May 8.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
81 
whose time was of so little consequence as to be wasted 
on this unnatural process, would always be able to beat 
those who cultivated them, but who would not con¬ 
descend to change their character by artificial means. 
As the only means of putting a stop to the practice, it was 
strongly recommended that all judges should examine the 
flowers very closely, and that they should disqualify every 
stand in which there should be bruised, strained, or split 
petals, which could always be detected in dressed flowers. 
For this purpose, they should use a glass, if necessary ; and 
glasses to examine the beauties of small, and the blemishes 
of large, flowers, were, it was said, already provided and sold 
at Lockhart’s seed-shop, in Fleet-street. How was it, except 
by means of straining open petals, which inclined to quill, 
that gentlemen who bought what appeared good free bloomers, 
found, when they had given a large price, that they had only 
purchased worse flowers than they already possessed, and 
even worse than they had actually thrown away? It gave 
dealers an opportunity of deceiving the public upon the 
chief merits and faults of a variety, and had already led to 
the abandonment of Dahlias by many private gentlemen. 
The South London Florists opened their season by a 
show at the Horns Tavern, Kennington, on the 23rd of 
April; and, through some misunderstanding, as to 
whether the winner of a cup last year should be allowed 
to win it again this year, the tables were very poorly 
furnished. We never saw so many Auriculas without 
even a single creditable specimen; and the prizes were 
awarded to plants that should have been disqualified 
altogether. The prettiest flower in the room was a 
variety from the north, called “ Imperator.” A fine, 
green-edged, well-proportioned, round and flat pip, and 
though ill-grown, capable of being shown in splendid 
order. Perhaps there were a hundred plants staged; 
but we in vain looked for another good one, scarcely 
any were in character. The Polyanthuses were very 
discreditable to the growers. A move should really be 
made with this beautiful spring flower; for the April 
show has always been a sad mockery. There were many 
seedling Cinerarias: two called Alba Magna and Queen 
of 'Beauties, both pure white, and yet perfectly unlike 
each other, were the most remarkable. It is difficult to 
say which was the best; but either will put aside all 
the whites we have at present. Three other pretty ones, 
Ivory’s Beauty, Forget-me-not, and Auricula flora, were 
above the average; but had not lost the notch at the 
ends of the petals. 
Mi'. Cole, gardener to Mr. Collyer, of Hartford, was the only 
exhibitor of plants worthy of notice; but gay as was his speci¬ 
mens, they were awfully distorted. At first sight they 
appear fine bushes, close, shrubby, and well-bloomed; but 
supported, and otherwise constrained, with fifty props, long 
branches bent down, and their ends turned up near the 
bottom, others fixed across, and the ends alone protruded; 
in fact, the surface made of the ends of branches bent in all j 
manner of ways. If this kind of distortion is to be allowed 
with Ixoras, Hoveas, Azaleas, and other plants, which are 
perfectly able to support themselves, farewell to plant grow¬ 
ing. The best two Azaleas in the room were Optima and 
the Duke of Devonshire ; we do not mean the best grown, 
but the best varieties. Pansies were abundant; and in the 
awards of the two classes of prizes, the want of some system 
of judging was very apparent. In the amateur class, the 
first prize was given to small flowers, one half of which were 
out of character, the best stand in the whole room being put 
second. In the nurserymen’s class, the first prize was given 
to large flowers, and tire second to small ones, under the 
very same circumstances. Mr. Wilmer, of Sunbury, pro¬ 
tested against the judgment, and caused some commotion, 
in the midst of which Mr. James Dickson protested against 
an award that was unjust to him. In fact, there was very 
little harmony until a respectable band drowned all dis¬ 
cordant sounds. 
The National Florioultural Society held its second 
meeting at 21, Regent-street, on Thursday, April 24, 
R. Staines, Esq., in the chair. Certificates, First Class, 
were awarded to Mr. E. G. Henderson, for a seedling 
Cineraria, named Marguerite d’Anjou ; habit good, form 
excellent, colour rich crimson, with a medium sized dark 
disk. To Mr. Griffin, for a seedling Auricula, named 
Beauty of Bath; form good, colour grey-edged, well 
defined, substance good. Certificates, not first class, 
were awarded to Mr. Hoyle, of Reading, for a seedling 
Pelargonium, named Chieftain; upper petals dark crim¬ 
son, blotched, edged with scarlet, lower petals vermi¬ 
lion; a striking, handsome variety, of good habit and 
goodly shaped flowers. Also to Mr. Smith, of Plornsey, 
for a seedling Cineraria, named Alba Magna; a well¬ 
shaped, pure white flower, with a full dark disk, good 
shape and habit. Also to Mr. E. G. Henderson, for a 
seedling Cineraria, named Marianne; of excellent form 
and habit; white, with a lilac edge very distinct. 
The following were commended by the Censors:—Mr. 
Turner’s, of Slough, Pelargonium named The First of May, 
good form and habit; Mr. Ayres, nurseryman, Blackheath, 
Cineraria named Model of Perfection, fine form, novel in 
colour, which is fine shaded purple. Cut Pansies were 
exhibited in good order by Messrs. Brag, Turner, and 
Edwards. There were good collections of Cinerarias from 
the Messrs. Henderson to ornament the rooms; also, from 
Mr. Ayres and others. A Rhododendron, named Jacksonii, 
was remarkable for its colour—deep blush, with rosy-pink 
stripes on the outside of the petals. Mr. Turner had six 
good Auriculas. Fifty more members were elected. The 
Society is now fairly established, the number of members 
amounting to 175, besides 28 others propossd for election 
next month. Censors, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Kinghorn, Mr. 
Hamp, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Lidyard, Mr. Frazer, and Mr. 
Neville. E. Y. 
NEW PLANTS. 
THEIR PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES. 
Broad-flowered Portlandia (Portlandia platantlia). 
—Botanical Magazine, t. 4534.—The genus Portlandia 
was named by Patrick Browne, an Irish botanist of the 
last century, in honour of the then Duchess of Portland, 
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