water, but must be screened from heavy rains and night frosts, and when the leaves have grown an inch, or an inch and a half long, about an inch more compost must be added to the surface of the bed. The bed must be kept clear of weeds in summer, and copiously watered in the evenings of fine days; but in autumn and winter, it must be carefully protected from frost and heavy rains. When the leaves are decayed they must be cleared away, and previous to frost setting in, the bed must be thatched down with dry straw a foot thick, sloping well, so as to throw off the wet. In the latter end of January or beginning of February, the bulbs must be taken up, and packed in dry sand, and placed in a situation where the cold cannot penetrate, till April, when the fibres must be cleared from all decayed parts, and the bulbs from all off-sets, except one or two to each, they must then be replanted as before, and afterwards, treated as in the preceding summer, when a few of the strongest roots will flower. In autumn and winter, the bed

must be treated as in the preceding, and in January or February following, they

may be taken up for

any purpose desired.

TULIP.

THIS is a bulbous rooted plant, with an upright stem from twelve to eighteen inches high, terminated by a large erect flower. It is a native of the Levant, and was introduced into this country in 1577. It was not so much noticed at first, as at present, being now very generally esteemed, and "admired for the gaiety and multiplicity of its colours. Never was cup、 either painted or enamelled with such a profusion of dyes; its tinges are so glowing; its contrasts so strong; and the arrangement of them both, so elegant and artful!". It is "the pride of the border, and the reigning beauty of the delightful As exquisitely fine as the rainbow, and almost as extremely transient."

season.

It spreads

shows forth

its glittering plumage" and

its variegated and superior honors;" but, alas! how soon are these mingled, too rudely mingled with the dust.

"Expanded by the searching fire,

The curling leaves the breast disclose;
The mantling bloom is painted higher
And every latent charm expose.

"But when the sun is sliding low,
And evening comes with dews so cold,
The wanton beauty cease to blow,

And seek her bending leaves to fold.

"These leaves, alas! no more can close:
Relaxed, exhausted, sick'ning, pale;
They leave her to a parent's woes,
"And flee before the rising gale."

In Persia the tulip is made the emblem of perfect lovers. When a young man presents one of these flowers to his mistress, she is to understand by its colour, that he is on fire with her beauty, and by its black base, that his heart is burned to a cinder.

The tulip is much cultivated in different

parts of England, but there are not many good collections in the gardens of the higher classes, being more the favourite of the tradesman and manufacturer.

Varieties. To enumerate these would be almost as impossible, as for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Some of the commercial catalogues enumerate upwards of eight hundred names, but perhaps half a dozen of these names have been applied to one sort, and for this reason their insertion, if that could be, would be quite useless. In the time of Parkinson, tulips were divided into early blowers, doubtful or middle blowers, and late blowers. The Dutch class their late blowers as follow: Prime Baynets; very tall, fine cups, the bottoms of which are white, and well broken with fine brown, and all from the same breeder. Baynets Regaul's, not quite so tall as the former, but the stems are strong, and the cups are large, well formed, and have white bottoms, well broken with fine brown, and all from the same breeder. Incomparable Verports ;

cups very perfect, cherry and rose; bottoms white and well broken with shining brown. Byblomens; bottoms white, or nearly so; from different breeders, and broken with variety of colours. Bizarres; ground, yellow; from different breeders, and broken with variety of colours.

Breeders are raised from seed, and consist of one plain colour on a white or yellow bottom, and these becoming broken or variegated, new varieties are produced. Mr. Thomas Hogg, Florist, of Paddington, has some idea of a new plan of breaking this bewitching flower, but what this new plan is, he has not yet made public, and it remains a matter of doubt whether he ever will. Some Physiologists are of opinion, that weakness is the cause of variegation in flowers, and if that be the case, want of regimen, by being planted continually in a poor dry soil, may in time have the desired effect; but, I think, weakening the bulbs, by depriving them of their leaves and flowers, before they have performed their office the preceding year,