Editorial Miscellany. 185 



following- named gentlemen were elected officers for the ensuing 

 year : — President, John Groshou ; Vice-Presidents, Abraham A. 

 Leggett, Archibald Russell, H. M. Schiefflin, Caleb F. Lindsley, 

 Theodore Banks ; Treasurer, Dr. James Knight ; Recording Secre- 

 tary, Peter B. Mead, Corresponding Secretary, F. W. Tompkins ; 

 Librarian, James Cheetham ; Library Committee, Peter B. Mead| 

 Andrew Picid ; Finance Committee, Caleb F. Lindsley, F. W, 

 Tompkins, Francis Speir ; Premium Committee, Charles More, 

 Isaac Buchanan ; Fruit Committee, Peter B. Mead, William S. Car- 

 penter, John Suttic ; Committee on Flowers and Plants, Thomas 

 Hogg, Thomas Netterville, John S. Burgess ; Committee on Vege- 

 tables, Wm. Cranstoun, Alfred Bridgeman, Peter Henderson ; 

 Committee on Seeds, John Groshou, Caleb F. Lindsley, Dr. James 

 Knight. 



I SHOULD not have troubled your readers with the following re- 

 marks, had not an article on raising seedling Carnations (recently 

 printed in a contemporary magazine) been greatly calculated to 

 mislead the inexperienced florist. Persons accustomed to raise 

 seedlings never think of saving the seed from single flowers. I 

 should say that from such seed there would not be a moderately 

 good flower in ten thousand. The only fault with, at least, two- 

 thirds of our present varieties is, that they are too thin of petals, 

 and will not form a good crown, which is an indispensable pro- 

 perty in the criteria of a fine Carnation or Pink. I ask, what can 

 look more meagre than the half-double flowers ? 



For the information of your readers, I will detail my mode of 

 proceeding. I select such flowers as are perfectly double. That 

 such flowers may produce seed, it will be necessary to let every 

 bud remain to bloom. When they are fully expanded, and the 

 pistils assume a glittering icy appearance, take any one half-ex- 

 panded bloom, and tear it open, when will be seen the apices (an- 

 thers) containing the pollen, or dust ; take one of these, and, if 

 not already burst, open it, and draw it along the pistils (thread- 

 like terminating horns) till you see some of the powder adhering 

 to them. If this has been properly done, the bloom will close in 

 two or three hours ; and if no alteration takes place, repeat it till 

 it does. In two or three days after impregnation has taken place, 

 cut off all the other buds, and remove the plant to a situation 

 where it will get plenty of sun ; keep it well supplied with water, 

 and protect the capsule (closed pod) from rain, by placing a 

 square piece of thin board or other material upon the stick, just 

 above it ; gather the seed when ripe, and keep it in the pod in a 

 well-corked phial. It will be also necessary to protect the pod 

 from earwigs, which is best done by winding a little fresh sheep's 



