TULIPA. 



the moft part rather belonged to the late-blowers. Modern 

 florifts, he afierts, have almoft neglefted the early-blowers. 

 The firfl fort, according to him, are not near fo fair, nor 

 do they rife half fo high as the late ones ; they are chiefly 

 valued for appearing early in the fpring ; fome of them will 

 flower the middle of March, in mild feafons, if planted 

 in a warm border near a wall or other (lielter, and others will 

 fucceed them, fo that they will keep flowering until the 

 general feafon for thefe flowers is come, which is towards 

 the end of April. 



It is faid that the feveral varieties oj thefa early -blowing 

 tulips rife to different heights in their ftems» and fcarcely 

 any two of them are equal. The Duke Van Toll, which 

 is one of the firft that appears in the fpring, is generally very 

 fhort-ftalked, and the others, in proportion to their enrli- 

 nefs, are (horter than thofe which fucceed them ; and the 

 late-blowers are all coniiderably longer in their ftems than 

 any of the early-blowers. 



The late-blowing tulips producing much finer flowers 

 than the early ones, have engrofled almoft the whole atten- 

 tion of the florifts. It would be to little purpofe to enu- 

 merate all the varieties, fince there is fcarcely any end of 

 their numbers ; and what fome value at a confiderable rate, 

 others rejeft ; and as there are annually many new flowers 

 obtained from breeders, thofe which are old, if they have 

 not very good properties to recommend them, are thrown 

 out and defpifed. 



It is obferved further, that modern florifts in Holland and 

 Flanders, and our Englifh florifts from them, boaft a pro- 

 digious variety of late-blowing tulips. And that Mr. 

 Maddock of Walworth, in his catalogue of flowers for 

 the year 1792, has no lefs than about fix hundred and fixty- 

 five of thefe admired beauties, all ranged under their 

 proper famiUes and colours, with their names and prices : 

 befides the early forts, double tulips, parrot-tulips, French 

 tulips, and breeders. And moreover that the late-blowers 

 are diftributed mto five families: i. Prima Baguets, very 

 tall ; fine cups, with white bottoms, well broken with fine 

 brown, and all from the fame breeder. 2. Baguets Rigauts; 

 not quite fo tall, but with ftrong ftems, and very large well- 

 formed cups with white bottoms, well broken with fine brown, 

 and all from the fame breeder. 3. Incomparable Verporis, 

 a particular kind of Bybloemens ; with moft perfeft cups, 

 very fine white bottoms, well broken with fhining brown, 

 and all from the fame breeder : fome of thefe are from two 

 to five guineas a root. 4. Bybloemens ; with bottoms white, 

 or nearly fo, from different breeders, and broken with a 

 variety of colours : thofe of the Verports are cherry and 

 rofe. 5. Bizarres } ground yellow, from different breeders, 

 and broken with a variety of colours. Thefe barbarous terms, 

 ufed by the Dutch florifts, are, it is faid, a mixture of 

 Dutch and French. Baguet is from the French baguette, 

 a rod or wand, fo named from its tall /lender ftem. Bizarre 

 is alfo French, and the tulips of that family have the name 

 from the variety and irregularity of their colours. Rigauts 

 are probably from the name of fome eminent Horift, as 

 Rigaud. The other terms are Dutch. Breeders are of one 

 colour, and when broken produce new varieties. 



It may be more particularly noticed in regard to each of 

 the principal varieties of thefe tulips, that theyj in every 

 inftance, comprehend a great number of intermedinle ones, 

 in fo far as reipefts the colours and variegation, which takes 

 place in the flower, notwithftanding each has been originally 

 all of one and the fame colour, particularly the feedhng- 

 raifed bulbs, which after they have arrived to the flowering 

 ftate, each feparate flower is either wholly red, purple, 

 violet, grey, brown, black, yellow, or fome other indivi- 



dual colour, without any fort of variegation or ftripe what- 

 ever, confifting fimply of one-coloured flowers, with white 

 bottoms, with yellow bottoms ; and fome with blue bot- 

 toms, with purple bottoms, and with blackifh bottoms ; J 

 all of which, while they retain this original famencfs in tlie 1 

 colour, are, in the peculiar language of the florift, termed 

 'whole-blowers or breeders, as eacli flower is wholly of one 

 and the fame colour. But on the bulbs or roots being 

 planted out for one or two years, in properly prepared foils, 

 in order to breed, or difpofe them to gradually produce 

 flowers, that break or run from the original fingle colour 

 into variegations and flripes, in many different modes and 

 forms, they are denominated breakers or variegated tulips, 

 each different variegation conftituting a feparate and diftinft 

 variety, which mollly coufiits of flowers with white bottoms 

 broken, with brown ftripes, with blue ftripes, with violet 

 ftripes, with rofe ftripes, with red ftripes, and with fome 

 other kinds, feparated by ftreaks of white, and other colours 

 difpofed in various ways ; with yellow bottoms, broken 

 with different reds, crimfons, and golden-yellow flakes, and 

 alfo a variety of other colours ; and fome with blackifh- 

 purple, and other bottoms broken with ftripes of dark 

 colours, yellow, and tints of red ; fo that, particularly in 

 thefe forts of breakers or variegated tulips, which have 

 white and yellow bottoms, there are, moreover, white and 

 red ftriped flowers, white and purple ftriped, white and 

 violet ftriped, white and rofe ftriped, white and brown 

 ftriped, violet and white flaked, red and white flaked, red 

 and yellow flaked ; and a great number of other interme- 

 diate variegations and ftripes, difpofed in an almoft endlefs 

 diverfity of modes or manners. 



The principal of thefe diverfities or varieties are ufualiy j 

 diftinguifhed, in the language of the florift, by the names or 1 

 titles of fome great perfonage, eminent admirers or culti- ^ 

 vators of flowers, plates where firft grown, or fome other 

 great mark of diftinftioa ; but there is fuch a multitude of 

 new varieties raifed annually from feed and feedling plants in 

 different places, which are defignated by new titles, without 

 any relation to the old ones, and the fame fort of flower fo 

 often charafberifed by a different name, that it would be utterly 

 impoflible to give any fatisfaftory lift of the names of fuch a 

 vaft number of continually changing varieties, as has been 

 fuggefted above. 



It is faid that the properties of a fine variegated late tulip, 

 according to the beft modem florifts, are thefe : I. The ftem 

 fhould be ftrong, upright, and tall ; about thirty inches high. 

 2. The flower fliould be large, compofed of fix petals, pro- 

 ceeding a little horizontally at firft, and then turning upwards, 

 fo as to form an almoft perfeft cup, with a round bottom, 

 rather wider at top. 3. The three outer petals fhould be 

 rather larger than the three inner ones, and broader at their 

 bafe -• all the petals fhould have the edges perfeAly entire ; 

 the top of each fhould be broad and well rounded ; the 

 ground colour at the bottom of the cup fhould be clear white 

 or yellow, and the various rich ftripes, which are the principal 

 ornament of a fine flower, fhould be regular, bold, and diftindl 

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

 feathered or pencilled. 4. The centre of each petal fhould 

 contain one or more bold blotches or ftripes, intermixed with 

 fmall portions of the original colour, abruptly broken into 

 many irregular obtufe points. Some florifts, it is faid, are 

 of opinion that the central ftripes or blotches do not con- 

 tribute to the beauty of the tulip, unlefs they are confined 

 to a narrow ftripe exadlly down the centre ; and that they 

 fhould be perfeftly free from any remains of the original 

 colour : it is certain that fuph flowers appear very beautiful 

 and delicate, efpecially whfn they have a regular n.iriow 



fpathcring 



