53(3 
THE DEGENERATION OF FLOWERS : ITS CAUSES. 
growing tilings in front ; these are, for the 
most part, also choice. Then the next row is 
taller, the back row the highest ; they are more 
natural and harmonious — better so than if 
this were not observed. Again ; if there be 
a dark green in one place, the next is a light 
or a variegated plant, to eontrast well; then 
again, if one is a close habit, the next is light 
and elegant. The whole art of planting is to 
produce two opposites, great harmony, yet 
strong contrast. 
We will now return. Whatever you feel 
at a loss about, always inquire, and I shall be 
glad to inform you ; and never be ashamed 
of confessing your ignorance, that you may 
receive the advantage of information. 
THE DEGENERATION OF FLOWERS: ITS CAUSES. 
There is a silly notion entertained by 
many florists, that flowers degenerate by age. 
We have in vain sought for evidence in favour 
of such opinion. A very recent writer says 
of ranunculuses, that he has had twenty- 
seven years' experience in their cultivation, 
and he affirms that the varieties degenerate 
with age, and bloom weakly in proportion, 
and that such degeneracyis more productive of 
failure in the bloom than any other cause. 
The only evidence he adduces is his own 
failure. During the first seven years, he pro- 
cured all the best sorts ; but being disappointed 
in the bloom, he had nearly given up all future 
attempts at cultivation. During the last 
twenty years, he has sown seed annually, and 
has had a fine vigorous bloom. He discovers, 
however, that " some of the flowers of his 
earliest raised seedlings begin to bloom much 
smaller than formerly, and he believes no 
change of climate or soil would bring them 
back to their former vigour." We have often 
claimed for florists a place rather high in the 
gardening world, but upon one point they are 
unpardonably ignorant and obstinate. The 
facts they produce tell wofully against their 
intellect, and they are very apt to think 
their own gardens are samples of the whole 
world. Here we have a gentleman silly 
enough to suppose that because his ranun- 
culuses degenerate, everybody else's do. 
Why, if this same gentleman saw a farmer 
working from the same stock twenty-seven 
years, using the same crops on the same land 
without change, he would set the farmer down 
for a fool ; yet he thinks nothing of growing 
the same ranunculuses, actually the same 
stock, year after year, and instead of laying 
the degeneracy of the stock to his own mis- 
management, he assumes that ranunculuses 
degenerate with everybody else as well as 
himself. Generally speaking, florists are abo- 
minably selfish and obstinate, and deserve all 
they complain of. The oldest lessons in the 
cultivation of the earth enjoin change of crops, 
yet the growers of flowers continue the same 
over and over again on the same spot, and 
thus destroy their own plants. We remember 
being laughed at for giving away all the off- 
sets of all our best auriculas to a distant grower, 
and getting back a few strong plants in their 
stead ; but we were in turn able to smile at 
the destruction of our friend's whole stock, 
from, as we believe, no other cau?e than their 
constant cultivation on the same soil, the 
same pit, and under his own excellent manage- 
ment. There is not a single fact to prove 
that anything degenerates except from bad 
management or neglect. The oldest varieties 
of ranunculus may be had as strong in the 
present day as they were at any time, and 
those who really know their business are 
always exchanging with one another the 
flowers which they take a pride in. Dahlias, 
like everything else, degenerate if we keep 
propagating from the same stock every year, 
and growing them in the same place. Old 
Springfield Rival has been propagated on the 
same spots year after year, till the growers 
say " it won't grow with them ;" but if they 
bad sense enough to give away or throw 
away their own, and have in the plant of 
somebody else at a distance, they would find 
that, as well as any other old variety, as good as 
ever it was. But this applies to all private 
growers, as well as florists by profession ; they 
all continue this destructive practice until 
their plants are tired of their ground, and 
then, instead of changing a favourite sort 
that will stand their ill-treatment no longer, 
with somebody who is, perhaps, in the same 
predicament, they throw it away because it 
" will not grow with them." Considering the 
great extent of this prevailing folly, we wonder 
at the quality being kept up so well as it is : 
but we are sorry to say that it has caused 
many a good thing to be thrown away, and 
induced many persons to give up a favourite 
fancy. . The ranunculus has, perhaps, suffered 
as much discouragement as any flower in 
existence from this ridiculous conclusion ; 
whereas we can find the fine old flowers in as 
good condition as we ever saw them ; and we 
are sorry to see so many persons decline culti- 
vating them on the grounds of their degene- 
rating. There is not in the whole range of 
florists' flowers one which is more beautiful, 
more perfect, or more diversified ; but the 
ranunculus is neither a Phoenix nor a Sala- 
mander ; it will neither stand fire nor rise 
