50 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 23. 
as possible. Should any of the plants be sickly, it is now 
a good time to give the roots a complete cleansing by 
washing them in tepid water, and scraping off all decay¬ 
ing or cankering parts, having them laid upon some 
place to dry and heal up the wounds; three hours will 
be sufficient for this purpose. If the roots are sound 
there is no need for this washing. Pull in pieces some 
of the turf and place a thin layer upon the drainage, 
then put the plant into the pot. This, in cases where 
the plants are healthy and strong, will be found some¬ 
what difficult to do without breaking; the best way is 
to first put in the ends of the roots, and then gradually 
work them downwards by turning the plant round; this 
will be found rather difficult to a new beginner, but, 
with a little practice and care, this difficulty will vanish, 
and the operation become easy. When the roots are all 
fairly got into the pot, work the turfy soil in amongst 
them carefully, for if this is roughly done the roots will 
be bruised, perhaps torn off the collar of the plant where 
they spring from, either of which we may be certain will 
be highly injurious to the future health and growth of 
the plants. As soon as the potting is finished give a 
sufficient watering to settle the earth about the roots, 
and then place them in a part of the orchid house where 
the heat is moderate. If there is the convenience of a 
tan-bed, plunge the pots in it two-thirds of their depth, 
the mild bottom-lieat will assist the growth much. Give 
moderate supplies of water, as they require it, all the 
growing season, up to the period of blooming, after 
which lessen the quantity gradually, but never entirely 
withhold it. These plants may be described as ever¬ 
green, and, therefore, require a certain degree of moisture 
at the root all the year to sustain the foliage in vigour 
and beauty; yet they must have, in a degree, a period 
of rest, and this period very opportunely may be ob¬ 
tained after they have bloomed, from -January to March, 
a season of the year when the weather in our climate is 
generally the most severe, which severity has an effect 
even upon plants in our warmest stoves. After the 
season of rest, repot, and commence again the yearly 
treatment. T. Appleby. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
MR. GLENNY ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
It is the fashion for those who cannot think and write 
originally to copy us. We wrote in favour of making a 
larger series of prizes in every class, and for every sub¬ 
ject that was to be shown, years ago; and the first time 
we had it in our power, that is, when we had the sole 
individual control of the Grand Dahlia Show at Baker- 
street, we carried it into effect by making ten prizes in 
each class, to be increased to two-thirds of the number 
of competitors; the result was that in one class there 
were nineteen prizes. This was partially adopted di¬ 
rectly, and now it is adopted in most sound Dahlia 
Societies. We urged its propriety in every possible 
shape; now it is becoming pretty general, in florists’ 
flowers it is in most of the floral counties they carry it 
into class showing, and give ten or twelve prizes in each 
class; and, be it remembered, that it is class showing 
alone that does any good in promoting the advance of a 
flower, or that gives the public any idea of the standing 
of a variety. We hope class showing will be advocated 
by this journal. A flower may be worthless, and yet 
succeed in a stand; and it is a common thing for a man 
who has a new flower to sell, to put it in his stand with 
eleven or twenty-three excellent blooms of old favourites, 
and then boast of its success in stands. The Metro¬ 
politan Society put a stop to this by excluding from 
stands everything that was not let out to the public. 
A new flower serves also to mark a stand, and places the 
judges in the unfair position of knowing to whom it 
belongs. In class showing the thing is too barefaced to 
bo attempted. When single blooms are close together, 
they speak too plainly for their own merits to be played 
tricks with. 
Messrs. Veitch & Sons have a new half-hardy Cal¬ 
ceolaria, tolerably shrubby, which may be of use in 
crossing, for our fancy kinds are spoiled in that respect; 
or it may be used as a border plant. It has been shown 
at the Horticultural Society, where it had a medal. It 
is from Peru; and may bo the means of improving a 
family spoiled by the injudicious encouragement given 
by the Horticultural Society to herbaceous Calceolarias 
at the same time they were giving it to shrubby kinds. 
It led to spoiling the latter altogether. 
Annuals. —We cannot recognise annuals as belonging 
to llorists’ flowers, because there can be no permanence, 
no dependence on seedlings. The Phlox Drummondi 
(V. P., Stolcc) is certainly as good as it can be, but it 
cannot be named, for it will not be constant. The 
proper way to show annuals is the whole plant in a pot, 
where growth must settle it; or bunches of cut flowers, 
where colour and form must decide the fate. 
Hollyhocks (J. M.). —Greatly behind the metropolis; 
there is not one among the numerous collection sent 
that would do among our superb varieties. Every 
grower within twenty miles of London (and Bircham, 
of Bungay, runs a very reputable race with them) adds 
something good to our stock every year. 
Box of Dahlias of 1851 (S. S.). —Only one (No. 3) 
need be tried again; the petals are a wrong shape, and 
cannot make good flowers. (Rev. E. S.). —The only 
ones we should try again are No. 1 and No. 4. Light 
flowers, with distinct characters, are scarce; and these, 
although of the Radzville breed, are so distinct, one 
lighter and one darker, that if they prove as good when 
well grown they will do. 
Pansies (P. T .).—We cannot decide in favour of any; 
there is not one which has its natural colour or character. 
Pidl out of the seed-bed all the ill-formed, but not the 
merely indistinct ones, for these may be as different 
from themselves in the spring as two varieties could be. 
(B. B.) —Striped variety too small, and very inferior to 
a dozen that are coming out in the spring, perhaps in 
the autumn. 
Fuchsias (X. F. Z.). —No. 1, nothing but coarseness ; 
No 2, like Duchess of Sutherland too much to be sent 
out; No. 3, hugs the corolla too close to be good for 
anything; No. 4, not so good as One in the ring, and 
something like it without so good a contrast. 
Six Blooms of The King of the Dahlias ( S .).— 
Nobody can complain about size; and those who dis¬ 
cover the one fault of retlexing, and lose sight of the 
splendid form. Those who commiserate our so-called 
blunder in praising it as a first-rate variety, are not to be 
blamed for their ignorance, but for their obstinacy. We 
praise the King of the Dahlias because it has but one 
fault; we shall be glad to hear of some other variety 
that has only one fault. We have sent the six blooms 
to Lancashire, where The King has been placed first in 
class showing, and where the judges are not so wrapped 
up in size and coarseness as some are in the south. 
They will see from these specimens that it may be made 
to compete, even for size, with some of the principal 
favourites. There is not one cupped flower in a hundred 1 
that has the eye even with the surface; and we, who I 
laid down the rules, decide, and will decide, that a ! 
cupped petal does not compensate for a flat face, or a 1 
sunk eye. The King of the Dahlias will be grown by ' 
everybody next year. 
Daisies (A.B.). —Blooms too small, and out of cha¬ 
racter. We have seen the continental collection of one 
hundred-and-fifty sorts, and will next week give our 
opinion of the very few worth growing—if daisies are i 
worth growing in collection at all. 
