36 
of compost to plant out three or four hundred 
curious and well-bred seedlings, than it does 
those which 1 term badly bred. I knew a florist, 
a good grower and a fine bloomer, but he 
knew nothing about saving seed till I informed 
him of my system. He saved a lot of seed in 
the customary way ; they were pricked out in 
May or June, 1800, to the number of fourteen 
hundred, out of that immense quantity he 
assures me he did not raise a single flower 
worth keeping for the stage, much more a 
first-rate flower. After he took to my system 
he was veiy successful, and now has to boast 
of good flowers of his own raising. I have 
saved seed from Grimes’s Privateer (true) ; out 
of about seventy I one year raised two very 
superior first-rate flowers, which are not yet 
sold out. Although I did that, it is rather too 
small a number to insure success from. On a 
fair calculation you have no right to expect 
above two first-rate flowers out of one hun- 
dred seedlings, of course out of three hundred 
you will be able to raise six, and so on. So 
that, if any florist will take the trouble to per- 
severe on with my system for seven or eight 
years, there is .veiy little doubt but he will 
have risen forty-two new sorts of the finest 
flowers in England., besides as many second- 
