THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 213 
piece of the bark, the presence of silex can be well ascertained, as it 
grates between the teeth like fine sand. If we examine a section 
under the microscope, we find all the cells of the different tissues or 
layers are more or less silicated, the silex forming in the cells while 
the bark is very young. In the inner bark the silex or flint is 
deposited in a very regular manner, as will be seen by Fig. 1. The 
flint, however, from the ash of a porous cell of the bark, assumes a 
very different appearance, as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows a 
porous cell macerated, and Fig. 4 is a flint skeleton from a similar 
cell. The bark of young trees and branches contain a much larger 
quantity of water than that of old trees; the proportion of water, 
however, is more equal in the old and young woods. From an 
analysis made of both the old and young barks, the old was found to 
give 30°8 per cent. of ash, and the young bark 23°30, Of the dif- 
ferent layers of the old bark, the outer gave 17°15 per cent., the 
middle, 37°65, and the inner, 31. A larger percentage of ash was 
yielded by the bark of an old branch, which was found to give 77. 
In comparison to the bark, the wood is relatively poor in silex, the 
duramen, or old wood of an old trunk, giving only 2°5 per cent., and 
the alburnum, or young wood, 2 per cent. only. 
The wood, bark, ash, and various specimens of the manufactured 
‘pottery, may be seen in Kew Museum. 
ROYAL NATIONAL TULIP SOCIETY. 
(From our own Reporter.) 
33) Royal National Tulip Society again held its annual exhibition at 
‘| Manchester, and although the flowers were hardly up to the average in 
point of quality, the display was exceedingly good. It was intended to 
teerRomt have held the show in the gardens of the Manchester Botanical and 
Horticultural Society ; but, owing to the lateness of the season, it was at the last 
moment found necessary to postpone the gathering, and advantage was taken of the 
opportunity afforded by a meeting of the Botanical Society for holding the Tulip 
Show in the Town Hall. The exhibition afforded ample evidence of the wisdom of 
the management in postponing the show, and it is questionable whether it might 
not have been postponed another week with advantage, for many of the flowers 
bore unmistakable evidence of forcing. The “forcing” of show tulips consists in 
cutting partly-developed flowers some time before the show, and, after the stems 
have been placed in vessels containing warm water, they are removed to a warm 
corner of a greenhouse or the plant stove until reaching a certain stage of develop- 
ment. When flowers have to be forced into bloom, a thorough knowledge of the 
peculiarities of each variety, and the exercise of the utmost care, are alike necessary; 
but with the most skilful manipulation, it is impossible to present flowers equal in 
quality to those which remain upon the plants until within a brief period of their 
being staged. But this year, unless the expansion of some of the later flowers had 
been assisted by artificial means, a proportion of the exhibitors would have been 
quite unable to put in an appearance. The classes were, as in previous years, 
arranged under two leading divisions—one comprising the rectified or broken 
flowers, known respectively as bybloemens, bizarres, and roses, and the other breeder 
or self-coloured flowers. 
The most important class in the division for rectified or broken flowers was that 
for twelve dissimilar varieties. The competition was brisk, and the flowers 
contained in the several stands were mostly of excellent quality. The first prize 
was awarde to Mr. Whittaker, 77, Peru Street, Salford, for a fine stand containing 
July. 
