346 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



of the leaf developed in an extraordinary manner ; while through 

 the transparent skin of the ripe Gooseberry we see the ramifications 

 of the /-"'//'-veins, conclusively proving its origin. In all the parts 

 and organs of the plant, then, from the seed to the fruit, we have 

 found that the leaf is the type and pattern after which they have 

 been constructed, and those modifications of structure, colour, and 

 composition which they exhibit are for special purposes in the 

 economy of the plant in the first place, also for services to the 

 animal creation, and even to man himself, to whom the sweetness 

 of the fruit and the beauty of the flowers must have had reference 

 in the gracious intention of Him who created them both. 



D. Hugh Macmillax. 



THE LARGE FLOWERING OR SHOW PELARGONIUMS. 



A look through the collections of Show Pelargoniums when in bloom 

 in the month of June gave the following as a selection of twenty-four 

 fine varieties of great usefulness, whether for the decoration of the con- 

 servatory, or for the exhibition-table. A few of them are new flowers, 

 most of them are varieties of the past three or four years, and all have 

 been selected for their obvious good qualities. Alphabetically, our 

 selection runs in the following order : Attraction (Foster), soft rosy 

 lilac, novel and good ; Bonnie Charlie (Hoyle), rosy crimson, with black 

 top petals ; Charles Turner (Hoyle), orange scarlet, rich dark upper 

 petals, a grand flower of extra -fine quality; Claribel (Hoyle), a 

 charming light variety, pure white, with a bright carmine spot on the 

 top petals; Corsair (Foster), bright purple, with black top petals, a 

 novel and fine flower ; Conflagration (Foster), rich crimson, with black 

 blotch on top petals; Diadem (Hoyle), rosy purple, with deep shading, 

 rich dark top petals; Emily (Hoyle), delicate rose, large and fine; 

 Empress (Foster), rose, with maroon spot on the top petals ; Envoy 

 (Hoyle), warm rose, with shaded dark top petals ; Example (Hoyle), 

 a grand flower, rich deep crimson rose, black top petals ; Heirloom 

 (Hoyle), rich orange rose, with large black blotch on top petals ; 

 Hermit (Beck), white, with large reddish maroon spot on top petals ; 

 Lady of the Lake (Foster), orange rose, very dark maroon top petals, 

 a fine but rather late-blooming variety; Lilacina (Beck), a pleasing 

 pale lilac-coloured flower, not of the best form, but charming for its 

 hue of colour ; Maid of Honour (Foster), light rosy pink, with small 

 dark blotch on top petals ; Marion (Foster), a noble flower, rose, with 



