Of the Growth of Tulips, with fome Hints concerning the Circulation of Sap, &c. tending to difcover a Method of Breaking Breeding Tulips, or making the plain Flowers become striped.

SIR,

Have lately had an Opportunity of viewing and confidering feveral Collections of Breeding Tulips, and have gather'd a few Remarks concerning them, which hitherto has been but little obferv'd, though I believe the Breaking or Striping of Tulips very much depends up

on them.

First, We are to obferve that a Tulip does' not preserve its Root two Years together, but the Root that was taken out of the Ground laft Year, is quite loft this Year, in the Leaves, Stem, Flower, and Seed; and while these Parts are growing, and by that Means diminishing the Root they fpring from, the Juices which circulate thro' them, are framing a fresh Root bordering upon the Place where the firft was: So that when the Plant has perform'd all its Summer-Work, there remains no old Root at all, but the Flower-Stem fticks to the Side of the new-made Root. You may be fure this Root is new, because the Stalk ftands on

the

the Outfide of it, and every one knows that the Flower-Stalk always comes out of the Middle of the Root that was planted.

2

While Tulips are under feveral Degrees of Growth, from the very firft putting forth of the Leaf the Root declines daily, and a new Root is forming it felf and daily encreafing; and when the Flower and Seed is fully perfected, the old Root is entirely wafted, and the new one is fully compleated.

To discover this, I took up feveral TulipRoots in different Degrees of Growth, and in Proportion to the Times they feverally requir'd to perfect their Seed: I obferv'd the new Roots were greater or smaller, as there was lefs or more of the old Root left. Before the Flowers were colour'd, I found the old Roots were but half decay'd, and the Cloves in thofe Roots on the Outfide began to dry.

When they were in full Bloom, the Cloves which were remaining were all inclining to dry, and there were three, and sometimes but two in Number in the old Root; and then the young Roots were very strong.

While the Tulips were in this State, I took up feveral Roots of the large Red Breeding Tulips with Black Bottoms; the Roots and Stalk of one of them, which I split thro' the Middle, I have delineated, for the better explaining of this Relation.

Fig. III. A is part of the old Root with its declining Cloves, from the Bottom of which fprings the Flower-Stalk B. This Flower-Stalk is partly fix'd to a hard Substance, like the

Kernel

Kernel of an Hazle-Nut at C, and partly at the Bottom of the new-framing Root D, which is likewife of a Substance like the Kernel of a Nut; and from thence the Cloves of the Root take their Rife. E fhews the Point of the new Root, from whence the Fibres will spring the next Year, as C does the fame Part where grow the Fibres of this Year: And here is plainly a Correfpondence between all the Parts, both of the new and old Roots; but 'tis the old Root which only receives the immediate Nourishment from the Earth by its Fibres.

When we split the Flower-Stem of a Tulip, we find a great Number of Veffels running thro' the Stem till they come at the Flower, and are then branch'd into the Petals or Flower-Leaves, and diftribute Nourishment into the Stamina, the Apices, and Piftillum of the Flower; but where the Flower-Leaves are fet on, the Stalk bcomes larger, and is of much harder Subftance than in other of its Parts.

Again, when we examine a whole TulipPlant in Flower, and first cut the Stalk horizontally within an Inch of the Root, we find the Sap Veffels much clofer fet together than they are towards the Top of the Stem. These Veffels, as they rife from the Root, branch themselves into the Leaves which grow upon the feveral Parts of the Stalk.

I infer from these Obfervations: First, That all these Parts, viz. the Flower-Stem, the Leaves, the Flower, and the Seed, are all perfected from the very Root that we put into the Ground, and prove more or less

luxuriant,

luxuriant, only as the Soil is more or less favourable to the Tulip; the Nourishment the Tulip receives from fuch Soil, is taken in by the Fibres.

Secondly, That by the Wafting of the old Root, and the Growth of the new one, which both correspond immediately with the FlowerStem, it is plain that the Sap circulates thro' the Whole; for the new Root has no Fibres to nourish it and make it grow from the Earth, and therefore can be nourish'd only from fome Veffels in the Stem upon the Return of the Sap which goes up from the old Root, and this Return of Sap must be conftant, as the Growth of this new Root is conftant: For was this new Root to be nourish'd only at fet Times, it would lofe in the Intervals what it gain'd at the Times of its Nourishment; but Experience fhews us the contrary.

Thirdly, This new Root grows till the Flower and Seed is perfected, and then the old Root is quite decay'd, the Flower-Stalk drys, and parts from the new Root without Difficulty, which it will not do while the Stalk green and the Juices flowing in it.

is

Fourthly, We are to observe, that it is from the new Root we are to expect the Change or Alteration in the Stripes of the Flower; and though the Root we put into the Earth for Blowing this Year, fhould bring a plain Flower, yet, by the Want of Nourishment which may happen to it by being planted in Brick, Lime, or Stone Rubbish, the Parts which are fram'd in the new Root may be fo modell'd as to bring its Flower into Stripes the next Year. Therefore when we plant plain Tulips

in Rubbish, to make them break into Colours, we must not expect to fee any Alteration the first Year, for it is the new Roots, that are form'd in the Rubbish Soil, that must blow to fhew the Effect of Planting in fuch a Soil. The old Roots had already in them their Properties fix'd before we put them into the Ground, which could admit of no Alteration but of Blowing taller or lower, as they had more or lefs Nourishment from the Soil they were planted to blow in.

But it may be, perhaps, that fome of the, Tulip-Roots which we planted laft September, might bring ftriped Bloffoms this Year; but then we have good Reason to suppose, that thofe Stripes were regulated in the Roots that were made the Year before.

It is obfervable, that fome Tulips, already broke or come to ftrike, will one Year abound in the dark Colours, and the next Year will come finely mark'd, as that Tulip which is call'd the Vulcan will do. I conceive therefore, that while a Tulip blows with a very large Share of the dark Colours, the new Root has imbibed a large Share of those Juices which will afford the brighter Colours, and fo on the contrary; for in thofe Tulips which are call'd Breeders, I obferve that the Mafs of Colour in their Flowers, before they break, is a Compound of feveral Colours which fimply appear in their Stripes when they come to break; and that thefe Breeders cannot break into any Stripe of Colour but what is of one or more of the Colours which make the Compound Mafs in their plain Flowers. As for Example :