150 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Fig. 58 shows a scries of well-flamed petals ; the beam should start from 

 tin? edge of the circle of white or yellow forming the hase, as if the 

 base is absent or small the effect of the flower is much depreciated ; the 

 white or yellow ground should also he seen between the foot of the beam 

 And the leathering at the edge of the petals. When beam and feathering 

 meet at the bate the (lower is said to be "fast," a common fault when the 

 bulbs are overgrown ; the beam again should not "run out " at the tips 

 of the petals, but should break into fine pencillings which merge into 

 the feathering. Above all, the colouring of the beam should be bold 

 and decisive and well branched, a simple pillar of colour not being 

 esteemed. 



Fig8, f)l and f/2 show finely flamed flowers; in fig. 51, to the left is 

 4 Dr. Hardy,' to the right 1 Lord Stanley 1 ; in fig. 52 to the left is 'George 

 Edward,' to the right 'Duchess of Sutherland.' The two latter flowers, 

 hut reversed, are also shown in fig, 56, but the foreshortening, due to 

 looking down into a, cup-shaped flower, rather obscures the markings in 

 this latter ease. 



The excellence of both feathered and flamed flowers much depends 

 upon contrast between the markings and the ground colour; hence the 

 markings should be decided and the ground colour clear. A dull white 

 or a flimsy translucent petal is a great defect ; the finest flowers possess a 

 smooth solid petal, glossy and brilliant. 



Texture of petal is the quality par excellence of the pure florist; the 



(lowers which show this feature, like the Ivose, the Carnation, the Auricula, 

 as well as the Tulip, are the true florist's flowers. Of course, only a 

 Tulip with a solid petal will last well and keep its shape in hot weather; 

 many varieties perish at the tips, open too widely, or fall into a loose 

 undecided shape after being a short time open. 



Breeders are judged by the quality of the petal alone : they must 

 show a good shape and a clear wide base. Their brilliancy of colour and 

 freedom from blemishes, such as frost or hail marks and irregularities of 

 grow th, form the basis on w hich they are judged. 



Lastly, in making up a stand, the fancier aims at getting a lot of 

 blooms as uniform in character and as even in size as possible, not mixing 

 big, fully grown, and rather loose specimens with others that are young, 

 compact, and small. He also should aim at contrast dissimilarity — as 

 much as he can ; in a stand of twelve, two of the Bizarrcs should be of 

 the red sort, and two of the black; one feathered flower should be heavy, 

 the other lightly marked &C. But these are counsels of perfection. 

 Too often, through the vagaries of the weather and the provoking incon- 

 stancy of the flower, the fancier is reduced to showing what he can scrape 

 together to fulfil the conditions of the schedule, without considering too 

 deeply such line points as uniformity and dissimilarity. 



It is this inconstancy of the flower which is apt to disgust the 

 beginner with the fancy. Be obtains what is said to be a good feathered 

 sort, and when the flower appears it is worthless and quite out of 

 oharaoter, whereupon he rather begins to think he has been swindled. 

 Let him take courage, the bulb itself will probably come right another 

 year ; the off se ts in their turn are likely to yield some fine flowers. He 

 must accumulate a stock and cultivate carefully to raise his proportion of 



