38 
TLORICULTURE OF THE PAST YEAR. 
The Carnation and Picotee have been gradu- 
ally improving, especially the latter. The 
feature most advanced is the smoothness of 
edge. Some of the favourite varieties were 
deeply serrated ; these must now be discarded, 
for there are many as good in other respects 
and quite smooth. The only check to a 
more general competition at shows is the 
great facility for showing collected blooms, 
and beating gentlemen with other people's 
flowers. It is a sad pity, but there is no deny- 
ing the fact, that unfair showing has driven 
many enthusiastic exhibitors from the field ; 
they have retired because they stand no chance 
against collected blooms, and they have hon- 
ourable notions that preclude them from adopt- 
ing so mean a course. Cases of this kind have 
been brought under our notice, but we hope 
the slightest reference to the subject will put on 
their guard those who have been acting un- 
fairly, and prevent the necessity of further 
notice. The Dahlia has not been proved this 
season at all. The old metropolitan test of 
six blooms has been found inconvenient for 
the raisers of flowers, though very useful to 
the public. At the only London show of any 
consequence, the managers only required three 
flowers of those varieties which were grown 
in abundance, by way of proving ; and we need 
hardly say, that to cut three blooms from 
twenty or thirty plants is so easy that even 
the most uncertain will yield that number. 
The change has been unfortunate for the very 
persons who caused the alteration. The public 
considered six flowers a tolerable security for 
the average certainty of a flower, but the best 
growers and the best judges think three blooms 
no evidence at all, because three are as easily 
cut as one from thirty uncertain plants, and 
they natui'ally doubt the quality of even the 
best. Some growers showed many blooms as 
well as the three requii'ed ; but this opened 
the eyes of the public still more to the probable 
uncertainty and worthlessness of all those 
belonging to the same persons not so supported. 
For instance, one grower shows five or six 
varieties, three blooms of each, but of one of 
these he shows a dozen flowers besides ; the 
conclusion naturally drawn is, that the one so 
fully exhibited is at least a constant flower, 
with all its deficiencies, and that all the others 
are uncertain. The Dahlia trade will suffer 
for this. The description of the flowers in 
our Almanac may be some kind of guide to the 
buyer, but the alteration of the test from six 
flowers to three has taken from the public the 
best security they ever had. Added to this, the 
growers, or rather some of tlaem, have formed 
themselves into a society which is to support 
their productions by certificates of their ex- 
cellence, and these granted by themselves to 
one another's flowers. The public do not like 
this, and indeed many respectable growers set 
their faces against any society in which the 
dealers decide upon their own productions. 
Strictly speaking, there is no advance in the 
show Dahlias, but the fancy class has several 
useful additions. There is a second Princess 
Radziwill in the Beauty of Hastings, the only 
doubt of its value arises from its small size ; 
but the same opinion was given of Unique, 
which was exhibited little larger than a fine 
Ranunculus the first time, and Princess Radzi- 
will was shown no larger at first than the 
Beauty of Hastings ; if this should prove 
large enough it will be a trimmer, at least 
we should not have hesitated to pronounce 
it such had we seen six blooms instead of 
three, which is certainly not test sufficient to 
depend on. Fearless is a slate-coloured lilac, 
quite new in colour, and rather striking, a 
good average flowei', with some claims to a 
place in even a small stand. Queen of the 
East is really and truly another edition of the 
Marchioness of Cornwallis, with additions and 
improvements, and therefore deserving a place; 
we shall give a description of a few about 
which some noise has been made, to be relied on 
as accurate, so far as the three flowers exhibited 
will enable any body to estimate their claims. 
The Pansy may now be weeded of many 
sorts that have nearly the worst faults, small 
centres almost all occupied with the eye and 
the rays, which break into the margin. Aflower 
of this description looks heavy as compared 
with those which have a good field of white 
or yellow clear all round the extreme points 
of the rays. We do hope that judges will be- 
gin to exercise a sound discretion and throw 
out such heavy looking varieties as we have 
seen of late. A run petal in a pink is fatal to 
a stand; nobody tries to save it; and the same 
penalty should be imposed for an eye when 
its rays break through the field of yellow or 
white into the margin ; there are plenty with- 
out this fault. It is the fashion just now to 
cry up Hollyhocks as show flowers, and 
truly, to look at those of Mr. Baron's rearing, 
they were deserving of the distinction. Mr. 
Bircham, of Headenham Rosery, Bungay, puts 
forth a list which, according to the description, 
must be some of Mi\ Baron's best. For the 
joroperties we refer our readers to the volume 
called " The Properties of Flowers and Plants," 
where they will observe the features that are 
most esteemed. Mr. Chater, of Saffron Walden, 
also advertises a number of Mr. Baron's best 
sorts, and it must be conceded that he has far 
outshone all who had pretended to raise them. 
We wish we could see the Ranunculus and the 
Auricula cultivated with the spirit formerly 
evinced, when a thousand little gardens, nov/ 
no more, occupied Bethnal-green, Mile-end, 
and indeed all the suburbs now covered with 
