THE FLORIST. 
67 
arrange with different nurserymen to supply them with the require¬ 
ments of their gardens, and, as payment, hand over to them the 
seedlings they raise. In due course, these appear in the nursery¬ 
man’s catalogue, with the raiser s description and character ; and 
parties purchasing are often disappointed. How much better to 
make these things simple money transactions, and let new varieties 
find their value, like any other production. 
I will not now enter on the subject of hybridising, or the method 
I pursue, as it requires more space than can be given to an ordi¬ 
nary letter, and more time than I have at present at my disposal; 
but I would hint to all young beginners, that they must labour even 
more diligently than the industrious and, sometimes (to florists), mis¬ 
chievous bee amongst their flowers, and love their sweets as much, 
or their hives will produce no honey. 
Newton Abbott, Devon . W. H. Storey. 
To the Editor of the Florist. 
Sir, —Perhaps the unclassical writers or readers of The Florist , if any 
such there be, are not aware what they have borrowed from Greek 
and Roman poets who lived two thousand years ago, more or less. 
The very title of your periodical is from the Latin word for a flower; 
and the fabled goddess of flowers, Flora, was worshipped among the 
poor ignorant Pagans of Italy even before the building of Rome. 
They said she was the wife of Zephyr the west wind, by which, I 
suppose, the first author of the fable meant to declare that the west 
wind was favourable to the growth of flowers. All the imaginations 
of the mythologists, much as some have admired them, only shew 
how the created had wandered from the Creator; and the fables and 
fancies about flowers — the most unsullied part of creation as we 
may think—were as impure as all others that proceeded from minds 
so far alienated from God. 
The games in honour of Flora at Rome were of the most dis¬ 
graceful description ; therefore it must not be thought that admira¬ 
tion of flowers necessarily purifies the mind; it may, unblessed of 
God, become a mere sensual gratification. Let us take heed. I 
may here refer to one curious particular connected with our retain¬ 
ing mythological names. The narcissus, the hyacinth, and the 
anemone were fabled to have been beautiful youths, named Narcis¬ 
sus, Hyacinthus, and Adonis, who were metamorphosed into those 
flowers. Perhaps the inventors of these strange stories looked with 
admiration at those lovely flowers till—being ignorant of the Author 
of their beauty—he began to imagine some anterior state of existence 
had given them such life-like glory. But we are as foolish as they 
who dreamed of these transformations if we see not God in his 
handywork, and exclaim not with one of our sweetest poets, 
“ Thyself how wondrous then !” 
C. 
