128 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



distribution of colour, and in certain states of the growth cripples and 

 disfigures the flowers by causing portions of the petals to remain green. 

 The stems are also in most cases too long and not stout enough, con- 

 sequently unprotected Tulips have an untidy, straggling appearance. 

 Faults like these cause the florist's Tulip to be in disfavour as a garden 

 flower, and yet there are some varieties which have stout short stems 

 which stand hail, rain, sun, and wind far better than others, and if the 

 flower is wanted as a garden flower these can be selected and improved by 

 judicious crossing. 'Dr. Hardy,' 'Alfred Lloyd,' ' Sir Joseph Paxton,' 

 ' A. McGregor,' ' Colbert,' 1 Talisman,' and 1 Duchess of Sutherland ' 

 are among the best varieties for the open garden. A good way of 

 improvement would be to cross the sturdiest of our varieties with the 



George Edward Duchess of Sutherland 



Fig. 34. —Flamed Flowers. 



purest and most brilliant of the so-called Darwin Tulips, which are 

 mostly sturdy and robust growing. I do not, however, suppose that 

 the florist's Tulip will ever become a general garden favourite, as the early 

 Dutch Tulip has all its wealth of colour, and besides being earlier to 

 bloom is quite as effective in every way. The florist's Tulip will remain, 

 I think, in the hands of comparatively the few, and by them it will be 

 loved and cherished. It has never lacked earnest and painstaking 

 admirers, and it is only to such that it can appeal. We want no Tulip 

 boom, but we do want more flower lovers to grow the flower. The older 

 generation of Tulip men is fast dying out, and one of the objects of the 

 National Tulip Society is to bring the flower to the notice of garden 

 lovers in the hope that more interest may be taken in this most fascinating 

 flower. 



