344 TIIE PLEASURE, OR [April. 



three interior ones, and broader at their base: all the petals should 

 have perfectly entire edges, free from notch or serrature; the top 

 of each should be broad and well rounded; the ground colour of 

 the llower, at the bottom of the cup, ought to be a clear white, or 

 yellow; and the various rich coloured stripes which are the prin- 

 cipal ornament of a fine tulip, should be regular, bold, and distinct 

 on the margin, and terminate in line broken points, elegantly 

 feathered or pencilled. 



The centre of each leaf or petal should contain one or more bold 

 blotches or stripes, intermixed with small portions of the original 

 or breeder colour, abruptly broken into many irregular obtuse 

 points. Some florists are of opinion that the central stripes, or 

 blotches, do not contribute to the beauty and elegance of the tulip, 

 unless confined to a narrow stripe exactly down the centre, and 

 that they should be perfectly free from any remains of the original 

 breeder colour: it is certain that such appear very beautiful and 

 delicate, especially when they have a regular narrow feathering at 

 the edge; but the greatest connoisseurs in this flower unanimously 

 agree, that it denotes superiority when the tulip abounds with rich 

 colouring, distributed in a distinct and regular manner throughout 

 the flower, except in the bottom of the cup; which it cannot be 

 disputed, should be clear, of a bright white or yellow, free from stain 

 or tinge, in order to constitute what is considered a perfect flower. 



Tulips are divided into two classes, viz: early and late blowers. 

 The late are infinitely the finest and most valuable, and are of course 

 entitled to the principal attention of the curious. They are divided 

 into six distinct families, or rather divisions of the same family, viz: 



1. Primo Bagucts, which are tall; the colours, brown on white. 



2. Baguet Rigauts, these are not so tall; and have strong 

 stems and large cups: the colours as before. 



3. Incomparable Verports. The characteristics of these are the 

 form of the cups, which are very handsome; the colours a shining 

 brown on white. 



4. Bybloemem. These have a white ground, with a variety of 

 colours. 



5. Bizards. The colours of these are on a yellow ground, various, 

 and consisting, in the whole, of three or more. 



6. The cherry and rose; the name denotes their colours, which 

 are on a white ground. 



Breeders are self or plain coloured tulips, obtained by sowing 

 the seed, which, in time, by being planted in a proper compost of 

 lime rubbish and poor soil, accidentally break out into stripes and 

 variegations, by which new varieties are annually obtained. 

 . I have been the more particular in my account of that glorious 

 flower, the Tulipa gesneriana, or garden tulip, as it is now in more 

 general estimation than an v other flower whatever. 



Mr. Samuel Curtis, Jlorist, of Walworth near London, had 

 sent me last autumn, upwards of two hundred varieties of the most 

 elegant sorts of tulips, and at the same time informed me that it 

 is very common for him to receive from fifty to eighty pounds 



