  that 
  his 
  farm 
  

   is 
  besieged 
  by 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  buyers 
  — 
  special 
  

   agents 
  sent 
  out 
  by 
  firms 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  world 
  — 
  each 
  eager 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  best 
  ma- 
  

   terial 
  for 
  his 
  particular 
  house. 
  In 
  addition 
  

   to 
  this 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  many 
  

   Dutch 
  firms 
  are 
  now 
  dealing 
  directly 
  with 
  

   retail 
  customers 
  — 
  a 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  arrangement 
  for 
  

   both 
  parties. 
  

  

  The 
  bulb-growing 
  industry 
  in 
  Holland 
  

   is 
  not 
  merely 
  a 
  matter 
  for 
  the 
  big 
  growers 
  ; 
  

   everyone 
  has 
  a 
  hand 
  in 
  the 
  business. 
  Al- 
  

   though 
  so 
  fully 
  occupied 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  — 
  

   and 
  he 
  sometimes 
  works 
  fourteen 
  or 
  fifteen 
  

   hours 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  twenty-four 
  for 
  his 
  master 
  

   — 
  the 
  Dutch 
  laborer 
  will 
  find 
  time 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  on 
  his 
  land 
  attached 
  to 
  his 
  cottage 
  a 
  

   few 
  thousand 
  narcissi 
  bulbs. 
  The 
  good 
  

   wife 
  and 
  the 
  children 
  will 
  lend 
  willing 
  

   hands 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  

   crop, 
  well 
  knowing 
  that 
  the 
  proceeds 
  from 
  

   the 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  bulbs 
  will 
  go 
  to 
  swell 
  that 
  

   little 
  pile 
  of 
  money 
  which 
  is 
  put 
  aside 
  

   against 
  the 
  rainy 
  day. 
  Truly 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   are 
  a 
  thrifty 
  and 
  a 
  hard-working 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  desire 
  for 
  novelty 
  in 
  the 
  horticul- 
  

   tural 
  world 
  has, 
  of 
  course, 
  affected 
  the 
  

   Dutch 
  bulb 
  growers. 
  In 
  all 
  large 
  estab- 
  

   lishments 
  a 
  certain 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  

   is 
  devoted 
  to 
  experiments 
  incident 
  to 
  the 
  

   search 
  for 
  new 
  varieties. 
  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  all 
  bulbs 
  will 
  at 
  times 
  produce 
  

   "sports" 
  — 
  offshoots 
  which 
  exhibit 
  a 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  difference 
  from 
  the 
  parent 
  — 
  the 
  only 
  

   way 
  in 
  which 
  new 
  varieties 
  may 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  is 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  seed. 
  The 
  

   interesting 
  process 
  of 
  artificial 
  cross 
  fertili- 
  

   zation 
  is 
  resorted 
  to, 
  but 
  from 
  beginning 
  

   to 
  end 
  the 
  whole 
  process 
  of 
  raising 
  bulbs 
  

   from 
  seed 
  is 
  one 
  requiring 
  an 
  immense 
  

   amount 
  of 
  patience. 
  By 
  the 
  transference 
  

   of 
  the 
  pollen 
  from 
  one 
  blossom 
  to 
  another 
  

   the 
  experimenter 
  hopes 
  to 
  influence 
  the 
  re- 
  

   sulting 
  seeds 
  in 
  a 
  certain 
  manner; 
  but 
  he 
  

   can 
  be 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  sure 
  of 
  this. 
  Most 
  

   trying 
  of 
  all, 
  he 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  wait 
  a 
  matter 
  

   of 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  years 
  before 
  he 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  his 
  labors, 
  for 
  generally 
  speaking 
  

   it 
  takes 
  this 
  time 
  to 
  grow 
  a 
  bulb 
  from 
  seed 
  

   on 
  to 
  its 
  flowering 
  time. 
  After 
  all 
  this 
  

   waiting 
  the 
  new 
  variety 
  may 
  turn 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  

   something 
  very 
  ordinary, 
  and 
  the 
  grower 
  

   will 
  have 
  had 
  all 
  his 
  trouble 
  for 
  nothing. 
  

   Still 
  just 
  now 
  and 
  again 
  some 
  real 
  novelty 
  

   is 
  discovered 
  among 
  the 
  numerous 
  batches 
  

   of 
  seedlings 
  which 
  the 
  experimenter 
  is 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  raising, 
  and 
  then 
  he 
  will 
  probably 
  

   be 
  well 
  repaid 
  for 
  his 
  past 
  efforts. 
  In 
  all 
  

  

  A 
  Field 
  of 
  Hyacinths 
  of 
  All 
  Ages 
  ; 
  It 
  Takes 
  Years 
  to 
  Grow 
  a 
  Mature 
  Plant 
  

  

  The 
  Canals 
  Take 
  the 
  Place 
  of 
  Roads 
  on 
  a 
  Dutch 
  Bulb 
  Farm 
  

  

  A 
  Typical 
  Heap 
  of 
  Flower 
  Waste, 
  Near 
  Haarlem 
  

  

  