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THE NATIONAL FLOKICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
condescends, in some varieties, to place them in tiers at all — that we have to do the work for her. He 
then asserts that Hollyoak's Duke of Rutland is a better actual flower than the model itself, which is 
simply an untruth — told, we hope, in utter ignorance of its falsehood ; and then falls to ridiculing 
our model for showing forty-two petals in seven tiers, and resembling a rosette. This -writer beats 
Columbus for discoveries. He is the first man who has found out that three tiers of petals make a 
better flower than a greater number. He is the first who has discovered that a florists' flower can be 
too accurate in its form, too perfect in its arrangement ; and he exultingly says — " If these had 
appeared before the trial exhibitions " (having appeared eight or ten years before, at the least), " surely 
there would have been just cause for our northern friends disclaiming the southern model of a good 
Picotee." This gentleman has given us a striking proof that " a little learning is a dangerous thing." 
He writes in thorough ignorance of all the facts that bear upon the case. The northerns do not disclaim 
the southern model of a perfect Picotee, for it has not an imperfect petal, nor a petal misplaced ; it is 
perfection, which they say, with the author, it is impossible to attain. What they disclaim is not four, 
five, six, or seven tiers of perfect petals geometrically true ; but they denounce our southern mops, 
which they say, and often truly, exhibit neither tiers nor uniform petals, but a confused mass of imper- 
fect parts, some -with colour, some without, but lacking uniformity and character. The writer was 
quite innocent of airy knowledge of another fact, that the majority of the attendants at the trial 
exhibition were as familiar with his ten years' old novelties, the offending diagrams, as they were with 
the ten years old flowers before them, and for his comfort he should be informed that the whole of the 
prizes were awarded according to these very diagrams, and the rules laid down with them. The 
flowers that approach nearest to the perfection exhibited in the diagrams that disturb the equanimity 
of this new Floral dictator were placed highest in every class. We need hardly tell those who have 
read the inflated paper we have noticed, that a flower with four or five tiers of bad petals is not so near 
perfection as one of three tiers of good ones. It is no great proof of his sagacity to ridicule what he 
does not understand. If the southerns are careless of the quality of their petals, and rely too much on 
fullness without quality, it is not so because the diagram encourages any such fancy ; but the 
northerns do not despise the number of tiers or of petals ; they disclaim the toleration of any bad ones, 
and prefer showing a bloom thin to showing it bad. Had the writer circulated his article among all 
the florists of England without any name but his own, we should not have honoured the attack with a 
notice ; but as his lucubrations might be mistaken for the opinions of the editor, we felt we might as 
well bring him down to his proper level, and place him among those indiscreet writers who are 
ambitious to appear in print, without the prudence to confine their subjects to what they understand. 
THE NATIONAL FLORICUXTTJEAl SOCIETY. 
]?t|PON the wrappers of the two last parts of this magazine some remarks have been made upon a 
43 new society for judging Seedling Florists' Flowers, and we have now the pleasure to state that 
we have attended the preliminary meetings, and that the society will have been fully organized before 
this meets the public eye. The object of the projectors is to afford every person who may raise a 
seedling flower, the means of ascertaining whether it is of sufficient merit to send out : for, though a 
flower to the raiser may appear very beautiful, it, nevertheless, in the estimation of competent judges, 
may be entirely worthless. The management is to be under a committee of forty-eight persons, and, 
at the least, twenty judges will be appointed, and such as require it will have their expenses for 
judging defrayed by the society. The large room of the Horticultural Society, 21, Regent Street, has 
been engaged for a series of years, and the support of nearly all the leading florists and amateurs in 
the United Kingdom has been secured. The society will not only undertake to pronounce judgment 
upon the good things, but it will denounce bad ones, so that those who are guided by it in their 
purchases will have a guarantee, such as has never before existed in this country. Certificates, we 
believe, will be awarded to Jirst, second, and third class flowers, and these certificates will be signed 
by the judges, the chairman of the meeting, and by the secretary ; so that the chance of two or three 
meeting together and rewarding each other's flowers, on the " ca' me ca' thee " principle, will be 
entirely done away with. For our own part we shall be veiy cautious in buying new things which 
have not been sent for the opinion of this society ; and when such an ordeal is established, we must 
decline giving any opinion upon new flowers, and trust that all our correspondents will send their 
new flowers direct to the secretary of the society. The first exhibitions will be held on April 3rd and 
24th, to which any respectable person may obtain admission upon application to a member, or to the 
secretary of the society, John Edwards, Esq. 
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