February 21, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
159 
ionantha, and I venture to predict that whatever its merits may 
be as a stove plant—and they may be all that is said for it—it will 
for the above reason be in considerable demand. But whatever 
results obtain from inclination or ability to test the practically 
untried, we neither wish nor can afford to despise the old friends, 
often tried and seldom found wanting. Many of these have, too, 
approached so n^ar perfection as to leave but little to be desired. 
Some of these there are in the vegetable department which have 
held a prominent position for years, and by merit may continue to 
do so for years to come. In the trial of some so-called new things 
one recognises now and again an old friend with a new face, across 
which is written pride or perfection, marking but the smallest, if 
any, advance. The vendors’ names attached are at least a 
guarantee of quality with the incentive of keeping the stocks 
worthy of the name they bear. Pi’ogression is a feature of our 
plethoric seed lists, and time, which tries all things, promotes the 
survival of the fittest. 
How to sow ? The best methods to insure success is a matter 
of direct concern to ourselves, and of considerable import to the 
seedsman. There is, I think, but little to complain of in the 
quality of seeds obtained from firms of repute. The bulk of those 
complaints which do arise are the effects of a cause which, if 
sought for, may be found in methods of sowing and culture during 
the most critical period of vegetable life, or indeed of all life—viz., 
infancy. The fallacy of asserting that seeds are bad because 
“ they do not come up ” might frequently be demonstrated by the 
aid of a magnifying lens. They have, like some other infants, been 
ushered into a world of uncongenial surroundings, and as quickly 
perished. 
There are, doubtless, gradations of vitality in seeds, traceable 
to age, indifferent harvesting, or even hereditary influences. Good 
nursing is required by delicate kinds. Investigation will often 
reveal the fact that germination has taken place, hence badness is 
out of the question. Seeds that are held over for some time 
previous to sowing should be stored in suitable quarters. Well 
ripened seeds are those in which germination is arrested until set 
in motion by atmospheric influence ; and noting how quickly those 
influences excite the suspended functions, it is obvious that 
fluctuating temperature accompanied by varying degrees of 
moisture must have some bearing on the matter. This may be 
more or less remote. Yet, when seeds are held over for some time, 
perhaps for a season. Nature asserts her rights by embracing such 
opportunities as a damp seed cupboard affords in causing some 
excitement prejudicial to dormant life. True, this is but a side 
light on the matter, and may be a dim one to boot. 
The question is, how to sow ? and this with delicate plants 
raised under glass is how to germinate successfully, for here, 
though under direct control, the largest percentage of failures are 
recorded. It would be well if those heads who have to relegate 
this work to other hands could illustrate the delicate organism of 
the infant plant developing from the seed ; to show how by 
inattention or carelessness failure ensues. Younger hands may 
carry out the work to the letter by rapping the pot or pan to evoke 
the signs of drought, but the method invokes not the spirit of 
success in the germination of small seeds. Spring days are often 
trying days to plant life under glass. Seeds in a right condition 
of moisture when the water-pot makes its morning call may by a 
burst of sunshine be parched at noon, and perished by the next 
day ; hence frequent inspection is necessary. Here, too, soil 
should be regarded more as the medium for germination than as a 
support to the plant, which can be given when transplanting— 
pricking off—takes place. A free, open mixture, such as is 
afforded by a liberal use of leaf mould and coarse sand, is prefer¬ 
able to more tenacious soil, which the fine rose waterings tend to 
cake. Warmth, moisture, and darkness promote quick germina¬ 
tion ; with this accomplished, prompt removal to light airy quarters 
before attenuation sets in is of vital importance. Long legs are 
not conducive of sound constitutions, and overcrowding causes 
wholesale damping. 
Turning to those plants, which with our best efforts are at the 
mercy of the weather, overcrowding from too liberal sowing is the 
prevailing evil. We sow 100 seeds to pull up, may be, ninety. A 
margin must perforce be allowed, but that margin is. as a rule, far 
too broad. Timely thinning is the remedy, but the operation is 
tedious, and however carefully and promptly done we rarely see 
such results as are obtained from a stray seed, forming a lusty 
plant out of bounds. Thinning should be regarded as a necessary 
evil, and the less of it required the better. Deep sowing of Peas 
as a protection from frost finds favour with some. My experience, 
obtained by means of a negligent workman, points to the contrary. 
Peas germinating practically on the surface will remain uninjured 
by severe frost, whilst those buried deeper decay. All phases of 
the subject point the moral that “ As we sow so shall we reap.” 
—E. K., Dublin, 
THE FLORISTS’ TULIP. 
[By James W. Eextley, Hon. Secretary to the Royal National Tulip Society.] 
CHAPTER IV. —Concluded. 
(Continved from 'page lid.) 
In concluding this portion of the subject, a few words regarding 
insect pests are necessary, as I have hitherto written little or 
nothing about them. Fortunately, the Tulip grower has not, like 
the Auricula and Carnation grower, to be constantly at war with 
green fly. The foliage of the Tulip may be said to be entirely free 
from the attacks of this troublesome nuisance. I have known 
green fly enter Tulip cabinets and feed upon the juices of the 
bulbs during their summer rest, a few having probably got amongst 
the bulbs whilst drying. Their amazing fecundity soon caused them 
to be numbered by thousands. In a few weeks the exposed portions 
of every bulb were thickly covered, and much trouble was experi¬ 
enced in getting rid of the pest. The bulbs should be examined 
from time to time in the cabinet, and any green fly destroyed. 
Wire worms in the soil have been alluded to ; they should be care¬ 
fully looked for and destroyed when the bed is being made. If 
evidences of their presence are noticed after the plants have come 
up they should be carefully searched for in the soil. Pieces of 
Potato or Turnip buried a few inches deep in likely places and 
examined daily will act as traps for them. 
There is a kind of slug called locally “ leather-back,” which is 
sometimes very troublesome ; it is small, of a dark grey colour, and 
yellowish underneath. It attacks the Tulips when very young, 
and will eat the young shoot right through at the surface of the 
ground, or even a little below the top of the soil. A friend of mine- 
suffered very much a few years ago from these slugs. He found 
his Tulips in many case* begin to die as they were coming through 
the soil, others came up damaged and sickly, and very few were in 
their normal health. Upon searching for the cause he found that 
all the covering soil was infested with these slugs, and that they 
were the cause of the mischief. Slices of Potato and Turnip laid 
on, and just under the surface of the soil, lured them from the 
Tulips, and he had the melancholy satisfaction of catching .some 
thousands of them in this manner. From the small size of most 
of the slugs it seemed probable that they had been introduced 
into the bed among the covering soil in the form of eggs. What 
gave corroboration to this idea was the fact that the soil had been 
stored during the summer against an old garden wall made of loose 
stones, and the inference was that the eggs had been deposited 
among the soil whilst it lay against the old wall, which was a likely 
retreat for the slugs. Three-quarters of the plants were destroyed, 
with much consequent loss amongst the bulbs as well, which were 
in many cases also found eaten. A visitation of this kind is 
happily unusual, but as it is so serious in its consequences it is wise 
to have its possible occurrence in memory. 
Chapter Y. 
On Exhibiting and Growing for Exhibition. 
Although growing for exhibition and exhibiting may be 
considered by some persons to be rather mercenary, and altogether 
inferior to growing for the pure love of the flower, it is 
nevertheless true that but for the exhibitions of the Royal 
National Tulip Society and two or three smaller local societies 
the Tulip would have been almost extinct years ago as a florist’s 
flower, so one cannot, no matter how one regards exhibiting, pass 
it by without mention. 
As far as growing for exhibition is concerned, the chief objects 
of desire are to have the best exhibition varieties well grown, in 
the best of their bloom, on the day when the show is held. As the 
Tulip is a garden flower which can neither be retarded nor forced 
in its blooming time, it is, of course, a matter of impossibility to 
insure this desired result. Up to recently there have been only 
three Tulip shows held in this country for many years. They are 
all in the North of England, and the dates fixed were almost 
invariably too late for Midland and Southern growers. Last year, 
however, the Royal National Tulip Society, in addition to its chief 
exhibition held at York, tried the experiment of a show in London,, 
in connection with one of the Royal Horticultural Society s 
exhibitions, held at a date which would suit early growers. The 
result was so encouraging to the promoters that the show will 
be held again this year in the hope that the culture of the Tulip 
will be stimulated in the South, and that the few growers already 
established there will be added to considerably. Facilities for 
exhibiting collections of florists’Tulips are also afforded in May and 
June at other meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society. I 
mention all these exhibitions to make it clear that, although one can 
have but little control over the period of blooming, yet tliQ 
opportunities for showing are now so numerous that every grower 
