368 
THE ADVANCE OF THE PETUNIA. 
the flower. Where there are large shrubs 
or trees of the single kind, a graft might 
hasten the growth a good deal, although the 
cuttings strike freely, and grow rapidly. It 
has been flowered by the Caledonian Horticul- 
tural Society, where it is considered a great 
acquisition, and whence it was had by Mr. 
Paxton to flgure. Some doubt may have been 
entertained at first as to the constancy of 
the variety ; that is, however, set at rest, as 
it has flowered two years as a standard, and 
on the wall. The standard plant was only 
in bud when the single variety had almost 
faded. 
THE ADVANCE OF THE PETUNIA. 
The advance of the Petunia is not unlikely 
to lead to false recommendations of many 
novelties not worth having, and therefore 
persons who buy ought to be careful that 
they obtain nothing that has not a good cha- 
racter well authenticated. The most decided 
break away from all the ordinary trammels, 
as it were, of the flower in the old school, was 
punctata, sold by Miller; but a man no sooner 
gets a name for one good flower, than he 
forces a dozen bad ones on the public. Now, 
nothing that Mr. Miller has let out since is 
anything like equal to punctata ; and thus 
ignorant, and luckless, and thoughtless people 
are disposed to condemn even punctata, 
and call it an imposition. Nothing is more 
easy than to condemn a flower ; but, unless 
facts bear us out, what simpletons, if not more 
than simpletons, we appear ! Now, what were 
the qualities of punctata ? What was there in 
it to justify its being pronounced an acqui- 
sition ? First, then, its colour was, without 
any exception, the best approach to a rich 
blue ; next, it was very singularly variegated, 
which rendered it a positive novelty, even 
had the flower been of a bad form ; but, 
thirdly, it was above the average form, and, 
upon the whole, more attractive than any 
other out. Now, if this be not enough to 
justify the naming and letting out of a flower, 
we confess we know not what is. Some people 
made the discovery that the substance was not 
thick enough. Who said it was ? Others 
said it did not always come striped. Who- 
ever said it did ? nor do Camellias. Where 
are the blotches of Gilesii, Chandlerii, and 
Eximia, — where the stripes of Donkelaarii ? 
These will come selfs, and some of them more 
frequently selfs than variegated ; but, with 
regard to Petunia punctata, those who find it 
will not come striped, merely proclaim the 
fact that they do not know how to grow it. 
Turn out Petunia punctata into rich ground, 
and the flowers will come the greater part of 
the season a self colour, in which case the 
blue is not so intense as it is when the flower 
is variegated ; grow it on rock-work, or poor 
soil, or in a pot, and you have the stripes in 
perfection. The principal fault of this variety 
is the thinness of its flowers, which is also a 
fault with hundreds ; and nothing but a de- 
cidedly new colour, or combination of colour, 
and a good form, can justify anything like a 
price for a thin flower ; nevertheless, it is 
to be recollected that this strong charac- 
teristic of the flower is natural, and will be 
the most difficult to conquer. Mr. Girling's 
set of Petunias last year were praised by 
many, but condemned by some ; perhaps 
those who condemn, will be good enough to 
examine the flowers previously out, and in- 
form us whether Mr. Girling's have got the 
pointed petals of the old ones ? if they have 
not, there is a great evil, prevailing almost 
universally over the old flowers, fairly got rid 
of in the new; then they may find something 
in the odd veining of the flower, and the dif- 
ferent coloured throat. It is just possible that 
Mr, Girling's set of flowers would have been 
as good, perhaps better, if only eight or nine 
had been put forth, instead of a dozen. We 
should like the authenticated opinions upon 
new flowers better identified with the in- 
dividual varieties than they are upon many 
occasions, because we fear that when a lot of 
flowers is sent for judgment, and the opinion 
of three or four is given, that opinion is too 
often made to answer for a lot, instead of the 
selection, so that the judgment passed on three 
or four, not mentioned by name, is made in- 
strumental in getting rid of a score ; for this 
reason we think it very desirable that names 
should be given, that the individual flowers 
may be identified with the characters and 
