126 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



National Tulip Society's show ; and one can imagine how disheartened a 

 beginner is when he gets to know that such is the case. I am quite 

 aware that this fault can be greatly reduced by correct cultivation, but I have 

 seen it in the collections of growers of over twenty-five years' experience. 

 Some varieties are certainly steadier than others, and consequently these 

 varieties are retained in our collections, even if faulty in shape and dingy 

 in colour. "We have in our collections exhibition varieties over a 

 hundred years old which are still tolerated in spite of their faults simply 

 because they are fairly steady in their markings. So much for the 

 principal fault of the Show Tulip. 



The things to be desired are steadiness in marking, perfectly semi- 

 circular shape, more brilliancy of colour in the scarlet, rose or purple 

 colours, and more darkness in the various shades approaching to black. 



Dr. Hardy Lord Stanley 



Fig. 32. — Flamed Flowers. 



The petals are wanted stouter and wider, the white grounds more 

 brilliantly white and the yellow grounds more golden, especially on the out- 

 side of the flowers. We also want flowers that are less liable to damage from 

 the vagaries of our spring weather. This catalogue of wants may seem 

 unattainable, and it certainly is so at present ; but there is no doubt that 

 the greater portion may be had in due time. The Tulip, as we all 

 know, is a flower that has been greatly improved by seedling raisers, and 

 I am glad to say that there are even now seedling raisers at work in an 

 intelligent fashion, although it takes from five to seven years before the 

 bulbs bloom. To ensure steadiness of marking we must take seed from 

 the steadiest markers we now have impregnated with pollen from other 

 steady-marking varieties ; and for the other desiderata we must only use as 

 parents those varieties which possess stout wide petals and good clear 



