288 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 
admire neutral tints; our next choice would be the Rose 
Tulips, for reasons before stated. 
Single Early Tulips.—The early flowering Tulips 
are mostly descendants from 7. precox and T. oculus- 
solis, and these vary but little in specific characters. 
T. Gesneriana is also accredited with the parentage of 
many of the sorts. The fact is, but little is known of 
the origin of these early forms. It is sufficient to know 
that in this class we have a far greater number of varie- 
ties, embracing every form and color, than in the preced- 
ing class, and that they are far more easy of cultivation ; 
much cheaper, and more showy in the garden. Their 
flowers have a dazzling brightness, but are wanting in 
that richness and substance that marks the late varieties. 
Their earliness is‘a great point in their favor, as a suc- 
cession can be kept up for two or three weeks before the 
late flowering kinds appear. They are, moreover, very 
useful for forcing, either for house decorations in pots, 
or for florists’ use as cut flowers. 
The nomenclature of the single early Tulips has 
been sadly abused; on an average there are, at least, 
three aliases for each name, which is, to say the least, a 
little bit confusing, although the harm done to the gar- 
den may not be serious, but to the florist it is quite 
another matter, as earliness is altogether important. A 
flower that comes two weeks earlier than its alias, will 
give him a profit, while the latter, although exactly the 
same, to all external appearances, would prove a loss. 
For instance, take the class known as Duc van Thol (of 
which we shall make special mention), of which there 
are pure yellow, white, scarlet and variegated forms, all 
of which are used extensively by the florists for forcing, 
few others doing as well for the purpose. For these 
many other sorts are substituted, by the Dutch mer- 
chants, at the request of their customers. We know 
this to be the case, as we have had propositions from 
