Foreign J^otices. 453 



carded from our j^ardens, have the past season taken prizes; an indica- 

 tion that, in the interior town-; of our own state, the thiiilia, though not 

 grown to any thin;; like the extent, is, nevertheless, as well appreciated 

 as in the remoter parts of Enjihuul. 



As regards the production of new seedlings, the chances of procuring 

 superior ones seem to lessen every year: so far as we have noticed, the 

 ntinit)er of seedling |)rizes awarded is not lar^e; and we may, from 

 thence, infer that there will not he a very great nundjer of new ones of- 

 fered the cominir sprinir. Some dissatisfaction has been created hy the 

 naminij and selling of many seedling dowers, at the high ]irice of 10s. 

 6d. a pl-int, which have proved totally worthless, and amateurs and gen- 

 tlemen who have been eager to possess them, and unable to do so with- 

 out paying so exhorbitantly, have now begun to be shy of seedlings, and 

 buy with -rreater caution; choosing rather to grow more of the establish- 

 ed kinds, than those whose beauty remains utdsuown, and which often 

 cause sad disap|)ointment to the unlucky purchaser. 



The Royal Society and Central School of Horticulture and Ai^ricul- 

 ture, in order to jtrevent as nuich as possible the deception which has 

 been too repeatedly practised, have estalilished certain rules and regula- 

 tions, l)y which the judu'es at all the exhibitions will be guided in mak- 

 ing their awards of prizes. These a|)pear to be drawn up with much 

 care, and, if adhered to, cannot fail to have a very beneficial eftect, and be 

 the means of preventing any false estimate of a bloom to be given to the 

 public. The decisions of the jndires, who are always selected from the 

 most eminent fanciers, will be looked upon as a sure test oi' the excel- 

 lent i)roperties and real value of seedling blooms. The following are 

 the rules and regulations we allude to: — 



Dahlias to be shown in Three Classes. 

 Collections of 36 blooms for dealers. 

 Collections of 24 blooms for grovvers of more than 200. 

 Collections of 12 blooms for growers of less than 200. 



Prizes will depend on the Jud'jres, the tirst in each class being the gold 

 medal, value £7 lis. 6d., or five guineas money or plate; the other 

 prizes varying down to the silver medal, value £1 lis. 6d., or one guinea 

 in f)late or money. 



Besiiles these prizes for stands and collections, the jiuljies may select 

 from the rejected stands any number of simple blooms which are models 

 of fine proportion and good growth, aiu' award them piizes from 2s. 6d. 

 to 10s. 6i. value; so that persems who may not be able to make up a 

 first-rate stand, but yet possess a few very fine flowers, may look with 

 confidence for the single bloom prizes, though rejected by the judges 

 from the stand [irizes. 



No stand which contains a flower with pointed petals, or a defective 

 eye, or with two floioers too much alike, or a bloom decayed, ov greatly 

 damaged hy vermin, or a flower not regularly sold out, can be awarded 

 a i)rize as a stand, though there be no other defect. 



The object of adopting this plan is, that of teaching as well as encour- 

 aeing inexperienced showers; it lieinir [)resumed that, for the credit of 

 the Society, those siuirle flowers which possess good properties will 

 alone be selected for single bloom prizes, and be marked accordingly; 

 showing at once the description of flower to be cultivated and exhibited, 

 and encourasriiiir, by these prizes, the very sm.illest and most inexperi- 

 enced growers to show a stand, even if they cannot avoid defects. It 

 may thus occur, that stands which would be rejected instantly, on ac- 

 count of glaring fiults in one half the flowers, may nevertheless contain 

 two or three blooms deserving prizes. 



The judges will, in a triflini;- degree, relax in the severity of their 

 judgment on the stands of 12; and therefore it may ha[)peu lhat,ja the 



