AUGUST. 177 



glected, from a little before blooming to the end of fruiting-time , 

 every two days at the furthest, when the weather is hot and dry; 

 and it will be of much advantage that the line of your rows be a little 

 the lowest ; that is, having a gentle and evenly-raked inclination to- 

 wards the plants from the middle of the space between the rows, just 

 enough to convey the rains and waterings to their roots ; and observe, 

 that rain, river, and rivulet waters are the best for your purpose; but 

 if you are driven to the pump, let it stand in the hot sunshine a whole 

 day at the least ; a top-dressing amongst the plants with a rich com- 

 post, in March or April, will be of very much advantage to them by 

 filling up, with a slight pressure, the honeycomb state of the soil pro- 

 duced by the worms during the winter. 



A strict attention to this mode of culture will always insure ycu 

 an abundant crop of the finest fruit in existence, viz. Myatt's British 

 Queen and Eleanor, Knight's Elton, and Keens seedling Straw- 

 berries. J. T. 



ON JUDGING STANDS OF FLORISTS' FLOWERS. 



In performing my duties as secretary to a horticultural society, I 

 have often had my attention directed to the method which the judges 

 frequently adopt to determine the relative merits of the different com- 

 peting stands. For instance, when they are called upon to decide 

 which is the best out of a number of stands, some of them running 

 pretty close in point of merit, they very often compare the flowers 

 individually in the position they chanced to be placed in each stand. 



A decision according to this method may at first seem to be cor- 

 rect ; but on examining it more closely, it will be found to be en- 

 tirely dependent on chance. Suppose that two stands A and B, each 

 consisting of six flowers, are to be judged, and that each figure un- 

 derneath denotes a flower and its degree of merit. If they chanced 

 to be placed in the first position, they will both be equal. 



A 3 2 4 3 4 5 

 B 3 2 4 3 4 5 



But suppose we take the same flowers, and change their position, thus, 



A 3 2 4 3 4 5 

 B 4 3 5 4 3 2 



it will be seen that B gains on 4 flowers, and A on only 2, conse- 

 quently the award is given to B. Change their position again, 



A 5 4 3 4 2 3 

 B 4 3 2 3 4 5 



This time A gains on 4, and B on only 2 ; therefore the award is 

 given to A. Thus it will be seen, that according to this method of 

 judging, either lot may be made either equal or superior, merely by 

 the position the flowers are in at the time of judging. 



