220 A new Arrangement of the 



scorching or blistering them, and cause these uncommonly 

 slow-growing plants to advance with a degree of comparative 

 rapidity that is as pleasing as it is surprising, and their leaves 

 will become twice as large as when treated in the usual way. 

 The size of this foliage, too, as in bulbous and most other 

 plants, will indicate the increase of size also in the expected 

 but as yet invisible flowers ; although in Succul(int8e, and more 

 especially in jPicoideae, I should expect the reverse. 



Thus treated, these conspicuous plants will reach the height 

 of 3 or 4 ft. in the smaller sorts, and that of 7 and 8, at least 

 in the tallest kinds, terminating in abundant and most beau- 

 tiful flowers, many of which will far surpass 5 in. in expan- 

 sion, and with almost every colour, except deep scarlet and 

 the tints of blue. 



But other aspects than the south or west, and even the open 

 borders in very favourable seasons, will suit the greater part 

 of these plants, near London, tolerably well, and enable them 

 to open their flowers, though much later and smaller than 

 those against a soulh-aspected wall, where they will expand 

 every season ; and, if properly blended as to colour, at the 

 middle and end of every November, they ai'e capable of making 

 a more showy and magnificent appearance of flowery beauty, 

 richness, and elegance, than I ever beheld in any other group. 

 The duration of their hardy flowers is likewise greater than 

 that of other autumnal plants, both as to individual blossoms, 

 and in the lateral successional ones, and even when cut for 

 bouquets and placed in vessels of water ; one plant of the 

 old purple, in my garden, having had flowers from the begin- 

 ning of November last, to the second week in the present 

 January. But the earlier they can be made to come into 

 blossom, by open-air treatment (for all forcing irretrievably 

 weakens them), the better, and the longer will be their dura- 

 tion, and the finer their soft but agreeable chamomile scent. 



Notwithstanding these deserved eulogies, Chinese chrysan- 

 themums have not hitherto ranked with the true flowers of the 

 florist, because, however well formed, in many of the varieties, 

 they are all, save the Gold-bordered Red, of self or uniform 

 colours ; and the florist requires yet another colour or colours 

 to be distinctly depicted upon the first or ground colour of 

 every petal, to constitute his favourite flakes, bizarres, and 

 picotees. 



This grand desideratum in Chinese chrysanthemums will, 

 however, be finally accomplished through the seeds of well- 

 formed half-double or double flowers, particularly those of my 

 first section, called ranunculus-flowered ; one of that section, 

 the above-mentioned Gold-bordered Red, having already a fine 



