May, 1907 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



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" — ofi^shoots 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 



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



