DECEMBER. 273 



round the sides, to keep the mould from running out ; afterwards fill 

 up with the mould, and then ])lace the plants in th» centre, and keep 

 them well watered and shaded from the burning sun. The plants 

 should not be trained, but allowed to hang carelessly over the bas- 

 kets. The varieties of A. longiflora and A. Backmanii will be best 

 for this purpose, for the flowers are large and showy. 



Hoddesdon. B. S. Williams. 



THE CALCEOLARIA. 



One of the prettiest sights that it has been my lot to see during the 

 present year was a house full of Calceolarias grown from seed by a 

 lady, an ardent florist, in Lancashire. The luxuriance and profusion, 

 I may say the loads of bloom, of all colours and markings, were so 

 effective, that amongst all the beauties of Flora that I have looked 

 upon during the past season, none was more gratifpng ; and as a 

 similar success may be easily attained by any of your readers pos- 

 sessed of the needful convenience, I will just note what appeared to 

 contribute to success. The plants were all seedlings; and of course 

 much will depend upon getting seed of a good strain, and in sufiicient 

 variety of colours and marking; all the pots of one size, 48's or 32's, 

 so that there was great uniformity in the size of the plants ; the house 

 was span-roofed with glass at one end only, in the centre of which was 

 the only door ; the side shelves and the centre stand were of the 

 same elevation, made of slate or stone, and covered with a layer of 

 sand kept damp ; on this sand the pots were arranged, so that when 

 in bloom the flowers were partially intermingled, and collectively 

 presented a mass of beauty. When the bloom was over, and a sufii- 

 cient quantity of seed had been secured for another year, the plants 

 were thrown away, and other things put in their places ; and I subse- 

 quently saw the same house again an object of pleasure, being filled 

 with Japan Lilies, many of them seedlings. 



Omicron. 



STOKE NEWINGTON CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW. 



November 23^. — The exhibition on this occasion was in advance of 

 any previous meeting in cut flowers, but not quite equal in plants. 

 The Pompons were shewn better than on any previous occasion, and 

 make exceedingly interesting objects when well grown. Altogether 

 the show was a very good one, and well attended. The stands 

 of cut blooms, and more particularly those shewn by Mr. Taylor, 

 deserve especial notice, being far beyond, in size and compactness, 

 any that we have before witnessed. We hope another season to see 

 a little more variety introduced in the collections, there being far too 



NEW SERIES, VOL. II. NO. XXIV. A A 



