The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-09-29

the large black tulip without spot o.
color, thing which had not yet been &C
complished, and was considered impos.
sible, as at that time, there did not exist
flower Of that species approaching even
the dark nut-brown. 1t was. therefore
generally said that the founders of the
prize might just as well have offered two
millions as a hundred thousand guilders
since no one would be able to gain it.
The tulip growing world, however, was
thrown BY it into state of most active
commotion. Some ianciers caught
at the idea without believing it practical
bic; but such is the power of imas ination
among florists, that. although considering
the undertaking as certain to tail, all their
thoughts were engrossed by that grand
black tulip, which was looked upon as
chimerical as the black swan or the
white raven were reputed to he in those
days.
Van Baerle was one Of the tulip grow
ers who were struck with the idea; Boxtel
thought Of it 10 light of speculation
Van Baerle, as soon as the idea had once
taken root in his clear and ingenious
mind, began slowly the necessary SOW
ings and operations to reduce the tulips,
which he had grown already, from red to
brown, and from brown to dark brown.
By the next year he had obtained
flowers of a perfect nutbrown, and Box
tel espied them in the border, whereas he
had himself, as yet, only succeeded in
producing the, light brown.
Boxtel once more worsted by the su-
periority of his hated rival, WAS now
completely disguised with tulip-growing.
and, Icing driven half mad, devoted
himself entirely to observations.
The house of his rival was quite open
to view: a garden exposed to the sun;
cabinets with glass walls, shelves, cup
boards, boxes and ticketed pigeon-holes,
which could easily be surveyed by the
telescope. Boxtel allowed his bulbs to
rot in the pits, his seedlings to dry up in
their cases, aud his tulips to wither in
the borders, and henceiorward occupied
himself with nothing else bat the doings
at Van Baerles.
But the most curious part OF the ope-
rations was not performed in the garden.
1t might be one o'clock in the morning,
when Van Baerle went up to his labora.
tory, into the glazed cabinet whittier
Boxtel's telescope had such an easy &C.
cess; and here as soon as the lamp illu-
minated the walls and windows, Boxtel
saw the inventive genius Of his rival at
work.
lie beheld him sitting his seeds, and
soaking them in liquids which were des-
tined to modify or deepen their colors.
He knew what Cornelius meant, when,
heating certain grains, then moistening
them, then combining them with others
by sort Of grafting-a minute or mar
vellously-delicate manipulation-he shut
up in darkness those which were expect
ed TO furnish the black color; expose to
the sun or to the lamp those which were
to produce red; and placed between the
endless reflections OF two water-mirrors
those intended for white. the pure repre-
sentation Of the limpid element.
This innocent magic, the fruit at the
same time of childlike musings and of
manly genius-this patient, untiring la
Dor, Of which Boxtel knew himself to be
incapable-made him, gnawed as he was
with envey, centre all his life. all hi-
thoughts, and all his hopes, in his tele.
scope.
For, strange to say, the love and in :
terrst for horticulture, had not deadened
in Isaac his fierce envy and thirst of re-
venge. Sometimes, whilst covering Van
Baerle with his telescope, he deluded
himself into belief that he was leveling
a never-failing musket at him; and thu ell
he would seek with his finger for the trig-
ger to fire the shot with which to have
killed his neighbor. But 1t is time that
we should connect with this epoch of the
operations Of the one, and the espionage Of
the other, the visit which Cornelius De
White came to pay to his native town.
Continued next week.