JULY. 
145 
first essential property wliicli must he insisted on in any variety which may 
claim a high position in popular favour—namely, a free vigorous constitu¬ 
tion. Certain varieties again, especially amongst those with silvery margins, 
have a tendency to curl up their leaves from contraction of the edge ; and 
this indicates a second essential property—namely, flatness of leaf-surface. 
A third essential is effectiveness in the style of colouring—a more difficult 
point to determine than the foregoing, since we have here to leave the real 
and tangible, for the ideal and imaginary. But we have endeavoured to 
indicate proportions that will give a satisfactory result; and the several 
points which it seems necessary to insist on, have been formulated thus:— 
1. The plant must be of vigorous constitution, free-growing, but not long-jointed. 
2. The habit must be stout, close, and branching, and the branches thickly furnished with 
horizontally-set well-displayed leaves. 
3. The surface of the leaves must be flat—that is, neither concave nor convex from contraction 
of the margin. 
4. The leaf-colouring must be bright, distinct, and well defined. 
5. The ground colour (green), must occupy a space in the centre equal in diameter to the 
combined zone and marginal belt— i.e., half the diameter of the leaf; it must be of 
uniform hue, and must not extend into or appear beyond the zone. 
6. The zone must be either evenly arcuate, or regularly scolloped or vandyked, dark on the 
inner and brightly coloured on the outer edge. 
7. The inner portion of the zone, to an extent not exceeding one-half its whole breadth, 
must be dark-coloured throughout (blackish or deep brownish red), breaking outwardly 
in a symmetrically radiated manner into the bright colour (red or pink), of the outer half, 
which latter must at no point break through the dark belt so as to touch the ground colour.- 
8. The marginal belt must be of uniform breadth, and of the same tint throughout (yellow, 
straw-colour, cream-colour, or white), entirely separated from the ground colour, or from 
contact with the darker belt of the zone. 
In judging according to this code we ought first to separate these points 
into two groups, the real (1-3) from the ideal (4-8), and allow equal marks 
for each group. We should thus find a certain number indicating perfection 
in each separate point, and a lower number would he adjudged in any 
particular point when perfection was not attained. Presuming, then, the 
essential points to be themselves correct, it would be easy in this way to 
find out those varieties which come nearest to perfection. 
M. 
THE OUT-DOOR, CULTURE OF ALSTROMERIAS. 
Alstromerias, it would seem, are not so well known, nor so frequently 
cultivated in this country, as from their varied merits they deserve to he. 
Few, if any, plants equally ornamental require less care or attention in 
order to grow them successfully, when once the preparation of the beds 
has been accomplished. In these days, therefore, when every one is on the 
look-out for some novelty wherewith to astonish the eyes of flower-loving 
visitors, it is strange that the all-but-hardy species of this extensive and 
varied family of Amaryllidaceie should receive so little notice. 
The species best adapted for the purpose of out-door culture, in the 
manner I shall hereinafter describe, are A. aurantiaca (aurea), A. Iuf- 
mantha, A. psittacina, A. pulchra, and such as these. The first-mentioned 
is, however, perhaps the most hardy, and this has been known to do 
exceedingly well in some parts of the United Kingdom without any protec¬ 
tion whatever. So well, indeecl, have they been flowered, that some twenty 
years ago or more, they became a noted feature in one or two nurseries. 
I may instance the Victoria Nursery at Dublin, and the Durdham Down 
Nurseries, Bristol. Of this latter place I can speak from personal observation 
