THE FLORISTS' FLOWER GARDEN. 



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considerable extent, rob the flowering bulb of 

 its proper share of nourishment. It also flowers 

 so early as February in its native country ; and 

 having a natural tendency to flower even in 

 Britain before our late spring-frosts are past, if 

 not lifted and retarded in its growth it would 

 flower so early with us, as has been already 

 noticed, that it would be in danger of sustaining 

 injury from tbat cause. This appears to us to 

 be an important objection to leaving them in 

 the beds for a year or two, as well as to the 

 hopes of their succeeding in a general way when 

 planted out after forcing — that is to say, if left 

 in the ground throughout the year. Our ex- 

 cellent friend Mr Beatson, however, tells that he 

 had hyacinths planted out in a border at Shrub- 

 lands which had not been disturbed for five 

 years, and, moreover, that they were superior 

 to others that were imported and grown in 

 pots plunged in an adjoining border. 



The tulip. — The tulip (Tulipa Gesneriana) is 

 a native of Syria, introduced to Europe in 1559, 

 and to England previous to 1577, as we find it 

 was then cultivated in our gardens. It was 

 early and extensively grown in Holland, and in 

 time the exportation of the roots constituted a 

 very considerable branch of commerce. About 

 1 635, what is known as the tulip mania was at its 

 height amongst the Dutch, and the malady soon 

 spread over to England, and the prices of single 

 bulbs became enormous. Like most other 

 manias, it had its day ; and after a time the 

 taste for this flower greatly declined in Britain, 

 accelerated probably by the introduction of 

 many American plants, an increasing taste for 

 botany, and afterwards by the introduction of 

 plants from the Cape of Good Hope, Australia, 

 &c. Like most other florists' flowers, little 

 patronage was bestowed upon them by the 

 aristocracy, in few of whose gardens do beds or 

 stands of decided florists' flowers appear. Their 

 cultivation has been carried on chiefly by oper- 

 ative manufacturers and amateurs ; and indeed 

 to this day these are the most zealous and liberal 

 patrons of this class of flowers. 



The tulip is propagated by seed when new 

 varieties are sought for, by offsets which are 

 formed round the main bulb, and sometimes by 

 dissecting the bulb — but the latter is a rather 

 precarious method. 



Propagation by seed. — The tulip seeds freely, 

 and the selection should be made of such plants 

 as are strong, tall, with well-formed cups, and 

 clear in the bottom, as these are found to pro- 

 duce better breeders than the finest of the varie- 

 gated or broken sorts. The seed should be 

 fully ripened before gathering, and when cut off 

 remove with the seed-vessel 3 or 4 inches of 

 the flower-stem attached to it. Sow and treat 

 the seedlings as recommended for hyacinths. 

 Seedling plants will flower in general by the 

 fourth or fifth year ; some, however, will stand 

 over till the seventh year. Seedlings are called 

 selfs or breeders until they bloom, and during 

 their period of growth prior to that they should 

 be planted in a dry and rather poor soil, that 

 having the effect of causing them to break 

 sooner — that is, become variegated, and assume 

 new varieties. The process of breaking extends 

 VOL. II. 



often over a long period of time, in many cases 

 as much as twenty years, or more, although 

 some will break the first and second year, and 

 some will not break at all. All the art of the 

 florist has not yet accomplished the breaking of 

 these flowers with any degree of certainty, or 

 within any prescribed period of time. 



Propagation by offsets. — This is a sufficiently 

 simple operation. The offsets should be planted 

 in a bed of light loamy soil, moderately enriched 

 with decayed cow- dung, and situated in a well- 

 exposed part of the reserve-garden, and treated 

 as to protection, during their growing season, 

 the same as those in the flowering-bed. In this 

 bed they are to be cultivated one season, 

 or more— that is, until the bulbs are of suffi- 

 cient size to take their place in the blooming- 

 bed. 



Soil. — This can hardly be too deep, or too 

 dry at the bottom. Three feet should be allowed 

 of prepared soil, and according to the nature of 

 the subsoil, drainage of some sort should be ar- 

 ranged. No better method exists of securing a 

 dry bottom than laying under the compost of 

 which the bed is formed a stratum of 12 or 15 

 inches of broken stones, flints, or brickbats, 

 with a tile-drain through the centre of it, having 

 a free outlet should water accumulate ; over 

 this a course of turf, and on it the prepared 

 soil ; and if the bed is elevated a foot or more 

 above the surface, so much the better. The 

 soil or compost found most suitable for them is 

 light rich sandy loam, kept a twelvemonth at 

 least in the compost-yard, and repeatedly turned 

 over and enriched with the drainage of the 

 dunghill or cow-house, and, in the absence of 

 that, with rotten cow-manure added at each 

 time of turning. Excavate the natural soil if a 

 new bed is to be formed ; lay in the drainage 

 recommended above, and on that place the 

 compost. If the bed has been in use previously, 

 and thoroughly drained, then a third, fourth, or 

 half of the old material may be removed, and 

 replaced with an equal proportion of the new 

 compost. 



/Situation and preparing the beds. — The situa- 

 tion should be sheltered from high winds, yet 

 open to the sun and air, and by no means 

 shaded. The beds should be prepared a month 

 at least before planting is to take place, that 

 they may have time to subside after being so 

 deeply disturbed. The beds should be of a 

 breadth to hold from five to seven rows of 

 plants ; broader ones are inconvenient, and 

 narrower ones are deficient in effect when the 

 plants are in bloom. A 5-feet bed will hold 

 five rows 9 inches apart. The beds should have 

 a walk all round them. The beds should only 

 be prepared in dry weather. 



Planting. — The second week in November is 

 the proper season for this operation, and dry 

 weather, if possible, should be chosen. If the 

 bulbs are planted too early, the leaves will be 

 above ground before the cold frosts of spring 

 are past, and if not protected they would suffer 

 thereby. This, however, depends much upon 

 locality, as do all sowing and planting connected 

 with gardening. In most cases we may say 

 from the 20th of October to the 10th of No- 



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