NOVEMBER. 259 



no great advance has been made in the two last seasons. We 

 have gone forward, but not so fast as we had hoped and 

 desired ; and this was evident at the Seedling Pelargonium 

 Exhibition held at the South London in July last. For the 

 flowers then exhibited, and particularly for those to which 

 prizes were awarded, we shall look out next year with con- 

 siderable interest. Speaking of that exhibition reminds us 

 that, as treasurer, we have in hand between four and five 

 pounds ; and a friend informs us that he knows of two 

 pounds ready for subscription, if another meeting be deter- 

 mined upon. 



We hope in this article we have said nothing that will 

 occasion pain to any brother raiser or exhibitor, or lead him 

 to imagine we can see no merits in the flowers of others. We 

 receive no pecuniary advantage from publishing our present 

 Plate ; and feeling that w^e cannot place them so high as our 

 contemporaries have done, we still think it right to wave our 

 own judgment in deference to others, and by as faithful a 

 drawing as our artist could make from the flowers themselves, 

 to record in our pages a figured remembrance of them. 



ON FLORAL TASTES, AND THEIR RESULTS. 



FLOWER-SHOWS: THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE LABOURING 

 AND POORER CLASSES. 



Horticultural Societies in rural situations are often estabhshed 

 for the sole benefit of cottagers, whether mechanics or labourers ; in 

 other instances they contemplate all classes of society, and admit 

 cottagers to compete with one another in those articles which come 

 within their capacity. The society to which allusion was made in 

 the former paper adopted this plan, and the cottagers' exhibition 

 always formed an interesting feature of the show-day. In this case 

 they were not members, and their productions were allowed to be 

 sent free of charge, and the prizes were paid out of the general sub- 

 scriptions. This plan worked very well, and gave great satisfaction ; 

 but, at the same time, it is worthy of consideration, whether the in- 

 dependence of character of this interesting portion of society would 

 not be better promoted by a small payment for membership, so as to 

 divest the rewards of the aspect of mere charity. However, this is 

 a matter to be decided by local peculiarities, since no general rule 

 can be given regarding it. In any way, such a mode of drawing out 

 the resources of our humble neighbours must be beneficial in more 

 ways than one. 



The attention paid by mechanics and labourers to floral cultiva- 



