THE BLUE BOOK OF BULBS 
May-Flowering or Cottage Tulips 
After the disastrous collapse of the Tulip craze in Holland, 
the highly prized bulbs rapidly made their way into the gardens 
of England and France, where they soon gained a widespread 
favor. By the close of the eighteenth century the public taste 
had drifted away from the Tulips, and the bulbs came very 
commonly into the hands of the cottagers and the less wealthy 
landowners. In their lowlier surroundings these Tulips have 
survived until the present increased interest in the late Tulips 
has made them sought after with painstaking diligence. Many 
of them, through neglect or uncongenial situation, had so dwindled 
in size as to be but tiny caricatures of their former splendor. 
Through proper cultivation they have regained their size and 
vigor, and together with hundreds of new seedlings have been 
re-introduced into the gardens and country places where once 
they were despised. The circumstance of their existence (or 
persistence, to speak more worthily of them) has given them the 
name by which they are now known. 
Among them are some of the most exquisitely beautiful flowers 
of all the royal race of Tulips. From glittering reds to glistening 
yellows, dainty pinks and chaste whites, they run riot across the 
painter’s palette. For planting in borders of perennials, or for 
cozy groupings among shrubbery, where the roots of the bushes 
are not too antagonistic, they are unsurpassed; while their habit 
of growth, some on stiff, sturdy stalks, others on gracefully 
drooping stems, lends itself charmingly to almost any device 
for brightening up the borders in mid-May. 
Culture. Cottage Tulips should be planted 5 to 6 inches 
deep. The distance between the bulbs should be not less than 5 
inches. They may be left undisturbed for two or three years, but 
are not likely to bloom freely if left longer, except in situations 
where they may find themselves contented. Like all the Late 
Tulips, the Cottage varieties seem happier when planted with 
some sand about the bulbs and given protection from cold winds 
during the early season of growth. 
The following list contains the choicest of the standard sorts, 
and the best of the newer introductions. 
Tbe figure jollowing the name indicates tbe relative time oj flowering 
AMBER CROWN. 3. Pale buff-yellow, with broad stripe of 
y s ° it: Mac-brown; beautiful green base. A low-growing variety 
of unusual color among the Cottage Tulips. Height 18 in. 
10 bulbs, $2.20; 100 bulbs, $20. 
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