florists' flowers. 
which precede the bunches of flowers, are 
always to be found two or three leafy branches, 
which lengthen and surround it, and each of 
which soon terminates in as many bunches 
of flowers ; the foliaceous and flowery branches 
succeed one another during the whole year. 
" The young sprout, or marcotta, growing 
rapidly, is not in full bloom until the second 
year of its independent growth. This shrub 
is easily cultivated, it is the least delicate and 
the finest of its species ; it requires in the 
beginning to be nipped from time to time, and 
well nipped, as also to be pruned closely at 
least every two years ; it thrives in heathy 
ground, mixed with a third of vegetable earth, 
fully exposed to the heat of the sun; its flowers 
are then abundant, otherwise it becomes long- 
shanked and yields but few flowers ; it should 
be watered frequently in summer, and mode- 
rately in winter. This beautiful new flower 
is precious above all in winter for the orna- 
ment of our green houses, and our saloons." 
Description. — Stems and branches of olive 
green, cylindrical branches, green, and soft to 
the touch. Leaves lanceolated sessile, thick, 
opaque, with fibres almost imperceptible, of a 
pale green, bordering on a pink green. Flowers 
in bunches of from five to eight large flowers, 
having at the base three gold coloured leaves, 
oval obtuse, thick and similar, of which one is 
exterior and two lateral, exceedingly downy 
and firm. Sepals, pale violet outside, and 
tipped with green, while the superior surface 
is of a lilac violet, very rich and very elegant. 
Petals, five plain, very dissimilar, alternate 
with the sepals, two upper little irregularly 
oval, obtuse whitish, sustained by fibres almost 
parallel, and cherry coloured, their upper part 
being free, one of them covering the other 
two lineal laterals in the form of a scythe, 
presenting the concavity above and longer 
131 
than the upper ones to which they are united; 
finally, the fifth and lower one, shaped like a 
boat, whitish at the base, purple at the top ; 
its dorsal loosens towards the middle, and ends 
in a wide lilac fringe, with numerous and rery 
elegant filaments. The shape of the flowers 
is perfectly described in the engraving, as well 
as the shades of the leaves. 
florists' flowers. 
REASONS FOR THEIR NOT IMPROVING MORE 
RAPIDLY. 
It has often been matter of surprise to 
large growers that they are unsuccessful with 
seedlings, while small cultivators, mere ama- 
teurs, wkh a few rods of ground, produce 
novelties which dealers are glad to buy ; it is, 
therefore, a fair subject of inquiry, which 
I will endeavour to satisfy as well as my ex- 
perience in such matters enables me. I have 
travelled many miles to see seedling flowers, 
gone over many nurseries, and not a few pri- 
vate establishments, and, from very close ob- 
servation, as well in all these as in my own 
establishment, I have drawn my conclusions. 
It is well known, I presume, that all flowers 
which have been improved by cultivation 
have a tendency to go back to their simple or 
natural state. I have seen this so often, and 
so much, that it seems almost presumptuous to 
mention what others must have seen as well 
as myself; yet it is an important fact to 
impress on the minds of young Florists ; for 
this disposition to go back to their simple 
state is manifested many ways : first, it is 
seen by the presence of the most simple 
flowers and near approaches to the original 
state among seedlings, which are from seed 
that has been saved in the most careful way 
imaginable, from flowers of the best kind, and 
far removed from any of the original kind, or 
even of an inferior sort ; secondly, it is seen in 
the great number of the simple or original 
kind that will be found among seed where 
only one of the original has been among scores 
of others, showing that the fertilizing prin- 
ciple of the original or simple kind is far 
more easily communicated than that of the 
latter or more removed sort. The first posi- 
tion I have proved, year after year, with the 
Pansy, or Heartsease : for, after placing none 
but first-rate kinds together, such as it would 
seem impossible to beat at the time, and so far 
as I could observe, with great diligence exter- 
minating everything at all inferior, I had, in 
spite of my care, about two per cent, of the 
original weed, as perfect as ever the original 
weed was, before the Heartsease was " ele- 
vated to the rank of a Florist's flower." 
Secondly, I one season begged some pods of 
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