April."] ANEMONES AND RANUNCULUS. 91 



The characters of a good Tulip are the stem strong, 

 elastic, and erect, about two feet high ; the flower large and 

 composed of six petals, proceeding a little horizontally at 

 first, and then turning upward, forming a flat-bottomed cup, 

 rather widest at the top ; the three exterior petals should be 

 larger than the three interior ones, and broader at their 

 base; the edges of the petals entire, free from notch or rug- 

 gedness; the top of each well rounded. The colour of the 

 flower at the bottom of the cup ought to be pure white, or 

 yellow, and the rich-coloured stripes, which are the principal 

 ornament, should be pure, bold, regular, and distinct on the 

 margin, and terminate in fine points elegantly pencilled. 

 The centre of each petal should have one bold stripe, 01 

 blotch, of rich colouring. The ground colours that are most 

 esteemed are white, the purer the finer; or, on the other 

 hand, the dark grounds, and of course the darker the better ; 

 but these vary in estimation, according to the prevailing taste 

 cf amateurs. 



ANEMONES AND RANUNCULUS. 



Moist weather and frequent showers are highly essential 

 to the perfecting of these flowers ; and if these should fail at 

 this season of the year, artificial means must be used to sup- 

 ply the deficiency. Take a watering-pot without the rose, 

 and run the water (river or rain water is best) gently between 

 the rows, taking care not to make holes in the ground. 

 When they have got a good watering at root, take the 

 syringe and give them a gentle sprinkling in fine evenings, 

 observing not to use force, for fear of breaking the flower- 

 stems. In dry weather, the result of a deficiency of water 

 would be, that the stems and flowers of the strongest roots 

 will be weak and make no progress, and many of them will 

 not bloom ; the foliage of a sickly, yellow appearance, from 

 which they would not recover ; and the roots, when taken 

 up, are of little use for farther transplanting. 



A good plan in dry seasons is to cover the ground between 

 the rows with cow manure, which will prevent the moisture 

 from evaporating ; and the rain or water passing through it 

 greatly enriches the soil and strengthens the roots. 



