214 
THE TULIP. 
covering the bed with fern, or loose litter of 
any kind, whenever there was a chance of frost ; 
but beware of protecting from frost in the be- 
ginning, and omitting it when they are forward. 
When the plants are above ground, the surface 
of the soil should be stirred all over, all the 
lumps bruised, and the earth laid close round 
the stems ; and if there has been no covering 
previously, it should be carefully applied now. 
The ordinary practice is to cover the bed over 
with bent hoops or irons made on purpose, 
and cloths or mats thrown over them, in pro- 
portion to the severity of the weather, will be 
found generally effective ; when the hoops or 
irons are placed across the bed, long slips of 
wood should be lashed along the top or roof 
portion, and a coarse net should be stretched 
all over it, and fastened down all round. It 
keeps the cats off, and prevents birds from dis- 
turbing the surface ; and, besides this, it 
enables us to throw the mats or cloths over 
without falling into hollows which would hold 
the wet, or make it run through in parts, and 
drip on the plants. These measures are also 
necessary to prevent hail and violent rains 
from doing injury to the brittle leaves. Very 
mild showers do good instead of harm ; and it 
is impossible to give too much air, therefore, 
the bed ought not to be covered an hour un- 
necessarily, while it is equally important to 
cover against frost, hail, or heavy showers. 
This treatment applies up to the very period 
of blooming. 
THE STAGE AND TOP CLOTH. 
When the bloom buds have grown up a few- 
inches, and the striped colours are indicated, if 
there be a proper stage erected, the top cloth 
should be put on. This should roll up and 
clown the roof on both sides, and be contrived 
so that the two lines are both at one end, and 
that the nearest to the entrance to the garden, 
or the part in which there is most likely to be 
some one in attendance, or at work. Very 
sudden hailstorms prevail at this season, 
and the smallest hailstorm that touches the 
bud, will cause a mark or blight on the spot it 
strikes ; on the least appearance of a coming 
squall, therefore, the cloths should be let down, 
till it is passed over ; but it is of the utmost 
importance that the bed should be as much as 
possible uncovered. When the side cloths are 
placed, the hoops and net work should be re- 
moved altogether ; and when the colours are 
showing strong, the sun should be kept off, not 
by lowering the cloths of the roof altogether, 
but by carefully lowering every hour just so 
much of the cloth on the sunny side, as will 
shade the bed, and no more. It will be found 
that, by constant tvatching, not more than one 
half the bed need be covered at all at one time, 
and the object of covering as little as possible 
is, to prevent the stems from being drawn up 
weakly. The growers of the present day are 
so anxious to prevent the drawing of the plants, 
that they rarely cover enough in the early 
part of the growth, and the result is, that 
perfect blooms fit for exhibition are scarce, 
even in the best beds. The older growers used 
to-go to the other extreme, and it was a com- 
mon thing to see a cord stretched down each 
row to support them, as they frequently could 
not support themselves. It is, however, quite 
possible to cover from bad weather without 
drawing them, if sufficient care be taken that 
they are not covered unnecessarily. Where 
there is no proper house and covering, the 
hoops or irons, nets, and covering that did for 
the early protection, must be continued for the 
late covering, for the bloom is soon gone, unless 
protected from the sun, rain, and w r ind. 
TREATMENT AFTER BLOOM. 
The covering must be removed as soon as 
the bloom declines, and the bed must have all 
the sun and air until the leaves and stems die 
down ; but as weeds will rapidly grow, they 
must be kept under by hand pulling while 
they are young ; the roots of weeds do great 
mischief to the bulbs, and therefore must not 
be allowed to get a-head. 
TAKING UP OF THE BULBS. 
In taking up the bulbs, the boxes from which 
they w r ere planted must be placed as they were 
at planting time; and by rights two persons 
should be engaged in the process, beginning 
at number one in the first row ; the operator 
should be careful to put the trowel down suf- 
ficiently close to bring up the bulb, but not 
near enough to injure it. He should throw 
out the earth, and make a sort of trench next 
the wood-work or end of the bed, not too close 
to the tulips, and by thrusting the trowel down 
between the first and second row, and turning 
out the bulbs one at a time, he may replace all 
the stock in the partitions or holes they came out 
of. With a sharp knife he ought to cut off the 
stems within half an inch of the bulbs, and 
put the bulbs, with the dirt hanging about 
them, into the drawers ; as the drawers are 
filled they should be placed in the shade, be- 
cause they require drying before they are 
cleaned, and when thoroughly dried they may 
be cleaned of their superfluous skins, and put 
aw r ay in a dry and airy place. There is, in 
fact, as will be seen by this practice, no diffi- 
culty whatever in growing tulips. 
TULIPS FROM SEED. 
The seeds of tulips should be saved from 
thick-petaled, well-shaped, and bright flowers 
only ; although some take pains to cross them 
with this, that, and the other variety, or believe 
