Deckmdek 2 . 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
165 
distinct one, and of more dwarf, compact habit. Both 
I are very desirable. 
J. Sabina (The Common or True Savin).— Grown in 
masses, this species has a fine eftect. In favoured situ¬ 
ations it will form almost a tree. Clothed with a rich 
brown bark, the dwarf variety, prostrata, is well adapted 
for rockwork, or to place on a lawn to form a sort of 
fringe to the shrubbery. The one with variegated 
foliage is pretty, and worthy of a place in a collection 
on that account. T. Appleby. 
{To be continued). 
THE PETUNIA. 
(Concluded from page 145 .) 
GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF PLANTS INTENDED FOR 
EXHIBITION. 
It is well known to those cultivators who grow plants 
with an especial eye to show them for competition, that 
extra care and attention is required in order to beat 
their opponents, or, even if no opposition is oftered, to 
win the approbation of the censors, and, consequently, a 
prize. Most societies give directions in their schedules 
to the judges not to give first-class prizes to inferior 
specimens, merely because they are the best exhibited, 
or, perhaps, the only ones present on the tables. This 
is quite right, and relieves the censors from a most un¬ 
pleasant part of their adjudication. It is true, there are 
exhibitors selfish enough to argue, that as their pro¬ 
ductions are the best present they ought to have the 
prize offered for the best; but if such confessedly poor 
things were to have first prizes, the subscribers and 
visitors would be disgusted; there would be an end put 
to that spirit of emulation and desire to excel which 
ought to be the aim of all exhibitions to encourage and 
bring into play. Then again, such a law will prevent 
any competitors from bringing to the exhibition any 
fruits, plants, or vegetables, that are not, at least, respect¬ 
able, and show that some extra care has been taken to 
bring those exhibited, at least, superior to the com¬ 
monly-seen specimens in every garden. 
These remarks will, I trust, be taken with candour, as 
I do not see how any one at all conversant with exhibit¬ 
ing matters can deny their truth; and I would advise 
every one showing garden productions never to exhibit 
any article but what is in good, fair condition. To do 
otherwise ought only to bring disgrace, and not honour 
or credit to the exhibitor. 
The Petunia is no exception, hut must he well 
grown, and freely and finely bloomed, in order to be con¬ 
sidered worthy of a prize. The way to manage so as to 
attain so desirable an end is my business, on this occa¬ 
sion, to describe. The time to exhibit them to jierfection 
is about the last week in June (which is early) to the 
last week in July, which may be considered, in the 
generality of seasons, to be late. 
Plants intended for this purpose should be well 
established the preceding autumn, and should not be 
allowed to flower till within a month of the time of 
exhibition. They may be kept in pots from three to 
four inches diameter through the winter. From the 
first moment of potting, up to the month of May, they 
should be frequentlj^ topped; that is, the. two upper 
leaves, with the buds attached, should be carefully and 
neatly cut off with a sharp knife. Nipping off with the 
finger and thumb I cannot approve; it is, to say the 
least of it, a careless method, and crushes and mutilates 
a ])lant in the tendercst part, often causing many of the 
shoots to mould and jierish in wet, damp weather; 
whereas, a clean cut with a keeii-cdged knife heals up 
quickly, and the plant is little worse by the operation. 
As the plants grow they must be repotted as soon as 
the roots reach the sides of the pots. They should never 
be allowed to become matted till placed in their bloom- 1 
ing-pots. In March, it will be necessary to provide a I 
number of short sticks; if they are painted a light green 
so much the better. At one of the spring pottings, 
before the roots have pushed into the new earth, thrust 
a circle of these sticks round the pot at some distance 
from the shoots; tie a short piece of nice small bass- 
mat to one of these sticks, so that the two ends of the 
mat are equal in length from the stick, then bring each 
end round a branch nearest to the stick, and, with the 
mat, draw it gently down to the stick, and tie it to it ! 
rather loosely. This is a nice operation, and requires a ' 
steady hand and attentive eye, or the shoot will break 
off from the main stem. When one branch is securely 
and safely tied, proceed to the next, and so on round 
the plant till every side-shoot is brought down, and the 
centre left thinly furnished. Cut off the ends of all the 
strong shoots, and the plants will soon begin to show 
they have had a careful hand at work to form them into 
bushy, round-headed specimens. This is the ground¬ 
work to commence with, and as the shoots advance in 
number and length must be repeated, and longer sticks 
made use of. If the shoots are too numerous, let them 
be judiciously thinned, so as not to allow them to crowd 
each other. The short sticks may be removed when 
the shoots do not require their directing support. As 
they advance towards blooming, they may require a few 
sticks in the centre of each plant to train each shoot 
into a position so as not to interfere with its neighbour. | 
The management as to potting, j)lacing in a pit, j 
smoking with tobacco to destroy the green fly, dusting j 
with sulphur to destroy mildew, watering with liquid- 
manure, giving air, and other ])oint8 of culture, I have j 
already described under the head “ Summer treatment.” 
To these directions I have nothing to add now. If the 
cultivator has been successful in his operations, the 
plants for exhibition will, in May, bo strong, bushy 
plants, eighteen inches high, and twelve inches through, 
and he showing plenty of flowers, which may then, if 
the show is in June, be allowed to come into bloom; 
but if in July, the buds must be taken off again, and 
not allowed to remain till the middle of June. All the 
energies of the plant must be reserved, in order to have a 
blaze of fresh, high-coloured blooms on the day they are 
required for the exhibition table. T. Appleby. 
INFLUENCES OF THE W^ET SEASON ON 
CROPS OF VARIOUS KINDS. 
The near approach of winter renders it necessary 
to take such precautionary measures as will protect the 
various products which hard weather is likely to injure. 
This is the more advisable, in consequence of the un¬ 
usually wet autumn having rendered everything out-of- 
doors a perfect receptacle for water, the tissues or cells 
of plants being charged with water almost to the burst¬ 
ing point. It is easy, therefore, to perceive the effects 
that frost is likely to have on plants so gorged with 
superfluous moisture, which has scarcely ever been 
relieved by a dry day, nor yet (what is equally useful) a 
cold one. The atmosphere has been, in most cases, mild 
and warm for November, while the ground has been so : 
repeatedly soaked with drenching rains, that, in spite of ; 
the absence of cold and frost, the autumn growth of : 
many things has been much below the average of j 
years. This is apparent to every one in the after-harvest- ' 
sown Turnips, many of which scarcely present anything 
more than the same mass of green leaves that they did 
two months ago, and that this tardy progress is owing 
to the cold, drenching rain is evident to every one; 
since the average atmospheric warmtli, if fully equal to 
