THfi FLOWER GARDEN. 



879 



occupy about onc-lialf of tlie length of the stem. The colors 

 should be clear and bright, of whatever colour they may be ; 

 those which are pf a strong bright colour are preferred. 



TULIPS. 



These will also now be coming into flower, and they should 

 be supported, as they advance, with small neat sticks, and 

 covered both from the bad effects of frost, heavy rains, winds, 

 ike, as well as from the noon-day's sun, which, if allowed to 

 shine upon them for any length of time, would tend considerably 

 to destroy the color and hasten the decay of the flower. 



CRITERION OF A FINE VARIEGATED LATE TULIP. 



Florists have agreed that a fine late tulip should have the 

 stem strong, elastic, and erect, about thirty inches high above 

 the surface of the bed. The flower should be large, consist- 

 ing of six petals, which should proceed at first a little hori- 

 zontally, and then turn upwards, forming almost a perfect cup, 

 with a round bottom, rather widest at the top. The three 

 outside petals should be rather larger than the three inside 

 ones, and broader at their base. The petals should not be 

 notched nor serrated, but perfectly entire at their edges. 

 The top of each petal should be broad and well rounded. 

 The ground color of the flower at the bottom should be clear 

 yellow or white, and the rich colored stripes, which are the 

 principal ornament of a fine tulip, should be regular, bold, 

 and distinct on the margin, and terminate in finely-broken 

 points, elegantly feathered or pencilled. The centre of each 

 petal should contain one or more bold blotches or stripes, in- 

 termixed with small portions of the original color, abruptly 

 broken into many irregular obtuse points. It is the opinion 

 of some florists, that the central stripes or blotches do not 

 add to the beauty or elegance of the tulip, unless confined to 

 a narrow stripe exactly down the centre, and that they should 

 be perfectly free from any remains of the original color. 

 Such flowers appear very beautiful and delicate, especially 

 where they have a regular narrow feathering at the edge ; but 



