General Notices. 279 



coralla; 11. Triumphans — salmon, fine shape, large, thick, firm corolla; 

 12. Sinensis — rich yellow, good shape and substance. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 

 9, and 10 should be worked, as they are very apt to go off if on their own 

 roots. The following are twelve other excellent sorts : — 1. Prince Albert 

 — fiery deep red, wants well growing, or it comes bad in shape ; 2. Double 

 red — ditto ; 3. Refulgens — deep rosy fiery crimson ; 4. Speciosissima — red- 

 dish crimson, very large and showy; 5. Alba perfecta — paper white; 6. 

 Prsestantissima — bright light purple ; 7. Rosea superb ; 8. Coccinea su- 

 perb — an improvement on Smithii coccinea ; 9. Vivicans — light purple, 

 large ; 10. Duke of Devonshire — dark red ; 11. Fulgens superb ; 12. Blanda 

 — salmon red. — (Gard. Journ., 1848, p. 197.) 



Culture and Management of Greenhouse Specimens. — Mr. G. Mason read 

 an Essay on the General Culture and Management of Greenhouse Speci- 

 mens. He remarked that, in selecting a collection of plants for speci- 

 mens, there were two points of the greatest importance to be borne in mind : 

 the first was, contrast of colors ; the second was, diversification of foliage. 

 He also recommended novelties worthy of cultivation to be introduced. The 

 beginning of February, if the weather was mild, he considered the best 

 time for the commencement of potting ihese plants, in consequence of their 

 having made but little growth, and from the less injury they would sustain. 

 The essayist recommended potting progressively the first season, for he 

 considered that, if hard-wooded plants were potted according to the one- 

 shift system, there would not be that certainty of success, as if they were 

 potted according to the progressive system. He also observed that, in the 

 one-shift system, from the large quantity of soil consequently required, the 

 stationary situation it was in, and from frequent waterings, it was quite evi- 

 dent that it vi-ould become retentive, and become reduced to a state of com- 

 pactness, unfavorable to the growth of roots. The essayist did not con- 

 sider it necessary to enter into detail upon the different soils required for 

 different species, but recommended, as a general rule, to use the compost 

 in as fresh a state as possible, as he considered the chemical properties of 

 soil in a fresh state acted more readily than in that which had undergone 

 decomposition ; and also that the mechanical properties were much better. 

 If used as he recommended, he considered there would be no necessity for 

 the introduction of potsherds in the soil, which, in his opinion, were more 

 detrimental than useful. The plants recommended were those propagated 

 the previous summer, and of seedling plants as many as could be obtained. 

 As the plants in general were in small-sized sixty pots, he would shift them 

 into small forty-eights, or larger, according to the size and habits of the 

 plants, giving them a drainage of at least half an inch of potsherds ; this he 

 would do by placing a large crock in the bottom, smaller ones on these, 

 and cover the whole with a layer of moss or coarse peat. The house con- 

 sidered best adapted for growing specimen plants was span-roofed, of a 

 south and north aspect, as, in that case, they would receive all the solar 

 light possible to be obtained ; and, if placed under more unfavorable circum- 

 stances, they could not perform their functions in the decomposition of car- 

 bonic acid, or the elaboration of their food. The operation of potting be- 



