240 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 15. 
scented leaves. In gardens it is called Rasp-leaf, or the 
Skeleton-leaf, owing to the way the leaves are jagged, 
and for having a rough touch. All the seedlings of the 
iirst crop, or generation, had extraordinary dirty, sickly- 
looking lilac flowers, and I had to fight battle with the 
garden-men to save my batch from utter destruction. 
Capitatum is the original from which sprung Unique, 
and Unique is the only Geranium that would cross, or 
whose pollen would act on any of these seedlings. 
The pollen of the Rasp-leaf would not act at all with 
them, a fact which surprised me: any one might reason¬ 
ably suppose that the pollen of a large flower like that 
of Unique, would both overcome the weakly habit of the 
cross-seedlings, and change the lilac in them to a better 
tint. I thought so too; but the second cross had the 
flowers as poor as those of the first cross, but there was 
little improvement in the strength of the plants, and 
they were all barren but two. The Geranium tribe, and 
the tribe of Lobelias, are all liable to fall off and turn 
barren at the second or third generation, and very likely 
there are many more families having the same predilec¬ 
tion, and we are now quite certain that the colour of the 
original female parent predominates in cross-seedlings 
for some generations, or if it is washed out by that of 
the pollen parent, at an early stage, it is very apt to re¬ 
appear in a later brood. I am perfectly satisfied of all 
this myself; and I can well conceive how the early cross¬ 
breeders were misled by this fact, when they asserted, 
and as their adherents maintain at the present day, that 
“ cross-bred-seedlings have a constant tendency to revert 
into the wild tribe;” but there never was a wilder 
mistake in this world, and any one who may choose 
to try the experiment, will find it so in the long run. 
Out of all the numberless varieties we have from cross¬ 
breeding I am quite sure that all our art and our philo 
sopliy to the bargain, shall never be able to “ revert ” or 
change a single one of them into the perfect image of 
the wilding. This doctrine of reversion has done a great 
deal of harm by deceiving ardent minds from the pur¬ 
suit, as it were, and thus preaching up the folly of per¬ 
severing in experiments which necessarily must lead to 
no useful result. 
Instead of limiting our experiments with the Gera¬ 
niums, the only chance we have of success is to multiply 
them much more than we have yet done. We know 
that from some cause, which we cannot fathom, seedlings 
ot them turn barren at the third generation, if we take 
original or wild species, and unless we take these wild 
species, we shall be in the same fix as the florists who 
are working in a circle, and, therefore, cannot possibly 
get out of the same strain for want of fresh blood. 
When a given breed turns barren, instead of giving it 
up for lost, we should raise ten times more seedlings 
from the same parents, and out of the vast number 
there is a chance of a breeder turning up. I have re¬ 
peatedly proved this,’ but I cannot fathom why ninety 
seedlings should come perfectly barren and the hun¬ 
dredth plant be a breeder; but there must be some 
cause for it. If the Shrubland Pet should turn out to 
be barren, as I fear it will, there is nothing for it but to 
begin afresh with the same wild parents, because its own 
immediate parents are lost; a false step on my part; for, 
without a breeder, we shall lose the strain of Unique-— 
the most desirable of the whole race for bedders. I 
think I knew the parents of Unique, but I have no 
names lor them, and I think they also aro lost. They 
call it Rollinson’s Unique, as if it originated with a 
person ot that name; whereas, I had it from Cork two 
years before it reached London, and I was told that it 
originated in the south of Ireland, but I think its 
biography is lost. 
1 do not think tliero is any chance of uniting any 
other Geranium with Unique unless the Shrubland Pet 
yields pollen. It is very difficult to seed by its own 
pollen, but I raised several seedlings from it, and they 
were all as true as if they came from a wild species ; and 
1 would strongly advise people to go on with it by its 
own pollen, in hopes that some one may get a ready 
breeder from it, which would be a great gain. 
There is another variety called Queen of Portugal, 
rather stronger than Unique, but as like it as can be, so 
much so indeed, that unless the two were grown side by 
side no one could tell tire one from the other. The 
Queen of Portugal is much stronger than Unique, and I 
believe it is barren. I could never get a seed from it, 
but it yields a little pollen. Mr. Davidson, my successor 
at Shrubland Park, counted twenty two blossoms in one 
truss of the Queen of Portugal, the largest we could find, 
while the best truss of Unique in all the garden had only 
thirteen blossoms. There are only three plants of this 
Queen at Shrubland, and I believe it is very scarce in 
the trade, if it can be bought at all. D. Deaxon. 
BUYING AND CHOOSING PLANTS. 
“ Good endings are generally the result of good begin¬ 
nings.” This holds equally true in morals, and in the 
practical routine of the business of every-day life. Ex¬ 
ceptions there are both in men and things, where the 
pleasing endings stand out in a bold relief, that never 
could have been prophesied from the reckless and 
meagre beginnings. The strikingness of such a result, 
arising from its very unfrequency, instead of contra¬ 
dicting, gives strength and validity to our maxim. 
Unhealthy, lanky plants have been cut, twisted, and 
turned, so as to be rendered interesting specimens after 
all. But these are the exceptions, and not likely to 
show themselves under the care of the inexperienced. 
Purchasing a falsely-praised new plant, which turns out 
worthless, notwithstanding its high price, conjures up 
ideas of dishonesty and gambling—the most inappro¬ 
priate associations for the beauties of vegetable nature. 
Obtaining plants, beautiful for present display, but which 
cannot be made much of for the future, except at the 
expense of an experience and conveniences which many 
do not yet possess, creates a fostering discontent, the not 
very soft murmurs of which, at times, reach us; while, 
in reality, little, if any, blame could be fastened on 
any one. 
Now, so convinced am I of the bettering influence of 
the love of plants, that I would look upon the weaken¬ 
ing of that love as a direct loss, not merely to the 
individual, but to the community of which he is a 
member, and, therefore, I would wish, by a hint or two, 
to remove all cause of irritation and disappointment, by 
leading our friends, first, to form a clear estimate of what 
they expect, and secondly, if permanent and growing 
interest is their object, to attend, above all things, to 
the beginnings —the first training of the plants. 
It is more frequently the case than otherwise, that 
purchasers send to the nurserymen for their plants 
instead of selecting them there. In this case, clear and 
distinct orders should be given, as to your wishes, 
when plants of standing and increasing interest aro 
wanted. Tor this attention you must expect to pay 
extra. 
When a present, or a no very definite permanent re¬ 
sult is wanted; when you wish a certain effect to bo 
produced for so much money, then it will be to your 
interest to leave the selection to the judgment and the 
honour of the nurseryman. In these circumstances you 
will find in almost every case the most liberal and 
honourable treatment. But still you must not forget, 
that even though the nurseryman be an enthusiast 
himself, and though it is his interest, as well as his duty, 
to use you well, that, nevertheless, though free from the 
roguery of Deter Pindar’s razor man, he keeps and grows 
his plants for selling. With every disposition to oblige 
