8 



more cultivated in France, than in England, (the flower gar- 

 den of Europe,) in the space of less than half a century, 

 have sprung under the fostering and ingenious hand of Flo- 

 ricultural Art, varieties and sub-varieties vieing each year 

 with each other in elegance of contour, dehcacy of petal or 

 transcendant tint and dye. Not a little remarkable the fact, 

 that a plant so liable to sport, that often a proportion of one 

 to five thousand gives the chance of a flower capable of 

 standing the severe test of merit and taste, should have called 

 into the field of enterprise so many competitors for the rear- 

 ing of a fine variety ! But when on reflection it is perceived 

 with what precision the very laws of vegetable organization 

 are rendered subservient to the demand and artificial taste of 

 the florist, he expecting of Nature an implicit obedience, 

 regulating the curvature of a flower, the expansion of the 

 lamina of its petals, the convexity of its disk, the fulness of 

 its form, shading with ruby or purple a golden or ivory flvjret 

 or deepening its color, that its crystalline and pulpy granules 

 may reflect some ever changing hue — when such results are 

 to be anticipated, we can appreciate the zeal and patience, 

 which such efforts develope. 



The Dahlia for the past season has succeeded less in dis- 

 play of flowers than in any previous, for many years. The 

 extreme heat of a summer such as has not been known for 

 several years, has proved extremely unfavorable to inflores- 

 cence, and has deprived the autumn of its usual floral charms. 

 Compared with the last, the annual Exhibition of the Society 

 was meagre in display as regards this choice production and 

 universal favorite. Whoever witnessed the profusion of 

 blooms, which gave a dazzling brilliancy to the flower stands 

 and to the very walls, must have been struck with the sensi- 

 ble deficiency of this season. New and choice varieties, im- 

 ported by the ever active zeal and enterprise of those forward 

 in the introduction of fine and new plants, failed to produce 

 flowers, of which many were anticipating a gratified inspec- 



