56 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Herstelde Vrede, one that was quite the same in shape of bulb 

 and form of flower, with the only difference that it was of a lilac 

 colour. This was the first flower in this shade, and he was so 

 afraid to lose the root, that he put it in a bird-cage and hung it 

 at the ceiling so as to prevent mice and rats from reaching it. 

 The name of 1' Unique was given to it, and this variety is still 

 one of the leading sorts. After this it was an easy matter to 

 raise seedlings of the same colour, and great are the improve- 

 ments which have been made since. 



As to the origin of the yellow-coloured Hyacinth there is no 

 certainty; but in an old copy of a catalogue of 1767 I have 

 found five different single varieties, and in another of 1788 eight 

 double and thirty-eight single yellows are mentioned. During 

 the present century great improvements have also been made 

 amongst yellow-coloured Hyacinths. 



The artificial method of cultivating Hyacinths is also of 

 ancient date, for in 1768 we find they used at least two different 

 modes of multiplying. 



Amongst the ancient growers of Hyacinths the names of 

 George Voorhelm, who lived in 1752, and previously Pierre 

 Voorhelm, are certainly the most familiar. 



Fabulous prices were sometimes paid for Hyacinths. In 

 1734, only one year after the very foolish tulip-mania, at a pub- 

 lic auction the important sum of 133Z. 8s. Qd. was paid for one 

 large bulb and eight small ones of the double blue variety Non 

 plus Ultra. Even at the beginning of this century enormous 

 prices were paid. For one single root of the double red Rouge 

 eblouissante a certain Monsieur de Faesch paid 1,000 guilders, 

 or about SSI. These figures prove that there were people who 

 cared to invest considerable sums of money in the bulb trade, 

 feeling sure they would get their money back with interest. The 

 end has proved that there was a future for Hyacinths as a branch 

 of industry in Holland. In the first place the favourable nature 

 of the soil in Holland enabled the Dutch to compete on very 

 favourable terms with any other country that might undertake to 

 grow Hyacinths ; and in the second place the natural advantages 

 of climate and the aptitude of the people indicated that as soon 

 as a certain quantity of plants could be provided there was a 

 certainty that the Hyacinth trade would become a large industry. 



