April 23. 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
345 
produced with the object of getting more 1 colour into the 
blooms than is possessed by Bessie Brown and its allies. 
Our supplement will serve to give an idea of the variety in 
several stages of development. The blooms here shown were 
not grown for exhibition, but merely for ordinary garden deco¬ 
ration. As will be seen from the figure, the side buds had not 
even been removed. Tire .specimen simply represented a spray 
grown naturally; such as one would find where this Bo-se is 
planted in beds merely to keep them gay in the ordinary way. 
During the past summer we gave an illustration of a bloom of 
this variety, which gained a medal at the Temple Show of the 
National Rose Society. On this occasion we represent a spray 
that has been treated, or rather left untreated, to show what 
it is capable of doing in the way of garden decoration. 
Tulipa kaufmanniana. 
The above is one of the earliest of Tulips to bloom in 
the open ground, as the earliest flowers expand in February or 
March, according to the character of the winter. This year 
we noted it in bloom in the middle of March. The greater 
number of plants, however, came into bloom about the end 
of the month or early in April. It is thus liable to be injured 
in the open air should we be visited by severe weather. It s 
so hardy, however, that it withstands a considerable amount of 
bad usage, though it does not look so happy as if the weather 
were more genial. Frost at night and rain by day batter 
about the flowers, and give them a dilapidated appearance 
before they have really reached the end of their flowering 
season. Notwithstanding this, it is a splendid addition to the 
list of hardy Tulips, thereby enabling us to prolong the season 
from March till the last of the May Tulips fade about the end 
of that month or the beginning of June. 
The flowers are longer, different in shape, and a little more 
pointed than those of the well-known T. gesneriana and its 
varieties. It is sometimes described as having the stature of 
T. gesneriana, but it is really dwarfer than the average of 
that species, and therefore more in keeping with the early 
season of the year. The flower that is on the point of expan¬ 
sion might be described as oblong. The outer segments are 
somewhat pointed, though this effect is more accentuated in 
our illustration than is actually the case 1 , owing to the flower 
from which it was taken 'having been brought on under the 
protection of glass, and being disturbed by being lifted from 
the soil when sent us by Messrs. Wm. Cutbush and Son, 
Highgate. 
The outer segments are really, however, more pointed than 
in T. gesneriana,, though we do not consider this a defect. On 
the contrary, the flower is more artistic, less formal, and, owing 
to its great length, we think it capable of giving rise to a race 
of Tulips with large and greatly elongated flowers. Imported 
bulbs are variable, so that we have already a great amount of 
colour variety, though only one has received a special name as 
far as we are aware. The variations are chiefly valued as 
showdng how possible it is by seed raising to develop new 
varieties having decided and distinct arrangements of colour. 
That, of course, will come in time, as the species seems to 
be gaming in popularity, judging from the quantity of it which 
has been forced and exhibited at various spring shows during 
March and April. 
The species was introduced from Central Asia in 1877, so 
that it has had time for certain improvements to have been 
made, but, judging from the numerous, specimens that have 
come under our notice, imported bulbs have simply been 
planted and increased in the usual way. They have also 
been sent out in the same mixed condition in which they 
arrived, so that in examining a batch of plants a considerable 
amount of variation may be witnessed. 
The more ordinary form of the flower has a white ground, less 
o ten a creamy-yellow one. The back of the three outer seg¬ 
ments has a broad band of red, rosy-scarlet, or rosy-pink, more 
or , ess covering the back of the same, or sometimes broken 
up into two bands, but always having a, clear white or creamy 
cage like that forming the* ground colour, The inner seg¬ 
ments seldom have any markings on the back, but show the 
ground colour uniformly. Most of the flowers have a yellow 
base internally, usually of a bright golden yellow, and ext-end- 
ing upwards for one-third to one-half the length of the flower. 
This golden-yellow base may be seen by reference to* our illus¬ 
tration, which was taken with the object of showing it. 
There is no blue, black or other blotch at,, the base as in so 
many other of the Asiatic species, but a red Y-shaped mark of 
greater or less size may be seen on the face of each segment, 
and about 1 in. or more above the base. Not every individual, 
however, possesses these markings. The* above are the more 
Tulipa kaufmanniana. 
usual variations of the species*, and when the ground colour is 
white, and the red or scarlet colour is well defined on the back 
of the outer segments, the* flower is very handsome indeed. 
The variety to which we wish to direct attention is T. k. 
aurea, also sent us by Messrs, Cutbush, and exhibited by them 
recently, when an Award of Merit was accorded it. The only 
difference between this and the type is that the ground colour 
is of a rich golden-yellow. We represent a half-opened flower 
of this, which will show the much darker colour both of the back 
of the segments and the yellow edges. 
In the matter of cultivation it presents no* difficulty what¬ 
ever. Provided the soil is of a light and rich sandy character, 
and well drained, the species and its varieties may be treated 
exactly like T. gesneriana, whether planted in the open ground 
or grown in pots for early work in the conservatory or green¬ 
house. 
The Fruit Crops. --In most counties the Plum, Pear, and 
Gooseberry trees give every promise of an abundant harvest. 
Seldom have Pear trees been so loaded with fruit buds. If the 
weather remains good until the close of May, 1904 may prove a 
record Pear year. In Kent, Cambridge, Worcester, and Cheshire 
particularly there should be very large crops. 
