BULBS 57 



three ounces per square yard, turned in two or three weeks before 

 planting, will be better than manure fresh from a yard or stable. 

 In the case of light soil a dressing of natural manure, preferably 

 from cowyards, will be an advantage. 



There is no doubt whatever that, given good bulbs and well- 

 cultivated soil, Tulips can be grown successfully in almost any 

 garden, whether it be in town or country. The large, sound, well- 

 developed bulb contains everything the grower wants stem, leaf, 

 and bloom ; and it only remains for him to bring them out to 

 the best advantage by providing suitable site and soil. Many 

 people like to grow them in pots, and they succeed under the 

 same treatment as Hyacinths, but three or five bulbs may be 

 grown in a pot instead of one. 



Tulips have two great advantages over their sister bulb, the 

 Hyacinth : the growth is more graceful, and the period of flower- 

 ing, if all the classes are taken into account, is a great deal 

 longer. The latter is an important point. By making a suitable 

 selection we can have Tulip blooms for fully three months. The 

 season opens with a very early section called Due van Thol, 

 which is succeeded by the Early Dutch, both single and double; 

 with the Darwin and the Cottage Tulips bringing up the rear. 

 We might classify the sections as follows for outdoor flowering: 

 March bloom, Van Thols ; April, Early Dutch ; May, Darwin 

 and Cottage. The rearguard is the flower of the Tulip army. 

 The Van Thols are pretty enough, and make nice little patches of 

 colour among Scillas, but they only grow a few inches high, and 

 have small flowers. The Darwin and Cottage sections have flower 

 stems two feet long, surmounted by immense blooms. 



Inasmuch as the bulbs are cheap, except in the case of special 

 new varieties of the May-blooming section, the Tulip-lover will 

 be wise to grow some of all these classes. He can buy and 

 plant in October or November. It is desirable to plant before 

 the bulbs show signs of growth at the apex. The old bulbs die 



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