THE FLORIST. 
127 
ation when other points are equal; for I find that the most handsome 
breeders, as respects colour, generally break into worthless varieties, 
while those whose colours do not at all attract the eye, generally 
break into good varieties. I must not be understood, however, to 
despise fine coloured breeders ; far from that, I am, and have been 
for a great number of years, passionately fond of them, and I write 
as to their breaking from personal experience. In proof of this I 
bloomed a seedling raised from Catafalque, and from its beautiful 
form and proportions I named it “Masterpiece.” It was what I 
should term a snuff-coloured breeder, and last year it broke into 
colour, and is far brighter in the ground-colour than San Joe, and 
the colour of the feathering is a deep black. I have also found those 
byblomens which are of a lilac colour to break into much darker 
feather than those of a dark reddish purple; and, in some instances, 
rose breeders of a byblomen tint have broken into a scarlet feather, 
and some of a high cherry-colour into what cannot be classed either 
as roses or byblomens. Some florists imagine that long-cupped 
breeders become shorter in the cup when they break. This is really 
not the case, and I am of opinion that the deception is owing to the 
flower having broken into colour, which produces contrast, and ap¬ 
pears to the eye much shorter in the cup than when self-coloured. 
Also an erroneous idea exists among Tulip fanciers, that one breeder 
can break into four or five varieties, and consequently a name is 
given to each: this is one reason why we have so many aliases. 
Each breeder can break only into one variety, that is, either feathered 
or flamed; and even if it should break feathered there is a proba¬ 
bility that the next year it may come flamed; and, vice versa, a 
flamed one may come feathered the next season. 
One thing I have omitted to notice, that is grown rents in the 
petals. This is certainly a defect, but not so much so as to disqualify 
the pan or the flower from winning. The allowance to be made will 
depend upon its other qualities compared with the one placed in 
competition with it. 
Flowers which have had seven petals, one of which has been ex¬ 
tracted, ought not to be allowed to w r in in the class; and whether or 
no it would disqualify a pan is a matter to be considered. I think 
that the flower ought only to be considered as beaten by one in the 
same class, thus giving the competing pan one point, which is a very 
great advantage in a pan of six blooms. 
I would also remark, that there ought not to be a pan of six 
breeders, two in each class, as it might possibly happen that two 
pans excelled in three flowers ; and then it would be a question of 
taste with the judges which pan should be the winner, and in a case 
of such moment a matter of taste ought not therefore to be allowed : 
if pans consisted of three, seven, or nine, there would, of course, be a 
majority of winning flowers in some pan or other, and, as the pans 
could not consist of an equal number of each class, the exhibitor 
should have the option of putting three bizarres, three byblomens, or 
three roses, to make the required number. 
