ON THE CULTURE, ETC., OF SEEDLING POLYANTHUSES. 59 



flower much oftener than they do. Attention is required to copy na- 

 ture while in their dormant state, giving them as little water as 

 possible, if any, with a dry atmosphere, and then in the growing 

 season let them have quite the opposite treatment. This is a point 

 in plant culture that is less attended to than it should be. In order 

 to be as explicit as possible, I have lengthened this article much more 

 than I at first intended, but should it meet with your approbation, I 

 will send you a description of some more of this beautiful tribe of 

 exotics, with their treatment as they come into flower. 



[The Astrapsea deserves growing in every collection where plenty 

 of room can be afforded to it. It is a singularly pretty flowering, 

 noble plant. We shall be much obliged by the additional communi- 

 cations promised. — Conductor.] 



ARTICLE IV. 



ON THE CULTURE, &c, OF SEEDLING POLYANTHUSES. 



BY ALEXANDER, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. 



This pretty little flower, the pattern of neatness and early favourite 

 of the florist, blooming as it does on the confines of winter and spring, 

 ere the former has ceased his ruffian blasts, or the latter diffused its 

 more genial influence, has been for ages held in general estimation ; 

 and it seems strange that its numerous admirers have not succeeded 

 in raising a greater variety of approved sorts. I don't mean of those 

 exclusively desired by the florist as possessing true merit only when 

 consisting of the fine clean round and golden eye, and edging con- 

 tinued to the centre, &c, properties without which he seems to think 

 the Polyanthus cannot be deserving of much favour or admitted as a 

 competitor at a florists' show ; this latter part of the business I agree 

 with, since the flowers are judged by the existing rules. But as I 

 have never yet beheld a specimen of the Polyanthus that fulfils in 

 every respect the properties required of it by the elder florists as a 

 criterion of its perfection, I think it somewhat ridiculous that all 

 should be excluded from notice, or debarred recommendation, that 

 fail (however good and beautiful they may otherwise be) to come 

 within the pale of that very old fashioned law. 



In my opinion, any flower of good colours and form, on which 

 those flowers are distributed in regular order and such manner as to 



