Plate 434, 

 HYACINTH— LORD PALMERSTON. 



Certainly never since the Hyacinth has been grown has such 

 an exhibition of this splendid sjDring flower been brought 

 together as at the Spring Show of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society at Kensington on March 13th. The Dutch growers 

 had no doubt contributed very much towards this by offering a 

 large sum to be competed for in special prizes, for this had 

 stimulated to greater exertions than ever our most celebrated 

 exhibiters, so that the Dutch growers, who came over to witness 

 the effect of their liberality, confessed themselves astonished at 

 the marvellous specimens of culture which they then saw. 



No firm has contributed so much to the poj^ularity of the 

 Hyacinth as Messrs. Cutbush and Sons, of Highgate ; not only 

 have they themselves shown what can be done in the way of 

 producing the most splendid spikes of flowers, but they have 

 enabled others to enter successfully into the field of compe- 

 tition, for all the 1st class prizes taken by amateurs have been 

 with bulbs supplied by them ; and it is worthy of notice that so 

 far from it being necessary to obtain new and high-priced 

 varieties, the finest spikes exhibited on this occasion were, with 

 few exceptions, those of old favourites, which can be obtained 

 at a cheap rate. 



There was one exception to the excellence of the exhibition, 

 and that was in the class for new flowers not yet in commerce. 

 There was only one collection staged, by Mr. Wm. Paul, and 

 this contained but one flower of any value, Hector; but 



