MARCH. 
65 
THE CALCEOLARIA. 
(Plate 124 ) 
The privilege of penning a few comments to accompany the 
illustration given in the Florist for August, 1853, was 
accorded us, on reference to which will be found the following: 
“ We cannot, however, consider th e Calceolaria in its present state 
in any other light than that of an annual; until an increased 
amount of shrubbiness has been infused into their constitution, 
we fear they cannot be looked upon as safe subjects to be clas¬ 
sified, or rather elevated into the ranks of florists’ flowers.” The 
three seasons which have intervened since the foregoing was pub¬ 
lished in no way tend to change the notions and assertions then 
made. We are strong in the belief that the Calceolaria has yet 
to be produced and cultivated with a far more important standing 
in the eyes of the general public than growers at present have 
made it assume. We shall endeavour in this brief notice to recite 
a few particulars relative thereto, which are founded on practical 
knowledge gained in the cultivation of the subject under con¬ 
sideration. 
Hitherto the herbaceous (what we term annual) kinds have 
been the principal sorts cultivated for exhibition; these, for the 
most part, are obtained from “a packet of seeds” sown and treated 
as is needful for common half hardy annuals, and noble specimens 
have been produced; but, after all, they are mere annuals, and, 
to our thinking, of less value than perpetuated varieties may be 
made to attain. 
Hitherto, no illustration of a shrubby Calceolaria has graced 
the pages of the Florist ; this remissness (if we may so censure 
the conductors) is, however, now atoned for, the foreknowledge of 
which, together with the licence to address the readers of so 
important and standard a work as the Florist, emboldens us 
to enlarge on the subject. 
The faithful portraiture of sterling novelties has ever been the 
characteristic feature of the present work; and right gladly did 
we observe the well-merited acknowledgment accorded to Mr. 
Andrews by the cond’ rs in the opening number of the present 
(tenth) volume. We refer to the topic with much pleasure, 
especially so since the plant—Calceolaria Gem—exhibited as a 
seedling, came oflicially under our notice at one of the Hegent’s 
Park exhibitions in 1856. Need we relate how great was the 
delight that inspection afforded us ? 
Mr. J. Cole, Keyfield, St. Alban’s, Herts, has been for some 
VOL. X., NO. CXI. F 
