The Washington herald., 1913-12-07
Their Cultivation in United
States Is Tried by Govern
ment Horticulturalists with
Encouraging Results.

Can the growing OF. Dutch bulbs" be
made q profitable industry in this coun-
try?
The Department OF Agriculture is in
clined SO to believe, Its conclusions be-
ing drawn from certain rather elabor-
ate experiments in which II has been en-
gagged during the last half dozen years.
Dutch bulbs'' means tulips, hyacinths
and narcissuses,y.. Everybody loves these
flowers, and their popularity may be
estimated from the fact that we import
every year more than 100000 worth of
the bulbs for planting out or Doors They
come from Holland. where climate and
soil are especially suited to their pro-
duction-
There seems to be no good reason
why most Of these bulbs should not be
grown in the United States. 1t was with
this idea in view that in 1907 DR.. Beverly
T. Galloway (now Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture). sent experts into various
sections of the United States for the pur-
pose of picking out a region suitable
for bulb growing. Careful investigation
indicated that the region best suited
for this kind OF farming was in the
neighborhood OF Puget Sound, and &C
cordingiy a bulb garden was forthwith
established near the town OF Bellingham,
in the State of Washington.
This garden is a strip OF land about
a quarter of mile in length. 1t has
attracted such widespread interest that
many thousands OF people from Seattle,
Portland. Tacoma and other cities visit
II each spring to enjoy the spectacle OF
myriads OF blooms OF many gorgeous
colors, in masses such as cannot be seen
anywhere else in this country. They
| offer. indeed, a magnificent sight; and
news OF the experiments has already
spread so far that representatives of sew
eraI bulb farmers in the Netherlands
have come across the Atlantic to take
look at the garden.
The climate OF the Puget Sound region
| is much like that of Holland. being moist,
and neither very hot nor very cold. AZ
! for the soil, in the neighborhood oi
Bellingham It Is q silt loan containing
much decomposed organic matter, and
closely resembles the soil. which in the
Netherlands, produce the finest crops oi
bulbs.
The "Tulip Mania"
Tulips in particular are historically as
sociated with the Netherlands They are
OF Oriental origin, and were first intro
| duced from Turkey into Europe in the
sixteenth century. It was on the dixie
lands OF Holland, however, that then
| earliest cultivation on a large scale was
accomplished. their popularity culminat'
ing In the celebrated tulip mania" When
] this remarkable craze was at its height
as much as 5000 was paid for single
bulb OF a new and desirable variety.
Very interesting is it, then, to learr
I A. N,,rg- rlaavT are
decidedly superior to those imported, the
bulbs producing better and healthier
| plants, and yielding earlier and larger
| flowers on longer and stronger stems than
the same varieties produced in thu
Netherlands. This has been demonstrate
ed by Towering tests" in which the
homegrown and Holland-grown bulbs
| were planted side by side As rule
| the plants from the Bellingham bulbs
were freer from disease, and fowereC
| from five to seven days earlier than those
| of the imported bulbs In addition, tht
| blooms were OF better color.
The varieties Of tulips tested at tbs
BeIIingham garden have been grown from
| offsets" Where new varieties are de
sired, they are secured by planting seed
The method of harvesting the bulbs !:
| the same as that employed in Holland
! They are dug out of the beds with &
| small, short-handled spade. or with th'
fingers when practicable. II is intended
| however, to make a trial OF digging them
! by machine, which would considerabl!
reduce the labor.
| The narcissuses grown at Bellingham
seem likewise to be superior to the i'm
/ ported-that is to say, healthier. better
| colored. and With longer stems This last
\ is an important point commercially. II
has already been proved that the mar
cissus in variety can be successfully pro-
duced for market in various parts OF the
| United States. At Portsmouth and Rich
\ mond, Va, at Santa Cruz, and Ukiah,
| Cal, and in other sections the growing
of this highly-valued plant, for cut flow
ers or bulbs, or for both. has developed
| into an industry Of considerable impor-
/ tance.
Experiments at the Beilingham garden
have demonstrated beyond question that