Bloembollen in Holland, 1860-1919

1860 saw the founding of the Dutch Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur (nowadays the Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur), an event that marked the start of the professional organization of the modern flower bulb business in the Netherlands. The author gives a detailed description of the development of this business, treating economical, as well as institutional and juridical aspects. Central to the narrative are the lives of three generations Krelage, because the history of this family is intertwined with the history of the flower bulb in the Netherlands. Bloembollen in Holland 1860-1919 provides the first integral history of the modern flower bulb industry and serves as a welcome addition to the well-known book by E.H. Krelage, Drie eeuwen bloembollenexport (1946). The book is set up chronologically and describes the following subjects: breeding, domestic and foreign trade, exhibitions, science, governmental care and labour conditions. Special attention is given to the impact and results of all precautions made during World War I. The last chapter gives an extensive look at the business as it stands at the beginning of the 21st century.

Maarten Timmer (1942) is part of a Breezands bulb growers family. He studied in Wageningen and worked (1967) as a researcher and as the head of department at the 'Laboratorium voor Bloembollenonderzoek' (laboratory for bulb research) in Lisse. He became part of the ministry of agriculture as a consultant for the horticulture in Hoorn in 1981. After the abolition of this job in 1990, he became a consultant for agriculture in Noord-Holland (in Haarlem, also for the ministry of agriculture). After the abolition of that job in 1995, he was operative up to 2002 as a senior policy officer at a regional management of the ministry of agriculture.
From birth and during its whole operative life Maarten Timmer has had much to do with bulbs: by means of research, education (manager), information (as a consultant he managed a regional public relations department) and by means of policy. Timmer studied the history of horticulture in general and bulb growing in particular. He has published several papers on this subject.