TUL 



" If the bottom be wet and sour, aiui 

 you have drained it as before denoted, 

 let there be a good six inches of brick 

 rubbish, or broken flower pots, or both, 

 put at the bottom, and about six inches 

 of the common garden soil upon them. 



" The pit for the bed bciris; now pre- 

 pared tor filliiifT, spread dry cow-duns, 

 six inches thick, at the bottom; let it 

 be trodden down, and throw maiden 

 loam, as already described as the top 

 spit of a meadow, with the turl' rotted 

 in it; fill up the bed to eight inches 

 above the surface, drive down at each 

 corner of the bed a stake, to mark the 

 exact size the bed should be, that is, 

 the two end stakes four feet from each 

 other, and from one end to the other 

 twenty-five feet; and let these stakes 

 stand exactly square, one foot above 

 tlie surface of the path, and perfectly 

 level. 



" If you design to have the sides 

 boarded, which saves much trouble, 

 your best way is to let the carpenter 

 adjust the boards very nicely as to level, 

 to let them go down at least six inches 

 below the surlace of the garden or path, 

 and stand eiL'lit inches above it ; he must 

 then provide a three-inch width, to fit 

 on and take otf at pleasure, because it 

 is of the greatest service in planting. 

 The most simple way of planning this 

 is with bolts ; the boarding should be 

 an inch thick, staples should be placsd 

 both in the fixed and in the moveable 

 board, opposite each other, at proper 

 distances. 



" The whole should be covered from 

 heavy falls both of rain and snow ; and 

 from the moment the bulbs are in the 

 ground, have none but genial showers, 

 and not much rain of any sort. We 

 would never see the bed dry, but should 

 be quite as unwilling to see it too wet." 

 — Gnrd. and Pract. Ftor. 



Should very severe frosts occur dur- 

 ing the winter, cover the bed all over 

 a few inches thick with sawdust, which, 

 ifdry, the frost never penetrates. When 

 the frost is over, take away the sawdust, 

 and sift a little fresh soil over the sur- 

 face of the bed. 



S'lade. — Tulips cannot be grown more 

 advantageously than in two beds, ar- 

 ranged and sheltered according to the 

 plan of which the following is an end 

 view. But wlielher grown in two beds 

 or in one, lii'jhest in the centre, as be- 

 fore mentioned. The edges of the beds 



should be supported by deal planking 

 two inches thick, and painted green, 

 surmounted by a wire trellis, thirty 

 inches high, coloured similarly, and 

 supporting arches of wire to bear a 

 canvtis covering, when shade is re- 

 quired. These wire arches fit into 

 sockets in the upper rail of the trellis, 

 and the canvas cover is fastened to 

 them by strings, as in the case of a tent 

 beilstead. 



The wire trellis will preserve the 

 plants from boisterous winds during all 

 periods of the growth, and the whole 

 will be found to be the most efficient 

 shelter, at a moderate expense that 

 combines elegance with utility. The 

 first fortnight of the month of Novem- 

 ber is the best season for planting. A 

 hole should be made with a trowel, not 

 with a dibble, a little sand be j)laced 

 beneath and over each bulb, and a small 

 hillock marks on the surface its place. 



The only after culture required is a 

 frequent hoeing of the suriace of the 

 bed ; and as the flowers fall, to cut off 

 the seed pod. 



Taking up the Bulbs. — This must be 

 done as soon as the leaves in early 

 autumn become yellow. Mr. Cilcnny 

 says — 



" If you have room and convenience, 

 put them into boxes, with all their skins 

 and roots, and place the drawers singly 

 in an airy dry covered place out of the 

 sun. In a few days they will harden, 

 the skins will come off easy, and the 

 root break away without damaging the 

 bulb. Should any in taking up be Ibund 

 with moist or mildewed skins, which is 

 not unfre(]uently the case, they should 

 nevertheless be let alone a day or two; 

 the removal of the skins, stalks, and 

 roots is accompanied with much less 

 risk. It is not uncommon for part of 

 the top to come away with the roots, if 

 the latter is broken off at the time of 

 taking up in temporary boxes at first, 

 so that as they are cleared of their 

 skins and roots, they may be laid away 



