There’s
Money In
Daffodils
And si iio4* fhero arc no
more* bulbs coming from
llc»lland. scores of North
Carolina farmers are
making a prof if ablt*
business ouf of grouing
the flowers.
By
HARRY' X. TUCKER
IX these «lays of adjusting agricul¬
tural production, any now money
crop which offers interesting pos¬
sibilities for future profit is worth
knowing about, worth investigating.
Take, for instance, the beautiful daffo¬
dil. Until a score of years ago these
flower bulbs came from far-off Hol¬
land. And they were extremely ex¬
pensive.
Hut with an ideal soil and climate
here in Xorth Carolina, and with a
background of hundreds of years of
gardening, our people have readily
taken on to this colorful and lucrative
flower. They are no longer content to
let the Dutch monopolize this growing
business and reap all the profit.
Scores of people in Xorth Carolina
make the growing of daffodil bulbs
their occupation.
An Increasing Demand
However, it was not due to altru¬
ism that this interesting vocation did
not enter Xorth Carolina many years
ago. It was not that we loved the
I hitch too well to interfere. In fact,
several attempts were made long ago
at growing the bulbs; but it was
found, due to the little demand, that
it was invariably cheaper to buy daf¬
fodil bulbs than grow them here.
Things are different now. People
everywhere love and plant daffodils.
So rapidly has the trade grown
that we are using more than 200,-
000.000 «luffodil bulbs a year in Amer¬
ica. The home production of the
bulbs, nece>-itated in 1922 when an
embargo was placed upon the impor¬
tation of the «luffodil on ac«’.ount of
The Carrick Daffodil Gardens at High Point,
the celworni, resulted in a perfect
setup for the Xorth Carolina grow¬
ers of bulbs. They launched the in¬
dustry anew, under favorable aus¬
pices; and the growing of daffodils
soon became a recognized part of
farming activities.
It may be of interest to relate that
the final enforcement of the «luffodil
exclusion act found the growers in
Xorth Carolina with empty bins.
Hootlegging for bulbs was practical
by flower lovers; and bootlegging the
daffodil became profitable. The de¬
mand was not met until the embargo
HOI, under restrictions, allo\vc«l Dutch
bulbs to be imported for breeding.
At the present time, probably less
than a thousand acres of land in
Xorth Carolina is devoted to the
growing of daffodils. This acreage
probably seems small to one who is
uninformed of the fact that an acre
can yield in excess of 50,000 bulbs.
But it must also be remembered that
the retail value of a healthy bulb is
never less than ten cents.
Growing line daffodils requires es¬
pecial knowledge. Climate alone de¬
termines where the finest bulbs may
be grown. Dafltxlilg like a fairly rich
soil, well-drained, and plenty of
moisture during the growing season.
Fanciers in Xorth Carolina, aware
of the ever-increasing popularity of
the daffodil, have paid from live to a
hundred dollars for a single bulb. But
since the bulbs multiply very rapidly,
such prices do not long prevail.
The present demand is for a variety
that will bring forth a large number
of flowers from each individual bulb.
This tendency, therefore, lends one to
think that a multi-flowered «luffodil
will be a favorite for the future. Hut
beauty of form and coloring is not to
l*r slighted or neglected. Such fine
points cannot lx* expected often in the
multi-floweml varieties.
The cultivation of daffodils is com¬
paratively simple. They are planted
in rows, and most growers use a
three-year rotation. The first requi¬
site is to keep the varieties unmixed,
since the slightest mixing always im-
|x-riU the sale and slashes the price.
On the Xew York market, where
the early blossoms are shipped in
(airloads the price depends upon the
newness and desirability of the va¬
riety, the pureness of the particular
«train. But there are hundred» of va¬
rieties to select from, and rare types
bring considerably more than just
ordinary tyjics.
It must be here stated t hat the
daffodil is, botanicallv, a mein her of
the narcissus family. The many va¬
rieties are Confusing to the average
person. People in Xorth Carolina
usually content themselves with the
knowledge of being able to classify
these beautiful spring flowers into
three families: daffodils, narcissus,
and jonquils.
Within these three main groups are
eleven subdivisions representing the
various species. There are, it is uu-
derstood, more than 3,UOO varieties
listed. These are, however, all mem¬
bers of the narcissus family. Since
ih«‘ terminology is so very loosely used
in Xorth Carolina, the people lump
them all together into the three divi¬
sions as given above. It is easy, with
a little practice, to identify the three.
We would suggest that, instead of
trying to learn too much about the
different varieties of narcissus, the
reader spend bis time in dividing up
the ancient clumps of these lovely
flowers around his home. But wait un¬
til the tops have died down.
It is recorded, you know, that a fa¬
mous British botanist died a raving
maniac as a result of trying to
straighten out the narcissus family.
7