THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 35 



plants, which need a different treatment from any of the 

 above ; acacias, oranges, geraniums, pelargoniums, tro- 

 pseolums, fuchsias, begonias, cyclamen, ixias, sparaxis, 

 oxalis, amaryllis, roses, and hundreds of other plants, 

 dissimilar in habits and nature, all requiring a different 

 treatment, each needing its peculiar atmosphere and tem- 

 perature ; and often a few sickly orchids, or other stove 

 plants, with yellow leaves and weak aspect, from want of 

 proper heat, thrust in to fill up the spaces between the 

 larger pots : all these are crowded into one small house. 

 Is it strange that none ever reach perfection ? that all are 

 more or less diseased ? that the flowers are poor, and the 

 plants sickly ? Can we expect it to be otherwise ? 



None will deny the beauty of a specimen plant, let the 

 kind be what it may ; and its superiority over an ill-grown 

 plant, let the latter be ever so rare in variety. The public 

 eye is attracted by symmetrical beauty, and not by novelty 

 in variety. To the common observer a well-grown speci- 

 men of the almost forgotten fuchsia globosa is far more 

 beautiful than some new and rare plant, which presents no 

 symmetry of proportion. 



We would by no means discourage the taste for new 

 plants ; it is a healthy tendency, but may be carried too far. 



