440 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  20,  1897. 
Bentley,  with  Sir  Jos.  Paxton  and  Masterpiece.  Third,  Mr.  Needham, 
with  Sir  J.  Paxton  and  Trip  to  Stockport.  Fourth,  Mr.  Chater,  with 
Duke  of  Sutherland  and  Rose  No.  3.  Fifth,  Mr.  Greef,  with  Lawrence 
Friend  and  Marshal  Soult.  The  premier  feather  was  awarded  to  Mr. 
Needham  for  Trip  to  Stockport,  and  Mr.  Bentley  had  the  premier  flame 
with  Sir  Joseph  Paxton. 
Class  K — Ninety  blooms  of  Tulips,  in  thirty  named,  dissimilar 
varieties,  all  classes  to  be  represented.  Prize  :  A  silver  Daffodil  vase, 
given  by  Messrs.  Barr  &  Son.  Awarded  to  Mr.  Bentley  for  a  good 
exhibit,  comprising  Excelsior,  Masterpiece,  Sir.  J.  Paxton  (oreeder  and 
rectified),  Goldfinder  (breeder  and  rectified),  Lord  Stanley,  Sulphur, 
Commander,  Ajax,  and  Storer’s  106  (bizarres),  Lady  Grosvenor,  Aglaia, 
Queen  of  England,  Rose  Hill,  Julia  Farnese,  Modesty,  Clio.  Annie 
McGregor  (breeder  and  rectified),  Mabel,  Mrs.  Lee,  and  Miss  Edwards 
(roses),  Bessie,  Adonis,  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Mrs.  Ashmole,  and  Talis¬ 
man  (breeder  and  rectified),  Nulli  Secundus  (bybloemens). 
Class  L. — Collection  of  Florist  Tulips  arranged  for  effect. — Silver 
medal,  Mr.  C.  W.  Needham. 
Class  M. — Display  of  English  Tulips  grouped  for  effect. — Prizes,  the 
gold  medal  of  the  Tulip  Society,  and  the  silver  medal  of  the  Botanic 
Society,  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons. 
Class  N. — Collection  of  Tulips,  other  than  Florists’. — Silver  medal, 
given  by  W.  Robinson,  Esq.,  Messrs.  Jas.  Yeitch  &  Sons,  Ltd. 
Several  interesting  miscellaneous  exhibits  were  represented,  and 
amongst  them  Messrs.  J.  Laing  &  Sons,  Forest  Hil\  staged  a  group  of 
mixed  plants  comprised  of  Rose  Crimson  Rambler,  Hydrangeas, 
Gloxinias,  Calla  Little  Gem,  Liliums,  Ericas,  Cannas,  and  a  few 
Orchids,  together  with  foliage  plants  such  as  Crotons,  Dracaenas, 
Ferns,  and  Palms.  Taste  in  arrangement  added  to  the  effectiveness 
of  the  group.  Very  pleasing  was  the  exhibit  sent  by  Mr.  Charles 
Turner,  Slough,  consisting  of  Azaleas,  fancy  Pelargoniums,  and  Carna¬ 
tions.  Amongst  the  latter  were  Malmaisons,  Princess  May,  Sir  Evelyn 
Wood,  and  The  Churchwarden.  A  fine  plant  of  Richardia  Elliottiana 
was  conspicuous,  and  Ferns  and  Palms  were  held  in  arrangement. 
Mr.  Robert  Sydenham,  Birmingham,  showed  an  Iris  in  a  vase  to 
illustrate  his  method  of  growing  these  bulbs  in  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse 
and  shingle  without  damage.  Messrs.  Kelway,  Langport,  showed  a 
collection  of  Paemy  flowers,  which  showed  traces  of  having  done 
previous  duty  in  a  similar  capacity,  as  many  of  them  were  faded.  A 
collection  of  Tulips  came  from  Messrs.  Jas.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea. 
Amonest  others  were  noticed  Magnet  perfects,  lutea  major,  Velvet 
Gem,  fulgens,  Diamond,  and  Rose  Crown.  Ixias  in  variety  were  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  collection.  The  silver  medal  presented  by  W.  Robinson, 
Esq.,  was  awarded  to  this  exhibit. 
The  greater  part  of  one  side  of  the  corridor  was  occupied  by  the 
varied  and  interesting  exhibit  of  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  Covent  Garden. 
First  came  the  Darwin  section  of  Tulips,  comprised  of  Glow,  Erguste, 
White  Queen,  Loveliness,  The  Sultan,  Zephyr,  Flambeau,  Hecla,  and 
others.  Parrot  Tulips  were  staged  in  the  shape  of  Large  Yellow, 
Crimson  Beauty,  Coffee  Cooler,  and  Admiral  de  Constantinople.  Recti¬ 
fied  Tulips  were  also  shown  in  great  variety,  and  in  addition  to  the 
foregoing  there  were  numerous  vases,  containing  Irises,  Paeonies,  Scillas, 
and  Narcissi,  the  whole  making  up  the  chief  feature  of  the  show,  and 
worthily  winning  the  silver  medal  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  and  the 
gold  medal  of  the  Royal  National  Tulip  Society. 
The  Conference. 
The  Conference,  which  had  for  its  object  the  arousement  of  further 
interest  in  the  cultivation  of  English  Tulips,  was  held  in  the  Museum  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  opening  day.  under  the  chairmanship  of  Mr.  J. 
Wright.  In  his  introductory  remarks  Mr.  Wright  spoke  of  his  own 
early  interest  in  the  Tulip,  woich  had  increased  largely  since  his  con¬ 
nection  with  that  great  lover  of  the  flower — the  late  Dr*  Hogg,  who  was 
the  only  man  be  had  ever  known  who  bad  given  £90  for  a  single 
bulb.  He  was  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  days  of  fabulous  prices 
were  gone  for  ever,  also  that  the  Tulip  was  rapidly  increasing  <n  popu¬ 
larity,  for  not  only  was  the  flower  used  largely  for  the  decoration  of 
London  drawing-rooms,  but  recently  a  Tulip  Ball  had  been  held  in 
Surrey,  when  every  room  in  the  house  was  decorated  with  a  different 
variety,  supplied  by  Messrs.  Barr  &  Son  from  the  Ditton  Nurseries. 
Though,  concluded  the  Chairman,  the  Tulip  was  a  native  of  the  East, 
the  flower  in  its  most  beautiful  form  was  the  result  of  the  art  of  British 
florists,  and  those  who  grew  and  admired  the  English  Tulip  could 
appreciate  to  the  fullest  what  has  been  and  can  be  done  by  those  who 
were  and  those  who  still  are  embued  with  a  love  for  the  development  of 
this  stately  flower.  He  then  called  on  Mr.  W.  Bentley  to  read  the  first 
paper,  remarking  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  man  better 
qualified  to  deal  with  the  subject. 
The  History  of  the  Tulip. 
Mr.  J.  W.  Bentley,  in  the  commencement  of  his  paper,  stated  that  so 
wide  was  the  scope  of  his  subject  that  it  was  impossible  to  treat  it  fully 
in  so  short  an  essay.  The  Tulip,  he  stated,  was  of  Eastern  origin,  and 
had  been  grown  for  a  long  period  by  the  Turks  previous  to  its  appearance 
in  Vienna  in  the  year  1559,  and  its  subsequent  advent  into  England  in 
1577.  There  were  reasons  for  believing  that  the  Turks  had  been  raising 
new  Tulips  for  a  longtime  before  their  appearance  into  western  Europe! 
Parkinson,  writirg  in  the  year  1629,  mentioned  149  varieties,  and 
another  writer  in  1685  spoke  of  300  varieties.  Steadily  the  cultivation 
of  the  Tulip  increased  until  in  1710  the  vest  number  of  names  began  to 
be  a  subject  for  ridicule.  In  France  and  Flanders,  too,  the  Tulip  hel  < 
its  popularity,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  many  of  the  so-called 
Dutch  sorts  were  originally  French  seedlings.  Up  to  the  year  1750  the 
Tulip  held  its  sway,  when  its  popularity  wan°d  somewhat  in  favour  of 
American  plants,  which  then  found  their  way  to  our  shores.  Daring  the 
early  years  of  the  present  century  the  position  of  the  Tulip  was  assured 
in  the  South  of  England,  though  it  was  not  till  1840  that  growers  in  the 
north  began  to  perceptibly  interest  themselves,  when  such  men  as  Storer, 
Asbmole.  Jackson,  and  others  took  up  the  cultivation  of  the  English 
Tulip  with  zest;.  For  some  time  the  interest  in  the  flower  was  confin'd 
chiefly  to  the  northern  counties,  though  now  it  appears  to  be  evenly 
distributed.  Few  growers,  said  Mr.  Bentley,  now  raise  seedlings,  one 
bright  exception,  however,  being  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Horner. 
Speaking  on  the  properties  of  florists’  Tulips,  Mr.  Bentley  stated  that 
the  English  section  flowered  about  three  weeks  later  than  the  Dutch, 
and  with  a  knowledge  of  the  capacity  of  the  flower  certain  rules  had 
been  formed  respecting  good  specimens.  One  was  that  the  stems  should 
be  strong  and  sturdy,  another  that  the  flower  should  have  six  petals, 
and  a  third  that  when  fully  expanded  the  bloom  should  be  shaped  like 
half  of  a  ball.  The  essayist  then  explained  the  constitution  of  the 
colouring  which  made  up  the  three  sections — rose,  bybloemens,  and 
bizarres.  These  classes  are  sub-divided  into  breeders,  feathered,  and 
flamed  flowers.  So  far  as  he  (Mr.  Bentley)  knew,  no  other  flower 
breaks  in  the  same  way  as  the  Tulip.  The  breeder  is  the  seedling 
form  whence  we  get  the  other  sections.  A  breeder  breaks,  no  one 
knows  when  or  how,  but  therein  lies  the  charm  that  appeals  so  much  to 
Tulip  lovers.  They  break  into  all  forms,  both  bad  and  good,  and  it  is 
important  to  get  a  good  strain,  as  the  same  variety  can  and  does  exist  in 
different  forms. 
It  was  formerly  the  custom  not  to  name  breeders  until  they  had 
broken,  but  much  confusion  was  the  outcome  of  it,  as  for  instance 
one  grower  might  have  one  form  under  one  name,  and  a  second  under 
another,  though  both  were  fnm  the  same  breeder.  Varieties  excellent 
in  the  three  forms  are  not  numerous,  though  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  is 
a  striking  instance  of  one.  Sometimes  the  best  coloured  breeders 
break  into  bad  flowers,  and  those  that  are  dull  in  the  first  state  break 
into  most  beautiful  blooms.  Mr.  Bentley  concluded  by  stating  that 
the  Tulip  grower  has  to  deal  with  an  erratic  and  uncertain  flower  ; 
sometimes  he  is  disappointed,  and  other  times  more  than  pleased.  He 
had  not  dealt  lengthily  with  his  subject,  but  if  any  further  informa¬ 
tion  were  required  he  would  refer  those  present  to  a  series  of  articles  he 
had  written  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  he  felt  grateful  to  the  late 
Dr.  Hogg  for  the  opportunity  given,  which  resulted  in  their  publication. 
The  Cultivation  of  the  Tulip. 
The  Chairman  next  introduced  Mr.  C.  W.  Needham,  who  at  the 
commencement  of  his  paper  said  that  the  Tulip  was  one  of  the  easiest  of 
plants  to  grow  either  in  town  or  country.  The  bed  should  be  well 
drained,  and  if  the  situation  were  at  all  wet  the  surface  should  he  raised 
about  6  or  8  inches.  Soil  from  the  kitchen  garden  is  suitable,  but  it 
should  be  porous  rather  than  stiff.  Turf  may  be  used  with  advantage, 
but  if  so  it  ought  to  be  stacked  twelve  months  previously.  He  preferred 
to  plant  the  bulbs  6  inches  apart  in  rows,  the  beds  being  about  4  feet 
wide,  and  of  any  length.  Some  grew  them  4^  inches  apart,  though  he 
preferred  the  former  as  the  orthodox  distance.  After  planting  the  bulbs 
should  be  lightly  covered,  and  later  another  addition  should  be  made, 
leaving  the  bulb  about  4  inches  below  the  surface.  No  crude  manure 
ought  to  be  used,  and  though  the  same  soil  may  be  used  for  several  years, 
a  change  is  advantageous.  If,  however,  the  former  method  is  adcpted,  it 
is  a  good  plan  when  turning  over  to  give  a  light  application  of  salt  or 
quicklime.  Nitrate  of  soda,  superphosphate,  or  kainit  may  be  used 
moderately,  but  he  preferred  frequent  change  of  soil.  The  object  should 
be  to  keep  the  bulbs  of  average  size.  Gross  feeding  results  in  coarse 
flowers,  and  small  sound  bulbs  invariably  give  the  best  blooms.  Though 
the  bulbs  will  grow  and  flower  if  left  in  the  ground  for  the  whole  year, 
it  is  better  to  take  them  up  and  store  them. 
At  the  timi  of  this  operation  the  advantage  of  planting  them 
6  inches  apart  will  be  appreciated,  as  then  there  is  little  danger  of 
injuring  the  bulbs  on  taking  bp.  A  cool  dry  place  is  the  best  for  storing 
the  bulb^,  which  on  no  account  must  be  left  on  the- ground,  even  for  a 
short  time,  or  the  effects  of  the  sun  will  be  seen  afterwards  in  the 
shrivelling  of  the  outer  skin.  Tulip  growers  generally  store  their  bulbs 
in  boxes  having  a  series  of  compartments  arranged  in  order  that  the 
varieties  may  be  not  only  kept  distinct,  but  arranged  in  the  beds.  A 
Tulip  book  is  a'so  nece-saiy,  in  order  that  the  sorts  may  be  classified, 
and  notes  made  resoectiog  them.  The  chief  enemies  of  the  Tulip  grower 
are  hails  orms  and  frost,  therefore  if  for  exhibition  some  protection  must 
be  afforded.  This,  said  Mr.  Needham,  can  bs  provided  by  a  covering  of 
tiffany  or  an  ar  angement  of  eardea  lights  placed  over  the  beds.  A 
critical  t  me  in  the  life  of  a  Tulip  flower  is  when  they  are  first  showing 
and  the  rain  lodges  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  If  the  mo;sture  freezes 
it  means  death  or  disfiguration  of  the  bloom  ;  hence  the  advisability  of 
giving  p  ot  ction.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  so  g  eit  importance  to  the 
oid  nary  amateur  as  to  the  enthusia-tic  exhibitor  who  wishes  to  get  his 
flowers  as  faul  less  as  possible.  In  con  lusion  Mr.  Neelham  said  that 
the  cultivation  of  the  florist’s  Tulip  was  simplicity  itself,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  daunt  anyone  who  had  the  icclination  from  taking  it  up. 
In  thj  discussion  that  followed  the  psper  Mr,  Wright  spoke  of  the 
fungus  known  as  the  Tulip  diBesse,  which  to  his  knowledge  had  on 
several  occasions  played  such  havoc  with  the  late  Dr.  Hogg’s  collection. 
In  reply  Mr.  Needham  considered  that  the  disease  was  a  resnlt 
rather  than  a  cause,  and  after  careful  observation  they  had  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  owing  to  the  effe"t3  of  hail  and  frost,  which 
damaged  the  outer  tissues  of  leaf  and  stem,  and  here  the  fungus  made 
