1870 



TULIPA 



TULIPA 



all-important and critical period of the season's work, 

 when the florist's arcana must be practiced but not re- 

 vealed. The great secret in Tulip propagation is now 

 open to the world, though not popularly understood. 



Propagation is effected by offsets, from the fact that 

 varieties will not reproduce themselves from seed. The 

 seed produces only " selfs " or Mother Tulips, which only 

 break into variegated forms at long and uncertain peri- 

 ods. Consequently the flowers must be cut away as 



2595. Round-petaled Tulips in a five-inch pot 



soon as they appear; if not, nearly the whole of the 

 plant's energies would go to the development of the 

 seed, nature's method of reproduction, and the bulbs 

 produced would be small and with but few or no offsets. 

 From nature's standpoint the bulb is of consequence as 

 a means of reproduction or perpetuation of the species 

 only in case of failure of seed production. 



By cutting the flower-stems as soon as the flowers are 

 sufficiently developed to show, there is no mistake as to 

 variety, and the plant's energies are wholly directed to 

 reproduction by offsets which, from large bulbs, are 

 freely produced. There is a great difference in varieties 

 in this respect. The increase is not far from tenfold an- 

 nually; that is, the parent bulb will produce that num- 

 ber of offsets, which must be grown at least three years 

 before they can be sold as first class. 



By the cutting of the flower-stems the plant's period 

 of development is materially shortened. The bulbs will 

 mature at least four weeks earlier than the seeds would 

 if permitted to mature. On Long Island the bulbs can 

 be safely taken up and dried off within two weeks from 

 >the time the stems are cut. When the flowers are cut it 

 will not do to leave them on the beds; they must be 

 carried to some place where bulbs are not to be grown. 

 If left upon the beds they will, as the Dutch say, "make 

 .the soil sick," and sound, healthy bulbs cannot again be 

 produced on it until after a succession of grain and 

 grasses. Tulips must not be returned to the same soil 

 annually, a rotation of at least two other crops being 

 necessary to the production of sound, vigorous bulbs. 



A hundred thousand salable bulbs can be grown on a 

 single acre. They require three years from the sets. 

 'The first year double that number can be grown. The 

 average yield or output will be 66,000 bulbs to the 

 acre. 



In this country where land admirably adapted to the 

 cultivation of Tulip bulbs can be had at not more than 

 fifty dollars per acre, in comparison with land in Hol- 

 land worth $5,000 per acre, the' industry could be made 

 .a profitable one. C. L. ALLEN. 



It is a matter of great regret that the key used be- 

 low is based upon a technical botanical character of no 

 interest to the horticulturist, but it seems to be impos- 

 sible to group the species according to the color and 

 shape of the flowers. 



SUMMARY OF GROUPS. 



1-2 



III. 



Outer bulb-tunic glabrous inside. . .Species 

 Outer bulb-tunic with a few oppressed 



hairs inside towards the top Species 3-12 



Outer bulb-tunic with scattering oppressed 



hairs all over inside Species 13-20 



IV. Outer bulb-tunic pubescent inside, densely 



so at apex Species 21-23 



V. Outer bulb-tunic pilose inside Species 24-26 



VI. Outer bulb-tunic woolly at base inside. 



Species 27-30 



VII. Outer bulb-tunic everyivhere woolly inside. 



* Species 31-32 



VIII. Outer bulb-tunic ahvays hairy at base in- 

 side around root crown, and usually 

 with a few scattering hairs above but 

 sometimes without them Species 37-42 



GROUP I. Outer bulb-tunic glabrous inside. 

 A. Peridnth yellow, flushed with green 



outside 1. fragrans 



AA. Perianth crimson tinged with yellow 



outside 2. Hageri 



1. fragrans, Munby. Height 6-12 in.: proper Ivs. 3, 

 crowded at middle of stem, linear or lorate : fls. yellow, 

 greenish outside ; peri- 

 anth funnelform - cam- 



panulate, \-VA in. long, 

 3 in. across, slightly fra- 

 grant ; segments all 

 acute; filaments bearded 

 at base: ovary slightly 

 narrowed at collar; stig- 

 mas small. Algeria. Gn. 

 45:965. - Allied to T. 

 sylvestris, differing in 

 position of the leaves 

 and segments uniformly 

 wide. 



2. Hageri, Held. 

 Height 6 in. : Ivs. 4-5, 

 lorate acute, not undu- 

 late : fls. chiefly red, 

 about 2 in. across; peri- 

 anth broad-campanulate. 

 1% in., inodorous; seg- 

 ments acute, red, with a 

 large, green or purple- 

 black basal blotch mar- 

 gined with yellow ; sta- 

 mens purple-black; fila- 

 ments linear, bearded 

 at base : ovary narrowed 

 at collar; stigmas small. 

 Hills of Parnes range in 



Attica. B.M. 0242. F. 2596. The open spreading torm 

 1877:169. Tulip (X%)- 



