DECEMBER. 
375 
Art supply the deficiency by entering more largely into the component 
parts of their making up. Fountains, vases, sculpture, and other 
architectural accessories, if judiciously introduced, would form beautiful 
combinations with the trees, turf, and water of the parks, and would 
effect a marked improvement in their character and appearance. 
G. F. 
[We entirely concur in the latter part of our correspondent’s article, 
and hope the editor of the Builder will follow up the subject.— Ed. 
Florist^ 
DAHLIAS SENT OUT IN 1857- 
At page 341 of our volume for 1856 we gave the opinions of Messrs. 
Downie, Lament, and Sivewright on the Dahlias to be sent out the 
following spring. At page 37 of our present volume Mr. Perry, of 
Birmingham, kindly gave our readers his impressions of the seedlings 
exhibited during the autumn of 1856, and which were mostly those 
that had come under the notice of our more northern friends. After 
the experience of another season these opinions will be read with 
increased interest, and not strictly correct will be found as much so 
as w'as possible on so short an acquaintance. Therefore we wish our 
remarks to be ’ considered as intended to inform our readers as to the 
estimation in which the varieties enumerated are now held, rather than 
as criticisms on opinions given twelve months since. In the opinion 
from Edinburgh we find Midnight, Lady Popham, Marion, Charles 
Perry, Cherub, Harbinger, Touchstone, Conqueror, Lady Paxton, and 
Cleopatra described as good, and all these have proved themselves 
worthy of that epithet. Mrs. Crichet, Mont Blanc, and Mrs. Edwards 
were considered as only promising, and they have each proved to be 
failures. We now give the opinion from Birmingham of the best twelve, 
and place in juxtaposition our opinion of that number. 
MR. PERRY’S LIST, 
BEFORE THE BLOOM OP 1857. 
1 Marion 
2 Lady Popham 
3 Royal Scarlet 
4 Cherub 
5 Lord Cardigan 
6 Roland 
7 Mrs. Edwards 
8 Mrs. Legge 
9 Duke of Devonshire 
10 Midnight 
11 Lady Franklin 
12 Mrs. Crichet 
OUR OPINION OF THE 
BLOOM OF 1857. 
1 Cherub 
2 Lady Popham 
3 Lady Franklin 
4 Midnight 
5 Royal Scarlet 
6 Satirist 
7 Touchstone 
8 Duchess of Beaufort 
9 Roland 
10 Saturn 
11 Harbinger 
12 Lord Cardigan 
Marion did not come out, but as it maintained the high position 
assigned it by Mr. Perry we have only to deal with Mrs. Edwards, 
which proved flat and uncertain, as did Mrs. Legge, also the Duke of 
Devonshire, and Mrs. Crichet proved to be very bad, so that eight of 
Mr. Perry’s list still remains to be considered decidedly fine flowers. 
