TUL 



[ 895 ] 



TUL 



well sheltered from the north, north- 

 east, and north-west winds. We prefer 

 a perfectly level surface, because the 

 advantage of rain falling upon the bed, 

 and sinking into the earth, is more 

 certain than on a slope. The elevation 

 of the site is also a consideration worth 

 serious attention. Wherever it is in 

 the power of the cultivator of tulips, 

 intended for exhibition, to choose the 

 site, let him choose the happy medium, 

 neither too high nor two low. If there 

 are no shelters already on the spot to 

 defend and protect those choice flowers 

 from the untoward blasts of the 

 northern quarter, there ought to be 

 some prepared. A close wooden paling 

 is the one most ready and effectual, 

 and if made of deal, or oak, and well- 

 painted, will last several years. Beech, 

 hornbeam, yew, or arbor vitre hedges, 

 are very excellent, but they require 

 several years' growth before they are 

 high enough to screen the flowers 

 effectually. They might be planted 

 behind the paling, to be advancing in 

 growth; so that when the paling de- 

 cays, the hedges would be high and 

 thick enough to answer the purpose- 

 Whatever shelter is made use of, it 

 should be placed at a sufficient distance 

 from the beds not to draw up the 

 flowers, or prevent a full exposure to 

 light. On these accounts, or for these 

 reasons, the wind-shelters should never 

 exceed six or eight feet high. 



Draining, The tulip loves a deep 

 soil, and a dry subsoil. Where there 

 is a good depth of good loam, with a 

 dry gravelly or sandy bottom, no more 

 draining is required than one or two 

 formed with drain-pipes and tiles, to 

 carry off the water that may fall in 

 wet seasons on the surface. An up- 

 right shaft, with a grating on the top 

 to catch this surface-water, will be ne- 

 cessary. When the natural soil is 

 shallow and the subsoil clay, or any 

 other water-retaining substance, set out 

 the bed the desired length and breadth, 

 and cast on one side all the good soil, 

 shovelling the small crumbs; then dig, 

 or hack and shovel out the subsoil, till 

 the bed is eighteen jnches deep. After 

 that is finished, dig a drain in the 

 centre of the bed six inches deep, and 



wide enough to allow the operator to 

 lay down first the flat tiles, and then 

 the circular pipes, with holes in the 

 latter to admit the water to escape into 

 them, and then be carried clean away. 

 When the pipes, &c., are laid down, 

 cover them with rubble, and then lay 

 all over the bottom of the bed three or 

 four inches of either small stones, 

 broken clinkers, or brick ends. Upon 

 this drainage, lay a stratum of short 

 straw or small brushwood ; make this 

 smooth, and you may consider the 

 drainage complete. 



Manure and Soil. Procure some one- 

 year-old cow-dung; spread over and 

 upon the drains a stratum of this cow- 

 dung two inches thick ; then mix about 

 one-sixth of very well-decomposed hot- 

 bed dung Avith the loam thrown out, and 

 laid on one side on commencing the 

 operation of draining. If there is not 

 enough soil to make the bed up level 

 as before, procure some good loam for 

 the purpose, mixing it with the same 

 proportion of well-decomposed dung. 

 If the situation is low and damp, it will 

 be advisable to place an edging round 

 the bed six or eight inches deep, of 

 sufficient strength to bear up the soil 

 when it is raised to that height. The 

 best material for an edging of this kind 

 is blue slate, which may now be had 

 very reasonably; the next best is 

 common flags of slate ; and the next, 

 slabs of wood nailed to strong uprights 

 driven into the ground at proper in- 

 tervals. Mix the top surface with a 

 considerable mixture of river sand; 

 this will cause the bulbs to come out 

 of the soil at taking-up time, clean and 

 of a bright brown colour. Should the 

 collection be large, there should be two 

 parallel beds, with a walk between them. 



Planting. The best season is about 

 the beginning of the second week in 

 November, as near the tenth of that 

 month as the weather and the state 

 of the ground will permit. This rule 

 applies to all the country north of 

 London ; perhaps, in the milder cli- 

 mate of the southern counties a week 

 later would be better. Too early plant- 

 ing is injurious, inasmuch as that the 

 leaves will be pushing through before 

 the severe weather has passed away, 



