33° 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
A view of the sand dune, coast region of North Holland 
Special Nursery Sections. 
The great nursery inter¬ 
ests of Holland so far as they 
interest and affect the allied 
industry in the United States, 
are situated at the following, 
centers. 
Haarlem: Everyone has 
heard of Haarlem bulbs. II- 
lustrat’onsof these bulb fields 
were shown in our September 
issue. The veriest tyro in Hor¬ 
ticulture if in Holland in spring, 
goes to Haarlem to see the 
great field displays of hya¬ 
cinths and tulips. The soil is 
an alluvial sand and is periodi¬ 
cally enriched by dressings of 
sea weed, muck and other 
organic matter. Lime and 
mineral fertilizers are used in considerable quantities. 
Haarlem possesses an active Horticultural society which is 
an important factor in promoting the development of 
new varieties of bulbs by offering prizes and other induce¬ 
ments. 
There are two very busy seasons in this section, one in 
the spring and the other in harvesting time in autumn. 
The latter usually begins in July when the bulbs are lifted 
and dried preparatory to “skinning,” or shucking off the 
outer coating. This is quite a lengthy and tedious process 
but must be done before sorting them. After sorting, comes 
the important work of filling foreign orders. These must 
be forwarded as early as possible to favor the American 
planters. The packing sheds present a lively appearance 
at this time and the superintendents are expected to pay 
little attention to such trivial details as eating, drinking and 
sleeping when the rush is on. 
Leyden and Oudenbosch. 
These are two other important nursery centers. The first 
is noted for its bulb products while the latter is eminent as a 
great ornamental tree region. Leyden is the seat of a 
famous University to which as is the custom, a botanic 
garden is attached. Most of these European botanic gar¬ 
dens are only open to the public at set times. The touring 
horticulturist is courteously admitted, however, whenever 
he can reach the superintendent with his card. The garden 
at Leyden has been established something over three 
hundred years. It contains many fine specimens of trees 
introduced by early explorers from Japan and China. One 
may see also venerable examples of purple beech, plum and 
Schwedler’s maple. Large quantities of bulbs and herba¬ 
ceous perennials are grown in the vicinity. 
At Oudenbosch, about twenty miles from Antwerp and 
not far from the Belgian frontier one finds tree nursery culture 
practiced in a truly intensive manner. There are fifteen or 
twenty exporters and many small nurserymen who grow 
stock under contract for the exporters, or on the chance of 
selling to them. The soil is a sandy loam which may be 
worked rain or shine. The areas are divided into small 
View on the beach at Scheveningen, the Atlantic City of Holland. These chairs form at once a windbreak and sunshade 
