Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-07
BULBS WERE MS passions.
But He ssruck Two That wer. p.s~puvs-
The Only Black Tuiin


nut He struck Two That wers Decrpsivo--
The Only BLACK Tulip.
ONCE THERE WAS A MAN WHOSE PAS
" sion was for bules He lived in Washing
ton last autnmn-in fact, he doe. no vet-snd
about this time in the year he laid in big stock
of bulbs for planting. Two Of them sere mr.
ucuisriy large and nne; they veres new variety
Of tulip. the scotsman told him when he bouShs
them He regarded thess two with especial Joy,
anticipating the coral wonders 20 which thew
would give birth. To his vifsseycs, however.
they looked very much like oniona Therefore
abe was not surprised, though considerably dis
turbed in mind when she found them gone frca
the shelf where they had been put 10 dry, and
learned that the cook had taken them BY mis-
take and cut them mp for soup.
knowing that her husband would be much
distressed IN he should learn OF the accident
she replaced the departed bulbs with two lovely
fresh onions from the grocer shop. He never
noticed the difference, but planted them care
fully in pots, digging them up regularly every
other day 10 see how they were sprouting and
otherwise bestowing upon them great atten-
Ton In due time green leaves appeared above
the earth and the good man was delighted 10
observe the rapidity with which his new tuliIs
sent up towering stalks. They were 90 peculiar
In their manner Of growth that he perceived 10
was indeed q fresh variety that he had secured
How precious thing this 10 to an amateur On
bulbs can be well imagined.
Strange 20 say. no blossoms appeared He
thought for n while that IL must be very late
towering variety. but when finally each stalk
developed pod full Of seeds az its apex. he WIS
amazed. When the seeds had ripened he gath
cred them. and last spring he planted them Qua
In the garden. There were enough 20 make
quite patch, and, when they came up, three
dinerent neighbors congratulated him upon the
hne appearance Of his onion bed.
They're not onions" he said "They ere
tulips OF q new variety. did not get any
flowers from tho bulbs last year, so 1 am en-
perimenting"
Tulips your granny" replied neiehbor No.
= Pull one up by the roots and smell
The amateur in bulbs did 90.
1T does smell like an onion, he admitted.
An appeal TO the grocer's man settled the
question, and the affair a subject Of con-
troyersy for three months afterward between
the scotsman and the victim OF his wife's little
dubious deception.
IMPORTED BULBS THIS SEASON.
This is the season Of the year when the buIbs
imported from Holland arrive in this country
for market They are mostly tulips. crocusos
and hyacinths Considerable quantities OF
bulbs also come from the south OF France. par1
ucularly early Roman hyacinths Dafodls
and white narcissus are grown in England
mostly, but also in Holland 70 some extent.
i@otttE uilct arc cultivated largely IN the south
of France, but the demand IL mostly supplied
nowadays by the Bermudas, because those OBJ
tained from thence ripen and flower earliest.
Many calls lily bulbs come from California.
where the growing OF them is becoming quite
an industry, extensive fields being planted out
North Carolina produces most of the tuberose
bulbs. Lilies OF the valley are nearly all from
Germany.
In Holland vast tracts OF dixie lands are de-
voted to the growing Of bulbs, and the fields OF
them In that country and elsewhere in Europe
onord at the season OF blooming n mos. beauti-
full spectacle. After the bulbs have been gath
cred they are dried for months in q cool place,
being cured in this manner 60 render them
dormant and prevent them from sprouting
until the time shall arrive when they are wished
TO DO SO. In this condition they are imported,
and the seedsmen who deal in them on tins
side OF the water keep them with great care in
an even temperature, packing some of the
smaller kinds, like anemones, in sawdust 20
prevent them from becoming too dry. cool
loft. cellar or any spot where they will not be
frozen is good place for keeping bulbs The
crocuses are particularly energetic and dis
posed TO sprout on slight provocation prema-
turely. A good many bulbs are now brought
from Japan. The white and sweet-scented
Japan lilies are becoming very familiar here.
and there are other beautiful varieties, such ~
the golden lily, from the mikados empire.
the most curious thing about bulbs is the
manner Of their reproduction, which varies to
Many OF tllefn are
multiplied in the SOIL so that by separating the
roots OF one plant q dozen or more are OBJ
tanned. Others, like tho hyacinth, are sown az
potatoes are, with pieces of the bulbs cut up.
Others again terminate from peelings OF the
bulb, while the tuberose. brought from Italy
originally, sends out little shoots from the
stalk, which, when cut OF and put in the earth,
form bulbs themselves.
A story is told Of tulip fsncier, in the time
when the tulip fever ragged in Holland. who Sc
cured after years of cultivation what had up 20
that time been deemed ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
q black tulip. He got only a single bulb but 10
was worth thousands of dollars. Leaving 10
on his table he left the room for few mo-
ments and coming back he found friend watt
ing for him. The tulip bulb was gone.
where is my black tulip bulbr" he inquired
anxiously.
do you mean that thing I found on your
table a moment ago." replied his friend II
thought il was some sort Of an apple, and
ate IT,"
There has never been black tulip since.