The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05

1900 the bulbs arrived in England.
Gessner called the tulip "thouliban'
and the Dutch called it "tulipa" or
%"tulban.'
The tulip soon became an article
of wonderfully active commercial
speculation. Tulip marts were estah-
lished everywhere. Armed guards
were kept night and day over the
tulip fields so the valuable bulbs would
not be stolen and gardeners worked
constantly to produce new colors and
markings in the flowers. A distinctive
new flower meant a certain fortune
for the producer and 1t was Il COM
mon thing for bulbs to he worth more
than their weight in gold. Poems were
written and the n of the people
were of the tulip.
At the marts. houses and lands were
given or mortgaged for tulips and
fabulous sums were paid for new
varieties.
The black tulip vas the height OF
every hybridizer's ambition. Half OF
Holland might have been had for II
back tulip. Now we have the black
tulip in the Dawvin tulip. Ia tulipe
noire. not quite back, hut So nearly So
as to fully answer the purpose. II
lis one of the very few Of our black
flowers. The bulbs are srarce and al
ways high in price as compared with
other tulips.
Alexander Dumas In his historical
novel entitled The Black Tulip gives
an idea OF the tulip excitement IN HoI-
land and the efforts made to produce
a black flower.
The gambling in tulips was carried
TO such an extent that a break neces-
sarily followed, resulting In a dlsas-
trous panic. The courts held that all
tulip debts were merely gamplihg
debts and not recoverable by law
which added to the disaster. The
Dutch. however. have never lost thelr
love for the tulip and still produce
the finest bulbs in the world, n as
late as during the eighteenth century
large SUM were paid for new tulips
At the present time a good price can
be had for anything desirable in a
new tulip.
Showing how rapidly the production
of tulips has increased. in lIo2 "a
gives forty -four varieties, WINE IN
1892 Maddox lists six hundred ana
fifty kinds. The variety ~ 10Y al
most endless, all Of the early varieties
having been discarded for the newer
and better sorts.
Make Beautiful Beds aud Help the
Dutch.
The tulip Is one Of the easlcSt
flowers to cultivate and every garden
should have its bed of tulips, ~hlch
mu,t he planted in the autumn.
Tulip bulbs are cheap, cheaper thar
ever before. Bulb growing i th'
chief industry of Holland, and at tho
present time Holland has a horde o'
refugees on her hands and her trade
cut off, to "A large degree. with the
countries at war. consequently Amer
lea Is depended upon TO consume all oil
Hollands great supply Of bulbs. Ths
sale OF bulbs in this country means
the life or death Of many old u
growing concerns this season. So le'
us beautify our gardens and help 8
suffering people by planting a liberia
supp,y Of bulbs this fall. any time
before the ground freezes.
strange To say. the tulip. like thu
dahlia, vas first introduced as "A foot
plant. II was converted into con
serves with sugar and roasted ant
boiled like onions. hut they were toe
much even for the unusually goot
digestion of the Dutch. \ merChan'
of Mechlin by the name Of Rye, Is
credited with first attempting to i'm
prove the flowers
The Herbal" by Gerardc. published
In 1897. states that James Carrot.
London apothecary. cultivated tulip
in 1857.
There are several varieties Of tulip
Towering from early in tho sprinl
until about the first of June. Tn,
early tulips are the first to flower
All the standard early tulips are o
about the same height. ranging from
ten TO fourteen inches, and all flower
out of doors at about the same time
so almost innumcrable combinations
can be made I'm massing in beds.
The bulbs should lie planted befor,
the ground freezes. in beds that hay,
been spaded and the Jumps wei
broken up, making the soil as fine a
possible. Plant nW more than fV,
inches apart and four inches deep. A.
soon as the frost has formed "A iich
crust on the ground. spread old leave!
or well rotted manur four or fv,
inches thick over the beds. Ia proven
the frost going deeper.
I For indoor culture tulips may h
4 planted in a five inch pot or fou
4 bulbs in a seven inch bulb pan. Plac,
4 a piece Of broken crock across tn,
hole in the bottom and on his n layc'
/ of sphagnum moss Plant the hulh
about half an inch below the surfac,
Of the soil. filling the pot or pan I,
within an inch Of tho top. Tho pot
may then he plunged in the garden
covering them 10 IA depth Of 81,
inches with ashes. Set the pot on
bed of ashes to insure drainage an,
! to keep out worms, The pots can h,
kept in "A cool dark cellar | m place a
J %p.unging them in the garden, keen
ing the soil damp. Allow the hulh
t. remain in the cellar or plunged II
the garden for twelve weeks 10 de
vclOp root growth, When frs
! brought into the light the tcmpcra
1,,ro gIntt1I hp akA,,, N