October 20, 1894 . 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
123 
BULBS AND THEIR CULTIVATION 
IN HOLLAND. 
We take the following extracts from a chatty and 
interesting paper read by Mr. Robert Sydenham, 
of Birmingham, at a meeting of the Kyrle Society, 
early in the present month. The paper was 
illustrated by various examples of growth, system of 
propagation, and culture of bulbs :— 
We can hardly look upon Narcissus as Dutch 
bulbs, as many varieties are cultivated in different 
parts of Europe quite as well as in Holland, but the 
rich light sandy soil of Holland produces larger and 
better shaped bulbs. Many varieties of Narcissus 
are found in a wild state in various parts of Europe, 
and there seem to be almost endless varieties. In 
the mountains of Switzerland, the Poeticus or 
Pheasant’s Eye variety is found in thousands, and 
in some parts at the end of May or early in June 
they form a mass of white which looks like snow at 
a distance, Some very lovely varieties of Narcissus 
are also to be found in Spain, Italy, Austria, and 
Egypt, and have been brought to this country 
and cultivated, and now form a very important 
industry. 
A great many ask why Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocus, 
etc., should almost all come from Holland ? I dare 
say this industry became located there as did the 
cutlery trade at Sheffield, the watch trade at 
Coventry, the lock trade at Willenhall, and the gun 
trade at Birmingham, and so on. No doubt the soil 
in Holland being of a very suitable nature, the bulb 
industry grew in extent as the love of flowers 
increased, and although bulbs have been cultivated 
in Holland for the last 200 or 250 years, it is only 
in the last fifty, or I might properly say thirty years, 
that the trade has reached such immense dimensions ; 
one hundred years ago I do not suppose there was 
more than one square mile covered with these bulbs 
in Holland, whereas now I should say there are 
twenty square miles, lying chiefly between the towns 
of Haarlem and Leiden. 
The great increase of this trade or industry has at 
times led to great fluctations of prices and even 
gambling. About the years 1634 t° 1637 the Dutch¬ 
men had a mania or madness for Tulips, and some 
single bulbs were sold at fabulous prices, for I read 
in one work on the subject the following particulars : 
—" From 1634 t0 1637 ah classes in all the great 
cities of Holland became infected with the Tulip- 
mania. A single root of a particular variety, called 
the Viceroy, was exchanged in the true Dutch 
fashion for the following articles—two lasts of 
wheat, four of rye, four fat oxen, three fat swine, 
twelve fat sheep, two hogshead of wine, four tuns of 
beer, two tons of butter, one thousand pounds weight 
of cheese, a complete bed, a suit of clothes, and a 
silver beaker, the whole being worth two thousand 
five hundred florins. A bulb of the variety called 
Semper Augustus has often been sold for two 
thousand florins: and it once happened that there 
were only two of these bulbs in existence, the one 
at Amsterdam, and the other at Haarlem. One of 
these sold for four thousand six hundred florins, 
together with a new carriage, two grey horses, and 
complete harness; on another occasion a bulb was 
sold for twelve acres of land." These high prices 
are not realised now, but for new and good varieties, 
ten shillings to five pounds is often paid at the 
present time in Holland for a single bulb at public 
auctions when growers want them for propagation. 
A few years ago, a great demand for Tulips in 
America made prices advance very much, some 
varieties going up double and even treble their previous 
price, but this like all other too great or too rapid 
advances, checked and even greatly injured the 
trade, and the result is there are immense stocks in 
Holland which are now to be had at. two-thirds the 
price obtained some two or three years ago, but as 
the demand for Tulips has fallen off, so has the de¬ 
mand for Narcissus and Hyacinths increased, and 
this year the Dutchmen have cleared out their 
Hyacinths better than in any previous year. 
The district where the bulbs are grown is really 
below the sea level, but is protected from the ravages 
of the sea by high sand banks or dimes ; these parts 
were formerly large lakes, and would now be under 
water if it were not for the immense pumping 
engines constantly employed in pumping the water 
into the sea; the ground is perfectly flat and 
divided into fields of a-half to an acre into extent, 
and are surrounded by strong beech or other hedges, 
about 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. The ground is highly culti¬ 
vated and heavily manured every third year with 
cow manure, and the collecting of this cow manure 
forms quite an industry of itself, for it is brought in 
large canal boats from all parts of the country and 
sold to the bulb dealers from sixpence to tenpence 
per barrow load. About March or April this manure 
is put all over the ground about 3 in. or 4 in. thick, 
it is then dug in about 18 in. deep, and Potatos are 
planted the first year. After these Potatos are taken 
up, the ground is again dug and planted with 
Hyacinths. 
The system of planting the beds is quite different 
from ours, for instead of making holes and dropping 
the bulbs in, the soil of the first bed is taken off and 
removed to the extreme end of the field, the bulbs are 
then placed by hand in their proper places,and the soil 
of the next bed is taken off and put on the one just 
planted, thus leaving the second bed ready for plant¬ 
ing ; this system ensures each bulb being of a 
uniform depth and being well in the soil, for often 
when a hole is made and the bulbs dropped in they 
do not touch the bottom, and get "hung” as the 
gardening phrase is, and naturally perish. After 
planting, the beds are covered over with rushes or 
reeds to protect them from the very severe weather : 
these coverings are not removed until the frost has 
gone, when the beds are carefully cleared of the 
broken reeds, weeds, etc. This constant manuring 
and cultivation makes the soil very dark, and when 
taken in the hand feels almost as soft as silk, for I 
should tell you that it is all sand, and it is quite 
a rare thing to find a stone in these fields. 
The spades used in digging have large, straight 
blades, more of a heart shape than square, and to 
see the rapid way the soil can be turned over would 
make many an English gardener wish his soil was as 
easily worked. In these fields are rows of beds about 
4 ft. wide and about 13 ft. long, containing Hyacinths 
of all colours; here one will see six beds of blue, 
then eight or ten of white, and three of yellow, 
followed by twelve or fourteen of red, and so on ; 
Hyacinths are not planted in large masses of one 
variety, as they are very liable to disease, and this 
disease seems to show itself in a very peculiar way, 
for it will sometimes take the whole of one variety, 
and one variety only, in a field, and in another it will 
leave this particular variety quite sound and take 
some other. Rats also are very great enemies to the 
growers, for at times they will burrow in the soil and 
destroy all or nearly all of a variety. 
Tulips are planted in much larger masses, for 
apart from the ravages of the rats they are generally 
free from any kind of disease, and it is a very magni¬ 
ficent sight to see the large brilliant masses of these 
blooms, for at times one can see as many as fifty to 
one hundred thousand of one variety together, and 
on one or two occasions I have seen as many as two 
hundred and fifty thousand of one variety of Tulips 
in a field or " garden ’’ as the Dutchmen like to call 
them. It is a very lovely and beautiful sight to see 
these flowers all in bloom. The Hyacinths as a rule 
bloom a fortnight before the Tulips, and when these 
flowers are at their best, excursion trains are run 
from Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and all other parts ; 
the people when walking about these beautiful 
gardens get large bunches of flowers for merely ask¬ 
ing for them or for a very few coppers. It is a mis¬ 
take to imagine because you see so many cut flowers 
come to market that they are all sold, for not one 
hundredth part are sent away. It is customary as 
soon as the flowers are at their best to cut them off 
and cast them over the ^fields that lie fallow or are 
out of cultivation ; and it makes us wish when we 
see these lovely flowers wasted, that we were nearer 
our friends that we could send them a large bunch 
or basket full, which would be readily given by the 
growers. 
(To be continued.) 
-**•- 
TULIPA CONCINNA. 
The flowers of this species are large and of a lively 
carmine with black blotches at the base surrounded 
by a golden line. It flowers later than T. chrysantha, 
is somewhat variable, and has been introduced in 
some quantity from the mountains of Asia Minor to 
Italy, where it proves perfectly hardy. The Bulletino 
della R. Societa Toscana di Orticultura describes it 
amongst the new bulbs for 1894 and as being a good 
thing. At least dried specimens of it have reached 
this country. 
NOTES FROM DEVON- 
HURST. 
This compact little establishment, situate close to 
the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens, at 
Chiswick, is the property of E. H. Watts, Esq. 
Mr. J. Gibson, the gardener, is well known to 
the horticultural world as a successful exhibitor of 
vegetables at various shows of importance, and the 
owner of the property is to be congratulated upon 
securing the services of such a competent all-round 
gardener. Although the gardens make no preten¬ 
sions as to size, vegetables and hardy fruit receive 
special attention, whilst under glass Tomatos are a 
speciality. 
Chrysanthemums are great favourites, and 
although quantities have to be grown to furnish 
supplies of cut flowers, many are cultivated for the 
production of large blooms for show purposes. In 
very many districts this year Chrysanthemums are 
of doubtful quality, rank growth and green un¬ 
ripened wood being the state of affairs in far too 
many instances. Where this is the case it is almost 
hopeless to expect large well-developed flowers. At 
Devonhurst the plants are of medium height, robust 
and sturdy growth. The wood is strong and well- 
ripened, and the leaves are of that dark green hue 
and crisp and leathery substance eo delightful to the 
eye of every Chrysanthemum grower as bespeaking 
good cultivation and giving promise of great things 
to come in the way of flower. The collection is 
well up to date. Many of the best varieties of last 
year's introduction are there, together with one or 
two that have not yet been introduced to the general 
public. One special feature was a number of dwarf 
bushy plants in 32-sized pots. These are giving 
abundant promise for flower, and will undoubtedly 
prove of the utmost service for indoor decoration. 
Mushrooms, too, are well done. Last year a 
plentiful supply of Mushrooms was furnished for a 
period of thirteen weeks, commencing from the end 
of November, and this from a house that is of no 
great size. Like other successful Mushroom growers, 
Mr. Gibson pins his faith to an equable temperature 
in the house, with abundance of moisture. 
In the kitchen garden this year the Potato disease 
has been pretty rampant, as indeed it has every¬ 
where else. But still good crops have been secured. 
One sort in particular, Sutton’s Satisfaction, has 
done well. The variety in question is a very 
heavy cropper, and, better still, resists disease fairly 
well. The tubers are of even size, and of splendid 
cooking quality. A quantity of tubers shown me by 
Mr. Gibson were fit to be placed upon any show 
table in the kingdom. Carrots and Parsnips were 
heavy crops, and the roots were cleanly grown and 
of good shape. The method pursued by Mr. Gibson 
in the cultivation of these last-named is worthy of 
mention. The ground is trenched in the spring. 
Instead of sowing the seed in the usual way in drills, 
holes are made with a crowbar, filled up with fine 
soil, wood ashes,etc.,and the seeds sown upon the top. 
The young plants are, of course, thinned out as in 
the ordinary way. Every inducement is thus given 
the plants to make clean and shapely growth. The 
most important consideration is to take care that the 
holes are made straight, as the root will infallibly 
follow its course. A Parsnip taken up from the 
ground in my presence measured 2 ft. 6 in. in length, 
and with scarcely a vestige of side roots. 
Beetroot were a great disappointment to Mr. 
Gibson this year, owing to some mistake in the ful¬ 
filment of his seed order. Pragnell’s exhibition was 
the sort sent for, but a much coarser variety was 
forwarded. Altogether, the garden looked in a 
promising condition, although the work this 
year has been of the uphill order, owing to the 
much neglected state of affairs which obtained 
previous to Mr. Gibson coming there. One fact in 
connection with the owner of this pretty little place 
must be mentioned, and we trust the example thus 
set will be followed. On various occasions the gardens 
and grounds have been thrown open to friends and a 
small flower show organised as an additional attrac¬ 
tion. An entrance fee is required from all visitors, 
and the money thus obtained is handed over to the 
funds of some charitable institution. This is a 
laudable practice and one that is certainly not so 
rare at the present time as it used to be; but, even 
yet, there is plenty of room for improvement in this 
direction,— A. S. G. 
