248 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 26, 1885. 
Roderigo. —Showy and free, bright scarlet, with a white central bar 
in the petals. The plant has two scapes and four flowers each. 
Almadine. —One of the parti-coloured type—that is, with the lower half 
of the petals crimson and the upper half whitish green. Distinct and 
effective. 
Nubia. —Of medium size, rich warm crimson in colour, with white 
centre and bars. The petals are rather narrow, but the flowers are pro¬ 
duced four in a head. 
The Queen. —A remarkably handsome variety, one of the best in 
distinctness. The flowers are large, of fine proportions, the ground pure 
white, quite free from the green tint so noticeable in many varieties, 
irregularly streaked with crimson, forming a beautiful contrast. It is 
very free and strong, having two scapes with four flowers each. Th's 
will take a foremost place amongst favourite varieties. 
Charmer. —This is somewhat like the above, and there are several 
others which may be included in the same group, such as Jason, also a 
variety flowering this year for the first time. They differ, however, in 
the size and form of the flowers, and The Queen is fairly entitled to first 
rank amongst them, though all are beautiful. 
A dozen of the most striking of the early-flowering varieties have been 
named in the preceding notes, and others will deserve attention later on 
as they expand. Last year’s and older varieties are strongly represented, 
and they well maintain the good opinions formed of them when they 
made their first appearance. Very notable amongst these is the brilliant 
scarlet Empress of India ; then follow Henry Liltle, warm purplish crim¬ 
son, very distinct; Prince Leopold, dark crimson scarlet; Zelia, white 
streaked with pink ; Dr. Hogg, rich scarlet; Lady of the Lake, white 
with red streaks, handsome; Corsair, intense scarlet; Virgil, creamy 
white with crimson spots ; Oriflamme, brilliant crimson scarlet; Clarinda, 
white with crimson dots, fine form ; Corregio, rich scarlet; and Ceres, 
white flushed with crimson. 
For several weeks there will be a continuous display, but visitors 
cannot choose a better time for an inspection than the present week, as 
the number of flowers expanded is very large. 
HAARLEM BULB SHOW. 
Of all familiar flowers those known as “ Dutch bulbs ” are, perhaps, the 
most popular in this country. In the autumn the so-called “roots’’are 
imported by millions, and consignments of many tons are brought overby 
the Harwich steamers. At the present time they are flowering by hundreds 
in the greenhouses of the affluent, while from half a dozen to a dozen 
Hyacinths cheer and brighten humbler homes innumerable in busy towns 
and rural villages. In the course of a few weeks beds and borders will he 
sweet and gay with Hyacinths, Tulips, and other bulbous plants ; indeed, 
without “Dutch bulbs ” British homes and gardens would be shorn of a 
characteristic charm in spring. Then in England we have magnificent 
exhibitions of “ Dutch bulb3,” and the excellence of culture displayed is 
such as astonishes even the expert Dutch growers; but these great floral 
caterers also have their shows, and nowhere could they be more appro¬ 
priately held than in the quaint old town of Haarlem, the head centre of 
the great bulb industry ; and a general description of one of these shows 
will perhaps not be uninteresting to the readers of the Journal. 
Fortunately Bulb-land is easily reached. Eight o'clock at night at 
Liverpool Street,aquick run to Harwich, a comfortable glide in an excellently 
appointed steamer, and we are at the quay at Rotterdam at nine o’clock 
next morning : a train appears to be in waiting there, and we complete the 
last stage of our journey with ample time for a hasty glance through the 
Exhibition before the opening ceremony takes place at one o’clock. Before 
referring more particularly to the latter, it may be well to give an idea of 
the general effect of the Show, and to say at once that it was probably the 
finest ever yet held in this or any other country of bulbous plants alone. 
The present being the twenty-fifth year of the formation of the Bulb 
Growers’ Society of Haarlem, the promoters made every effort to render the 
Exhibition an improvement on any of its predecessors, and the result, both 
as to the quantity and quality of the flowers, was most imposing. The 
Show was held in a large public hall near the Great Church ; but spacious 
as it was, the crowds of visitors who poured in throughout the day soon 
filled it, and rendered the task of taking notes one of extreme difficulty. 
Th3 mode of arranging the exhibits did not differ in any material degree 
from that followed in England. A stage about 4 feet high ran round the 
interior of the building, but the classes for Hyacinths were so numerous 
and well filled that they occupied nearly the whole of it, other exhibits 
finding places in the smaller rooms attached to the main building. In the 
centre of the hall, the floor of which had been covered with turves, were 
arranged the classes for Crocuses, Scillas, Lily of the Valley, Snowdrops, 
&c., and altogether they produced a very fine effect. 
The opening ceremony was performed at one o’clock by Mr. J. H. 
Krelage, the respected President of the Society, who referred to the rapidly 
increasing development of the bulb industry, and to the value of such 
exhibitions as the present for bringing prominently into public notice the 
many beautiful flowers cultivated by the members of the Society. The 
latter subsequently presented to Mr. Krelage a handsome piece of silver in 
recognition of his inva’uable services to the Society since its formation 
twenty-five years ago. This being concluded, we were at liberty to make a 
closer survey of the Exhibition, first turning our attention to the 
HYACINTHS. 
No less than twenty-eight classes were provided for these, and as there 
was considerable competition in every class it can readily be imagined that 
the display of these flowers was magnificent. With the exception of one 
class all the Hyacinths were shown in 4 and 5-inch pots, and were distin¬ 
guished throughout by bright colours and compact trusses rather than 
by particularly large spikes. Nevertheless, there were some notable ex¬ 
ceptions to the rule, although probably no individual group embraced so 
many flowers of such large size as those shown by Messrs. James Veitch 
and Sons at the London exhibitions. But all were well grown, and of good 
size and colour. The groups competing in the principal class for Hyacinths 
formed one of the most striking features of the Show. They were to include 
eighty single and twenty double va ieties, and the prizes were a gold medal 
and twenty-five guilders (£2. Is 8d.) for first, a gold medal for second, a 
silver-gilt medal and ten guilders for third, and a silver-gilt medal for 
fourth. The first prize was awarded to Messrs. J. H. Kersten & Co, 
Haarlem, the second to Gebroeders Byvoet, the third to Messrs. E. H. 
Krelage & Son, and the fourth to Mr. T. D. Zocher. It could have been 
no easy matter to decide the question of supremacy between the two first- 
named exhibitors, so equal were their collections ; but, doubtless, all those 
acquainted with the points of excellence which a Hyacinth should exhibit 
would have approved of the Judges’ award in this case, for while several 
flowers in Messrs. Byvoet’s collection were much larger than those in the 
first-prize group, yet there were many considerably smaller. Messrs. 
Kersten’s Hyacinths were marvellously even, the spike3 being of good size, 
the trusses without exception dense and compact, and the colours remark¬ 
ably clear. The varieties shown were those which have long been familiar 
to English growers, and it is therefore needless to particularise them. The 
plants in the second-prize group were also good examples of skilled culture ; 
but they were certainly not so even as the former, one or two faulty 
flowers being included. The third and fourth-prize groups included 
smaller flowers, but otherwise good. Even finer flowers than in the class 
just alluded to were those in competition in the class for forty single 
Hyacinths, Gebroeders Byvoet taking the gold medal offered for first 
prize with a splendid group, the spikes being large and dense. A very 
fine collection, too, was that of Messrs. M. Van Waveren & Sons, which 
was awarded the second prize, every spike being dwarf, of good Bize, 
and very compact, a result produced by sound bulbs and skilful cultiva¬ 
tion. Messrs. Kersten were awarded the third prize. 
In five out of the six succeeding classes Gebroeders Byvoet were placed 
first, a marvellous result when it is considered that they had a very large 
number of flowers competing in other classes. To produce such results as 
these not only must great cultural skill be exercised, but the bulbs grown 
must be of the finest quality. Messrs. Byvoet have, however, long been 
famous for both. The other prizewinners in these classes were the same as 
in the others, with the addition of Mr. G. Yan der Horst, P. W. Yoet, and 
Messrs. Ant. Roozen & Son, who showed some splendid flowers. In other 
classes, too, the growers already mentioned were to the fore, but it is not 
necessary to refer specially to each class. 
In the class for new varieties Messrs. Krelage were placed first with 
Sophie Christine, a fine rose-coloured Hyacinth with very large bells. 
Messrs. Kersten were awarded second prize for a fine pure white variety, 
named Correggio; it has a very large spike, large bells, with a compact 
truss, and should be a useful addition to the whites. Third prizes were also 
awarded to Messrs. Krelage and Kersten, to the former for a fine double red, 
the latter for City of Haarlem, single yellow. 
The Hyacinths in water were a great feature, all being splendidly grown. 
In the class for seventy-five varieties, sixty single and fifteen double, the 
first prize of a gold medal and twenty-five guilders was most deservedly 
awarded to Mr. W. T. Blom, Overveen, for a superb collection, the flowers 
being little, if anything, inferior to those grown in pots. Yery fine also 
were the second-prize group of Mr. P. Van Velsen, but these were the only 
two collections shown. In the class for single and double Hyacinths in 
water Mr. T. A. Faase was placed first with a grand collection of large and 
compact Hyacinths, the third prize being awarded to Mr. Blom. Although 
these bulbs were all grown in glasses, it is, we believe, the custom of the 
Dutch exhibitors to place the glasses in pots of soil, and to thus grow them 
until they come into flower, the object being to prevent the spikes from 
running up tall and weakly. In the case of those under notice the plan 
had answered admirably, the plants being as dwarf as could he desired, and 
the trusses of bloom magnificent. Minor classes were also provided for 
Hyacinths grown in large pans and for miniature Hyacinths, the majority 
of the prizes being secured by the growers already mentioned. 
TULIPS. 
A large number of classes were provided for these, and some very fine 
flowers ware shown, but they were very much smaller than those usually 
seen at the South Kensington and Regent’s Park shows ; they were, in fact, 
smaller p-oportionately than the Hyacinths, but were generally of good 
colour and substance, the principal class provided being that for 100 pots, 
eighty single and twenty double. The first prize was a gold medal and 
25 guilders, and it was won by Messrs. L. Van Waveren it Son, who showed 
Tulips splendidly throughout. Their plants were dwarf, flowers of medium 
size and very rich in colour. Mr. Polman Mooy was placed second, and 
Messrs. E. H. Krelage it Son third. The collections consisted chiefly of 
such well-known excellent sorts as Proserpine, Joost van Vondel, Paul 
Moreelse, Vermilion Brilliant, yellow and white Pottebakker, Wouvermans, 
and many others well known to English growers. For fifty pots of single 
Tulips Messrs. M. Van Waveren & Sons were deservedly adjudged the go'd 
medal for a splendid group, Polman Mooy again being second, and Messrs. L. 
Waveren & Co. third. The last-named exhibitors also secured first 
honours for fifty pots of double Tulips, Messrs. Krelage & Son being second. 
For twenty varieties of Tulips in glasses, sixteen single and four double, 
Mr. C. de Lange was adjudged first prize, Messrs. L. Van Waveren and K. de 
Waal Malefyt securing the others. These, like the Hyacinths, were splendidly 
ppmwn, and in every respect equal to those grown in pots. For sixty Tulips 
in twenty varieties, three bulbs in each glass, Messrs. T. D. Zocher and 
L. Van Waveren were the recipients of the medals, showing fine flowers. 
Medals were also given for double and late Tulips, the latter being particu¬ 
larly good for the present early season of the year. Messrs. Van Eeden & Co 
showed the premier collection. 
NARCISSI. 
There was but a small display of these, six classes being provided; neither 
was the competition very keen, but some good collections were shown. In 
the principal class for Polyanthus Narcissi, Messrs. T. D. Zocher & Co. secured 
first honours very easily, showing some good flowers of Her Majesty, 
Bazelman Major, Grand Monarque, and other popular sorts. Mr. C. Zaad- 
moordyk was second. Messrs. P. Van Waveren and Bakkum took the 
