The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-09
WOMAN'S BULB FARM.
MISS AGNES OLIVER, A YOUNG
GEORGIA SCHOOL TEACHER,

Tells an Interesting story of How
She Happened to Grow Lilies.
JOnquiIs and GIadiOIus for a Liv-
ing-A Crop That Never Fails, Is
Easily and Cheaply Cultivated
and Offers Inducements to Any En-
terprising Woman Who Loves an
Out-Of-dOOr Life.
Miss Agnes Oliver is an enterprising
young Southern woman, who has made
bulb-growing a profitable business. Her
home is within few miles of Augusta
Ga, and comprises between fifty and sew
enty-five acres of land which, when she
inherited it, the neighbors said was too
poor to sprout cowpeas.
Il had been a public school teacher"
Miss Oliver explained when asked about
her work, land the confinement and worry
with the children had almost destroyed
my health. Well this little farm was
left me about six months before the doc
tors said that I must give up my school.
I didn't object, but for the fact that it
was my only means of support.
and 1, and determined to try living on the
farm for one year, as it would save rent,
and perhaps at the end of that time 1
would be well enough to go back to my
teaching.
Dreary Outlook.
"You have no idea what a desolate-
looking place 1t was when we moved in,
about the middle of January. The house
was in ruins. The place had been occu-
pied for several years by negroes, who
lived in the kitchen, and everywhere you
looked the fields were stretches of white
sand.
ITO make a long story short, we bought
a mule-we couldn't afford a horse-and
made preparations for a vegetable garden.
1 never saw anything like the bulbs turn
ed up by the pillow in that garden. My
mother went wild about them. She would
not have a single one thrown away, but
insisted on planting them all. So by the
first of February half of the garden was
green with sprouting Dubious roots, and
my mother, in her element, trying to de-
eide the different varieties.
After few days we discovered the same
green heads popping up all over the front
and back yards and in the horse lot Then
1 CHANGED to walk through the fields and
discovered them in several old washes. OF
course, we knew they were only jonquils,
buttercups, lilies and a few other roots
equally as valueless. and plentiful in the
neighborhood. But my mother has a pas
sion for flowers and 1t gave US much
pleasure watching them grow and bios
som, and the place was indeed glorifed
when they bloomed.
Founding n Business.
Looking over seed catalogues, 1 began
10 ha nF htt1l
that we trod upon every time we stepped
out of our door Then l sent on samples
to several seed houses, and asked what
they would pay for such bulbs Two
Northern firms wrote making me offers,
and asking how many dozens l could fur
nish. You don't know how we laughed
over those letters! The idea of counting
those bulbs by the dozen! l wrote could
furnish them by the bushel, the barrel.
the hundredweight and would guarantee
every one.
Il received orders from both firms. and
when the tops of the plants died down I
had them carefully gathered. My mother
and / sorted and boxed them for shin
ment with our own hands Then we be-
gan to prepare for another crop. OF
course, when our checks came. and or
ders TO be filled next year, we were ela.-
ed My health. too. was restored
wrote Immediately to other seed houses
soliciting orders for another year. and also
asked my friends, for l began to LOOK
upon che two firms who first ordered OF
us as friends, II they could make surres-
tons as TO newer and more popular buIbs
for growing. They not only made su0-
gestions, but supplied us with a suf1cient
number TO begin.
The Results.
You see my farm? All the hills are