REMARKS ON DON JOHN TULIP. Gl 



flower of its class; and it also obtained the premier, besides being 

 placed six times in the clas~, at the Cambridge show in the same 

 year. 



Now, I ask, how comes it to have been so distinguished, particu- 

 larly as Mr. Slater states it to be " deficient in every good point" ? 

 It cannot be attributed to any unfair preference on the part of the 

 judges, for the Metropolitan Floricultural Society's show was an open 

 one, as before stated, but simply to the fact of its being a first-rate 

 flower. 



It is obvious, from the marked emphasis intended to be placed on 

 that splendid Don John, that Mr. Slater is not alluding to a miserable 

 abortion of a flower of that name raised and exhibited in the north, 

 containing not more than eight petals, and is moreover stated by Mr. 

 Slater, in his descriptive list of Carnations, to he rather thin. 



I have at this time lying before me a letter from a northern florist, 

 from which I extract the following : — 



" I went to Halifax last year, (1841,) to see the grand open show 

 of Carnations and Picotees. TVhen I saw the winning flowers brought 

 into the room I was perfectly astonished, for I believe the very best 

 flower had not more than twelve petals, and many not more than 

 nine or ten ; and one in particular, a scarlet bizarre, positively had 

 only eight petals in it ! ! I inquired of the person who exhibited the 

 eight-petalled flower, how it was they allowed such thin flowers to 

 win. ' Oh,' says he, ' we are not very particular about the quantity 

 so as the quality is good.' " 



From the above extract, it appears that the northern florists allow 

 a flower with only eight petals to be placed in a winning stand, whilst 

 they condemn a flower containing thrice that number of petals, and 

 which had gained the approbation of the first society in the kingdom 

 as a superior show-flower, as not fit for cultivation, and deficient in 

 every good point. This is consistency with a vengeance. 



I believe it will be readily granted that the past season was a more 

 unfavourable one for florists' flowers than has occurred for some years; 

 and it will, I think, be also admitted that change of soil, situation, 

 and management, have great influence on the growth of this class of 

 flowers ; and the past year, being the first in which Don John was 

 ottered to the public, will readily account for the failure, if it did fail, 

 i producing first-rate flowers. 



