THE TULIP. 



337 



Fig. 2133. Single Tulip. 



vitality of the bulbs. Besides, the strength 

 is washed out of the manure down into the 

 earth by the autumn rains and thus the soil 

 is enriched. By this annual covering the 

 flowers are made much larger and far more 

 brilliant in color. If manure cannot be se- 

 cured use old straw or hay or any kind of 

 litter. Of course this must be removed early 

 in the spring. 



In buying bulbs for planting do not get 

 the cheapest mixtures that may be secured. 

 Although they give much pleasure, with a 

 little more outlay and the selection of some 

 named varieties the result will be much 

 more pleasing. As they are a thing that 

 will last for years good varieties should be 

 secured in the outset. Among the finest 

 named " Early Single " tulips are : — Canary 

 Bird, yellow ; Cerise Grisdeline, beautiful 

 rose ; Cottage Maid, delicate rose, with 

 white stripes ; Keizer's Kroom, bright crim- 

 son, broadly edged with yellow ; L'lmmac- 



ulee, pure white ; Pottebaker, bright canary 

 yellow ; Van der Neer, the finest of all violets, 

 extra large flower ; Proserpine, rose shaded 

 with salmon, extra. Among late singles 

 are Bybloemens, Bizarres and Parrots. In 

 '* Early Double " are : — Gloria Solis, scarlet 

 deeply edged w^th bright yellow ; Le Blason, 

 white tinged with rose ; Purple Crown, dark 

 purplish red; Rex Rubrorum, bright scarlet; 

 Titian, bronze red with pale yellow margin. 

 " Late Doubles " are : — Blue Flag, purplish 

 violet ; La Belle Alliance, violet and whjte ; 

 Marriage de ma Pille, pure white ; Yellow 

 Rose, golden yellow. 



Most pleasing eff"ects can be produced by 

 rilling a whole bed either with one variety or 

 with two or three varieties coming into 

 bloom at the same time. In planting more 

 than one variety care should be taken to 

 select colors that will "blend" and also 

 varieties whose flower stems are of the same 

 length. Nothing gives more displeasure to 

 the true gardener than to have a bed of tulips 

 made up of a hundred varieties, some in 

 bloom today and others not until two weeks 

 hence ; some dwarf, some tall ; some single 

 and some double. Solid masses of color is 

 what pleases the flower lover's eye. 



The tulip, — the flower that many years 

 ago caused men to go crazy, and the finan- 

 cial ruin of men of wealth ; the flower that 

 was then and is now admired by all, and the 

 growing of which furnishes employment for 

 thousands in Holland, should be extensively 

 planted by every flower lover in the land. 



John B. Pettit. 



Fruitland, Ontario. 



Pruning Lilacs. — Whatever pruning is 

 necessary should be done during the winter 

 months when the plants are dormant, and 

 this should always be performed with great 

 care. The reason for this is obvious. The 

 flowering buds of lilacs, like a great many 



other woody plants, are formed during the 

 summer of the year previous to which they 

 flower ; an expert can readily tell in looking 

 over lilacs in winter to what extent they 

 will bloom in the following spring by recog- 

 nizing- whether the buds are leaf buds or 



