114 
HINTS ON THE FLOWERING OF PLANTS. 
which none can fail to admire, have not been partial, but universal in the! 
operation. We may briefly glance at what those influences are. 
Ordinary ideas respecting the wonderful development of blossom this seasoij 
would lead us to attribute the display to last year’s scarcity of bloom, but in doing so 
we need scarcely observe, we commit error. That of which we write is undoubted!; 
chargeable to the account of last year, or rather to its extraordinary weather, and ij 
too indisputable to require further mentioning. It might be instructive to inquin 
into and enlarge upon the processes, as they relate to the subject in question, acting 
through a summer like the last, in opposition to those in force during one the ven 
reverse in character; but it would involve too serious an amount of theoretical 
detail for our present purpose. The object now in view is to suggest, very briefly 
an idea or two, founded on recent experience, in connection with the subjec 
professedly written upon. 
Those who only give their attention, to a very limited extent, to gardening ■ 
matters, cannot but have observed that a tropical sun of the power and continuance 
of that of part of last year, or one in degree similar, is always succeeded by 
comparatively like effects, to those which the present spring has produced 
Herein is hidden that secret we will cursorily notice. The weather in that period 
of last year which is usually regarded, and generally is, the growing season, hapi 
pened to be such as induced most plants, whether those which had an unlimited) 
supply of nutriment at command, or those less favourably situated, to assimilate sucbl 
food and dispose of it in the desired manner ; and hence this spring’s beauty of om|! 
gardens and orchards, and the increased delight the lanes and fields afford. 
Perhaps it may here occur to our constant readers that we have said as much, and 
conveyed more on this subject formerly, in that part of an article on conservative;! 
walls which relates to the formation of their borders, and in other places (see pages) 
181, and 235, of volume xii). Similar ideas, doubtless, are traceable in each of; 
the places to which allusion is made, but those ideas are of a nature which permits; 
their repetition without a diminution in value taking place ; and this is our excuse 1 
for recurring to them. 
The time, too, at which they are reproduced is, it will not be disputed, appro- 
priate. At the date upon which they will meet the public gaze, the time and 
attention of the gardening world will be occupied in storing their flower-gardens and 
grounds with plants which are to produce a display of bloom and beauty for the 
season. 
In conclusion, we would remind all those engaged in the operation of turning 
plants into the open ground, that the common error committed in doing so predomi- 
nates on the side of providing them with too much food rather than on that of 
arranging for too little. For the minor mistake, it is now getting well known there 
are simple and readily-applied correctives ; but for the greater evils remedies are 
scarce, and those few are difficult of application except at the proper period. 
