182 BRIEF REMARKS. 



the cover of which is printed " The only authorized Edition." How 

 am I to blame if the diagrams are not in this work? but even if they 

 were published ten years ago, and by the very author of that work, I 

 still maintain they are incorrectly drawn. I think the majority of 

 Carnation growers would not only admit the correctness of my remarks 

 on the diagrams generally, but also tlta.t they would agree with me that 

 the amount of colouring shown in the Carnation is insufficient, the 

 white ground predominating. Here again there is a marked difference 

 between the diagram of a Carnation, and the author of " the Properties' " 

 idea of a perfect petal of a Carnation, published by him in the " Annals 

 of Horticulture, 1847;" where the outer portions of the white ground 

 do not rise to the top of the petal as in (he diagram, consequently a 

 flower composed of such petals would only show two stripes of white, 

 and three of the coloured ; or if the outside portions of the white were 

 seen, they would be very narrow ; in fact they would not be seen unless 

 half as much more of each tier of petals, as shown in the diagram, were 

 visible ; but the diagram shows nearly double the quantity of white. 

 Now let me ask the said author which is correct, the perfect petal in 

 the "Annals of Horticulture, 1847," or the diagram in the '-Gar- 

 deners' Magazine of Botany, 1850?" It is of no use saying they are 

 from the same " model," as there is a manifest difference between them ; 

 and if the " model " is or is to be mechanically true, then I submit 

 there should be no difference between such part of a petal as is 

 visible when in its place in the perfect flower, and when it is shown 

 separately. 



Perhaps the aforesaid author will at the same time favour us with 

 his reasons for omitting the proportions of colours for a perfect Car- 

 nation in his " Properties of Flowers and Plants," and state what is 

 his present idea of perfection in that respect. I can further venture to 

 say, that if it is in accordance with the diagram, it will not do for such 

 youngsters as myself and many others, although we may be " half a 

 century behind in our floral knowledge ;" and, that your correspondent 

 cannot find his boasted " hundreds of better florists than I ever can be," 

 to admit that it is a correct standand ; to this I challenge him, and will 

 submit to the evidence being taken by circulars addressed to every 

 individual grower that can be found in the kingdom by some indifferent 

 person. — Benj. Vialls. Derngate, Northampton. 



The Botanic Gardens of Madrid and Valencia. — The garden 

 at Madrid, founded in the second half of the past century by Charles 

 III., a king who was fund of the arts and sciences, is the principal 

 botanical institution in Spain : it has aizain revived, after being almost 

 entirely neglected during a long series of years, and promises to become 

 in time a garden of importance. This state of things is not much due 

 to the Government, which does almost nothing for the garden, though 

 belonging to the Royal domains, nor yet to its direction, but is owing 

 to Professor Vincente Cutanda's indefatigable zc-al in restoring the 

 establishment, without being himself a piofessional botanist (for he 

 was formerly a barrister) ; and he would be still better enabled to effect 

 his (ibjeet, if he had the entire direction of it. But this last is, unfor- 

 tunately, not the case; neither he nor the two other professors have 



