SOILS. (Sj 



That gust, which caused the Hght to flicker in our 

 grand chandeliers and lamps, all but blew out for 

 €ver our rush-lights and farthing dips. 



It was but a gust and a surprise. *' It was a 

 moment's fantasy, and as such it has passed." 

 Those generals, whose eyes blinked for a second 

 as they read of the superior powers of Hereford, 

 have since won glorious victories, each for his 

 shire. Cheshunt and Colchester, Salisbury and 

 Slough, again and again have gained the pride 

 of place; and not until 1867 did the victor of 

 1858 resume his championship among the chiefs. 

 Enough, surely, for one man's ambition, twice in 

 a decade to achieve such a conquest !* 



There are no duties upon sunshine, there are 

 no monopolies in air ; and there are thousands of 

 acres, both sides the Border, as genial for the Rose 

 as the King's by Hereford — nurseries and gardens 

 in every part of Victoria's realm, from which Mr. 

 Cranston, or any other man, with his fondness for 

 the flower and persevering skill in its culture, may 

 grow it in all its glory. 



But idleness and ignorance will not believe it. 

 Dwelling in a land of Roses, in a land where the 



* In 1873, Mr. Cranston won another great victory — the largest 

 amount as yet offered as a prize for cut Roses — £2.0 for 72 blooms, at 

 Wisbech; and again, in 1877, he won wherever he showed. 



