EXHIBITING. 125 



not only keeps the petals clean, but it holds them 

 together, and has the effect of making them grow 

 longer and more pointed. The pieces of worsted 

 should be about ten inches long, and should have the 

 ends turned over in two kinks, so that the expanding 

 flower can loosen of itself the wool as it grows. Never 

 place the loop over the outside petals; these should 

 always remain untied, to grow as they will. When 

 the tie is placed over the inside petals, pull the end of 

 the worsted gently, so that the centre of the flower is 

 compact and yet not too tight. If the Rose grows 

 very rapidly and the wool cuts it a little, then gently 

 loosen it a trifle. In this tied-up state, when ready 

 the bloom should be cut and wired, and placed in the 

 tube of water in your show-box ; nor should it be un- 

 tied and brushed out until it is wanted to be got ready 

 inside the tent, when the worsted may be slipped off, 

 and then, as a rule, the petals will unfold, and with 

 hardly a touch a medal bloom will be disclosed. In 

 cutting the bloom, remove with it about eight inches 

 of stalk, because if you are successful your bloom 

 will be raised by the judges in your box, and there is 

 often a danger that it may be lifted out of the water, 

 when it will soon fade in a hot tent. Although 

 chance may now and again give you an occasional 

 medal bloom, yet the exhibitor must not hope for re- 

 sults in this way. A good flower is always worth 

 considerable care from the bud ; and here let me 

 gtrongly deprecate what I would term faking, by over- 

 dressing and the like, so strongly resented by all true 

 lovers of the "Queen of Flowers." Believe me, it 

 is very, very seldom that a faked flower wins a N.R.S. 

 medal. Petals unnaturally forced open, pinched Into 

 position, or cut with scissors are not of the order of 

 medal blooms, and such practices are only of neces- 

 sity, when varieties are hard to get to make up a 

 required number; then some stubborn bud is requisi- 

 tioned, or a damaged flower is shorn of bruised or 

 mutilated petals to fill a gap. 



A common practice is to damp all moss in the 

 show-box when the blooms are installed into their 



