Aug. 31—Our recent note on cheap bulbs has resulted in us being asked to offer a few hints regarding them and io give the names of a few of the best for local gardens. Bulbs, if properly ripened require no growing: they have been grown for us before we buy them; all that we have to do is to provide a rooting medium. light and water, and they will flower. The trouble is that we are not always sure tha? the bulbs have been properly ripened and much disappointment may result. Dutch bulbs could always be depended on to give good results. but that source of supply is now closed to us. Darwin tulips are our favourites: these are self-coloured forms of Tulipa gesneriana, the strain being raised by a Flemish amateur. The flower stalks are from 18 to 30 inches high and huge. brilliantly coloured blooms appear at the end of the stalks, the foliage is also attractive in most varieties. The flowers are of, good substance and they can stand a lot of rain and wind without suffering damage; they are heavy. however, and their weight is liable to cause the stems to bend unless staking is resorted to: care should be taken to guard against the stems being too tightly fastened to the supports, for they grow rapidly and if growth is restricted in any way. they will bend and eventually break. Amongss the scarlet varied ties, "City of Haarlem" is a great favourite, but there* are several others worth growing, ti most popular being probably "Win Pit "Scarlet Beauty" and "Feu Brilliant." "King George V" is a very tall-growing cochineal-red variety. while "Bartigon" always makes a good splash of crimson in the garden; this variety is also excellent for pot cultivation. "Zwanenburg" is a very good white variety and "Baron-ne de la Tocnaye" is a sturdy ros2-coloured one. There are many other excellent varieties amongst the Darwins and a much wider range of colour than that given above; but if we require a yellow bed and we do not wish to grow the variety known as "Yellow Giant." we shall have to choose some from amongst the kinds included under "May-flowering tulips." These flower at about the same time as the Darwins, but they are nos quite so stiff and the petals are slightly recurved and lily-like. "Golden Harvest" and "Golden Wonder" are two very good varieties. There are no blue Darwins, but there are several shaded lavender. which may, however. cause disappointment—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.