HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS AND SCHEDULES. 509 



For the purpose of exhibiting flowers the word " kind " is 

 practically identical with the word 4 4 genus " (which consists of 

 an assemblage of species and varieties of kindred plants) ; but as 

 a class entitled "twelve distinct genera of Hardy Flowers" 

 would appear a little stilted, if not puzzling to many cultivators 

 the more familiar word "kinds" is substituted in schedules. 

 " Twelve bunches of flowers, distinct kinds," whether these be 

 hardy or tender flowers, means there must be one, and one only, 

 representative of the kind or genus. This representative may be 

 either a "species" or "variety," but there must not be both; 

 and if a bunch of, say, Antirrhinums, or Carnations, or any 

 other flowers be staged, this bunch must consist entirely 

 of one variety. A mixed bunch would be open to disqualifica- 

 tion. And there must be twelve bunches, no more and no 

 less ; there must be no excess of representatives, because the 

 number stipulated (whatever it may be) is definite and in- 

 flexible. 



We have now to distinguish between a "species" and 

 "variety." That great numbers of persons fail in doing this is 

 evident by the number of " varieties " of flowers which are sent to 

 the editors of horticultural journals to be named. They send 

 what they call six " species " of Azaleas, or of Fuchsias, or of 

 Carnations, or of Roses, or of Chrysanthemums, or of any other 

 kind of flower, and these prove to be not " species " at all, but 

 "varieties," and therefore outside journalistic stipulations as to 

 naming species only. 



To put the matter concisely, "species" may be regarded as 

 the "fixed" stars of earth, or flowers of nature, which per- 

 manently represent the genus to which they belong. They 

 remain the same from generation to generation and century to 

 century. Under natural conditions they are not prone to change. 

 The Wild Roses of the far past are the same in our hedgerows 

 to-day, as are the Daisies in our pastures, as well as many old 

 familiar flowers in our gardens. 



But when " species " are removed from their natural habitats 

 and given high culture in gardens, they are apt to change after 

 the manner of the wild Viola tricolor taken from the cornfields 

 by Lord Gambier, and planted in his garden a little over seventy 

 years ago. Seedlings from the changes thus effected showed 

 still further divergence — the result of pollen influence — and 



