42 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



himself of the opportunity. By cutting the plants down to 

 within six inches of the ground (or at least sufficiently low to 

 allow the plants breaking freely away again) in the first week of 

 June, fine masses of their flowers from two to three feet high would 

 be secured, and beds such as these would be very telling, while 

 exactly the same course may be pursued with solitary examples. 

 The best kinds for this purpose — i.e., the dwarfing process — are 

 H. multiflorus and its varieties. One species in particular — viz., 

 H. orgyalis — should, I think, be always treated separately, and 

 be grown in isolated positions, either on the lawn or in any open 

 spot where it could be seen to advantage. 



It is by far the most graceful of all Sunflowers, attaining to 

 fully ten feet high when well established ; but to obtain such fine 

 examples they should be left undisturbed for years when once 

 properly planted. There is nothing particularly showy in the 

 flowers of this species, for these, though numerous, are very 

 small ; but in the beautifully recurved and linear leaves exists a 

 grace quite unique. And here I may be allowed momentarily 

 to diverge from my path to point out the existence of an error as 

 to the introduction of this plant from the United States. This 

 is given in the " Dictionary of Gardening " as 1879 ; but I made 

 the acquaintance of the plant myself in 1872 in Mr. Parker's 

 nursery at Tooting, where a noble specimen existed, which 

 must have been eight years old at least. I am not, however, in 

 a position to state the exact time of its introduction, but the 

 plant is included in Mr. W. Eobinson's catalogue of hardy 

 plants for 1871, and also in Mr. Ware's list of perennials for the 

 same year. So that the " Dictionary of Gardening " is obviously 

 in error respecting it. 



But to return. Only one more item remains to be mentioned 

 as concerning the adaptabilities of these Sunflowers, an item 

 known to most people, viz., their great usefulness in a cut state. 

 Coming at a season, too, when harvest festivals are abundant, 

 their flowers are of great service in these decorations, and 

 country and village church alike invariably has its share. 



And now let me pass on to note briefly the soil and general 

 treatment that these Sunflowers prefer. We all know them 

 to be, for the most part, stout, free, vigorous -growing plants, 

 such as may be accommodated in almost any soil, with 

 perhaps one exception, namely, soil that is very hot and 



