Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-05-24
JOBSON'S FINE BULBS

MADE a lefTlBc upfudI because %fllp. oODeoh
had bought about $l.75 worth OF Towering
plants in pots at the market.
Madam" he sternly inquired OF Mrs.
Jobson on that occasion, do You labor un-
der the hallucination that your husband 10
the owner OF dozen or so Of 00,O0Obar-
rels-per-hour gushers in the Beaumont oil
fieldsg Dye imagine that I'm at the head
Of the beet sugar interest in this country
But" said Mrs. Jobson, Just few lit
| tie plants to make the house look cheer
full"
Cheerful nothing, broke in Mr.. Jobson.
"The blossoms'll ali drop off Of those meas
| ley geraniums and azaleas and things with
in "a hours, and tbes the plantsll be.
| gin to crinkle up, and inside Of three
days they'll all be deader'n sailed mack
elels."
Mr.. Jobson's prediction as to the short
lived character Of Mrs. Jobson's plants
didn't come true. In fact, Mrs. Jobson was
| engaged in watering them few evenings
later when there was a ring at the front
door bell. Mr. Jobson answered the bell.
The individual on the stoop, as Mr., Jobson
perceived in the dim light, was arrayed in
the uniform Of blueiacket Of the United
States navy. The bluejacket seemed to
have pretty plausible way about him.
Good evening" Mr.. Jobson," he said, as
soon as Mr. Jobson had opened the door.
II was told to-day by Mr.. Blank" naming
well-known business man to whom Mr..
Jobson had been under more or less obll-
cation, that you are interested in rare
kinds of foreign plants"
"Um-yes," said Mr.. Jobson, bit sur
prised, but Aatterod that the well known
! business man should have had him in mind
in connection with such connoisseurship.
"Come in and Mr.. Jobson held the door
open invitingly. The man in the sailors
uniform stepped into the hall. He was a
bronzed, STRENGTHENING chap. Under his
arm he held a small package.
well" went on the man in the tar's
makeup. 1--WE just got back to Washing
| ton, my home, from a cruise IN the China
seas, and I've brought number of speci-
mems of Chinese dubious plants back with
me.
THAT so?" inquired Mr.. Jobson, some
what interested to be engaged in converse
tion with heavy-weather chap who had
! been so far from home.
Eyes, sir" replied the man in the deep
water rig, "and Tve brought few OF the
specimens along with me, and he proceed
| ed to unwrap the package.
| The package contained about a dozen
round, brownish-looking, rather dirty bulbs.
| The individual with the salt water makeup
| picked one Of them out and held it up to
| the light between his thumb and foreiinger.
This one" he said, belongs TO the fam
! lily Chnkalensis Boomerionus. It's about
! the most rapid-growing dubious plant
1 known in the Horticulture Of China. Ali
you have to do is TO plant it about three
| inches deep in pot and set it in the sun,
watering it couple of times a day, and in
! side OF a week or so an orchid-like blossom,
| in three distinct coors, makes its appear
anee, seeming to grow rgnt out OF the
| loam."
"Well, III be dingedl" exclaimed Mr..
| Jobson, taking the bulb and examining it
| curiously That's quick action for fell
lows money, isn't it?'
| Eyes. sir" complacently replied the man
with the tars uniform. "The beauty of it
is ats the only specimen Of the Chinka-
| leusis Bloomerionus now in the United
| States and the superintendent of the Boz
! tanical gardens here has been trying to
| get hold of specimen, they tell me, for
years. All Of these other specimens belong
| to the family Mongolosus Gopherbolgus.
You plant them just the same as the other,
only it takes 'em about ten days TO bloom.
| Inside of three weeks, however, they at
tain the size of large rubber plants, and
the flower, good deal like purple pansy,
sheds fragrance like that of the Sicilian
violet"
"Bjee, that's odd, now, for fact!" said
Mr.. Jobson 'Mrs. Jobson," he called,
"here's something in the way of plants
that's worth while-not your common, ordi-
nary geraniums, and truck like that, but
rare stuff right straight from the land Of
the slant-eyes. This young man has just
got back from China and he was recon-
mended to fetch those Dubious contraptions
to me by Mr. Blank" and Mr.. Jobson re-
peated to her the directions he had listened
to as to how the things should be planted.
Mrs Jobson got behind him and tried to
| tug at his sleeve, but Mr.. Jobson didn't or
wouldn't notice this move. Then Mrs. job
son said;
II don't believe you'd care for them,
would you?" at the same time shaking her
! head at Mr. Jobson when the man in the
sailor. Uniform wasn't looking Mr. job
/ snr .-v ,cowled at these manifestations,
| 10 and turned to the visitor.
"What dye want for the whole lot of
'em, SOM" he inquired.
"Well," was the reply, Gust because you
take an interest in such things, and because
| know you'll cultivate 'em and raise 'em
right, I'd be willing to sell them to you,
Mr. Jobson, for just what they cost me
"a yen. or $l2"
"That's reasonable enough" said Mr..
| Jobson, all the more resolved because Mrs.
Jobson continued to shake her head when
the visitor wasn't looking, and he paid the
man the $l2 and took the package Of
brownish, dirtylooking bulbs. The man
tipped Mr., and Mrs. Jobson a salute and
departed
That very night Mr. Jobson impressed
| into service small-sized tub that he found
in the storeroom, filed it with earth dug
| from the back yard, and planted the dozen
and odd bulbs as per the directions OF the
man with the tar's rig. He set the tub in
the middle of the back yard, and for a
couple of weeks he himself attended to the
waite irg Of them TIE Ctinkalensis
Bloomerionus seemed to be rather back
ward, but Mr.. Jobson attributed that to the
! rawress of the weather. After about three
weeks a couple OF tiny green shoots made