34 



THE FLORIST. 



York, Mr. Perry and Mr. Cole from Birmingham, Mr. Barnes of 

 Stowmarket, Mr. Holmes of Norwich, Mr. Holland from Manchester, 

 Mr. Keynes, Salisbury, &c; and even our nearer friends, who have 

 so praiseworthily attended, if not paid, they have at least been satis- 

 fled ; and I can but relate, that in the following list will be found, 

 separately or in combination, a large slice of the leading talent of 

 the clay. 



List of Censors during 1852, with the times of attendance. 



It will be impossible by the " selection of eight" to attain for 

 each meeting the amount of practical ability which may be found in 

 the foregoing ; still I must admit that, unless the Society earn uni- 

 versal confidence, its functions must cease to exist. 



This brings me to another subject — one which I rely upon being 

 enabled to clear up, if not satisfactorily, at least practically. There is 

 " room and verge enough" to hold forth largely ; but the limited 

 space, in a varied periodical as the Florist must be, shall prompt me 

 to be brief. " It may be urged that many would hesitate to send 

 new plants, fearing that they might be distributed otherwise than by 

 legal sales." This comment is given in answ T er to, " Why not have 

 a National Floricultural Society's Garden, a Floricultural Museum, 

 where every thing new shall be sent and proved ?" Now, I will ask 

 the whole round of seedling-raisers, and with them the dealers, who 

 are but too happy to purchase liberally novelties from time to time 

 as seen, if ever good faith has been broken in the universal custom 

 of getting a few confederates (whom we all possess) " to grow a plant 

 or two of any promising seedling, that its truer character might be 

 learned ere it was offered for sale ?" I assert that the practice is 

 universal, taking our earliest spring flowers, Auriculas, Polyanthuses, 

 &c, down to autumn's king, the Dahlia. I might, further, go statis- 

 tically into the subject, and largely state the flowers that have been 

 so entrusted, and to whom given ; and this has, to my own know- 

 ledge, continued season after season for little short of twenty years — 



