112 THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [MAY, 



book recently noticed, for whicli we are indebted to Messrs. Longmans. TheFerulas 

 are called Giant Fennels, but they have little or no smell of fennel. These 

 plants belong to tlie Umbelliferce, and produce tall, branching stems, with large 

 and very showy umbels of yellow flowers, the stately stem and abundant flowering 

 branches making them really ornamental. F. communis is one of the species 

 with the leaves cut up into long narrow, almost thread-like segments, which 

 are of a deep and glossy green. Its compound inflorescence is rather set down 

 among the leaves, than elevated above them, in which respect it most nearly 

 coincides with F. Ferulago^ in which the same habit is observable. F. glauca 

 and F. tingitana have somewhat taller stems, so that their infloresence stands up 

 clear of the leaves, and thus has a still more noble appearance. In the latter of these, 

 the glittering leaflets are lozenge-shaped ; in F. glauca they are linear-lanceolate. 

 It is for the mass of foliage in spring, and the noble inflorescence in summer, that 

 these plants should be grown. Towards the close of the summer the leaves die 

 off and the seeds ripen, when the stems may be cut away, and the whole plant 

 retires to rest for a few months. — T. Moohe. 



THE TULIP : ITS PROPERTIES AND IMPROVEMENT. 



INLIIvE the Auricula, this flower holds its position and rank as a Florists' flower, 

 for although many old growers and fanciers of the Tulip have within the 

 last thirty years died out, yet I believe that we have now in England as many 

 growers as have ever been known at any previous period. Such being the 

 case, we may fairly consider the Tulip to be one of the most popular of Florists' 

 flowers at the present day ; and it is deservedly so on account of the wonderful 

 improvements that have been made as to its qualities, even within the last twenty 

 years. Forty or even thirty years back, we had but few English-raised Tulips of 

 any note. Seedling raising was here out of the question, and was left entirely 

 in the hands of foreigners, chiefly the Dutch, from whom we had to import 

 flowers at a great price. Since, however, the raising of seedlings has become so 

 common in this country, we have outstripped the Dutch, both as regards quantity 

 and quahty of flowers — so much so, that now we very rarely see any of the original 

 Dutch flowers on our exhibition tables. With but few exceptions, we can now 

 lay claim to having the lead as raisers of choice and improved show Tulips ; 

 indeed, I am of opinion that by perseverance in impregnation, and by taking care 

 in making choice of our finest new varieties for seed-bearers, we shall in a 

 very few years be able to dispense with four-fifths of the old favourites, and to 

 replace them with flowers of higher quality, 



A few years ago, at the time when Harrison's Cahinef, the Midland Florist^ 

 fee, were in vogue, we had several waiters on the Tulip, one striving against 

 another as to who should be regarded as the highest authority, and who should 

 furnish the standard by which judges at exhibitions were to be guided as to the 

 merits of novelties. We had then four would-be authorities, all differing as to 

 what should constitute the proper model ; but I venture to say that we now have 



