The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-30

Iudho tuo uSUt
most ideal for the cultivation Of
tulip, hyacinth and other bulbs on
commercial scale, but that until farm
labor can be obtained far more cheaply
than at present, it cannot become a
strong competitor with his own country
is the verdict of G. Hylkema of Helle-
gom, Holland, who returned to Seattle
recently after visit to the United
States government experiment bulb
farm near Bellingham.
Mr.. Hylkema has been interested in
the bulb industry in his native land
since boyhood and for the last dozen
years or so has been acting as foreign
representative for Van Zanten Brothers,
who own one Of the largest bulb nur-
series in The Netherlands. He is in
Seattle on his tenth consecutive annual
visit to tho United States and has
Travelled over all of Europe and most
of America in the interests Of that firm.
Puget Sound Climate.
"The Puget Sound climate ia much
the Same as that of Holland s." he said,
''and the soil, too, seems admirably
adapted to bulb culturc. This is tho con
clusion | reached after looking over the
government bulb farm at Bellingham.
On previous trips to the Pacific North
west ! had heard much of this bulb
farm, but not until this trip did find
time to visit it. Yesterday spent most
of the day on tho ground.
"Tho results the government has at
tanned arc most creditablo and en-
couragipg, but from what l have
learned regarding tho labor market
here, it seems scarcely probable that
bulb growing viii be made CONNER
eial success in competition with Hol-
land, though protective tariff might
some time equalixe things. In cur bulb
nurseries our, hands arc paid an aver
age Of SIS a week for twolye hours
day, while hero labor Of equal skill and
reliability would command at least
three times that amount, perhaps more.
Different Standards in Holland.
"Five dollars week does not seem
large to Americans, but in Holland a
farm or garden laborcr counts himself
fortunate in getting it, especially since
VIC pay our hands that wage the year
around, doducting nothing for time lost
on account Of bad weather conditions
or other msfortuncs. A man can sup
port family on that wage in Holland,
but his standard of living is by no
means as high, for the high cost Of
living is with US in Holland and meat
is more costly there t'an here.
"Althoush bulb culture is an old in
dustry and one Of Importance in Hol-
land, it is by no means largo one.
Only very small section Of the king
dom, narrow tract fifteen or twenty
miles long between Haarlem and Ley
den, is adapted to it. 1t is in this
small district that virtually all the
bulbs exported are grown, although
Holland seAds to tn, Unitel States and
Canada 100000 worth Of bulbs an.
nually, and still larger quantities to
other countries. Holland, in fact, sup
plies the world with bulbs, only one
small district in Southern France com
petiEg with us.
Bulb Gardens.
'fThe bulb gardens, or nurseries,, lie
near the seacoast and to make them
several feet of sand, in some places ten
or twelve feet, is removed and carted
away to uncover the sandy loan in
which the bulbs reach perfection. But
to enrich this loan fertilizer is brought
from all over the kingdom by railroads
and the canals which thread the bulb
FIRMS.
"Skill and much patient labor, be
sides capital, is needed in the produc
tion of bulbs on a commercial scale
Hyacinths, for example, must be cul
tivated for five years before the bulbs
are ready for the market, And the
land on which they are cultivated is
worth $4,000 an acre. Land worth
$1,0O0-the cheapest used for bulbs
will do for tulips. The winters in Hol