FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
507 
will have a little more warmth, and where 
the blooms will be developed of a much larger 
size than on the bushy plant, and the plant 
would be much shorter than if it had not 
been a late cutting ; btcause when the plants 
or early cuttings are allowed to grow on and 
the tops are not used, a variety which by 
means of a July cutting could be grown and 
flowered a foot high, would be nearer three 
feet if grown without topping. These cut- 
tings taken in July may either be grov>'n in 
small pots and changed from time to time to 
larger ones, or placed at once into six-inch 
pots and not changed at all. The result of 
changing from time to time is, that wholesome 
checks to luxuriant growth can be given by 
protracting the move from first to second, 
and second to third. 
To show the largest-sized blooms, perhaps 
there is not a better means of attaining size 
than growing the early suckers or cuttings as 
luxuriantly as possible, without caring what 
height they may reach, because in reality, as 
the bloom is to be cut, the figure of the plant 
is nothing. The early suckers may be placed 
in pots size thirty-two, as soon as they are 
fairly rooted and established, and in rich soil ; 
these may grow until they fill the pots with 
roots, and then be shifted to size twenty-four ; 
and if they do not bloom before they fill these 
pots also with roots, water tliem after that 
with liquid manure, made as we have already 
described, about every fourth time they are 
watered at all. All blooms intended for show 
must be kept from the frost, and therefore 
a pit or a greenhouse is indispensable. The 
size of the bloom is considered the great 
merit, if in other respects flowers are of 
equally good properties ; but form in the 
Chrysanthemum is a great point, and yet 
there is no flower in which the form of the 
bloom is so diversified, some curling one way, 
some the other, some growing over towards 
the centre, others reflexing towards the back. 
The only thing to care about is the roundness 
of the outline, the half-roundness of the face, 
and the closeness of the eye; the manner of 
making up this form is of secondary consi- 
deration. The colours are not much divei'si' 
fied : yellows, whites, dirty reds — for there is 
hardly a clear shade of pink or red among 
them, — and dirty purples, are the principal, 
and there does not seem a pi'ospect of im- 
provement in this respect. 
FLOEICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
BY GEORGK GLENNT. 
The Dahlia shows closed brilliantly. The 
largest by far was the great central show for 
all England at the Town Hall, Birmingham, 
where the prizes amounted to 163/., and the 
subscriptions and entries to about 180Z. or 
190/. The flowers were the best of the 
season, and nearly all the seedlings of the year 
were placed in their proper ranks. From 
their allotted places they were not removed at 
the last show of all, the closing one at Slough. 
The first-class show- flowers were Magnificent, 
Sir Fi-ederick Bathurst, Mrs. Seldon, Snow- 
flake ; and a doubtful one as to first or second, 
being occasionally placed in both classes, was 
Premier, which has some exceeding good pro- 
perties. Of second-class flowers there were 
perhaps a dozen. The three shows that set- 
tled the fate of seedlings were Shacklewell, 
Birmingham, and Slough, and the varieties 
that were not shown at one of these three 
may be dispensed with, unless they come with 
a strong recommendation from acknowledged 
judges, and good reasons for not being exhi- 
bited. The three shows in question made 
& proper distinction between first and second- 
class flowers, selecting those that were exceed- 
ingly fine and a decided advance for the first 
class, and useful flowers, such as are an acqui- 
sition in their classes but not so good as the 
others, as second class. We are quite well 
assured that some of the second-class varieties 
will be found in every stand ; that is, if the 
owners judiciously charge a less price. The 
mistaken notion that a variety is worth half a 
guinea or nothing must be abandoned. The 
difficulty of cutting twenty-four blooms to 
please a fastidious exhibitor is so great, that 
any variety that will come to the stand even 
tolerably good may be one day very useful, so 
that second-class flowers may be generally 
esteemed pretty nearly as good as one half 
the first-class flowers of former years. The 
first-class Dahlias of the Floricultural Society 
of London last year, with one exception, were 
inferior to many second-class ones at Shackle- 
well, Birmingham, and Slough. The fancy 
flowers made a start this year, and Procter's 
Elizabeth, a sort of amethyst colour and white, 
of exquisite form, but probably a hard openei', 
is the only first-class flower of the fancy 
varieties ; but there are many that have had 
first-class certificates at different places, though 
not deserving them. A ribbed petal, a rough 
outline, an open face, or some other blemish 
puts them out of the highest class, but a new 
colour or an improvement upon an old one 
