104 ON OHAMGIN'G THE COLOUR OF FLOWERS. 



plants that have five, six, or seven petals, I mark them by tving 

 a piece of coloured worsted to the foot stalk of the flower. When 

 the seed is ripe, I preseiTe the pods thus marked, by themselves ; 

 the seed in those pods produce me about 8 out of 10 double flowers 

 the ensuinix vear. 

 Mai/ 6tk, 1833, William Stent. 



P.S. — There is one thing I ha\e always thought would be an 

 improvement to a Work like yours, that is, when you describe a 

 new Plant, if you were to mention where it is to be got, and the 

 price. If my humble talents, can in any way promote the interest 

 of your Work, in future it is at youi entire senice.* 



•The favours of our respected Correspondent will very highly oblige ns. — 



COTiV. 



ARTICLE VI. — On Changing the Colour of the Flowers 

 of the Hydrangea hortensi^. By Mr. J. Marsden. 



Observing in the 1st No. of the FloricuUural Cabinet, a query 

 from " Richard Tate," and not finding any reply in your second 

 number, I beg to state that the Hydrangea — rose flowering — may 

 be made to produce beautiful blue clusters of flowers, often larger 

 than when grown in common earth, by planting healthy plants in 

 pots filled with good bog earth, in the autumn or early in the 

 spring; putting the roots in, quite clean and free from the soil 

 they were gro^vn in when flowering rose-coloured blossoms. I 

 believe that if a small portion of night soil is added to the bog, 

 and before using, seeing that it is well decomposed and mixed 

 with it ; it is more certain of producing fine heads of blue blos- 

 soms ; but bog alone seldom fails to have the desired eflfect. My 

 late Father had a large quantity of Blue Hydi'angeas, which I 

 believe were produced solely from using bog, and I believe he 

 had a method of growing them, to produce yellow blossoms by 

 using strong sulphur water, or some other chemical process. This 

 however, I am unable to state. I am happy to add, the Floricul' 

 tural Cabinet is much approved of in this town and neighbourhood, 

 and will undoubtedly have a wide circulation when it becomes 

 better known. 



Chelmsford, April 17, 1833, James Marsden. 



