'34 



IRISH GARDENING. 



SEPTEMBER 



Cottage Tilip, Simmer Beaity. 



(Much Reduced.) 



Stalk. It is tlie female org;an ot'the flower, antl its upper 

 part is called the stigfnia. .Around the ovarv six 

 stamens are placed which grow from beneath it, and 

 give off when ripe a substance called pollen. They are 

 the male organs of the flower. Hybridists raise new 

 varieties by cross-fertilizing- the flowers. They select 

 blooms of two diff'erent varieties, which possess such 

 characteristics as they would like to combine in one 

 flower, and proceed as follows: — Just as the flowers 

 open, the anthers are removed from one variety to pre- 

 vent its fertilizing itself, and the bloom is covered over 

 with a piece of fine muslin to keep out all the pollen carried 

 to it by the wind and insects, which might spoil the 

 intended cross. When the stigma is ripe to be pollenated. 

 which can be told by its moist appearance, the muslin is 

 discarded, and the pollen is taken from the anthers of 

 the other variety and placed upon it, using a slightly 

 moistened camel's hair brush for the operation. The 

 flower is let run to seed. The seed is sown as soon as 

 ripe in light, rich, sandy soil. When the young shoots 

 appear a strict eye should be kept on the slugs, or the 

 grower will soon have no seedlings. If possible the 

 seed should be sown in pots, and wintered in frames or 

 a cool greenhouse until such times as they are large 

 enough to take care of themselves. Up to a few 

 years ago tulip raisers depended mainly on sports 

 amongst the offsets for the production of new varieties, 

 sometime with great success, as Ciin be seen in the 



beautiful strain of Djirwin tulips raised by 

 ;i Flemish amateur from sports of the 

 old-fashioned tulip section. He named them 

 after Darwin, the great apostle of evolu- 

 tion. Of recent years hjbridists have 

 taken up the work, and, as a result, 

 the production of new varieties is no longer 

 ;i matter of chance and selection, but in a 

 measure are made to order in regards 

 shape of bloom, size, colour, time of flower- 

 ing, &c., the hand of man directing nature. 



When cutting tulips each flower should 

 be cut close to the second leaf so as to have 

 as much stem on the flower as possible, 

 and at the same time remove the least 

 amount of foliage. In very short-stemmed 

 varieties they may be cut close to the third 

 leaf, but under no consideration should all 

 the leaves be cut away from the bulbs, as 

 during the following period all the plant 

 food stored in the bulb is exhausted to 

 produce the bloom. The leaves, under the 

 influence of sunlight, refill the bulb cells, but 

 if cut away cannot fulfil their natural func- 

 tions, and the result is the bulb becc>mes 

 greatly weakened, and very often dies. 

 Many amateurs say — " I don't know how it 

 is, but I cannot make any success of growing 

 bulbous plants," yet the minute the flower is 

 cut or commences to wither they ruthlessly 

 shear away the foliage, for appearance 

 sake, and give the bulb no chance to re- 

 cuperate. It's no wonder their best eflforts 

 are a failure. When the leaves begin to 

 turn yellow the bulbs can be lifted and the 

 increase or off-sets taken off, care being 

 taken to keep them shaded from the sun, as it quickly 

 cracks the skin or tunic, which would then easily peel off, 

 and render them unsaleable by spoiling their appear- 

 ance. The}" should be stored away in a well-lighted, 

 cool, airy place until the planting season arrives. 

 Experimenters ha\e found that tulip bulbs, when 

 exposed to a temperature of 35° Cent., only lose i per 

 cent, of water in 24 hours, so it is not necessary 

 to cover them with sand, &c., to prevent e\'aporation. 



[Note.— The Article— The writer, .Mr. McAteer. was formerly an 

 employee of Messrs. Hogg& Robertson, the noted firm of bulb growers 

 at Rush. He was an occasional contributor to Irish Gardeni.sg be- 

 fore he left Ireland for "the States." — The Illustrations — The four 

 illustrations used are the copyright of Messrs. Hogg & Robertson. 

 They are reproduced here by their kind permission.] 



Clt Flowers in V'ases. — Before placing the stems 

 of cut flowers in vases care should be taken to remove 

 all the lower leaves, as if these are kept immersed in 

 water they die and give off an unpleasant odour. Then 

 a little salt placed in the water will check decay, and 

 help to keep the flowers fresh for a longer period of 

 time. It is also a good plan to cut off each day the 

 ends of the stalks, so that a fresh surface is presented 

 to the water. The life of a vase of cut flowers can often be 

 materially lengthened if they are removed from the vase 

 at night, packed closely together wrapped in a damp 

 cloth, and kept in a cool, dark place until morning. 



