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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  May, 
  1907 
  

  

  The 
  Dutch 
  Growers 
  Are 
  Famous 
  for 
  Such 
  Amaryllis 
  as 
  These 
  

  

  doubt 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  speculators 
  lost 
  very 
  

   heavily 
  on 
  their 
  rash 
  ventures. 
  

  

  Although 
  hyacinths, 
  tulips, 
  and 
  narcissi 
  are 
  

   the 
  principal 
  bulbs 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   growers 
  turn 
  their 
  attention, 
  all 
  kinds 
  are 
  

   very 
  largely 
  cultivated. 
  The 
  smaller 
  bulbs, 
  

   such 
  as 
  snowdrops, 
  crocuses, 
  and 
  scillas, 
  are 
  

   produced 
  in 
  huge 
  quantities, 
  while 
  later 
  

   on 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  landscape 
  in 
  the 
  bulb 
  

   country 
  is 
  brilliant 
  with 
  ranunculi, 
  irises, 
  and 
  

   gladioli. 
  On 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  establish- 
  

   ments 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  greenhouse 
  roots 
  and 
  

   bulbs 
  are 
  raised 
  under 
  glass. 
  Dutch 
  growers 
  

   are 
  noted 
  all 
  the 
  world 
  over 
  for 
  the 
  excel- 
  

   lence 
  of 
  their 
  stocks 
  of 
  begonias, 
  gloxinias, 
  

   and 
  amaryllids. 
  So 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  always 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  of 
  interest 
  for 
  the 
  visitor 
  to 
  see 
  on 
  a 
  

   Netherlands 
  bulb 
  farm. 
  

  

  The 
  growing 
  of 
  the 
  tulip 
  is 
  a 
  splendid 
  

   example 
  of 
  an 
  industry 
  not 
  devoid 
  of 
  esthetic 
  

   charm. 
  Not 
  without 
  reason 
  may 
  it 
  be 
  urged, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  any 
  flower 
  

  

  kinds 
  of 
  bulbs 
  enhanced 
  prices 
  can 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  for 
  good 
  new 
  varieties, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  

   present 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  nar- 
  

   cissi 
  that 
  really 
  startling 
  sums 
  are 
  being 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  for 
  novelties. 
  Fifty, 
  a 
  hundred, 
  and 
  

   even 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  dollars 
  per 
  bulb 
  

   have 
  been 
  paid 
  for 
  new 
  varieties, 
  and 
  what 
  

   is 
  very 
  remarkable 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  varieties 
  have 
  commanded 
  these 
  high 
  

   prices 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  and 
  still 
  show 
  small 
  

   signs 
  of 
  a 
  reduction 
  in 
  value. 
  

  

  Such 
  sums 
  as 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  however, 
  

   are 
  small 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  prices 
  which 
  

   were 
  paid 
  for 
  tulip 
  bulbs 
  during 
  the 
  historic 
  

   "tulipomania" 
  which 
  swept 
  over 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   people 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  seventeenth 
  

   century. 
  A 
  single 
  bulb 
  of 
  a 
  variety 
  known 
  as 
  

   Semper 
  Augustus 
  realized 
  the 
  immense 
  sum 
  of 
  

   two 
  thousand 
  five 
  hundred 
  dollars, 
  while 
  on 
  

   another 
  occasion 
  a 
  bulb 
  was 
  handed 
  over 
  

   in 
  exchange 
  for 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  land 
  several 
  acres 
  

   in 
  extent. 
  Such 
  instances 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  

   incredible, 
  nevertheless 
  they 
  are 
  recorded 
  as 
  

   sober 
  fact 
  by 
  trustworthy 
  historians. 
  Such 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  

   could 
  not 
  of 
  course 
  last 
  very 
  long, 
  and 
  after 
  about 
  three 
  

   years 
  a 
  great 
  "slump" 
  in 
  tulip 
  bulbs 
  set 
  in, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  

  

  A 
  Greenhouse 
  with 
  Fifty 
  Thousand 
  Begonia 
  Seedlings 
  

  

  is 
  a 
  vocation 
  of 
  interest. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  tulip, 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  

   added 
  intellectual 
  quality 
  of 
  a 
  history 
  that 
  forms 
  a 
  most 
  

   striking 
  chapter 
  in 
  the 
  chronicle 
  of 
  modern 
  finance. 
  

  

  