166 CRITICAL NOTICES. 



Catherine, Fair Maid, Queen of Scarlets, Princess Augusta, Duchess 

 of Sutherland, Model of Perfection, Prince Albert, Venus, Captain 

 Sleigh, and several others, of which at some future time you shall have 

 my opinion, when I can speak with more certainty as to their merits. 

 There were a few other seedlings in the room without name, but none 

 possessing traits to call forth remark. 



I am informed that this was the most extensive exhibition ever made 

 in this town, and I believe there was nearly one hundred exhibitors. 

 I am extremely sorry to be obliged to make remarks that may not per- 

 haps be pleasing to those engaged ; I am not over fastidious, but still 

 so much so as not to be silent where censure is due. In the first pan 

 to which a prize was attached of a silver cup, valued at six pounds, 

 were two stained bottoms ; who to blame I cannot say, the censors or 

 the rules of the Society, but certainly no Society can have for one of 

 its rules of decision, that a dirty bottom sliould gain a prize, even pro- 

 vided that every other point was correct. "With me a stained bottom 

 disqualifies a pan, I remember some years since, near London, being 

 requested to enter a room with Mr, Gregg and Mr, Alexander (names 

 familiar with most Tulip growers) to judge a large table of pans. 

 Our first work was to put aside all disqualified pans, and a stained 

 bottom was one point of disqualification. 



I confess I was raucli surprised that the first pan I looked into, the 

 premier prize, should display such a glaring defect, but after such 

 a precedent no wonder that some of the classes displayed the same 

 trait. 



I am sorry that at this great concentration of Tulip growers such a 

 thing should have been allowed to pass, I must say, and I hope I 

 shall be forgiven for saying so, that I think it a blot in the character 

 of the Northern Society, which I hope to see entirely blotted out. 



You have now my remarks on this great exhibition. My answer to 

 your question on your perforated bulbs in my next. 



Yours truly, 

 Manchester. Dahl. 



CRITICAL NOTICES. 



A Select Descriptive Catalogue of Hardy Ornamental Plants, for 

 the Autumn of 1850 and Spring of 1851, Messrs. Standish and 

 Noble, Nurserymen, Bagshot, Surrey. 



American plants are grown on a very extensive scale at tlie above- 

 named nursery ; and in addition to many other valuable observations on 

 the class of plants which are contained in this useful Catalogue, there 

 are extended remarks on the treatment of that noble family, the Rho- 

 dodendron, from which we extract the following particulars. In 

 reference to their own nursery, they observe, — 



" A more unpromising appearance than the original condition of 

 their present American nursery can scarcely be imagined ; and as in 

 its present improved state it affords a good example of what can be 

 done in the most sterile spots, they beg to describe the nature of the 



