THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 
The observations made indicate clearly that it is difficult to 
attribute blindness of tulips to any one cause. The experiments 
with Rose Grisdelin and Cottage Maid prove that blind tulips 
may bloom excellently in the following year: they are hence not 
necessarily “run down” or “run out” bulbs. In fact all the 
blind tulips noted above were grown from large selected bulbs 
that could not be considered “ run out.” 
The possibility of fungous infection as a condition involved in 
blindness has been considered. Various saprophytic fungi may 
be found on the dead remnants of flowers and stems and on the 
dead outer scales of bulbs. These evidently are not directly in- 
jurious to the plants. Examination of a large number of blind 
tulips in 1916 failed to reveal any traces of truly parasitic fungi. 
In 1917, however, a sclerotium-forming fungus was found, which 
is clearly parasitic, at least in the outer scales. Its action and the 
masses or crusts of sclerotia (compact, rounded or bead-like 
masses of tissue of the fungus) are shown in No. 1 of Plate 37. 
It appears that this fungus has not been previously reported in 
America, but that it has been known to be destructive of bulbs in 
Europe. ° 
The marked difference in performance of the two lots of 
bulbs of Rose Grisdelin and Cottage Maid—those used in special 
experiment and those planted in display beds—suggests that some 
aspect of treatment such as drying out, storage, planting, etc., 
may influence stages of growth and thus be concerned with the 
development of blindness. But different varieties have pef- 
formed differently under quite identical conditions of treatment 
and climate. Undoubtedly the critical stages in the development, 
maturity and rest period of tulips are not only much influenced 
by treatment, but are semewhat different for various varieties. 
2. RELATION OF WEIGHT OF BULB To BLOOMING 
If a single large bulb of the tulip be planted in the autumn and 
allowed to bloom in the following spring, and then dug up and 
examined, it will be seen that the basal portion of the plant, with 
rare exceptions, readily separates into from two to five or more 
bulbs. These bulbs, which may be called sister bulbs, are of 
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