FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
397 
florist for a mere song, finds afterwards that 
he has only picked up things that are far too 
abundant in every grower's hands, and that 
they might have been had at a gift had he 
sought for them. No; buy simply the very 
best that can be had of old and favourite 
varieties, and such of the new ones as are well 
authenticated, and recommended by persons 
to be depended on, and you will avoid throw- 
ing away your ground, your time, and your 
money, besides saving yourself many annoy- 
ances that would try your temper. Get a 
handy man to help you. Do not look for a 
first-rate professional gardener, if you mean 
to indulge in the recreation of gardening 
yourself ; get a steady man who has worked 
enough in a garden to know a little what he 
is about, and you will have no difficulty in 
satisfying him and indulging yourself; besides 
which, such a man does not object to helping 
you at anything he sees you engaged in. 
Hundreds of gardeners, whom the professional 
heads would greatly disparage if they had a 
chance, are picking up single-handed places, 
and acquiring rapidly the information that will 
qualify them for head situations. 
FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
BY GEORGE GLENNY. 
The Carnation and Picotee Show at the 
South London Society was very limited, com- 
pared with those of former years, and there is 
a manifest tameness among florists and ama- 
teurs that borders upon indifference. There 
are, however, many fair seedlings, which, for 
want of some arrangement with regard to 
names, we have no means of noticing. Nothing 
better than the Duchess of Sutherland has been 
shown among picotees : but we have men- 
tioned this flower elsewhere. Lorrina is pretty, 
and will be useful. Lady St. Moore is a bold, 
useful flower ; but in the specimen we have 
seen it was slightly barred, and there were 
stains underneath. May's Falconbridge, a 
pink-and-purple bizarre carnation, was a pretty 
and not badly formed flower ; but the white 
must come better to make it good. The same 
raiser's Mary Glendower, a crimson bizarre, 
was much brighter and better, and is an ac- 
quisition. Norman's Prince Albert picotee, 
with an edge of lilac rose, was pretty ; and 
there were others which would have borne a 
favourable notice, had we found any name by 
which to have designated them. With regard 
to seedlings, it is very bad taste to show with- 
out names. Men entrusted to judge new 
flowers may know all that is to be known. It 
is child's play to put numbers and letters ; not 
but the scrambling way in which judges are 
appointed, at the last moment, gives tho.se 
who are inclined an excellent opportunity of 
palming their own judges on the committee, 
as if accident or curiosity alone brought them 
to the spot ; and it may seem a little security 
against partial decisions; but this is all a farce. 
Those who plant their own judges take care 
the judges shall know the stands or flowers 
they are to serve. But new flowers should have 
their names to them, for the good of the public, 
who, so far as the certificates are concerned, 
care no more for the flowers that obtain them 
than for those which do not ; and it is vexing 
to those who go to use their own judgment, 
to find themselves in the predicament of ad- 
miring and wanting a rejected flower, and not 
to know its name nor its owner ; for, stupidly 
enough, the man who has no certificate thinks 
his flower best in the shade, and does not care 
to have it known. Hollyhocks were shown 
to great advantage by Mr. Chater, who seems 
to grow them well. Those to which we would 
draw immediate attention, are Black Prince, 
a noble black flower, thick, firm, and quite in 
advance ; Magnum bonum, excellent, and but 
a shade lighter ; Queen, a beautiful rose-co- 
lour, of fine texture ; Pallida, very fine ; 
Comet, a seedling, fine deep blood-red ; Pur- 
purea elegans, a fine bright purple : Sulphurea 
perfecta, a bright sulphur ; Mulberry, superb, 
a very fine variety. There were single blooms 
of others, but no name to them ; and, conse- 
quently, much as we admired them, we were in 
the dark. Two Petunias, out of a good num- 
ber, appeared to have certificates : Youngii, 
a fine thick -petalled crimson, pretty good; and 
Queen, good for nothing ; thousands better 
have besn thrown away. This brings to mind 
a fine dark mottled variety, which we have 
received from Stowmarket, which is novel as 
well as of tolerably good form. Of the many 
Fuchsias exhibited at the Garden, the very 
best in the place were — Ne plus ultra, well 
grown, and calculated to show off the flower 
in perfection, abundance of bloom, and every 
flower well reflexed ; One in the Ring, Pu- 
rity, Kendall's Elizabeth, the old Formosa 
elegans, and Riccartoni. Had these plants 
been picked out and placed by themselves, 
there were not half a dozen in all the Gardens 
that could have stood against them. The 
stove and greenhouse plants, heaths, and or- 
chideous plants at the Gardens this year 
have been worthy of all praise; and the Roses 
at the last show were as good as they can be, 
while flimsy petals are tolerated. The growth 
