The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-16
WHERE THE rusERosEs GROW.
Millions of Bulbs Raised in One coun
 ty of North Carolina.

From the New York Sun.
 Most of the tuberoses now blooming in tine open about New York and in the forcing houses of florists come from a comparatively small area in Duplin county, N. c. Here a group of nursery men produce annually many million bulbs of the tuberose for sale in this country and for exportation to Europe.
 The bulbs flourish there wonderfully in a light sandy soil, with porous clay subsoll which seems to provide exactly the right conditions for them. The young bulbs are set out In the spring to be developed for the next years flower ing.
 The crop which must be richly manur- ed and frequently cultivated, natures in August, and Is gathered from six to nine weeks later. The tops are then cut off at the ground and the bulbs are ploughed out, much as if they were potatoes They are gathered by colored women, who shake theme free of earth and remove the young bulbs to serve to start the next years crop.
 The most careful growers have the bulbs punched in tens by little negroes and hung up indoors to dry. Sometimes artificial heat is used to hasten the dry ing. The curing process occupies from one to two months.
 The bulbs are not ready Tor market un- til December. They are then packed in paper-lined barrels. holding from 500 or 800 tof1,S0O, and in these packages they are shipped to various parts of the world.
 New York is the port from which most of the bulbs are shipped to Europe. and exporters here sometimes send away as many as 500,000 bulbs in a season The price which has greatly fallen within the last ten years varies from $1.75 to $S a thousand.
 Mammoth bulbs are from six to eight inches in circumference. After that come No, bulbs. which are at least four inches in circumference, and No ?, which are at least three inches in circumfer- ence. The small bulbs produce satisfac- tory flowers in the south, but the larger bulbs are better for forcing in the north.
 Europe which takes more delight in the flower than America and demands the flower the year round, imports bulbs from South Africa and from the United States. The South African bulbs reach the Euro- pean markets some months ahead of ours and are immediately forced for early towering.
 Ours, which arrive in December and January. are retarded by being kept at a low temperature. in order that they may furnish summer and autumn flowers 1t is really difficult to make the American tuberose flower in winter or early spring.
 The tuberose growers of North Carolina are constantly experimenting with view to obtaining new varieties. and they have attained a wide reputation for their bulbs They produce dwarf tuberoses of pearly tint that have a great reputa- tion. double flowers tuberoses with varie- gated leaves. the orange-1owered tube rose the blossom of which resembles that of the orange, an albino and others.
 Curiously enough. both the popular name and the botanical name of the tuberose have been the subject of much discussion. Linnaeus named these flow CTS polanthes, but in an early work Of his the name was by mistake spelled polyanthes, which was naturally taken to mean ''many-fowered
 It Is now believed that he intended l shining lowered" though some botan- ists think he had in mind the city 1 flower"
 The popular name Is sometimes called "tuberose," and sometimes ''tuberose." The latter is the correct name, and the plant was so called to distinguish 1t from the tuberous hyaclnth. It is, properly plant