TULIPS 611 
. Parrots or DraGons we have already referred to under T. 
gesneriand. 
We have thought it preferable to give the foregoing clue to these 
classes of florists’ varieties, rather than attempt a selection of the 
varieties themselves. With this information, the reader will be able to 
make the best use of the dealers’ catalogues, for most of the good houses 
now classify their varieties under these heads. 
ulips succeed best in a well-drained sandy soil with 
which leaf-mould has been incorporated. No strong 
manure should be allowed to come near them; but if the ground is poor 
it may be improved by adding thoroughly rotted cow-manure, or the 
remains of an old hot-bed; but even this should be added months before 
Tulip-bulbs are planted. These should be put in the ground in October 
or the first half of November. The best way is to dig holes with the 
trowel, not bore them with a dibber; and these should be sufficiently 
deep to allow 4 inches of soil above the tip of the bulb. If the soil is 
not naturally of a sandy nature, it is advisable to put a little sand 
above and below each bulb as inserted. Where Tulips are planted in 
masses, the bulbs should be about 6 inches apart, otherwise they will 
have a crowded and less pleasing appearance when in flower. 
When the leaves and stems have become quite withered, it is 
customary to dig up the bulbs and dry them in a shady place; after- 
wards placing the varieties separately in named paper bags, and storing 
in a thoroughly dry, cool place until the following autumn. Where 
Tulips have been grown in lines or definite patterns, this plan is 
absolutely necessary ; but where they are irregularly grouped in borders, 
they may be safely left in the ground, if there is no danger of their 
being injured in digging. Where they have been used for filling beds 
with a view to a brilliant display, that has to be continued by means of 
Geraniums and other summer bedders, there is a danger of the bulbs 
being removed long before they are ripe, and to guard against this it is 
best to remove them soon after flowering, with as little disturbance of 
the roots as possible, and transplant them to a spare border where they 
can mature properly. If large quantities have to be dealt with, they 
should be lifted and laid in coal-ashes in a sunny place. When the 
leaves have withered, the bulbs may be cleaned and laid on shelves or in 
shallow boxes in a dry shed, where they may remain till planting- 
time. 
Tulips make admirable pot-plants. They should be potted in a 
compost consisting chiefly of loam, with the addition of sand and decayed 
hot-bed manure. Five-inch pots should be used, and these will take 
Cultivation. 
