THE TULIP. 



571 



often extend from this broad stripe to the 

 extremity of the leaves, the colour generally 

 appearing strongest in the inside petals. A tulip 

 with this broad coloured stripe, which is some- 

 times called beamed or splashed, is at the same 

 time frequently feathered also. 



It is called feathered when it is without this 

 broad stripe, but yet it may have some narrow 

 lines joined or detached, nmning up the centre 

 of the leaf, sometimes branching out and curved 

 towards the top, and sometimes without any 

 spot or line at all; the petals are feathered more 

 or less round the edges or mai'gin, inside and 

 out; the pencilling or feathering is heavy or 

 broad in some, and light and naiTow in others, 

 sometimes with breaks or gaps, and sometimes 

 close, and continued all round. 



The Bi/blocmen tulip has a white ground, lined, 

 marked, striped, or variegated with violet or 

 purple, only of various shades, and whether 

 featliered or flamed, is distinguished by the same 

 irharacters and marks as the bizarre tulip. 



The Rose tulip is variegated with rose, scarlet, 

 crimson, or cherry colour, on a white ground; 

 and the feathered rose is to be distinguished 

 from the flamed by the rules already mentioned; 

 tlie rose is very often both feathered and flamed. 



The self or plain coloured tulip is either uni- 

 form white or yellow, admitting of no farther 

 cliange. 



These last are called breeders, and are procured 

 from seed. On being cultivated on a drj', poor 

 soil, they gradually become broken up or varie- 

 gated, and thus furnish new varieties. The time 

 that elapses before they break, varies from one 

 to twenty years, or even more; while, in some 

 instances, this change never takes place at all. 

 Various plans have been suggested for promoting 

 and expediting the breaking up of these selfs or 

 breeders, hut none hitherto tried can be depended 

 upon. The most likely is the fecundation of one 

 unbroken by the pollen of a variegated tulip, 

 having previously removed the stamens of the 

 former before tlieir anthers have arrived at ma- 

 turity. Some florists raise seedlings from their 

 choicest flowers, in the expectation that they 

 will break up sooner than seedlings from selfs. 

 This is accordingly found to be the case; but, in 

 general, the plants are weaker than those raised 

 from the simple or natural tulip, the varie- 

 gated colour being undoubtedly a symptom of 

 disease or morbid action in the plant. Frequent 

 change of soil and situation is also recommended 

 as a means of expediting the variegation of 

 tulips.* 



In raising from seed, that from healthy and 

 strong plants is to be prefen-ed, and it is not to 

 be gathered till the pericarp assumes a brownish 

 colour. It is to be sown in the same manner as 



* Hogg's Culture of Florist's Flowers. 



hyacinth seed, and the bulbs similarly treated. 

 They will bloom by the fourth, fifth, and seven tli 

 years. 



Off'sets should be planted soon after they are 

 separated from the parent bulb in beds of i'resh, 

 sandy loam, with a little rotten cow dung placed 

 from seven to twelve inches below the surface, 

 in a dry, airy situation, from two to four inches 

 deep, according to the size of the roots. The 

 beds should he elevated six or eight inches, rather 

 convex in the middle, and should he furnished 

 with mats and hoops, to be put on for occasional 

 protection from heavy rains and severe frosts. 



The best bulbs are those which have not lost 

 the brown skin, are not mouldy, or soft at the 

 root end, and are full, solid, and rather pointed 

 at the other. Immediately before planting, the 

 brown skin is to be carefully stripped ofij so as 

 to leave the root perfectly bare, meanwhile cau- 

 tiously avoiding to bruise or wound the root, 

 especially at the lower end where the fibres are 

 formed, which is very tender at the season of 

 planting. The soil of the beds should be a rich 

 loam, of rather a sandy nature, with a mixture 

 of cow dung manure. These beds should be 

 prepared in October, and the planting should 

 take place from the 1st to the 10th of Novem- 

 ber. The day selected should be dry, and the 

 bulbs are to be planted at seven inches distance 

 each way: from five to seven rows form a splendid 

 bed, if it have sufficient coiTesponding length. 

 Each root should be enveloped Avith a little clean 

 sand, and then covered with four inches of mould 

 for the larger middle roots, decreasing the 

 depth of those towards the edges to three inches. 



By the end of February every healthy plant 

 will be visible above ground, and some of the 

 earliest sorts from two to three inches high. Any 

 distemper or canker in the foliage, either above or 

 a few inclies below ground, should be in a dry 

 day cut out with a knife; the part will soon 

 close up again. If the surface of the bed is toe 

 close and stifle, it should be carefully stirred up. 

 As soon as the earliest flowers appear they should 

 be shaded from the sun, so as to preserve their 

 colour, and retard their blowing, as directed with 

 regard to the hyacinths. The mattings or cover- 

 ings, should also be applied during winds or 

 heavy rains. Tulip beds require no watering 

 from the time of planting till the taking up of 

 the roots, even in the driest seasons; but moder- 

 ate showers may be admitted both before and 

 after their blowing is over. In early spring, 

 rain is necessary in order to promote the vigour 

 of the plants. 



Tulips will bear to be covered or shaded from 

 light longer than any other plant, without sus- 

 taining any injury. Thus they will bear to 

 be covered up for three weeks with perfect 

 safety. 



About a week or ten days after the full blow 



