OVERVELW AO. “at 10 Cp, © » ‘We Vo. ee be a Z yaw © oe s é a ; ‘ wee by . = —_ mda payaentens ania hale 4 aye cecal dere ee tg a . ‘ a C ‘ . , ' i 4 -—REMARKS— ON THE CULTIVATION OF DUTCH BULBS AND PLANTS, —AND— SUGGESTIONS WHICH MAY BE OF INTEREST TO ALL AMATEURS. WITH COMPLIMENTS OF ANT. “ROOZEN & SON, (Established 1832,) xX BULB-GROWERS, : Ov ERVEEN (near Haarlem), HoLLAN D: DE VEER & BOOMKAMP, (Successors to J. A. DE VEER,) Sole Agents for the United States and Canada, ? 149 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. Entered according to Act of Congress; in the Year 1885, By DE VEER & BOOMKAMP, = —* In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. ©. . i ala een ape . . tea oe — $4 S re » oe a ae “ an . C r , ¢ 7 at : = : " - . - x ay ' x rs = = 7 “ As soon as you receive the bulbs, and have no opportunity to plant them at once, open every package and place them in a dark, cool and dry cellar or closet until needed. Bulbs or plants received in Spring should immediately be planted, except “Gladioli,” which should not be put out in the North until May. OUT-DOOR PLANTING. The best time for~planting Fall Bulbs out-doors in the Northern States and Canada is from September until November, as long as the ground can be worked. For the extreme Southern States we would advise late planting, and we found that Hyacinths, Due Van Tholl Tulips, and other bulbs can be grown to perfection in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Southern Texas when planted in the latter part of December. All varieties of ‘‘ Hyacinths,” ‘‘ Tulips,” ‘‘ Crocusses,” ‘Single Narcissi,” and ‘‘ Lilies” ‘are perfectly hardy as far North as Canada, if treated as follows: They prefer a sandy, well-drained soil, and if the ground is hard clay or peat, it has to be well mixed with sand and old cow manure. If not very old, horse manure will injure bulbs, and should mever be used. When the ground is rich it is better not to use any manure whatever, but simply to work the ground thoroughly before planting. Put the bulbs deep enough so that the tops are covered with at least three inches of soil; this rule applies to all bulbs, except ‘‘Polyanthus Narcissi” and “ Gladioli,” which have to be covered with four; and ‘* Lilies,” with, at least, six inches of soil. 4 Plant ‘‘ Hyacinths,” ‘“‘ Narcissi” and “ Lilies” from five to eight, ‘‘ Tulips,” four, and ‘‘ Crocusses ” three inches apart (from bulb to bulb), other sorts accordingly. After planting, rake the beds smooth, and leave them until the first heavy frost sets in, when the beds must be covered with straw, salt hay, meadow hay, or leaves. Manure should never be used for this purpose, as it is liable to heat and force the bulbs in growth before the proper season, Mice will often seek shelter under the covering, therefore do not put it on until the ground is frozen hard, so they cannot dig down and destroy the bulbs. One of our correspondents gave his successful experience with the following remedy to pro- tect Tulips and Crocusses (Hyacinths and other bulbs are never touched by vermin) from moles and mice. ‘‘ Before planting apply a thin coating of tar to each bulb;” this same remedy is useful for farmers to protect their corn. Ranunculus and Anemones should not be planted in the North until Spring, about the latter part of April or beginning of May. They prefer a rather loamy or stiff soil and a sunny situation. They should be planted about two inches deep and five inches apart. In the South they must be planted in November or December, and will bloom there about the same time as the Hyacinths. If the ground is dry at the planting season, it is advisable to soak the roots of Anemones and Ranunculus in water of about 70 degrees temperature for five or six hours. They must be planted immediately after taking them out of the water. 5 POTTING. Mix one-third sand, one-third old cow manure, one-third loam and leaf mould, to be had from any florist, or prepare some good garden soil, running it through a sieve; fill four inch or five inch pots half full, press the bulb softly in and fill the pot solid within half-an-inch of the rim, to leave room for watering. We usually plant in a pot one Hyacinth ; of Tulips, 3; Crocusses, 5; Narcissi, and other bulbs, according to their size. Give the pots a little watering and place them in a cool cellar for from four to six weeks (as they may be needed), when the bulbs are rooted7and may be brought in the room or greenhouse, where they must be kept in an almost dark place until the bloom is ready to burst forth, when they. may be put gradually into light. The temperature should never be higher than 70 degrees. The finest Hyacinths we ever saw in New York were forced under the bench in a greenhouse and had never been touched by sunshine. HYACINTHS AND OTHER BULBS IN WATER. We seldom have nature and art more perfectly combined than in growing a Hyacinth on glass. It is very simple to get them to perfection, and yet many fail by lack of knowledge and experience. Fill the Hyacinth glasses with pure water, as far as the neck, place the bulbs in them, and fill the glasses so that the base of the bulb just touches the water. Then put them away in a dark, cool closet or cellar, and see every day or two that the base of the bulb keeps touching the water and fill the glasses accordingly. Change the water every week, but do not lift the bulb off the glass, as the tiny glass-like roots are easily broken, and this would injure the 6 flowering qualities of the Hyacinth. Raise the bulb a little so as to be able to pour the water gently out, and fill it at once with fresh water. Keep them in a cool place and perfect darkness until the roots touch the-bottom of the glass when they may be brought in a dark place in the greenhouse or sitting room and gradually exposed to light. Care must be taken to keep the glasses filled with fresh water, and a little table salt added to it will benefit the flower. It is useless to attempt to grow them in a room where, during the Winter, a continuous dry temperature of 80 degrees is kept; this is injurious to bulbs and plants as well as to mankind. Many Americans will have wondered in Winter what kind of flowers the Celestial Laundrymen have in their windows, grown in basins, with stones and filled with water. This is the Holy Flower of the Chinese, and blooms in their native country about on New Year’s day. The successful flowering of this bulb gives them the assurance of a profitable year; if it fails to bloom JOhn Chinaman puts on his mourning. It is a species of Narcissus found wild in China and the Southern part of Europe, of which our beautiful Polyanthus Narcissi are seedlings cultivated in Holland. The Double Roman Narcissus is the double flowered Chinese species, and this one, as well as the other varieties of the Polyanthus Section can be grown to perfection on water (and stones) if treated like the Hyacinths. Crocusses placed in a saucer filled with water will bloom splendidly under the same treatment, but must be kept in a cool room, as these bulbs cannot be forced like Hyacinths or Narcissi. All Hyacinths, most of the Single Tulips, a few varieties of the double ones, 7 Narcissi, Jonquils, Iris Persica and Scillas, can be forced in bloom for January or later. The Roman Hyacinths anda few Due van Tholl Tulips can be had in bloom for Christmas. Snow Drops, Snow Flakes, Grape Hyacinths and allspecies of Museari, &c., must never be forced, but can be had in bloom early in Spring, by placing them in a cold frame or greenhouse, where the temperature does not get above sixty- five. For out-door cultivation we recommend for ‘he North Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocusses, Lilies, Single Narecissi and all species of Hyacinthus, Tulipa, Fritillaria, Gladiolus, Galanthus, Helleborus, &c., &c. Polyanthus Narcissi are not hardy above latitude of Mew York City. For the South wespecially reoommend Anemones, Ranunculus, all kinds of Hyacinths, Due van Tholl Tulips, all kinds of Nareissi, Lilies, Fritilla- ria, Amaryllis, Gladioli, Ferraria, &c., &c. Our SPRING CATALOGUE, issued in December, quotes those bulbs which have to be planted in Spring and bloom in Summer, as for instance, Gladioli Amaryllis, some Lilies, and miscellaneous plants and roots. Our FALL CATALOGUE, published in May, gives a most complete list of Hya- cinths, Tulips, Narcissi, Crocusses, and so many more popular bulbs, which should beautify our homes in Winter, and when planted in Fall will embellish our garden in early Spring with the loveliest flowers. ‘* Frail as the clouds, But, in their coloring, gorgeous as the heavens.” 8 In conclusion would advise customers to send their orders as early as possible on receipt of Catalogue in order to secure the best selection and an early delivery. Spring orders should be in the hands of our Agents before March Ist, Fall orders before July 15th, as it takes about six weeks after receipt of the order by our agents for the goods to arrive in New York, and consequently our season closes about a month earlier than with American dealers. As Spring commences very early in Europe, we are enabled to deliver plants, &c., in March, which is of great advantage to our Southern friends, who, when ordering from Northern growers, often have to wait until late in April before goods can be obtained. Our goods were in the hands of Southern customers, last season, a month before Nurserymen in the North could ship anything. All applications and correspondence should be addressed to our agents, DE, VEER & BOOMKAM?E: (Successors to J. A. DE VEER,) 19 Broadway, New York, who are always willing to answer all inquiries made in regard to treatment and cultivation of these popular bulbs, to encourage the love and taste for these exquisite flowers for which Holland is justly world-renowned. Very faithfully yours, ANT. ROOZEN & SOM OVERVEEN (NEAR HAARLEM) HOLLAND. HN R78 885 opy 1 TRADE MARK, PRESS OF HORACE HOLDEN, 62 WILLIAM ST., N Y.