234 
THE STOCK AND WALLFLOWER. 
31. siliuata, — Hardy biennial, indigenous 
to England, bearing a dingy red flower in July. 
31. Tartarica. — Hardy biennial, from Tar- 
tary in 1820, bearing a red or yellow flower 
in J uly. 
31. tenella. — A hardy annual, from Cyprus 
in 1820, bearing a green or brown llower in 
July. 
31. tortuosa. — A green-bouse evergreen 
shrub, from the Cape of Good Hope, intro- 
duced in 1816, and bearing a purple flower in 
July. 
31. triatspidata. — A hardy annual, from 
Barbary in the year 1739, bearing a purple 
flower in July. 
31. tristis. — A green-house evergreen shrub, 
from the south of Europe in 1768, and bearing 
a blood-coloured flower in June. 
31. varia. — The same in all perceivable 
points, introduced from the same place in 1820. 
It is easy to perceive that many of these 
plants, though introduced from various coun- 
tries, are very similar in habit and description; 
but the great divisions familiar to us in the 
present day are the annual, or ten-week 
Stock, which has been long known, with all its 
varieties ; the Giant Stock, which is like 
the Brompton, and perhaps only a variety of 
it ; the Queen Stock, and the German 
Stocks, all of which have been, perhaps, raised 
from the ordinary ten-week kinds. In short, 
almost everybody who professes to grow 
Stocks in large quantities for market, in pots, 
have favourites of their own, which it would 
be difficult to identify with any of the species 
we have given, although the list is the latest 
that has been published in Botanical works. 
With regard to the kinds now familiar at the 
seed shops, Hurst and MacMullen's cata- 
logue contains the following : — New Emperor, 
scarlet; New European, purple; Scarlet inter- 
mediate, Purple intermediate, Prussian various, 
German various, Prince of Wales, Chamois 
Superb, Victoria, Giant Brompton, and Queen; 
so that there is no end to the distinctions. 
The most extraordinary fact with regard to the 
culture is, that they do come double from 
single seed, or rather from seed saved from 
single ones, and that without the slightest 
reference to there being any double ones near 
them, or in the same ground. Many are 
almost superstitious as to the period at which 
they are to be sown ; and it has long been 
proved to our satisfaction that culture has 
something to do with it, because we have seen 
a packet, or rather packets, of seed divided 
between two people, one producing nearly all 
double, and the other nearly all single. The 
ordinary mode of sowing ten-week or annual 
Stocks is on a slight hot-bed ; and when they 
are up to give them plenty of air, even by 
entirely removing the glasses in fine weather. 
Those who want them early in spring sow 
in the autumn : those for summer bloom are 
sowed in spring. We have no conceit about 
the particular period. Here they may be 
sown in March, April, May, and even June, 
and grow till they are large enough to plant 
out, giving them no more water than is abso- 
lutely necessary to keep them from flagging. 
When planted out, they should be watered in 
well, and then, being placed nine inches apart, 
they will only require to be kept clean from 
weeds, and grow until they flower. If you 
are choice in the purchase of your seed, you 
may, of the German Stocks alone, have forty 
very distinct shades of colour. The Prussian 
Stocks are not so numerous. In saving seed, 
select the single Stocks with the widest petals, 
and with five petals, if you can find them, 
which is not at all uncommon ; but you may 
as well plant double brickbats as double Stocks, 
to influence the seed of the single ones you 
save from. The autumn-sown Stocks may 
be sown a month apart in the same way, for 
keeping in pots through the winter. All you 
have to do is to see them strong enough to 
plant into pots before the winter is too cold 
for them. They require no heat, but they 
are, in that young state, unable to stand much 
frost. Plant three in a pot if you fear the 
quality, that you may be able to draw one or 
even. two single ones out, should there be 
such, and take out the weakest of them if they 
all run double. Among the best cultivators 
of the biennial Stocks, we have known some 
who grew them in pots for sale, and we have 
seen hundreds in frames growing well, and ] 
nearly all double. Of all these we have made 
various inquiries, and it was evident that 
while they were in the seed-bed they partly 
starved them if for planting out in the open 
ground ; but, if for potting, they put them 
out rather small than otherwise, and starved 
them there; that is to say, they kept them all 
the early part of their career what we should 
call rather short of moisture. But we must 
treat of Stocks in the regular way, beginning 
as we have done with the annuals, and pro- 
ceeding with the others. We cannot help, 
however, looking at the difference between 
the Stock and the Wallflower ; and when we 
observe the great difference between the 
growth from seed of the one and the other, 
conceding the propriety of separating the 
families. Let any one grow an acre of seed- 
ling Wallflowers, and a double Wallflower is 
a perfect novelty, although there is such a 
similarity in the make of the flowers, and 
especially the double ones, that we marvel at 
the discrepancy in the raising from seed. We 
have grown both largely. We can safely say 
that we have saved Wallflower seed in the 
best way we knew of, that we have begged 
