FLORISTS' FLOWERS. 



35 



In its early stages a light, rich soil, ahoimding in 

 vegetable matter, with a fair proportion of shaip 

 road or river sand, may be used with advantage, as a 

 compost of this kind favours the formation of roots. 

 In its later stages decapng vegetable matter should 

 give way to rich fertilisers such as bone-dust, bxirnt 

 earth, or crushed charcoal, as being less liable to 

 get out of order when the fibre of the loam begins to 

 decay. 



The staple of the compost in which my own Pines 

 are grown is a fibrous turf from the foot of a range 

 of hills of igneous formation. This is taken ofE 

 very thin, and stacked for a short time to kill the 

 herbage, a reserve being placed in an open shed in 

 September, to be ready for the general potting in 

 the spring. When the time arrives for making the 

 necessary preparations for spring potting, the sods 

 are chopped into squares with a spade ; the fine 

 portion of the soil is rejected, and the foundation of 

 the compost is secured. As this particular turf does 

 not contain calcareous matter, old lime rubble or 

 plaster is broken up and sifted, and one barrowfui of 

 the rough part is added to five of turf. An equal 

 quantity of rough charred refuse and two pecks of 

 bone-dust complete the compost, which is kept dry, 

 and made warm before it is used. Animal manures 

 are never used, as they only encourage worms and 

 facilitate the decay of the fibre of the turf ; but a 

 liberal sprinkling of soot is placed over the crocks, 

 and clear liquid manure in a diluted form is used 

 when the plants require stimulating. 



In a soil of this kind fresh white roots push 

 rapidly, and the broad sturdy foliage soon sc.ows 

 that the plants are enjoying the provision that has 

 been made for them. 



In cold calcareous districts, where the soil soon 

 loses its fibre and becomes close and heavy, a dry 

 elevated knoll in an old sheep pasture, where those 

 animals spend the night, should be selected as being 

 the best for giving a supply of turf. This should be 

 taken off very thin, not more than an inch in 

 thickness, rolled up as if for turfing a lawn, and 

 stacked in narrow ridges, where it can be exposed 

 to the air and protected from wet. When required 

 for use it should be pulled to pieces with the hands, 

 the small portions being rejected. After it is 

 thoroughly dry and friable, add one-fifth of drift or 

 road sand in lieu of the lime rubble, the same 

 quantity of charred refuse also in a rough state, and 

 a liberal allowance of bone-dust. If at hand, a little 

 rough peat may be added. When potting, the 

 rough only should be used for the fruiting and 

 succession plants, and the finer will come in for 

 potting up suckers. From the foregoing the amateur 

 will learn that a light fibrous loam, free from all 

 animal excrement, which only, hastens decomposition 



and retards the free passage of water, and the 

 liberal use of such porous stimulating materials as 

 bones, charcoal, old plaster, and a little soot, are 

 considered the best ingredients for forming a 

 compost in which, all other conditions being favour- 

 able, the Pine will grow freely and swell off fine 

 fruit. 



FLOEISTS' FLOWERS. 



By Eichaed Dean. 



Tlie DaMia. — This has been for many years 

 past a favourite subject among Florists' Flowers ; 

 and it is still largely grown, though not so exten- 

 sively as it was fifteen or twenty years ago. The 

 merit of first carefully attending to and cultivating 

 Dahlias belongs exclusively to the Continental 

 gardeners ; for although we received them almost as 

 soon as the French and Germans, yet, if not lost, 

 they had nearly gone out of notice with us, whilst 

 in France and Germany the varieties had increased 

 as much in numbers as in beauty, and persons fond 

 of gardening who visited the Continent on the 

 return of peace in 1814 were surprised with the 

 splendour and the number of varieties of the Dahlia 

 in foreign collections. In the winter of that year 

 the roots of some of the finest Continental varieties 

 were imported to this country, and then began the 

 work of improvement of the Dahlia by English 

 cultivators and raisers, which has continued to this 

 day. 



The original introduction of the Dahlia to this 

 country is ascribed to the Marchioness of Bute, who 

 brought the first species from Spain in 1789 ; but it 

 is stated that this plant was soon afterwards lost. 

 Other species also found their way here, and they 

 were bloomed in due course. The progress of the 

 Dahlia from a single to a large, fuU, and symmetrical 

 double flower commenced almost immediately on its 

 being introduced. Count Lelieur began to direct 

 his attention to Dahlias in 1808. He successfully 

 hybridised the few varieties he possessed, imtil he 

 obtained purples, dark reds, cherry-reds, buffs, and 

 pale yellows ; and, by continued attention, the 

 seedlings raised under his care at St. Cloud made 

 rapid advance in perfection. He also succeeded in 

 raising some striped and shaded varieties, and these 

 are stated on the authority of The Florist to have 

 been the origin of what are now known as " Fancy 

 Dahlias. In 1818 the English collections contained 

 several double varieties ; and these, from their 

 superior beauty, form, and size, soon banished the 

 single sorts from our gardens. During the next 

 thirty years English Dahlias made such rapid strides 

 in the march of perfection and variety, that now 



