24 A REPLY TO MR. SLATER'S REMARKS. 



Slater ought to have stated that they were shown at one of the txoj 

 Metropolitan Exhibitions, and not to have stopped short when he had 

 selected the northern flowers as an example of their superiority over 

 other cultivators. On referring to the report of the Floricultural 

 Society of London, I find the winning varieties of single prize blooms 

 which Mr. Slater has omitted to notice were, " Martin's Splendid," 

 (a midland counties flower, and which ere long will prove a trouble- 

 some sort to the northern exhibitors, by shutting out many of their 

 pet varieties,) " Twitchett's Queen of Scarlets," " Bates's Briseus," 

 " Sharpe's Wellington," " Kirkland's Augusta," " Headley's Scarlet 

 Picottee," and " Gidding's Vespasian," the productions of southern 

 florists ; and at the other metropolitan exhibition the single bloom 

 prizes were all obtained with southern flowers, while on a comparative 

 estimate of those exhibited in pans the southern Carnations and 

 Picottees had a majority over their northern compeers in the ratio of 

 about 100 to 20. 



Mr. Slater's description of " The Beauty of YV'oodhouse" is as follows : 

 " good pod and petals, flower large, colours good, but apt to come 

 nearly while, but when caught fine, will invariably take a first prize." 

 Now, if this flower in a good state invariably takes a first prize, it 

 must necessarily be the best purple flake known, as I am not aware 

 of any other variety being able to ride over all competition in so de- 

 cided a manner. I understand " Chadwick's Brilliant" is a good flower, 

 but liable to a blush white ; if this is a prevailing characteristic it must 

 greatly detract from its merit. I saw a flower of " Robert Burns" at a 

 large cultivator's last year, and refused to order it, although I subse- 

 quently added it to my collection, from observing how it had been 

 placed at the London show. 



I cannot help imagining that Mr. Slater's sarcastic allusion of " a 

 fine proportioned man with one leg, &c," as a model of beauty, may 

 find a parallel in his description of " The Beauty of Woodhouse," 

 which he quotes as a first-rate flower, but " apt to come nearly white /" 

 Thus, it appears, the very fault selected as an extinguisher for the 

 Don, is a fault this star of the north is admitted to be liable to, yet 

 no allusion is made to its value being deteriorated by this circum- 

 stance. 



I never entertained any doubt as to the merits of several of the 

 northern flowers, but when names are vauntingly put forward in the 



