FLORISTS' FLOWEHS ; TULIPS. 91 



is to plant them at such time, according to the locality, 

 that they will not push through until the severe weather 

 is past. They should be so planted that the tallest 

 stems shall be in the middle of the bed, and the shortest 

 at the edge, descending in gradual gradation. Make 

 perfectly straight drills two inches deep, and press the 

 roots down in them, five inches apart. Let the drills be 

 nine inches apart. Cover the bulbs with a rake, and 

 stir the earth between with a tulip fork a small three- 

 pronged fork, with a short handle, almost indispensable 

 in tulip culture, and, in fact, in the flower beds generally. 

 Protection must be provided, either hoops over the beds 

 with canvas covers to put over them when wanted, or 

 regular awnings with the covers to put up or down. 

 This protection forms necessary shelter from late frost 

 to the roots, from cutting winds at all stages, from too 

 much or too heavy rain, and from the sun when the 

 bloom is out. It must, however, be used with caution, 

 not to make the plants too tender. After flowering, the 

 bulbs should be left until the leaves turn brown, when 

 they may be taken up, laid out to dry, cleaned, and 

 then stored in drawers, with labels to distinguish all the 

 named sorts. The tulip bed must be renewed in the 

 soil before it is used for tulips again, although it is said to 

 do without for polyanthus, and many other flower roots. 



A fine tulip should have a cup-shaped flower, round 

 at the base ; the ground colour must be quite clear on 

 the inner side of the petals, and all the marking should 

 be sharp and distinct. A feathered tulip has a dark edg# 

 to the petals ; the feathering is called light if narrow, 

 nnd heavy if wide. Flamed tulips are those having a 

 dark spot in the centre of each petal : some flowers are 

 both feathered and flamed. A bizarre tulip has a yellow 

 ground, with coloured markings ; a liblomen, a white 

 ground, with black, lilac, or purple markings ; and a 

 rose, a white ground, with markings of crimson, pink, 

 or scarlet. There are also selfs. 



New sorts are raised from seed, and the seedlings do 

 not flower until they are about five years old, when 

 ttiey produce flowers of a dull indistinct purple tinge. 



