368 THE FLORIST. 



Whittington continues to prove worthy of his fairly-earned honours. 

 Thames Bank Hero, having " achieved greatness " for himself, may now 

 repose upon his laurels, with the firm conviction that sterHng worth 

 will ever prove Triumphant. White Standard has been kept closely 

 furled. Ay, truly : no " flag of truce " for Britons ! The meteor flag 

 of England waves proudly over land and sea. Long may it float tri- 

 umphant, the emblem of safety to her children, of confusion to her 

 enemies, and the enemies of her first -born — Liberty ! 



But whither away ? ]\Iy favourite hobby has bolted with me, as 

 usual. He will carry me steadily enough so long as we keep the 

 beaten road ; but no sooner do we emerge upon the soft turf, with the 

 ostensible purpose of enjoying a quiet canter, than the ungrateful brute 

 takes the bit between his teeth, and fairly (should I not say foully ?) 

 runs away with me. The chances are then about equal, whether I 

 find myself in the position of victor or vanquished. Not seldom he 

 deposits me in the mire, to extricate myself as best I can. At other 

 times, as now, I am fortunate enough to restrain his vagaries. So, 

 gently, old fellow! No more of this, if you please. And now, having 

 regained the causeway, we will endeavour to jog on soberly and staidly, 

 to the termination of our journey. Allons I 



Secondly. We come next to the consideration of those Dahlias 

 which were sent out in the spring of 1853. As we have had only two 

 trials of these, any opinion that may be given respecting them must be 

 received with a certain amount of reserve. Some of them will doubt- 

 less prove as valuable as the best of our older acquaintances ; many 

 will be extremely useful, and a few may be discarded forthwith. 



Amazon is happily named. A noble, bold flower, very far in advance 

 of any of its class. It has been extensively shown, and a prominent 

 feature in almost every stand exhibited throughout the season. Beauty 

 of the Grove, discarded by many after a single year's probation, has 

 been very good. The air of Bermondsey seems particularly favourable 

 to this variety. Bishop of Hereford is a good useful flower, of average 

 pretensions. It is not, however, as many supposed, one of the best of 

 its year : the frequency of its appearance is a pledge of its constancy. 

 Bob has scarcely realised our expectations. The brilliancy of its 

 colour, and the dearth of good bright scarlets, will secure it a place in 

 collections for some time to come. British Queen may be spared 

 without inconvenience. Exquisite is not a constant flower, but so 

 extremely beautiful at times that most growers will be disposed to find 

 a place for it, on the chance of a good bloom. Grand Duke is one of 

 the useful class. Lilac King has been occasionally first-rate. At its 

 very best it may be superior to Fearless, but cannot be compared with 

 that fine old variety in respect of constancy. Ma Beaute has made no 

 display, and may therefore be presumed to be a failure. Miss 

 Carohne is very desirable. It is a flower of remarkable depth, and if 

 not quite so constant as might be wished, it is far more so than 

 IMarchioness of Cornwallis, whose vacant place it so worthily occupies. 

 M. Dugere has not been much shown ; this is a pretty rather than a 

 fine flower. Those who have it not may contrive to get on sufficiently 

 well without it. Plantagenet has not been much exhibited. It is a 



