, 1876-05-13
The IUIIp NSnnin.

vi ali things IN the world n which 10
make corner, to excite a speculation, TO be
putfed by brokers, it would seem as if flow
ers would be ths last But that whole na-
tion should gEow mad over bulbs, that the
Industry Of g people should be turned aside
from the pursuit of agriculture to that Of hor-
ticnlture, and that the nAnis should spread
from the phregrnalic Dutehmsn TO the phlrg-
matte EnglishInan seems almost incredible.
Yet in the beginning of the seventeenth cen
tury the desire for tulips had 50 spread over
Europe that no wealthy man considered
bis garden perfect without his rare collection
Of tulips. From the sristocraey the rage
classes, and the merchants and shoPkeepers
began 20 vie with each other in the rarity OF
\ trader at Haarlem WAS actually known to
pay half bis fortune for a single root, not
from any expectation of profit in its prupa-
cation, but 10 keep it in his conservatory for
the admiration Of HE sequsintenees. The
first tulip seen III Europe was beheld al Augs-
burg, in Germany, in 1859, and was imported
from Conslantinop!e, where 1t had long been
been a fayorite. Ten or eleven years after
this the plant was IN great demand in Hol-
and and Germany. Wealthy bnrghers of
Amsterdam sent direct to ConstantiuOple for
their precious bulbs, and paid extravggant
prices for them. The frst roots planted in
England were brought from Vieuna in the
year 1909, and were considered great rari-
". For thirty years tulips continued 70
grow in rrputnliOn. One nUuid suppusa there
must bave been some virtue III this flower
that made it 50 valuable in the eyes of 50 pru-
dent people as the Dnteh. Yet it has nei-
ther the beauty nor the perfume of the violet
nor the fragrance of the rose. Ii hardly pos
sesses the beauty of the humble sweet pea.
Its only recommendation Is It's aristocrstic
ststeliness, and this should hardly have com
mended If 10 the only democratic republic on
the globe. But it is by no means the first
beauty and rarity into wealth. In 1884 the
rage for tulips among the Du,eh was 80 great
that the ordinary industry Of the country
WAS neglected, and the whole people turned
| to the production of tulips. As his mania
increased, prices increased with II, until IN
1875 merchants were known to have spent
S40, 900 in The purchase of forty tulips. AT
this time each species was sold by weight. A
tulip of the kind known as the Admiral Lett
kin and weighing 400 grains, would sell for
$500; the Admiral Won der Eycke, weigh
ing 450 grains, was worth $500 Eicerov
of 400 grains wonld bring 5000. Most pre-
eious Of all, a SenPer AuguS'urs. weighing
ouly 200 grains, was thought TO be cheap at
$1,000. This last species was much sought
after, aud even inferior plant would readily
sell for $500 When this species was first
known, in 1876, there we're only two roots Of
it in Holland, and those not Of the best One
belonged 20 dealer in Amsterdam, and the
other was owned in Haarlem. So anxious
were the purchasers for this new variety that
one person offered twelve acres of valuable
building land f the Hasrlem tulip. That
of Amsterdam was sold for $3.50, new
csrrisg-. two gray horses and a complete set
of harness A. a specimen of the value OF
these bults we give the actual copy Of bill
sale q Certain articles given in exchange for
one single rook Il the Eiceroy sf-c:e=;