146 FLORA HISTORIC*. 



Le^an to pour her plants into our parterres in such 

 profusion as took place between the years 1730 

 and 1740, the taste for Tulips gave way for that 

 of plants of greater novelty ; and it has, as Loudon 

 observes, become neglected by the higher classes, 

 and descended into the gardens of tradesmen and 

 operative manufacturers : but this cannot lessen 

 the beauty of the Tulip, nor can we deem any 

 flower-garden complete that is deficient in these 

 gaily painted and enlivening flowers : nor do we 

 consider the Tulip so deficient in its botanical 

 attractions as modern florists make it. Of the 

 varieties of Tulips now cultivated in this country, 

 some idea may be formed from the catalogue of 

 Mason, for the year 1820, where we have the names 

 of six sorts of early Tulips, four of per roquets, or 

 middle blowers, twenty-two double sorts, and up- 

 wards of six hundred single late sorts. 



The criterion of a perfect Tulip of the late- 

 flowering kind, is, that " the stem should be strong, 

 elastic, and erect, and about thirty inches above 

 the surface of the bed. The flower should be large, 

 and composed of six petals : these should proceed 

 a little horizontally at first, and then turn upwards, 

 forming almost a perfect cup, with a round bottom, 

 rather wider at the top. The three exterior petals 

 should be rather larger than the three interior ones, 

 and broader at their base : all the petals should 



