22 BULLETIN 1462, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
It is well to note that there are several classes of tulips in com- 
merce based upon this broken character. The most important are 
the Kembrandts or broken Darwins and the broken forms of several 
other self-colored groups. The time was when these were highly 
prized. Indeed, they have been considered not only the ultimate 
state but the acme of perfection of every self-colored tulip (all 
seedlings are self-colored) from time immemorial. Since the his- 
tory of the tulip began to be written this characteristic has been 
recognized, and as long ago as the fifteenth century, before the tulip 
was introduced into Europe, these flamed and feathered forms were 
the most prized. It is felt that growers should treat the broken 
bulbs as diseased forms and grow them, if at all, at safe distances 
from regular stocks and also exercise the same precautions with 
reference to the bulbs in storage. 
CONCLUSIONS 
The production of these bulb crops is a task requiring the care in- 
herent in intensive culture. 
The occasional imperfections brought out in these tests are a 
demonstration not of lack of adaptability of the stocks to American 
conditions but of a lack of information relative to the requirements 
of the crops and, often, of a failure to recognize the necessary quality 
in the commercial article. 
Tulips from which one or two leaves have been cut do not make 
forcing stock. 
It is not true that the coats of tulips " amount to nothing." They 
should be preserved to protect the delicate tissues from abrasion and, 
what is often just as important, from excessive desiccation. 
American-grown bulb stocks on the whole, owing to the diversity 
of the conditions under which they are produced, are likely to be less 
uniform in their performance than foreign stocks, but are just as 
productive and responsive under glass when suitably handled. On 
this account stocks from widely separated localities should not be 
mixed. 
Storage should receive more careful attention. Overexposure is 
common, and sometimes heating is evident. 
Injury in the pack 4s not uncommon. It is imperative that the 
large pack be well aerated. 
A large part of the so-called disease troubles of bulbs, especially 
daffodils, is due not to parasitic organisms but to improper cultural, 
storage, or handling conditions. 
It is considered that, in spite of shortcomings in some of the 
varieties, the outlook for American production of bulbs is decidedly 
bright. The progress made is rather remarkable, considering the 
short time that our growers have devoted to the industry. 
