BY A MIDLAND COUNTIES' FLORIST. 123 



ambiguity of the passage may cover a retreating point, its general 

 import cannot be mistaken by any disinterested peruser of it. As 

 some of your readers, probably, have not noticed it, I briefly introduce 

 it here. Mr. Slater having concluded his animadversions upon Mr. 

 Glenny's remarks on his descriptive list of Tulips, proceeds :— « The 

 day of deception is over, and the northern florists are awake to the 

 few pairs more of that splendid Don John, and a few roots of those 

 splendid takes in ; we want a pennyworth for a penny, not things 

 deficient in every good point." 



Does Mr. Slater mean to construe the above remarks into a slight 

 allusion to theflouer? or is he apprehensive that the Don, like an- 

 other southern flower, " Sharpe's Wellington," may ultimately prove 

 an unwelcome visitor amongst the multitudinous varieties with which 

 the collections of the northern florists abound? I allude to this 

 flower more particularly in consequence of having observed that on 

 its appearance in the north as a newly raised Picottee, it obtained 

 seven prizes, viz., three premiers, two firsts, and two seconds. This 

 flower, like most others, is uncertain, but in its best state it will take 

 precedence of the brightest gem that has yet emanated from the 

 north, notwithstanding its bad shaped pod. 



As Mr. Slater has placed his main point of attack on " Don John," 

 because every petal does not happen to possess the dark bizarre stripe 

 constituting perfection, I am sure the florists generally would be 

 gratified by his furnishing them with a list of Bizarres in which this 

 great desiderata has been attained. I presume, from Mr. Slater's 

 remarks on the Don for this deficiency, that some such lusus natures 

 is to be found, but judging from the. wafery and butterfly appearance 

 of some of the flowers placed on the northern stages, it must make its 

 appearance in a more congenial atmosphere than where Mr. S. is 

 located. 



I shall not notice the very flattering adulation bestowed on the floral 

 attainments of some of Mr. S's northern brethren, nor yet the well- 

 known fact of the northern florists being far behind the southern 

 ones in their ideas of perfection of florists' flowers, particularly of 

 the Dianthus tribe, but proceed to notice the flowers which Mr. 

 Slater has prominently put forward as having obtained single bloom 

 prizes at the London Exhibitions last year, which are " Chadwicks 

 Brilliant," " Beauty of Woodhouse," and " Robert Burns." Mr. 



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