432 
HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 
for it is a certainty, that everything is placed 
much too close on the tables. There ought to 
be sufficient vacancy between the plants to 
allow of their being seen well all round, or 
nearly so, and to prevent the hiding of blem- 
ishes. At a recent exhibition, the plants of 
two exhibitors, although placed by the re- 
spective growers on the tables, ought to have 
occupied a considerable deal more than twice 
the room, and the plants would, for the most 
part, have been seen to greater perfection ; 
whereas, when crowded, they are reduced 
in value, to all appearance, because coarse 
plants would look as well when crowded into 
a mass as better ones do. It is a coarse taste 
that looks for masses of flower, instead of 
elegance of plant ; and it must be obvious, that 
however bare a plant may be below, the defect 
may be hidden by the close grouping. Two- 
thirds of the plants at some shows are worse 
than the common nursery stock at a good 
garden ; and so long as it is permitted that 
subjects of all ages, and sizes, and qualities, 
shall be placed on the tables, so long will the 
shows be of the present unmeaning charac- 
ter. It is a question, whether there ought not 
to be an examiner to pass all the plants that 
shall be intended for competition; and we are 
not unmindful of the trouble it would give, 
when we recommend it; but it would insure 
quality in the things set out, and save us from 
the sameness of most floral exhibitions. An 
experienced man could tell at a glance, whether 
a plant is fit or unfit to exhibit ; and so that the 
tables are neat and well-fitted up, the plants 
would be better worth looking at, when fairly 
set out with plenty of room, than they are when 
crammed, as we now see them. These are hints 
for the getters up of shows, and the Societies 
who are legislating for time to come. 
The Aloe frozen. — It is not an uncom- 
mon occurrence to see the Aloe, when left out 
in the autumn rather too late, lose outside 
leaves, and have the whole damaged. If these 
are left to themselves, they will not grow, per- 
haps, but continue to decay. The only re- 
medy is to take them out of their tubs, wash 
the mould from the roots, and then cut away 
every portion that is decayed. It will often be 
found that all the fibres near the original pot 
or tub, have been frosted and rotted, and they 
would continue to rot until the whole plant 
would be sacrificed ; so that every bit must be 
cut away with a sharp knife, till nothing but 
sound root, or even no root at all, be left. The 
plants should then be potted in a compost of 
sand or road drift (from a gravelled road), peat, 
loam, and turf mould, in equal parts. The 
decayed part of the leaves should also be cut 
away, and the plants may be placed in a green- 
house, or some place perfectly secured from 
frost; and if there were a grapery, or moderate 
stove handy, they may be hastened perhaps, 
but it is not necessary. Unless the very hearts 
of the plants have been damaged, they will 
strike fresh roots, and start into healthy growth. 
If the mischief is discovered early enough in 
the spring, they will make a considerable pro- 
gress during the summer, but it is better to 
keep them even then under cover for the first 
few weeks, although during the summer months 
they would do out of doors. They require the 
whole of the soil should be moistened, but not 
kept wet; nevertheless, if the draught is good, 
as it ought to be, and to succeed must be, they 
Avill not take much harm. 
The Carnation and the Tulip. — There 
is a singular propensity to run to a self in all 
highly coloured Carnations, and to remain selfs 
several years ; but there is much certainty of 
their coming back to the fine variegated cha- 
racter, in the same way as a breeder Tulip will 
break into fine colours. But the Carnation is 
unlike the Tulip, in first blooming well and 
variegated ; whereas the Tulip rarely or ever 
blooms in any but the breeder, or self form. It 
has been said, by old Carnation growers, that 
they would sooner have some kinds after they 
have been recovered from selfs, than before they 
have gone back to such selfs. Cartwright's 
Rainbow is especially fine when it comes back 
from the run colour. It has, however, been very 
commonly the case, that run flowers, as they 
are called, are thrown away altogether. This 
is wrong, if the sort is at all weakly ; for no- 
thing is sooner lost than the stock of a variety 
that yields but little grass. It is a most extra- 
ordinary fact, that among many Tulips that 
have gone back to the breeder, and have 
broken again, they have proved finer than 
ever; and yet there is nothing upon which so 
much nonsense has been written, and so little 
sound information given, as the breaking of 
Tulips and the running of Carnations. 
How ought Hollyhocks to be shown ? 
— This question has been put by many of our 
readers, and it requires a qualified answer. 
While we are endeavouring to improve the 
flower, the great point is to increase the 
thickness of the petal ; and, as this quality 
can be seen as well in a single bloom as in a 
spike, the better way will be to show the 
flowers singly, in stands, like Dahlias. But 
when this quality has been attained to a con- 
siderable extent and variety, the next grand 
point to be attained will be closeness of 
the flowers on the spike ; and in this case the 
spikes should be shown, or a certain portion 
of the spike, say from three to five flowers 
on part of a stem, or it may be the whole 
spike ; for, as a plant, the Hollyhock would be 
valued for the form of this, and therefore all 
the varieties might then be shown on their 
stems as they grow. 
