230 
FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
seen for the Geranium shows, there will be 
plenty of sticks again, for some specimens 
have more than two hundred, and the very ob- 
jections we made to sticks years ago are now 
made excuses for using them. We always 
stated that they caused a number of weakly 
things to be let out that would not support 
themselves, and which ought on that account 
to be condemned ; and, on objecting to sticks 
the other day, we were told that it was im- 
possible to show some varieties without them, 
because they were so weak on their stems. 
Of course, having foreseen all this, we were 
quite prepared for the answer ; but we recom- 
mend Societies to begin at the right end, to 
make people show seedlings without sticks, 
and instruct the judges to consider weakly 
stems a disqualification : this would alter the 
breed from this time, and we should soon 
have the day arrive when the Societies would 
give prizes for Geraniums without supporters. 
The specimens look too mechanical on these 
arrangements. They are not like single plants, 
but like fifty little plants in a pot, all mechani- 
cally arranged, gay but formal ; and if half- 
sieve baskets, with half-a-dozen well-grown 
plants in small pots, were exhibited, instead of 
these great staring specimens, the show would 
be infinitely more brilliant. Messrs. Rol- 
lisson, of Tooting, once showed Heaths that 
way, and we never saw a prettier exhibition. 
There is a growing objection to these supports, 
and it only wants some of the Societies to take 
up the subject, and they would be banished. 
The growers of American plants have, as 
we think, fallen into a trap ; they are going 
to exhibit at the Regent's Park Botanic 
Gardens, where nobody can see the plants 
without paying 5s. for tickets, and these can 
only be had of members, or by their order. 
The thousands who have seen Mr. Waterer's 
plants in the King's Road for one shilling, will 
not like this. It may answer the Society's 
purpose, but a more injudicious thing on the 
part of the growers can hardly be conceived. 
At the South London Floricultural Show 
there was an interesting assemblage of plants, 
and a goodly show of florists' flowers. First, 
there was a Chinese plant called Dielytra spec- 
idbilis, the flowers of the most singular heart- 
shape, hanging gracefully in a row along the 
bending ends of the branches, and with foliage 
very like that of some Preonias ; Gesnera 
purpurea macrantha was a brilliant scarlet, 
very large, the texture like rough woollen 
cloth ; Rhododendron punctatum, very ill- 
grown, but pleasing rose-colour with dark 
spots ; It. delicaiissima, pale and pretty, but 
truss not full. Of Cinerarias there were 
many, too many, for the judges in consequence 
gave too many certificates ; One in the Ring 
had a certificate, but ought not ; Modest a, 
ditto, ditto ; Alba purpurea, ditto, ditto ; 
P erode, ditto, ditto ; Adela Villiers was 
better than the foregoing, but even that, as 
times go, was barely good enough ; Pauline 
the same ; Carlotta Grisi was a white, tipped 
prettily Avith blue, and deserved its certificate; 
Madlle. Rosalie, beautiful blue edge, fine dwarf 
habit, the best thing in the room, had no certi- 
ficate ; Ivanhoe, blue with bronze centre, 
rather better than average ; Richard Cobden, 
good close blue flower, had a certificate and 
deserved it ; Lilac perfection, a very compact 
plant and good close flower, richly deserved 
a certificate, but did not have one ; Abdalo- 
nyvius, a dark blue, was a good average flower, 
and had a certificate. Among the very best of 
the flowers that were already out was Cerito. 
The censors appeared to have overlooked 
one serious fault in some of the flowers that 
were fairish in their individual pips, namely, 
the uneven bloom, some up, some down, all 
straggling, instead of being of a level, or rather 
even surface, flowers side by side. Of Polyan- 
thuses there were but few, and these very 
bad ; the four which won the prize were very 
bad of their kind, and had been potted up ; 
the trusses had lost their form altogether, 
and ought to have disqualified them. The 
seedlings were very bad, and several too dimi- 
nutive to be worth notice ; a certificate was 
granted to one named Congener, that was so 
deficient that even the lacing did not reach 
down to the eye. In Auriculas a self, with 
a deep notch in each petal, had a certificate ; 
this was exhibited the evening before at the 
meeting of the Society for the Encouragement 
of Floriculture and Horticulture, but had not 
the approval of the judges there ; and the 
same may be said of another fortunate flower, 
Alba purpurea (Cineraria), which was not 
considered worth a certificate at Knights- 
bridge, but which obtained one at Kennington. 
Two seedling Auriculas obtained certificates — 
Sir C. Napier, tolerably good black and 
green, rather crumpled, (but so were most of 
the narrow ones, so that this must not be con- 
sidered permanent,) colour well divided and 
paste fair, an excellent trusser ; and Dickson's 
Freedom, completely between Booth's Free- 
dom and Colonel Taylor, a very promising 
flower. The named Auriculas were plentiful, 
and, considering the weather, they were good ; 
for one collection contained all the leading 
kinds, and especially two of the largest in 
cultivation, Ne plus ultra and Conqueror of 
Europe, both coarse flowers, but sometimes 
making a noble pair. Tlie plants were for the 
most part well grown. The Queen's Cup was 
won by Mr. Bruce, among whose plants were 
Erica Petiveriana, a very curious style of 
flower, but splendidly grown ; JEscliyiwnthus 
ramosissimns, grown very well; Azalea splen- 
