PREFACE

It is a pity to have to state that only agrarians wear wooden shoes during their work and windmills are growing scarce. But, it must be admitted that tulips are another affair; Holland is the main production centre not only of tulips, but of flowerbulbs in general.

Already scores of years ago, the need was felt for a scientific approach of the problems arising from these cultures. As this resulted in the foundation of the Flowerbulb Research Centre at Lissue in 1920, the idea was borne to organize an International Symposium on Flowerbulbs in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of this institute.

With the help of a number of colleagues in The Netherlands and from abroad, a programme of scientific standing could be carried out.

Although the expectations of this meeting were highly strung, these expectations were even surpassed; more than 160 scientists from 14 countries participated and they proved to be keenly interested in this branch of horticulture and its scientific and technical problems.

We have to thank all the people, scientific, technical and administra- tive, who have devoted time and energy to this conference and thus con- tributed to an even greater success than was expected.

From the beginning it was the intention to hold this meeting under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science, which has as its general objective the promotion of international collaboration in the study of horticultural problems. Contacts between the convenors and the ISHS secretariat were easily made, not only because the latter was more or less next door, but also for the reason that prominent bulb scientists have always been members of the relative subsidiary organ of ISHS.

ISHS gladly gave its support and took care of the printing and publica- tion of the proceedings in this issue of Acta Horticulturae.

The Secretary General of ISHS
Dr. G. de Bakker