126 THE TULIP. 
No matter what care may have heen devoted to the seed, few perfect 
flowers are obtained in the first blow, which does not usually take place 
before the fourth year; in the following years gradual amelioration of 
the colours take place, and those which at first were vague and inde- 
terminate, finish at last, though in no fixed time, by assuming clear 
and distinct characters, until they reach all the perfection of which 
they are capable. Every Tulip produced by seed, and as yet ina 
state of immaturity, is called a breeder, and in this state may continue 
from two to ten years. From the first blowing all flowers whose form 
is ill made, or whose petals are thin, or whose stem is weak and bend- 
ing, or is tinged with yellow, are thrown away. When the petals fall, 
the seed-vessels are broken off in order to give more strength to the 
root. After the fourth year, the roots are treated as those of a collec- 
tion already formed. The offsets of a Tulip always re-produce a plant 
identical with that from which they proceed. The period of their 
coming into bloom is from the first to the fourth year. They are 
planted in September, about three inches apart, in proportion to their 
size, in ground prepared the month before. A great number would 
perish from being dried up, if planting them was delayed to November. 
In taking them up and replanting, the same order is observed as is 
followed in an established collection. The advantage of offsets is 
great, as they serve to repair losses which a severe season or accident 
may cause to the old collection. In a Tulip collection, the size of the 
roots is a matter of importance. It has been remarked that some of 
them, of a large size, produce petals which are not properly propor- 
tioned. Most frequently they become open and loose, whilst, when 
the roots are of moderate size, the flowers are perfect. Experience, 
however, is the safest guide in selecting the roots. 
It is not sufficient to unite the most beautiful Tulips in the same 
place, as if they are thrown together by chance or without harmony. 
Not only must the heights agree, but also the colours. Art in this 
respect comes to the embellishment of Nature. In order to display as 
much as possible the richness and value of a fine collection, the follow- 
ing precautions ought to be attended to, as they will be found to facili- 
tate the labour in a high degree :— 
If, for instance, I have three hundred Tulip roots to plant, whose 
height and colour I am perfectly acquainted with, I provide six drawers 
with fifty compartments in each. In these I place the roots, in some 
position where the air will have a free access. I place the drawers in 
a case, one over the other, with a space between to Jet in the air, and 
the whole is surrounded with a wire grating to keep away rats and 
mice. As I know accurately the classification of my Tulips, accord- 
ing to height and colour, yet I place the roots in proper order in the 
compartments. Its first series hold those whose stem is highest, and 
which are planted on the top of the bed: the other compartments hold 
others less high, until all are filled. The colours alternate as symme- 
trically as possible, so that the same colour never appears twice 
together, either longitudinally or transversely. It will result from 
this disposition of the plants, that, in looking at the bed obliquely, 
they appear like a draught-board, with lines formed of an uninterrupted 
