248 ON THE CULTIVATION OF TULIPS. 



time lost, and a large amount of mortification, and who to blame but 

 yourself? Some j'ears since I knew a person who bought a bed of 

 seedlings which had not blown, and when they did, they all proved to 

 be dirty bottoms, and what did he do with them ? he sold them, it 

 might be to some person like yourself, who had not patience, or who, 

 in an unguarded moment, bought them without seeing them in bloom, 

 and thus the mortification was the greater, because carelessness was the 

 cause. I never would buy a breeder without seeing |it in bloom ; 

 not that you can be certain that from the most perfect breeder, you Avill 

 get perfect blooms when broken, but the chances are greatly in favour 

 of it ; they should possess a good substance of petal, the cup not over- 

 large, but well formed, not loose and straggling, the colours clear, and 

 the most essential with you in the South, a fine clean bottom ; but ac- 

 cording to tlie rules of the Northern Association, a stained bottom 

 may, by chance, gain a prize, at least it was so at their last great ex- 

 hibition in this town : but I think that their days are numbered from 

 what I hear. The chance is, that, for the future, they^will be excluded, 

 and, for their credit sake, the sooner the better. It was held by Mr. 

 Charles Brown, (whose name has before been introduced into tliese 

 letters,) that a dirty, or stained-bottom breeder, would never break 

 clean, and I believe that it is now an opinion that has gained universal 

 credence. If the stain should be very trifling, there is a chance that 

 should it break finely featliered, it may clear out, but should it break 

 with a good flame, the stain will remain, and thus cause the flower to 

 be useless for an exhibition in the South, and I hope from this time 

 for the North. 



I am at a loss to know what you, as a private grower wanted with 

 so many ; you say they were cheap, so much the worse, as they are 

 more likely to be useless ; it is easy to accumulate a quantity of 

 rubbish to take up the room of better things and cause constant vexation. 



I wish that in May last you had sent me your 10/., intimating what 

 you wanted, I would have visited some of the Northern growers, and 

 selected for you a few things, of whicli there would have been a chance 

 of giving you that satisfaction that a cultivator receives when he finds 

 he has something that pays him for his trouble. I would much rather 

 you had began with some good Nortliern seedlings, as there are at the 

 present time many Northern stars and a large quantity of good Nortliern 

 breeders ; that, if infused with the Southern collections, will be much 

 prized by active cultivators, and become useful. 



I omitted to inform you in my paper of the Great Northern Exhi- 

 bition, that there was a fine break of Slater's Kate Connor, but not 

 exhibited for competition, as it came with seven petals. Kate Connor 

 has for some time past been a popular Rose breeder, and broke (this 

 season I believe, but am not certain,) for the first time. The one sliowu 

 was a fine flame, but one bulb has broken finely feathered, in either 

 state it will have many friends. The next day, at an exhibition, a short 

 distance from this town, was a new broke rosy byblomen, called 

 Slater's Ada"; though not fully blown, enough of its beauties were 

 developed, to show it was a choice thing, and it will rank high in the 

 class to which it belongs. _ ■. 



