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THE PROPERTIES OF THE FUCHSIA. 
on a hard substance, that the drainage may not he stopped, nor the worms intrude. When the roots 
protrude through the bottom holes of the pot, they may have a shift to pots a size larger. Continue to 
remove weakly and useless shoots, and by no means let them become so thick as to hurt one another, but 
all should have room to show their flowers to perfection. When they begin to develope then- buds, the 
plants may be removed back to the house, where they must be shaded from the extreme glare of the sun. 
There will be as much difference between such plants, and those seen at the London shows, as 
there is between a crab and a pippin ; and by this plan of growing and pruning, the same plants may 
be had year after year in the same perfection, without materially changing the size — although the 
size may be increased every season. Prune as before ; but where you profess to remove shoots leave no 
snags, but cut smooth and close. This system of pruning will suit any style of plant — short and 
bushy, thick and conical, or a complete pyramid according to the habit of the variety ; or it is as easy 
to train up as standards as to either of the other forms, if this is preferred, because you cut all off close 
to the stem as high up as you please, and leave the remainder to form the head, in which case, instead 
of pruning the branches at top quite close, you leave them six or eight inches long, retaining only such 
of the young shoots as will answer the purpose." 
The best specimen Fuchsias we ever saw were exhibited at Leamington Spa in September 
last, and had been grown on this slow plan. The plants were perfect. — A. 
THE PROPERTIES OE THE FUCHSIA. 
By Mr. G. GLENNT, F.H.S. 
MHERE is now a universal admission among all classes of florists, that the globose form is the most 
H desirable of all shapes for a Fuchsia ; and we have laid down as a rule in "the perfection of 
flowers," &c, that the bud of the Fuchsia before opening should be globular ; but 
there are other points, founded on certain facts, which regulate this as well as 
some other flowers. For instance, the inside of the sepals is always of a 
more beautiful texture than the outside ; therefore they should so reflex as to 
exhibit the inside surface only, and this can only be fully accomplished by the 
sepals turning back like the petals of the Martagon Lily — that is, curling back 
so as to form a ball, with the inside exposed, and all the corolla shown below. 
The texture of the sepals should be rich and smooth, not coarse and veiny. 
The corolla should have a rich velvety surface, and should be large and compact, 
with the pistil and stamens well exposed below it. 
We object to any more tube than the sepals will cover when reflexed : 
in short, we want none, but if there be any, it should be as bright as the 
flower, shining like wax, and not more than half as long as the diameter of 
the globe. 
With regard to the colour of the Fuchsia, it is unnecessary to say more 
than that the sepals and corolla should be very different, and the stronger 
the contrast the better ; light and dark shades of the same colour cannot be 
good. They ought to be not merely different shades but different colours : black 
and white, red and purple, white and purple, white and blue, white and scarlet. 
The plant should be short jointed ; the foliage small and bright ; the stems 
thin, why, and elegant ; the habit bushy and pyramidal; the flowers profuse at 
the axils of all the leaves ; and the footstalks long and elastic. 
There is a style of form which we cannot lose sight of, we mean that 
which occurs in fulgens and corymbifiora. Now, although we cannot allow 
them to rank with the Florists' flowers, they may rank as flowering plants ; 
and if they be grown as standards, the very long tubes are shown to 
advantage, but even these must have a contrast between the corolla and the 
tube. F. corymbifiora alba is the best of this class by far, because it possesses a 
beautiful contrast. 
The three varieties now figured partake largely of some of the qualities we have 
mentioned. Expansion throws out its sepals at a right angle, and shows all the corolla. Voltigeur reflexes, 
and is, therefore, better, and if not so much nor so gracefully as we wish, it does more than a good many. 
Scddonii is very distinct, has some of the best qualities, and is a great acquisition to any group of half a 
dozen; in character it is perfectly novel, and novelty, hi these matters, covers a multitude of faults. 
It is not only rich and unique, but it reflexes a good deal. We have not seen any very near 
approach to our chosen form, which is that in the diagram ; but we hail every approach with great 
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