MARCH. 87 



centre 1| inch, at the top 1J inch, the wood throughout being well 

 ripened. The operation having been very successful, proving that great 

 advantages may be derived from grafting where Vines are established, 

 but a substitution of other sorts is desired, Mr. Spary thought a report 

 of it might be interesting. 



VERBENAS. 



What Mr. Ruskin is to painting, or the Times to politics, is a certain 

 canny Scotchman who writes for the Cottage Gardener to floriculture, 

 very shrewd, very original, but at the same time very crotchety, and 

 what is called at college very "bumptious." You must not, if you 

 pretend to know anything, differ from any of these gentlemen. So 

 long as you adore Preraphaelitism, think perspective of very little 

 matter, and can admire the painting of a mouse's whisker as something 

 very precious, Mr. R. is your man ; if you write to the Times of their 

 world-wide circulation, immense influence, &c, &c, you may, per- 

 chance, get your letter in ; and so, if you consider our Scotch friend's 

 experimental garden, and plans and directions, the very acme of 

 gardening, you may possibly be allowed to know something of flowers, 

 and not worthy of being gibbeted as an ignoramus ; but woe betide 

 you if you differ from them. And yet, with this before one's eyes, I am 

 about to do so. Mr. Ruskin I must leave to the tender mercies of 

 " Maga; " the Times is able to fight its own battles ; while I, a poor 

 obscure scribe, any one of whose plants would be pronounced by the 

 coryphoeus of the Cottage Gardener as rubbish, must undertake to 

 find fault with him, and enter the lists with a combatant who will, I 

 doubt not, if ever he sees this, think of me, as Prince Hal did, — 

 " that poor creature, small beer." But, having had a little experience 

 in the matter I write about, as well as having had access to some 

 of the best growers of Verbenas in England, I venture to give a few 

 remarks on them, even though in so doing I find myself in opposition 

 to the statement at p. 411 of the last volume of the periodical 

 referred to. In so doing, I must be brief. I have not the knack of 

 giving a homoeopathic globule of information in ten gallons of water, 

 but wish to go to the point at once. But first, let me say what I 

 believe constitutes a good Verbena in these days. In so doing, I 

 must only repeat what I have before advanced : the plant ought to be 

 vigorous, the foliage not inclined to mildew, the truss ought to be 

 large and well filled up, the individual pips should be as nearly 

 round as possible, the colour should be decided, and, if striped or 

 variegated, the variegation should be clean and well marked. I do 

 not think that novelty or anything else ought to induce one to 

 tolerate a Verbena deficient in any of these qualities. Time was 

 when we might have borne with them ; but the number of seedlings 

 now raised completely takes away any excuse for harbouring such 

 *' varment," As a great number of the new seedlings come from 

 France, and they find their way to various growers, it is some time 



