February 8, 1872. ] JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



129 



pretentious couservatories of the present tlay. At that time 

 botanical distinctions rather than floricultural on^s were rehed 

 on, and a Zonixl Geranium was a Geranium and nothing more ; 

 wliile Heaths, Mesembryauthemum.s, and other genera pre- 

 sented distinctions o£ a truly permanent charaoter, many of 

 them of a kind that was easily distinguished at all seasons ; 



but fashion of late rears has contented itself in a great measure 

 with varieties, so the Geranium and other favourite ornaments 

 of the conservatory have been so divided and subdivided into 

 sections as of themselves to almost hU the house, to the exclusion 

 of other and more enduring members of the same half-hardy 

 fauiilv In other words, the range of cultivation is narrowmg, 



and I much regret that the conipUers of schedules for oui' great 

 shows do not take means to prevent this by. oii'oring prizes for 

 outside objects. I do not mean by that to confine the observa- 

 tion to out-door subjects, but for plants and products seldom 

 met with at shows. 



Take, for instance, the Fuchsia. A miter in your number lor 

 January 25th very creditably put forth a number of names 

 embracmg the best varieties that are known, with some useful 



observations on them ; and although he mentions many names 

 that are strange to mo, I fear there are none amongst them 

 that represent the botanical species of Fuchsia, as F. corymbi- 

 flora, fulgens, microphylla, and similar kinds, which cannot 

 possibly be mist.akcn for the hybrids on which cultiva ors at 

 the present day bestow the whole of tluir patronage. If I had 

 the framing of a schedule I would make it incumbent on the 

 exhibitor o£ six kinds to have these three ; there would then 



