1868. J 
48 
WHY FLORISTS’ FLOWER CULTURE HAS DECLINED. 
warm sunny dry border they soon begin to grow, and if kept well earthed-up 
after they are above ground, they will in general be fit for use by the end 
of May in the open ground. They sometimes suffer from severe frost in 
May, but when kept well earthed-up, little material injury is done. Early 
Potato sets should be spread out thinly, and not left in heaps, "which would 
cause the sprouts to lengthen and be easily broken when handled. 
The pruning of wall trees should be finished as soon as possible, as the 
blossom buds of Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, and Cherries will 
be fast advancing. Finish the pruning of Gooseberry and Currant trees, and 
dig over the borders. The young Strawberry plants in the fresh plantations 
will be more or less loosened by the frost, and should be made secure. I 
find the quickest and best way of doing so is to press them into the ground 
with the foot. I never could see they were injured in the least by this. Straw¬ 
berry plants are looking well this season, and promise to yield a heavy crop. 
Stourton. M. Saul. 
WHY FLORISTS’ FLOWER CULTURE HAS DECLINED. 
S OMEHOW or other, we seem of late years to have gone backwards in 
regard to the old-fashioned florists’ flowers, once so popular. Some 
feSf of them, the Carnation, for example, are nearly lost sight of in the 
northern districts, though from what cause I am at a loss to 
determine. I am aware that many of the older growers are gone 
hence, and that there has not been a sufficient influx of younger ones to 
fill their places; and further, that some of those who are still living seem 
nearly tired out, which may probably, in a great measure, be accounted for 
by the want of the stimulant resulting from the infusion of young blood 
amongst the fancy. Other deterring causes exist in the case of the working 
portion of the florist body. Many who formerly used to have their work at 
home, are now obliged to go into factories. And then, in and about large 
towns most of the small gardens have been destroyed, having been taken up 
for building purposes, streets, railroads, &c., so that many of those who do 
imbibe the fancy, have now to take plots of ground where they can meet 
with them, and these in many cases lie two or three miles away from their 
homes. This is a state of things anything but favourable for the cultiva¬ 
tion of florists’ flowers ; for it matters not wffiat they are, whether Auriculas, 
Polyanthuses, Tulips, Pinks, or Carnations and Picotees, all require diligent 
daily, or, I might say, hourly care through their respective seasons, without 
which they are little more than a loss, and a disappointment to those who 
dabble in them. This I can speak to as a fact from my own bitter experience. 
I have, in my time, been a grower of all the above-named flowers, and 
have tried many fancies, both in respect to soils and situations. My time 
and experience among these subjects have extended over half a century, 
