206 HINTS ON THE EARLY FLOWERING OF SEEDLING PLANTS. 



ARTICLE II. 



HINTS ON THE EARLY FLOWERING OF SEEDLING PLANTS 



REQUESTED. 



I observe an article in this month's Number of your most useful 

 and valuable Cabinet, entitled " Remarks on Hybridizing Plants, 

 by an Amateur Florist," where he states that he directed his attention 

 to the process last season with the " Amaryllis, Achimenes, Verbena, 

 Fuchsia, Phlox, Pelargonium, and others ; " and that now, this 

 season, he has, " as the result, very numerous, and in almost endless 

 variety, beautifully distinct flowers of the above, with the exception 

 of the Amaryllis." 



It is, in my opinion, of great consequence to all, and much more so 

 to those who hybridize plants extensively, to obtain the result of their 

 labours as soon as possible, and ascertain what value and properties 

 the numerous seedling plants may possess, as we may be, and in all 

 probability are, crowding our houses with hundreds of the same kind, 

 and more likely thousands of plants that are worse than those we 

 have procured the seed from, and therefore not worth keeping; for I 

 consider no seedling variety worth house room and trouble that does 

 not possess properties either in form or colour to mark it as a distinct 

 and acceptable variety from any other yet produced ; for, during the 

 last few years, we have seen the market inundated with all sorts of 

 new flowers, many of them having no other recommendation than 

 that they are new hybridized varieties, no attention being paid to 

 whether they are better or worse than their parents. And as I have 

 found from experience how difficult it now is, after the many beau- 

 tiful hybridized varieties of all florist flowers that have been sent out, 

 to obtain a new plant that can recommend itself either for its novelty 

 in fine form, or beauty of colour, or both combined ; the great object 

 of every one who raises seedlings must be to have them to produce 

 their flowers as soon as possible. Yet, notwithstanding all my care 

 with seedling Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, and some others, I cannot 

 induce them to flower until the second season, or about eighteen 

 months after sowing, and sometimes longer. Under these circum- 

 stances I would feel much obliged if your correspondent would favour 

 me with a few hints to make my seedling Fuchsias and Pelargoniums 

 flower early, as he has succeeded in flowering his of last summer's 





