FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
229 
are cautious, so ■will tlie public value their 
certificates. The western, or rather north- 
western division is to be held at the Goat Inn, 
Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy Square, being within 
a hundred yards of the main Tottenham-court 
Road and Hampstead Road, that place having 
been appointed by the Paddington and Hamp- 
stead florists. These details may seem un- 
interesting to some of the country florists, but 
they belong to the movement that will place 
floriculture on its proper footing. There are 
are at these meetings able discussions on the 
growth and properties of flowers, such as will 
form the subjects of separate papers. 
The Auriculas this season have been sub- 
jected to so many checks that the general bloom 
may be considered below the average, where 
these flowers are most grown ; but the flower is 
on the advance, and the number of cultivators 
on the increase. It is a great pity that they 
are not in every florist's garden, because they 
are undoubtedly high on the list of florists' 
flowers ; but we have few dealers round 
London, indeed we hardly know of one who 
keeps a collection of any extent. Mr. Groom 
keeps a few, and James Dickson has nearly 
got up his stock again — a stock which, before 
the unfortunate hail storm that crushed them, 
was unequalled. 
The florists are abandoning the Journal 
which has made itself conspicuous by oflTensive 
allusions to individuals, who, with all their 
I'aults, have done great service to floriculture ; 
and, as they are enthusiasts in the cause, and 
have many friends who feel great disappoint- 
ment at the general tone of a paper they patron- 
ized rather extensively, they pursue the very 
quiet retaliation of changing it for the rival 
pnper, in which most of the florists now adver- 
tize, and which the amateurs are disposed to sup- 
port. It is not our business to notice offensive 
articles, but we do rejoice at the determina- 
tion of the respectable cultivators to separate 
themselves from a journal pretending to ad- 
vocate Floristry by abusing its best friends, 
attacking, without sense, talent, or reasonable 
grounds, the only newspaper that now re- 
mains for the votaries of Horticulture and 
Floriculture. There is but one opinion on 
the subject, and we state it to account for the 
increased virulence with which gentlemen 
ai-e attacked, and the amazing folly of per- 
mitting it in a work professing to be carried 
on for the benefit of a class that has been 
seriously injured by the manner in which 
their best friends have been treated. 
We have been paying flying visits to several 
nurseries at this inviting time of year. The 
two which have been subject to great changp, 
are rapidly recovering fi'om the neglected 
state in which they were placed by circum- 
stances over v,'hich the present owners had 
no control. The Royal Nursery at Slough 
is converted from a bi-ar-garden to something 
like the state in which it was in tlie days of 
Charles Brown, and it will be strange if it 
do not contribute nobly to the exhibitions of 
the year. Mr. Tui^ner has accomplished great 
things in a short time. The Danecroft Nur- 
sery, under Mr. Barnes, is also assuming a 
very different appearance from what it had 
when half denuded of its stock ; the Dahlias 
there will be a little forest of flowers. Am- 
brose's nurserj' at Battei'sea is rather famed 
for its immense stock of the fancy Geraniums ; 
not the florists' flowers, but the little French 
kind. Some of the specimens getting up for 
the shows have five or six hundred trusses of 
bloom coming forward, and there are two large 
houses full of seedlings promising great things 
in that way — not that we have any particular 
affection for fancy Geraniums. There are, 
however, some splendid Cinerarias^ compris- 
ing some of Henderson's, and indeed all the 
other first-rate varieties, with some hundred 
seedlings. Low's nursery is not famed for 
specimens, but for novelties of every de- 
scription from strange lands. It is worth 
any one's while to visit the place, if they take 
any interest in rare plants. We shall go the 
rounds during the year. For show, however, 
there is nothing near London equal to Hen- 
derson'?, at Pine-apple-place, where there is a 
blaze of flowers, and this is no distance from 
town. The people in the country are up 
and stirring. Leamington has already ad- 
vertised its first grand show,, "with prizes 
as libei-al as our London societies, and some 
of our usual exhibitors at Chiswick Gardens 
and Regent's Park will be there,, for it is 
a very capital feason- between the two, the last 
day of May, after the athei's have done and 
before they begin again. We have not had 
time to give our notes on Auriculas at the 
shows of April, but we shall notice all the 
novelties. The same may be said of the 
South-London Shows ; we have made our 
notes, but cannot find space for them thia 
month. We are glad to see a disposition to 
lower the price of new flowers. The finest 
Verbena of the season is advertised at five 
shillings ; we have seen very different prices. 
The Hollyhock seems in request, and probably 
the present year's shows will make many nev/ 
cultivators. As a border flower it is very 
noble, and, if they are exhibited as they 
should be, they will have many admirers. We 
have seen many collections, and a great 
number honoured with names, but there are 
too many that the true florist would not look 
at ; those with thick petals, full flowers, and 
good colours, will hardly fail to please any 
one, but there must be no judging from single 
flowers. From the preparations we have 
