108 MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITION PLANTS. 



is being made, and tiie flower-trusses picked off as soon as 

 they appear, until three or four weeks, according to the time 

 of the year, before the plants are wanted for exhibition. The 

 points of merit are : (1.) Size, form, and health of the plant; 

 (2.) number and size of the trusses, which should stand well 

 above the foliage ; and (3.) quality and size of the flowers, which 

 should be fresh and pure in colour ; the single large and broad 

 in petal, and of good texture ; the double well formed, full, 

 and each pip standing out clear, without crushing in the truss. 

 Some of the best Bicolors are Chelsea Gem, Elegance, Flower 

 of the Day, Iduna, Mrs. Parker, and Triomphe de Gand. Of 

 Bronzes : Best Bronze, Black Douglas, and Mar^chal M'Mahon. 

 Of Golden-leaved : Cloth of Gold, Crystal Palace Gem, and 

 Golden Superb. Of Golden Tricolors : Lucy Grieve, Master- 

 piece, Mrs. Henry Cox, JMrs. Strang, Prince of Wales, and 

 Queen of Tricolors. And of Silver Tricolors : Lass o' Gowrie, 

 Her Majesty, Isle of Beauty, Italia Unita, Mrs. Laing, and 

 Queen of Hearts. Theii' cultivation is similai' to that of the 

 Zonale section, except that the soil should not be so rich, and 

 being more diflicult to keep healthy during the winter, they 

 should be placed on a shelf near the glass in the warmest end 

 of the house, and no more water given than will keep the roots 

 from shrivelling. The Bicolors and Tricolors should be grown 

 in a cold frame during summer, and kept close to the glass. 

 The Bronze and Golden-leaved ma}' be set on boards in the 

 open air in a sheltered place. When the pots ai'e well filled 

 with roots, liquid manure may be given to increase the breadth 

 of the foliage, but not sufficient to affect their perfect colouring. 

 All flowers should be removed as they appear, and the shoots 

 tied in and pinched as they require it. The points of merit 

 are: (1.) Size, health, and form of the plant; (2.) colour and 

 freshness of the leaves ; and (3.) colour of the zone, which should 

 be distinct and bright, and the light parts of the leaf pure and 

 clean. The points of merit in the Bronze section are similar, 

 except that the zone should be a light or dark bronze, and dis- 

 tinct from the other parts of the leaf, which should also be of 

 a bronze shade ; while the Golden and other kinds should con- 

 form exactly to their names. 



