334 PEACTICAL GARDENING. 



off, as it were by prescription, the first prizes. In short, our 

 exhibitions now, particularly near the metropolis, have every 

 appearance of an assembly of artificial plants instead of real 

 ones. If a man exhibits the Oncidium Papilio, the perfec- 

 tion of which is in its moving on its long wiry stem with every 

 breath of air, as if it were a real fly hovering over the other 

 flowers, you will see it pinned to a tall stick, perhaps with a 

 bunch of cotton lint behind it, and as stiff as if the butterfly 

 were pinned to the stick ; they have not the common sense to 

 release it from its bondage ; but we suppose, by its freedom, 

 it would form too great a contrast to the stiff and formal 

 specimens composing the rest of the group. We regret this 

 perverted taste, or want of taste, because it is derogatory, if 

 not downright disgraceful to British gardening. Profuse 

 bloom, and every flower dragged to the surface, seem to be 

 the chief objects now ; and the great mistake is, that when 

 the bloom is disproportionably great it is as much a fault 

 as being deficient. Then again, in blooming a plant pro- 

 fusely, the bloom and the foliage must take their proper 

 places, but if the appearance of profuse bloom is to be given 

 to a thing, by dragging every flower to the outer surface and 

 tying it to the wires of a cage, we should like to see judges 

 employed who know their business, and the exhibitor of such 

 abominations disqualified. 



We do not quarrel with trifles — we are not so squeamish 

 about a bit of bass-matting or a prop as to cavil with it, but 

 let any gardener who is not a prize hunter upon any terms 

 that will get them — any man who loves his profession, and is 

 master of it, examine the plants at the Eegenf s Park, or at 

 Chiswick, and count the props, wires, and ties, and ask him- 

 self whether he would condescend to degrade gardening by 

 adopting such means to -^^in aU that could be got by it ? We 

 are quite aware this is an unpopular subject. Propriety has 

 no chance against bad habits, and taste is but a poor opponent 

 to gold medals ; unless the societies or the judges correct the 

 evil, there is no extravagance or trickery, no depth of degra- 

 dation, that would not be resorted to by regular prize hunters. 

 It is only the withholding of the prizes for unnatural training, 

 as IVIr. Loddiges did in 1833 or 4, when he was acting as a 

 judge at Lord's Cricket-ground, that wiU bring gardeners back 

 to sound taste and natural cultivation. 



It has been long observed that geraniums are propped in a 



