288 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 



admire neutral tints ; our next choice would be the Kose 

 Tulips, for reasons before stated. 



Single Early Tulips. The early flowering Tulips 

 are mostly descendants from T. prcecox and T. oculus- 

 solis, and these vary but little in specific characters. 

 T. Gesneriana is also accredited with the parentage of 

 many of the sorts. The fact is, but little is known of 

 the origin of these early forms. It is sufficient to know 

 that in this class we have a far greater number of varie- 

 ties, embracing every form and color, than in the preced- 

 ing class, and that they are far more easy of cultivation ; 

 much cheaper, and more showy in the garden. Their 

 flowers have a dazzling brightness, but are wanting in 

 that richness and substance that marks the late varieties. 

 Their earliness is a great point in their favor, as a suc- 

 cession can be kept up for two or three weeks before the 

 late flowering kinds appear. They are, moreover, very 

 useful for forcing, either for house decorations in pots, 

 or for florists' use as cut flowers. 



The nomenclature of the single early Tulips has 

 been sadly abused ; on an average there are, at least, 

 three aliases for each name, which is, to say the least, a 

 little bit confusing, although the harm done to the gar- 

 den may not be serious, but to the florist it is quite 

 another matter, as earliness is altogether important. A 

 flower that conies two weeks earlier than its alias, will 

 give him a profit, while the latter, although exactly the 

 same, to all external appearances, would prove a loss. 

 For instance, take the class known as Due van Thol (of 

 which we shall make special mention), of which there 

 are pure yellow, white, scarlet and variegated forms, all 

 of which are used extensively by the florists for forcing, 

 few others doing as well for the purpose. For these 

 many other sorts are substituted, by the Dutch mer- 

 chants, at the request of their customers. We know 

 this to be the case, as we have had propositions from 



