THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



rearing plants, at least so as to produce fine healthy 

 flowers. In the issue of that paper for January 8th, 

 Mr. 0'. W. Dod states that it is the season of the year 

 when we are reminded by the Gardening Journals that 

 Christmas Roses are very beautiful, and so easy of 

 cultivation, that there can be no excuse for any garden 

 being without them. Codes of rules for treatment, 

 situation and soil are laid down, often quite at variance 

 with one another ; but all of them, no doubt, successful 

 enough when the climate suits them. Mr. Dod states, 

 " For more than ten years, however, I have tried every 

 plan, and adopted every suggestion I have been able to 

 find, without success. I have planted them in leaf- 

 mould, in peat, and in loam, and mixtures of all three; 

 in sun, in shade, on raised borders, and flat borders ; 

 I have mixed sandstone, and limestone, and mortar in 

 the soil, and done many other things for them, but 

 they only produced three or four miserable leaves in 

 spring, and half-a-dozen small, ill-formed flowers at 

 Christmas, and do the same year after year ; many of 

 the plants have been for a year or more in the same 

 spot, whilst others have been transplanted. I know 

 that if I could only get a fine healthy crop of leaves in 

 spring, the flowers would follow. I pay much attention 

 to the cultivation of hardy plants, with tolerable 

 success ; but except, perhaps, the common white Lily, 

 no plant has so completely beaten me as the Christmas 

 Rose." This confession has led to other experiences 

 being published of a similar character, and from these 

 we learn conclusively that it is not so easy to cultivate 

 this well-known flower as some have supposed. One 

 writer states that this subject, like most Alpine plants, 

 " loves a pure air, a situation moderately moist, and a 

 soil of a rich loamy nature. The plant does well here 

 (Yorkshire) in any of the borders. It makes large, 

 healthy, vigorous foliage, and produces an abundance 

 of flowers. Three or four years ago I noticed 

 something had been eating the flower-buds off the 

 plants in a border ; on search we caught a rabbit under 

 the foliage. This will give an idea of the health and 

 vigour of the plants. It is increased by division; after 

 being divided and planted, it does not make much 

 progress for a year or two, until it gets well established. 

 After the plants are planted in the borders they should 

 not be disturbed by frequent hoeing and raking ; when 

 it is necessary to hoe and rake about the plants, it 

 should be done with the greatest care, so as not to 

 injure the foliage. Probably the plants complained of 

 get more attention in this way than is good for them. 

 It is a plant that should not be much disturbed. 

 When the plants get into large clumps they should be 



divided, as moderately-sized clumps flower more freely 

 than very large ones. 5 ' 



THE PINK. 



The Pink has not been so long under the particular 

 care of amateur florists as some other favourite flowers 

 of the present day. The amateur's attachment to the 

 Auricula, Carnation and Tulip can be traced to a more 

 remote date. Philip Miller, in his second edition of 

 the " Gardener's Dictionary," published in 1833, says 

 but little of the 1 ink, while other florists' flowers are 

 more elaborately noticed in the same edition, thus 

 showing that the Pink, at that period, was not much 

 estimated. The varieties spoken of are the Damask 

 Pink, the White Shock, Scarlet Pheasant's Eye; of 

 the latter (says the author) there are several varieties, 

 the Old Man's Head, and the Painted Lady. The 

 White Shock and the Pheasant's Eye we believe to be 

 yet in cultivation, and may be met with occasionally in 

 country cottage gardens ; the former, from its numerous 

 white blossoms, is worthy of cultivation as an orna- 

 mental plant. The Pheasant's Eye is also in being — 

 at least one of the varieties bearing that name, and from 

 its general character, little doubt can be entertained 

 of its originality — or at least a descendant of that 

 family. The Old Man's Head, so called, we have not 

 seen for many years ; it was of low growth, petals 

 numerous, narrow, of dark colour, finely rayed with 

 white, and reflexing very much, which gave it some- 

 what the appearance of a head of hair which had not 

 often met with the rude embrace of the comb, and 

 probably from this circumstance obtained its name. 



Laced Pinks were known as far back as 1790. This 

 change in the character of the flower, and which added 

 so much beauty to it, has been improved on to such 

 an extent that we have now in cultivation a group of 

 laced Pinks so fine in quality as to suggest the 

 attainment of the highest possible perfection. 



The following represents a selection of the finest 

 varieties : — 



Bertram (Turner), Blondin (Turner), Boiard (Turner), 

 Charles Turner (Maclean), Dr. Maclean (Turner), Dr. 

 Masters (Turner), Excelsior (Marris), Godfrey (Turner), 

 Harry Hooper (Hooper), John Ball (Maclean), Lord 

 Kirkaldie (Turner), Mr. Hobbs (Looker), Mrs. Howard 

 (Hooper), Mr. Sinkins (Sinkins), Mrs. Waite (Turner), 

 New Criterion (Maclean), Nonpareil (Bragg), President 

 (Turner), Rev. Geo. Jeans (Kirtland), Sarah (Turner), 

 Shirley Hibberd (Turner), Sir R. Clifton (Taylor), Pride 

 of Colchester (Maclean), Victory (Hooper). 



