192 
FORM OF BEDS REJECTED ELOVv^ERS. 
overrun altogether, and the seeds killed, will 
be found necessary, and when the plants are 
larjie enough, they may be planted or rather 
bedded out six inches apart, and then remain 
two seasons and be removed to a foot apart 
every way. Here they may grow till they 
touch one another, when they may be planted 
out a yard apart, but they are some years be- 
fore they bear fruit. We who have no patience 
to wait for years when we can get what we 
want in so much less time, should merely cut 
off a good bearing limb of a mulberry tree, 
sink the stem two or three feet into the earth, 
and ram it well, as we would a post, and we 
should be disappointed if we did not gather 
fruit the first or second year. Many are the 
anecdotes of the origin of mulberry trees. We 
heard of two posts that were put down not far 
from London ; these posts had not a leaf nor 
a branch to them, but the first season they put 
forth both, and were actually preserved as two 
mulberry trees, though originally intended for 
two pieces of rough carpentry. Mulberry 
trees are readily raised from cuttings and 
layers, but as layers must be generally from 
branches near the bottom, and these are not 
bearing branches, they would be pretty nearly 
as long before they bear fruit as seedlings of 
the same size would be. Therefore cuttings 
are the best ; these should be taken from the 
bearing branches, and the larger the better, 
because the tree is formed the sooner. The 
rule to be observed in this is, that whatever 
the length of the branch may be, one-tliird of 
its length must be inserted in the earth. 
Some of the best young mulberry trees that 
we have seen in a bearing state, were in Mr. 
Sangster's trial ground, Kennington. There 
were many actually bearing not more than 
six or eight feet high, and well headed, but it 
is some time since. We do not even know 
that the ground exists at the present time, it 
may have been robbed of its top soil to make 
room for houses ; but the number and condi- 
tion struck us as remarkable two years ago, 
and those who cannot get a good branch of a 
bearing tree to make a tree for themselves, 
may be glad to know that they can procure 
such a thing among the seedsmen of London. 
FORM OF BEDS. 
If beds were to be kept empty or nearly 
so, the form is better rising than flat ; but if 
to be planted full, they are better flat than 
rising, because the rain runs all over them 
evenly, although it may fall only b^ween the 
trees or shrubs. In fact, beds would always 
be better level, though when only partially 
covered, they require to be rising on the sur- 
face for the sake of appearance. We speak 
of beds on lawns ; those in geometrical figures 
cannot be too level, nor the plants that fill 
them be too dwarf, or too even and level in 
their mode of growth, in order that the mode 
of arrangement may be obvious. 
REJECTED FLOWERS. 
Although hundreds of varieties of dif- 
ferent flowers, sent out at good prices, are 
not worth one farthing, yet it cannot be denied 
that m.any veiy excellent things have been 
thrown away hastily that have been far better 
than others that have been retained. Among 
Dahlias this has been particularly the case. 
The natural uncertainty of the flower is con- 
spicuous among the flowers of the best pro- 
perties. A variety has been known to be 
well exhibited all the season of trial, and 
although abundant orders have been given 
and hundreds issued, not a solitary flower has 
been exhibited the season after ; the flower 
has been thrown away by four-fifths of the 
growers, nobody being able to account for the 
disappointment, some suspecting tricks in the 
original showing, others calculating that it 
was too uiicertain to be worth anything. But 
how often has the grower seen old and ap- 
proved flowers fail him altogether in parti- 
cular seasons ? Why, if his new ones failed 
in the same way they would be condemned 
altogether. There are many flowers which 
have stood their ground a long time, and the 
growers got tired of them, and discarded them 
for newer but much worse varieties. If 
Brown's Bridesmaid, the Marchioness of 
Ormond, the Duchess of Richmond, and a 
score other flowers that we could mention, 
were shown in their best state as seedlings, 
they would beat many that now get certificates; 
but people soon tire of uncertain flowers ; 
and those which are more to be depended 
upon, but infinitely worse in their best stata 
than some that are absolutely rejected, are 
pertinaciously retained. Let us take two 
rival flowers vezy much in point, Essex 
Triumph and Admiral Stopford : there is no 
comparison between them in the excellence of 
the flowers when both ai*e at their best ; but 
A.dmiral Stopford, which is infinitely the best 
flowei', will scarcely yield one perfect to the 
other's twenty, and it will tire many, and has 
tired many, till it is fairly driven out of 
numerous collections. But really, growers 
ought to be a little considerate before they 
throw away a flower that is good now and 
then ; we would almost grow a hedge I'ow of 
an uncertain but good variety of anything, 
rather than be without it in a show ; there is no 
doubt but that fine blooms of many flowers 
long since discarded would greatly aid a man 
who is putting up twenty-four blooms. 
