Evening star., 1916-04-23

to $4,000 an acre. for some 10000 bulbs
can be raised upon an acre of ground.
One Californian cleared in one spring
$3.50 from the cut flowers from seed
lings on space IS by As feet. and this
was only for the flowers he did not
want for seed The removal of fiow-
ers and stems. of course, results in
bulbs of an inferior grade.
Those florists who have grown the
seedlings for the bulbs alone are more
than pleased with the results This
has been done in the neighborhood of
Santa Ana, where the soil and climatic
conditions are evidently more favor
abie- At Yuma. Ariz, the growth made
from mature bulbs planted for seeding
was good, and bulbs may he grown
there to mature quite as early as those
from the Bermudas.
In the extreme southern part OF
Texas the possibility of producing good
bulbs would seem very encouraging.
Al Brownsville, Tex. one can see in
the old Spanish gardens very healthy
Easter lilies in bloom during the first
half OF April. The growth is very
strong and absolutely free from every
trace of disease. 1t would seem as il
lily growing in that section of the
country would be satisfactory.
Next in popularity with the Easter
lily IN its season come the lovely white
and yellow narcissuses and jonquils.
while the fragrant hyacinths and free
sias also take prominent part in the
horal slorification of Easter.
The United States today is one of the
largest consumers Of what are known
as Dutch bulbs" and the value of the
annual imports of these extremely pop
ular spring towering bulbs for plant
ing out of doors and for forcing under
glass exceeds :. million dollars The
Department of Agriculture. believing
that the output OF the country's wealth
should be kept at home much
possible. has also taken the matter up.
The result is that the majority OF
Dutch bulbs" are now grown in this
country. and the flowers are better
than those produced from foreign
stock.
The beautiful white and yellow mar
cissuses and the CHEEKY yellow jon
quils are now grown extensively for
our own markets in the neighborhood
of Richmond and Portsmouth. Va: in
Rhode Island and in many other sec
tions.
Hyacinths. originally imported from
southern France. are now extensively
grown on the Pacific coast and on
Puget sound. The results obtained
give promise of the state Of Washing
tons being able to produce hyacinths
of very good quality. quite equal to
those grown in any other country.
The sweet-scented freesia is another
of the bulbous plants formerly import
ed from France. The Department of
Agriculture. in encouraging the home
growing Of bulbs; has demonstrated
that this fragrant blossom can also be
brought to high a state of perfec-
tion here as in Europe. 1t is now
grown extensively in the Carolinas. In
Florida. well as on the Pacific slope
Just north of Santa Barbara.
Chief among the Dutch bulbs" which
have popularized themselves in the
United States as favorite spring flow
ers, are the tulips. the white and other
10 -arnf nf rx.,f
ger long enough to be used as Easter
decorations. 1t is stated that tulips
We're introduced from Turkey by Bus
beca to Vienna. thence, about the year
1860, to the Netherlands. where their
beauty and variety of coloring soon
created much emulation and their pop
ularity eliminated in the historic craze
known as 'Tulipmania." 1t is esti-
mated that at that time much as
$4,000 was paid for a single bulb of a
new and specially meritorious variety.
Within recent years the Department
of Agriculture has taken up the culti-
walton of tulips quite extensively, and
in its own experimental grounds II mas
grown acres of tulip bulbs which are
decidedly superior to any of the inn
ported varieties. These have been dis
tributed broadcast throughout the
country Tor the purpose OF ueflloHstfdl-
ing the superiority of the homegrown
product.
1t has been proved that the tulip can
be successfully grown in commercial
quantities in many sections of the
United States. Indeed. it is stated by
the Department of Agriculture that
American-grown narcissuses and tu-
lips, when forced. or growing out OF
doors, will produce better and health
ier plants and yield earlier and larger
flowers on longer and stronger stems
than the same varieties in the Neither
lands.
Other Easter plants. which were for
merly imported and are now home grown
are the aZaleas. The several varieties OF
these deciduous shrubs are grown in Hol-
land and. until the war. in Belgium but
there is strong movement on foot among
florists. aided and abetted by the De-
partment of Agriculture. to propagate
these beautiful. decorative, vari-col-
ored plants at home. One progressive
New York state florist has recently pur-
chased a large farm at Eureka. Cal.
where he intends to grow azaleas and
other low-growing decorative shrubs
for forcing for the Easter trade.