on the Dahlia. 287 



of judging a stand of twelve blooms, supposing them hereafter 

 to be exhibited by this mode. First, every stand, allowing a 

 dozen to be brought forward, should be looked over, and each 

 one containing a single imperfect bloom — such as showing an 

 eye, bruised or mutilated petals, or other blemishes — should be 

 set aside as totally disqualified for the prize. Second, those re- 

 maining should be examined carefully, and each flower judged by 

 its real merit. Thirdly, the whole stand should be estimated by 

 its tasteful arrangement, freshness of flowers, variety of color, 

 brilliancy or delicacy of tints, equality of size, &c. All these 

 properties should be kept in view: nothing, to us, is a blemish 

 so fatal in a bloom as bruised or decayed petals. These rules 

 have been the guide, in awarding prizes, of the Metropolitan So- 

 ciety of Florists, and have been the means of discarding from 

 the exhibitions imperfect bloonis of every description. What- 

 ever method our cultivators may adopt, we hope it will be one 

 which will disqualify bad blooms from competition. For our 

 own part, we had rather see twelve perfect blooms, than a hun- 

 dred perfect and imperfect ones together. 



As a guide to the mode of exhibiting blooms in stands, which 

 we wish to see adopted here, we extract from the Horticultural 

 Journal the following plan, communicated by a "successful 

 shower." We have varied the varieties of flowers in one of the 

 stands, as those enumerated have been superseded by finer ones, 

 and some of them are out of cultivation entirely, by the best 

 growers. 



" Form is of the most importance. It is not enough that the 

 flower should not show an eye or disk, but the centre of it should 

 be high up, the petals regular, and the flower fresh and round. 

 In looking, therefore, at your plant for a flower, choose rather 

 a small bloom with all these pi'operties, than a larger one with 

 the slightest deficiency or irregularity. 



" Contrast and variety of color is of the next consequence. 

 In choosing your blooms, or rather your sorts, take care that 

 there are two light, or bright, and two darker in each row: if 

 practicable, let the two light and two darker be so difierent in 

 color from each other that they will bear standing side by side, 

 without appearing at all alike. 



" In the back row place the two light ones at the corners, and 

 the two darker ones in the centre; in the middle row place the 

 dark ones outside, and the light ones in the centre; and in the 

 front row place the two light ones at the corners, and the two 

 darker in the centre. The stand then harmonizes; the four 

 bright flowers at the four corners strike the eye, and the dark 

 ones between the top and bottom rows outside and the light ones 

 between the top and bottom rows inside, form so pleasing a con- 



