Foreign J^Totices. 193 



found it difficult to decide to which to award the prize. A splendid 

 nosegay was cut from Mr.Redding's plants, and, together with the twelve 

 prize camellias, was sent to the queen. This exhibition was to be repeat- 

 ed. The disjjlay must have been exceedingly splendid, from the great 

 number of camellias which were contributed, amounting in all to above 

 two hundred plants, besides a great quantity of cut blooms. Another 

 year we anticipate the offer of a valuable premium, by the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, for the best tsvelve cut flowers. We have 

 no doubt but that a magnificent show of cut blooms could be made by 

 the amateurs around Boston. — Ed. 



Protection to Nurserymen in Great Britain. — A writer in the Horti- 

 cultural JoMTOrt^ expresses a hope that English nurserymen may receive 

 some protection against Continental competition. The immense quan- 

 tities of plants which are annually imported from the Continent, where 

 glass is without duty, fuel cheap, and labor cheaper, renders it impossi- 

 ble for the English nurserymen to procure a reasonable price for their 

 articles. The writer recommends a duty of one shilling a plant on all 

 quantities under one hundred, and nine pence per plant upon all quan- 

 tities above that number. It is recommended that all nurserymen and 

 gardeners petition parliament for a protecting duty on plants. — {Hart. 

 Jour.) 



Chances of obtaining superior new dahlias. — Mr. Girling, the grower 

 of the superb dahlias, Ruby, Suffolk Hero, Topaz, &c., advertises 

 eight new ones this year of his own raising, and states that they were se- 

 lected from 20,000 seedlings. Those who wish to grow seedling dahlias, 

 can judge from this, what proportion of flowers worth naming they may 

 expect. The nearer the flowers approach all the requisite properties 

 of a dahlia, the less will be the proportion of fine ones; and if only 

 eight out of 20,000 can now be procured, in a short period, not more 

 than three or four, out of the same number, may reasonably be expect- 

 ed to possess superior properties. 20,000 plants set at the distance usu- 

 ally allowed for dahlias, would occupy, at least, two acres of ground. 

 This, however, we hope, will not deter our nurserymen, or amateurs, 

 from making the attempt to raise seedlings. — Ed. 



Lownde's Perfection geranium. — A variety under this name is offered 

 in the English catalogues, of this season, at 105 shillings sterling, or £5, 

 5s. tlie plant. The color of the flower is not stated. — Id. 



Buist's and Mackenzie's Seedling dahlias. — Messrs. C. J. & Peter 

 Young, nurserymen, of Epsom, London, we observe, in their late pub- 

 lished catalogues of dahlias, offer for sale, among others, Buist's Wash- 

 ington and Mackenzie's Perfection dahlias, at 7s. 6d. each. Buist's 

 Washington is said to be a very fine white flower, in the shape of Cri- 

 terion. Undoubtedly Mr. Buist found a better sale for the roots ia 

 England than in this country. It was not in the trade in this country, 

 last season, though we presume it will be this. Mackenzie's Perfection 

 was exhibited at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society's room, last fall, 

 but was not greatly admired. Mackenzie's Contender is a very jjretty 

 quilled variety of good form, a free bloomer, and well worthy of cultiva- 

 tion in a select collection. — Ed. 



New Seedling dahlias. — We believe we stated, in our last number, 

 that the number of new seedlings for 1838 was not so great as that of 

 the year preceding. Since that time, however, Ave have received a great 

 numl)er of catalogues, which contain the names of many new and high 

 priced kinds. Elphinstonc has raised a few, which are described as very- 

 fine. Girling, Jeffries, Young, Squibb, Rendle, Brown, Smith, and 

 Barrett, each, enumerate several varieties of their own production. 

 Smith's Lord Byron, a beautiful light ruby crimson one, is figured in the 

 Horticultural Journal. 



VOL. IV. — NO. V. 25 



