THE TULIP. 263 



though not to be met with in every garden, have yet some 

 zealous cultivators. 



There are some varieties, such as the early Due Van 

 Thol, yellow, white, and red ; the Clarimond, the Parrots, 

 and the Double Tulips, which belong, properly speaking, 

 to the general cultivator. The genuine tulip-grower des 

 pises these, and will not suffer them to enter his select bed. 

 In England, the florists tulips are arranged under four 

 classes. 1. The Bizarres, which have a yellow ground 

 marked with purple or scarlet. 2. The Byblcemensvtiih A 

 white ground, marked with violet or purple. 3. The Roses, 

 with a white ground, marked with rose or cherry color. 

 4. The Self or Plain-colored tulips, which are of one uni 

 form color, and are chiefly valued as breeders. The byblre- 

 men class includes most of those tulips which are held in 

 high estimation in Britain ; but the rose or cherry colored 

 are perhaps the most pleasing. 



The properties of a fine late tulip, as specified by Mr, 

 Hogg, are the following, somewhat abridged. The stem 

 should be strong, erect, thirty inches high : the flower large, 

 of six petals (sepals), which should proceed almost hori 

 zontally at first, and, turning up, should form an almost 

 perfect cup, with a round bottom, rather widest at top. 

 The three exterior petals should be rather larger than the 

 three interior ones : the limbs of the petals should be 

 rounded, and freed from every species of serrature. The 

 ground color of the flower at the bottom should be clear 

 white or clear yellow ; and the various rich colored stripes, 

 which are the principal ornament of a fine tulip, should be 

 regular, bold, and distinct at the margin, and terminate in 

 fine broken points, elegantly feathered or penciled. There 

 are other refinements upon which florists are not quite 

 agreed : and it must be confessed that their standard of 



