122 THE FLORIST. 



NEW CALCEOLARIAS. 



Mr. Woodhouse*s notes on this subject, published in No. xxxvi. of 

 your last volume, have induced me to offer a few remarks respecting 

 this deservedly popular flower. The leading sorts of Calceolarias of 

 the last few seasons exhibit blooms of large size, beautifully diver- 

 sified with singular blotches and spots, but possessing bad forms, 

 numbers being deficient in the outline and throat, whilst all are 

 much too flat, with the habit of the plant quite devoid of that shrub- 

 biness and neatness of foliage which are so very desirable. 



If I am correct in my assertion, that the present race of Cal- 

 ceolarias is of too herbaceous a character, it is evident that no ad- 

 vance towards shrubbiness can be attained by crossing the present 

 Florists' varieties amongst themselves ; consequently recourse must 

 be had to the strictly shrubby species. 



In support of this view, I will endeavour to give some idea of 

 what the probable result would be of crossing the opposite species 

 (from the trifling success that has attended my individual efforts). 

 In 1848 I obtained a few of the best Calceolarias that I could pro- 

 cure ; these I crossed with Rugosa and its congeners ; the seedlings 

 from this union shewed very shrubby habits, but the flowers, with 

 one exception, were long, flat, and small; the variety that I saved was 

 a decided advance on the old sorts in every property but size. 



The seed of 1849 gave a still further improvement: two plants 

 produced flowers almost as round as a marble ; another was almost 

 as shrubby as Rugosa, with marks in the style of Lady Constable ; 

 another shrubby variety gave flowers nearly an inch in diameter ; 

 besides which, there were a dozen seedlings fully equal to the new 

 Calceolarias that are annually inflicted on the public as superior 

 selections. 



Though the whole of these seedlings are far from possessing the 

 properties of a perfect Calceolaria, I feel confident that, as a whole, 

 they comprehend the materials out of which a clever hybridist would 

 soon produce something good ; indeed I entertain so favourable an 

 opinion of the capabilities of these plants, that, having no spare 

 room in my greenhouse, I have presented them to a Florist, — with 

 the understanding that I should enjoy the pleasure of raising seed 

 for him. 



I trust that I have said enough to induce a few amateurs to adopt 

 my suggestions ; as I feel satisfied that half a dozen persons leaving 

 the present beaten path, and depending on some of the old (possibly 

 new) shrubby species, to give them both form of flower and habit of 

 plant, would in a few seasons elevate the Calceolaria to the rank of 

 a real Florists' flower. 



A. Clapham. 



