164 THE GARDENER [April 



put aside till the same bed is thoroughly dug and manured, and then 

 replaced. If done early, lifting does them no injury, nor, as far as I 

 have seen, does it retard their growth. When the stems are about 4 

 or 5 inches long, and number more than five or six, thin them out to 

 these numbers, or fewer according to circumstances, and, with the 

 treatment recommended, the result will be satisfactory. I have seen 

 on a very strong plant as many as eight magnificent heads, but this is 

 an exceptional number with the competitor. By growing two or three 

 beds of Phloxes, and renewing one every year, the competitor ought 

 to be able to hold his own honourr.bly at any exhibition. As the day 

 of show draws near, the competitor must prepare to shade his beauties 

 from the sunshine in order to keep their colours pure. If the flowers 

 are rather forward they will require a fortnight's shading, otherwise a 

 week will do. The whole bed, or only the spikes selected for compe- 

 tition, may be shaded. The best substance for this purpose is scrim, 

 which subdues the glare of the sun without causing a very dark 

 shadow. The amateur, who generally is a man fertile in resources, 

 must apply his own ingenuity in the erection of the shade. When 

 placed side by side on the table, the difference between a shaded and 

 unshaded Phlox is seen at once in the purity of the colours and the 

 greater gloss on the surface of the flowers. The spikes should be cut 

 the night before the show, and put in bottles amongst water ; and not- 

 withstanding the objections of some persons, I maintain that Phloxes 

 cannot be better shown than in bottles. They may be ornamented or 

 disguised in any way, but there is nothing equal to them for keeping 

 Phloxes fresh and bright till the end of the show. Before staging, 

 pick off any decayed pips that would make the spike look ragged ; 

 and to show their beauty fairly, let them have room on the table. 



Phloxes crowded in a small stand or stuck round the edge of a pot 

 full of sand look very miserable, and the chance is they will flag in an 

 hour. In judging Phloxes, shape and size of spike, and the fineness of 

 the individual flowers, are looked to. The more conical and compact 

 the head is, the better, but this condition cannot be got equally good 

 in all. The individual flowers must be circular and flat, clear and clean 

 in colour, and with a distinct eye, if the variety has one. The larger 

 the pip, if it is firm and does not fall back, the greater the value ; but 

 if the flower is thin and falls back in any degree, the spike should not 

 make one in a stand. In late-flowering Phloxes, the criterion is some- 

 what different as regards shape, the head being less conical and flatter 

 than in the early-flowering kinds. In other respects the points are 

 the same. There are hosts of very beautiful Phloxes in cultivation, 

 but all are not equally fitted for exhibition. From personal acquaint- 

 ance, I can recommend the following as a few most excellent show- 



