190 
THE TEN-WEEKS STOCK THE AROMATIC REED. 
son's Green, exhibited a collection of seedling 
crocuses raised in England, and presenting 
vast improvement upon all the known sorts 
imported. The lovers of the crocus are 
aware, that the finest in cultivation is the rich 
purple variety known now as Prince Albert, 
but formerly sold under the older name of 
David Ivizzio. This kind has smooth, thick, 
broad petals, exceedingly rich colour, and 
forms a fair cup. The new ones introduced 
by Mr. Lockhart suffered nothing by com- 
parison with this beautiful variety, and in 
some respects they were better. They were 
not shown for certificates, as it was justly 
observed, there was no chance of letting them 
out at present, and therefore certificates will 
be more useful and appropriate, if in a season 
or two they may be shown in as fine condition 
and let out in the autumn. The meeting, 
however, desired some of them to be named, 
and six of the number was named accordingly. 
One variety, numbered 99, w T as very curious, 
three of the petals purple and three grey, of 
very good shape and a striking variety ; this 
was called Lady Grey. A second, numbered 
66, a very splendid white, was named Princess 
Helena. A third, numbered 113, very fine 
dark purple, was called Incomparable Purple. 
A fourth, numbered 110, was a fine white 
with a violet throat, curious as well as beauti- 
ful ; this was named Princess Alice Maude. 
A fifth, numbered 108, splendid blue, was 
called the Prince of Wales ; and the sixth, 
that was especially noticed, was numbered 
74, also a blue but of a different shade, was 
called Admiral. The characteristics of these 
selected flowers were thickness, breadth, and 
smoothness of petal, size of the flower, and 
freedom in opening to a cup. They were 
far better than the vast majority of those 
known to the florists, and are a great acquisi- 
tion. There were two polyanthus, one fuchsia, 
two or three scillas, and other subjects exhi- 
bited, and a collection of noble spikes of 
hyacinths from bulbs raised from small offsets 
in England. 
THE TEN-WEEKS STOCK. 
There is a good deal in the sowing and 
after-management of simple annuals. The 
seed shops abound in German varieties, and 
certainly the Germans do take more pains in 
saving seed than the people of this country, 
and are more to be depended on. Stocks, 
like cabbage plants, should never be trusted 
to one season of sowing. February is a good 
month to begin sowing, March excellent, 
April safe and good, and May the last that 
there is any hope of. The seeds may, how- 
eyer, be sown in heat in February, in heat 
and the open air likewise in March. In the 
open ground only in April and May, unless 
you have neglected February and March ; if 
so, sow in heat in April as well as in the open 
air. They should be sown in moderate soil, 
not rich, and be allowed to grow till they 
have six leaves, without any more water than 
will just keep them from actual flagging. 
Now prepare the richest ground you can com- 
mand in which to transplant the stocks, and 
plant them out at the different seasons as the 
stocks sown at different times come to show 
six leaves ; they ought not to be more than 
six or eight inches apart if they are to be 
shown in a mass, but if to show their habits, a 
foot apart. When once planted out, they must 
not want for water ; they must be regularly 
supplied with all they require, and be kept 
clear from weeds. They will succeed each 
other in blooming, and thus keep up flowering 
for months ; whereas, if they were all sown at 
once, they would be soon off when they once 
came on. We have known many of those who 
grew the German stock well save the seed, 
as they fancied, true to colour, and when 
grown, they had no character about them, — all 
shades, all forms, all sizes ; so that we always 
recommend, as a general rule, a dependence 
on German seeds if the different colours are 
wanting. If anybody wishes to shine in stocks, 
they must not attempt more than the sort they 
select to shine with ; for growing the varieties 
forbids seed saving with any degree of cer- 
tainty altogether. 
THE AROMATIC REED. 
A good repast, a sumptuous feast, or even 
a comfortable dinner, are excellent lessons in 
geography. A person is never on safer 
ground, or where he can be more at home, 
than when he is dining. It is then that the 
distant parts of the world, too, are as it were 
brought tete-a-tete before his eye, on a table a 
few feet square ; and the various productions 
of the globe, in combining to gratify the 
masterpiece of creation, form a holy alliance, 
which attests a profound knowledge of the 
human heart and the palate. In these our 
banquets the Indies are represented by per- 
fumes, and also by the ginger, so beneficial to 
the cold stomachs in exciting a good digestion. 
But it seems there is a plant with similar pro- 
perties indigenous to Europe. Everybody 
knows the aromatic reed of our marshes 
(Acorus Calamus of botanists), called by the 
ancients Acorum, and at present sold under 
the name of Calamus aromaticus. It is also 
known by the name of Calmus among the 
Belgians and the Germans. Most people 
know that this reed has a long thick stem or 
rhizome, which is highly aromatic. Those 
persons who have not, like the Aurora of 
