The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-13


. neatly arranged for the accommodate
. of seventy-fve to one hundred guest
each.
Bulb Farms in Holland.
5 Very few of our florists have any ide
i of the extent of the bulb business in AM
: around the old Dutch city of HARLEM
! True, some kinds of bulbs can be an,
are grown in the vicinity of Amsterdam
. the Hague, and other Holland towns
but the peculiar nature of the soil q
HARLEM defies all competition in rails
J ing large, healthy hyacinth bulbs. IL
: this country, and throughout Europe al
well, save only the above-named point
hyacinths will deteriorate under the
most careful treatment but at Haarlen
florists will flower the same plant, yeal
after year, without any perceptible
diminution of its viqor.
The superficial observer cannot detect
anything in the nature of the soil to ac-
count for the superior quality of the
bulbs grown here, but careful examina-
tion discloses the fact, that it contains
a certain amount of decayed vegetable
tissue, although the surface soil is APP
parently pure sand, and yet this land
commands $4,000 per acre when sold.
The soil for the bulbs is prepared one
year in advance, by digging in very
heavy coat of pure COW manure, and
planting potatoes therein. The sue
ceeding season, all heat and rank efluvia
having passed away, the sets, as they
are called, or more properly young bull
blets, are planted, and the subsequent
growth is really astonishing.
The method of propagating hyacinths
is very interesting, and although tedi-
Gus operation, develops some new ideas
to American florists. Large, sound
bulbs are essential for the purpose, and
are selected from the whole salable
stock. They are then removed to a
room, where the workmen carefully cut
out the bottom portion or root end,
making a basin as it were to the bulb.
| They are afterward placed upon racks
in shed to dry, and in short time re-
moved to the open air, where the suns
power aids the drying operation still
more, and after time are again placed
on racks in the sheds. The ensuing
spring they are planted, and by midsum-
mer great numbers of little bRlblets are
formed ON the cut portion.
The following year these are sown
thickly in rows, and by the ensuing
autumn will grow to the size of marbles.
Four or five years are necessary to per-
feet salable bulb, and the increase
from each one of the parent bulbs is
generally from 80 to 40 young ones.
Another method of increasing the
hyacinth is TO make two deep incisions
crosswise on the bottom of the bulb, and
cultivate, very nearly as above describ-
ed the small bulblets forming at the
scarifed lines.
The theory of bulb growth,
which the propagating operation de-
pends, presents such an interesting as
well as beautiful study in physiological
botany, that cannot resist the tempta-
ton of explaining the process, although,
I fear, at the risk of mourning the CEN
sure of my antibotanfcal readers. Bulbs
are in reality underground branches,
and are not roots, for the reason that
the latter are never furnished with buds
nor leaves.
Subterranean branches, on the other
hand, are always supplied with buds,
and mostly with branch-like appendages
that answer to. and are of the same
general character as leaves, but not
foliage, because all leaves do not assist
plant growth. Now, the hyacinth bulb,
for instance, is composed of a great
number of scales, these are the leaves as
it were on the underground stem or
branch, and the bulb will be found care
fully concealed in the center. The scales
are the receptacles or store-houses con-
tanning the mass of nutriment collected |
by the foliage during the previous sum-
mer so that when the cutting process is
resorted to, numerous other buds are
developed on the stem (each containing
tiny bud, with scale-like leaves) in |
precisely the same manner that the |
blackberry and other 4" suckering" plants
develop dormant buds. The true roots |
emanate from the base of the bulb, and |
resemble long white fbers.
During a recent visit to the HARLEM |
bulb farms 1 found that the bulbs had |
mostly been gathered and stored in the |
immense,drylng houses, an important re-
quisite to every establishment. These
are kept scrupulously clean in every |
part, and especial attention is paid to |
the ventilation. Long racks, formed of |
narrow laths, extend the whole length |
of the buildings, one above another, |
about two feet distant, from the floor to |
the roof. The bulbs are ranged very !
neatly and evenly thereon, with each
variety distinctly marked; but they |
present so many marked features, small |
in themselves, it is true, that the skilled |
gardener is enabled to name each kind |
as he rapidly passes along without look
ing at the respective labels. A constant |
current of warm, pure air passes over
the surface of the bulbs, and they are
vigilantly watched, so that any decaving |
portion shall be Immediately removed.
Christian U3aiou.