4-14 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ August, 
power of vital resistance to tlie influence of 
weather is proportionately larger. This view 
seems to gather confirmation, from the fact that 
the more advanced early-blooming and early- 
bearing Pears, such as Doyenne, cl'Ete , Citron 
des Cannes , Williams' Bon Chretien , are bear¬ 
ing good crops this year, while the later sorts 
are singularly thin. Again, Plums, the ex¬ 
panded blossoms of which were exposed to 
severe weather, escaped uninjured, and are 
bearing abundantly. 
One other circumstance which acted preju¬ 
dicially on fruit-trees must also be taken 
into account, in reviewing the causes which 
led to the partial loss of the Apple and Pear 
crops. It was the excessive rainfall of May. 
In this dry district, rain fell on 25 daj T s during 
the month, and our record was 4'25 inches. 
The ground, thus chilled and surcharged with 
water, naturally affected fruit-trees; root- 
action was checked, and the result was seen in 
the yellow, unhealthy look of the trees, and 
the fall of the little fruit that remained on 
some of them,— Wm. Ingram, Belvoir, 
THE REV. Gr. JEANS ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
No. V. 
F ORM, considered absolutely, possesses 
a double origin of beauty ; its two 
branches being, as in so many in¬ 
stances, in apparent contrast with each other. 
The two branches are Unity and Variety. 
And these should be always combined, the 
rather because the combinations they admit of 
are unlimited. Nor is it necessary that either 
branch should be considered more essential 
than the other, but in proportion as in any 
flower or variety the value of one is increased, 
the other may recede and give way, without 
being entirely obliterated ; as in flowers of the 
disc or of the cupped form, unity is the lead¬ 
ing property; in the composite forms, as the 
Fuchsia or the Ixia, variety takes the lead. 
“ By Unity is meant the singleness of idea 
presented to the mind, whereby the impression 
becomes definite and clear, not being distracted 
by contending claims, nor divided among many: 
as a cup formed of petals in contradistinction 
to six equal and separate petals, without the 
combining and controlling idea of a cup. When 
applied to an outline, it means the appearance 
when that outline is one and unbroken, as in 
the circular form of a Petunia. 
“ Its contrary is produced— 
“ In idea, when a flower consists of a plurality 
of like and equal parts not uniting to form 
one idea, and especially if those parts are 
circular, as in the Veronica. 
“In outline (1), by the occurrence of an inter¬ 
val ; either by a breach of continuity in the 
substance, as in the flower of the Arum, 
causing an effect like the less of a guard-leaf 
in a Carnation ; or by a separation between 
the parts which compose it, as in the petals 
of the Night-scented Stock. To this may 
be referred the broken edging in a Picotee, 
and broken lacing in a Pink. (2) Or by 
an abrupt change, either of kind, from a 
straight line to a curve, or from a curve to a 
straight line, as in the Pea-blossom ; or of 
direction, as when two straight lines terminate 
in a point, as in the pointed petals of the 
Narcissus. 
“ By Variety, when combined with unity 
(for simply considered, it needs no explanation), 
is meant the comprising many ideas under one 
—that the unity is not a dry unit. 
“ When applied to an outline, it means the 
appearance when the line is flowing and con¬ 
tinuous, yet constantly changing ; such as is a 
curve, as in the circular blossom of the Convol¬ 
vulus. | or a succession of segments of curves, 
themselves arranged in a curve in the same 
plane, as in the flat circle composed of lobes in 
the Phlox or the Verbena: or in the more 
complicated outline composed of curves and 
lines in different planes, as in the Fuchsia. 
“ When applied to the contents of an outline, 
it again explains itself, and is fulfilled when 
all is not same or self, but varied with diverse 
forms and colours. 
“ Now with regard to the influence which 
these two sources of beauty exercise upon our 
judgments. First, with respect to Unity. If 
an external outline be broken, one or more 
of these three effects will be produced : either 
it will convey an idea of imperfection, that 
something is defective, and needs to be filled 
up ; as in the native Pansy, or much more in 
an inferior cultivated variety, in which the 
improvement is begun, but only to the extent 
of making the defect more glaring by shewing 
how it may be removed. 
“ Or, if the parts are equal and similar, as in 
the Iris , the flower will not be a whole , to 
produce one leading idea in which the others 
it may suggest are contained, but will be 
broken into parts, and its effectiveness dimin¬ 
ished to that of a flower of the size of one of 
its parts. 
“ Or the general appearance will be marred by 
the impression of roughness and harshness, 
causing to the eye a sensation analogous to 
