32 THE FLORIST. 



starting their eyes, and the little maggot will soon be found busily 

 at work. Look sharp after them, not once, but frequently, or 

 they will soon destroy the blooming-buds. Keep green-fly down 

 by immediately fumigating on their first appearance. 

 TuLirs. — The continuance of mild weather has caused the green 

 spike of Tulips to appear above ground earlier than usual, conse- 

 quently no time should be lost in procuring and preparing the 

 means securely to protect them on the first appearance of frost ; 

 for this purpose, place light iron hoops (made of ^-inch rod iron) 

 over the bed, about eight inches from the surface, and two feet 

 apart ; on the top of the hoops, longitudinally with the bed, lay 

 four lengths of rod iron, the same size as the hoops, fastening 

 them where they cross the latter, with horticultural wire. This 

 method allows the covering to be much nearer the surface of the 

 bed than the hoops which it will be necessary to use when the 

 Tulips are more advanced, and will afford a better protection. 

 The materials we use for covering have generally been two mats, 

 one placed over the other ; these are nailed lengthways to a strip 

 of deal two inches square, which plan we find very convenient, 

 for the mats are thus prevented being blown off by the wind, 

 the strips of deal keeping them down, and if the hoops be raised 

 about the third of a circle, the mats will then throw off a con- 

 siderable quantity of rain, and on every fine day they can very 

 easily be rolled up, and thus will be avoided the littering and 

 untidy appearance which loose mats are sure to make. Four or 

 five years since, during the continuance of a very severe frost, 

 we covered entirely with straw close to the surface of the bed ; 

 when the frost broke, on removing the straw, we found the 

 Tulips nearly all up, and a miserable sight they were, not green, 

 but very yellow, we feared the worst ; but fancy our joyous sur- 

 prise to see in a few days (the weather continuing open and 

 mild) our pets assume as healthy an appearance as we have ever 

 observed, and of all the beds of bloom we have had, that season 

 was the best ; and should hard frost set in and continue, and the 

 Tulips not be above ground, we should certainly wrap them up 

 in a straw bed again. Last season, a friend of ours, a paper- 

 manufacturer, presented us with some felting, and it answered 

 the purpose exceedingly well ; this can be procured very cheap 

 of any paper-maker, of any length, and wide enough to cross the 

 bed. These are the only methods of covering we have practised ; 

 we have heard of a waterproof transparent canvass for the pur- 

 pose, but have never used or seen it. In answer to an inquirer, 

 Tulip seed should be sown in October or November, in boxes or 

 pans, five or six inches deep ; if all be well, full directions shall 

 be given on this subject at the proper time. Where seed is sown, 

 protect from heavy rain and frost by a hand-light : heat or forc- 

 ing of any kind we conceive to be very injurious. 



Wycombe. J. Hunt. 



