32 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 



branch. The same sorting and study of these is made and the 

 same results follow — many poor ones to one good one. All 

 weeping trees are first obtained by the process of selection from 

 seedlings, and most variegated sorts by the same method — the 

 sporting of a single branch — "bud variation" as it is called. 

 But the truly creative florist is such a man as Lemolne, or John 

 Laing, or Veitch, who looks at all the newly found botanical 

 species of flowers that are brought together by that remarkable 

 adjunct of European nurseries, the "plant collector," from the 

 ends of the earth, and says — This species has beautiful foliage, 

 and that one has gorgeous blossoms and poor foliage. Let us 

 coax Mother Nature to combine especially for us florists, these 

 two good habits in one plant. Now follows the most marvellous 

 thing of modern da3's. This patient plantsman induces Nature to 

 break down in this instance the very thing that gives all their 

 values and all their stability to the trees and plants of the earth, — 

 that is to sa}', their specific limitations ! 



After keeping these two plants for ages within their own rigidly 

 defined habits and customs, the members of each species growing 

 up as uniform as a Quaker congregation, at the importunit}' of a 

 man who dares to ask it, she " makes the sun stand still on 

 Gibeon " for him, gives a special license to unite these two members 

 of two separated families, and the offspring of this union gives us a 

 choice of many combinations of the two desired qualities. This 

 comes the nearest to a miracle of anything in modern times. 

 Sometimes, however, when the florist asks too much, she says. No ! 

 All these thoughts crowd upon us as we look, for instance, at the 

 new tuberous begonias in flower at John Laing's, near London, 

 and from the wonderful blossoms to the wonderful old man who 

 has persuaded Nature to do these things for us. In a very few 

 years — ten perhaps — some wild species of begonias have been 

 induced to cross, and have been so assisted also by generous cul- 

 ture that I saw one single kind whose flower actually measured 

 seven inches in diameter, and some smaller ones were as double as 

 the best zinnias, with much of their shape, too. Mr. Laing's fine 

 houses, which were very skilfully staged, were filled almost to the 

 roof with plants of all sizes up to six feet high and three feet 

 broad, all simply loaded down with a class of blossoms almost 

 totally novel to my eyes, of all shades of orange, white, and red, and 

 of such amazing size and figures as set the senses in a whirl of 

 delight and doubt. Could these be really begonias ? Outside iu 



