THE FLORIST. 209 



far as he has gone, if he had studied Aristotle and the metaphysicians, 

 he could not have done it better. His guide probably was the 

 experience of a practised and interested eye. It will be the pro- 

 vince of these essays to shew by reason that he is right in every 

 particular. 



The end proposed by the Creator in the arrangement and colours 

 of the petals of a flower is that which is pleasant to the eye ; and 

 the two means by which this is produced are form and colour. 



Form is available in two respects — absolute, or direct, which is 

 sought for its own sake ; in that some forms are in their nature 

 more pleasing than others, as a curve is more graceful than a straight 

 line, and some curves than others : and relative, or indirect, which 

 is subsidiary to some other purpose ; in that some forms are better 

 suited than others to set off colours to advantage, as a smooth petal 

 exhibits its markings more perfectly than a wrinkled one can. 



Colour is simply for its own sake ; but it produces its effect in 

 two ways — by contrast, as in painting, light appears to be thrown 

 upon any point by placing a shadow beside it ; and by combination, 

 as purple unites harmoniously with either of its constituent elements, 

 red or blue, while green will hardly unite with any other. Com- 

 bination moreover may take place in three ways : where each is pre- 

 served, as when one colour shades off imperceptibly into another ; 

 where distinctness begins to be lost by partial fusion, as in the 

 clouded colours ; and where the separate elements blend into an 

 uniform new tint, as in the endless diversity of compound colours. 



These are the few and elementary principles on which, with 

 the latitude to be allowed for tastes, which will be defined here- 

 after, depends the effect of any flower in pleasing the eye. And it 

 will be found that these principles are strictly scientific, and re- 

 ducible to rules capable of application to each species of flower, so 

 as to determine, in a great and ascertainable measure, the value of 

 any variety of each species. 



And, in fact, it is because there is so much of scientific rule, 

 founded in nature, in the pursuits of florists, that there has been that 

 large amount of agreement among them, which we find to have 

 obtained in a matter which is vulgarly believed to be a mere matter 

 of individual taste and caprice. 



Form or shape is the figure contained by a limiting outline. And 

 it is the outline which for the most part suggests to the mind the 

 idea represented by the figure, as has been demonstrated by Retsch 

 in his celebrated illustrations of the German and English poets. 



An outline may be either general, of the whole flower under 

 consideration, as the cup of a Tulip ; or subordinate, as being con- 

 tained with others within the general outline, as that of the blotch 

 in the petal of a Pelargonium. This distinction it is necessary to 

 enlarge upon, because, in judging of excellences or defects, what in 

 the former would be a fault, in the latter would be a beauty. The 

 two kinds of outline having different offices to fulfil, require different 

 properties for their perfection. 



For subordinate outlines being always appended to, and controlled 



