158 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST, 
[ October, 
must leave for the reader to determine, but 
adopting the simile, at least thus much may be 
said, the dentist’s art is a tribute to humanity, 
and an aid to civilisation, and of the work of 
the ladies’-maids, from their mistresses’ point of 
view at least, it must be assumed to be an 
accessory to beauty. 
I have thus, I trust, fairly answered the 
objections raised. The question is not a small 
one, but hinges upon the same principle upon 
which depends every step in our civilisation. 
And to dispassionate minds, among which, of 
course, I rank those of the objectors them¬ 
selves, it will surely afford matter for re¬ 
flection that these objections are raised by 
those who avowedly have no special acquaint¬ 
ance with the subjects treated of, and who do 
not take the part of the informed teacher, and 
demonstrate not merely what is in error, but 
exemplify what is right; whilst on the other 
side, “ there is an absolute consent among those 
who are engaged in the pursuit and have paid 
attention to it, and this not of one time and 
place, but of all times.” The canons and 
practices of the florist rest not upon unreason¬ 
ing ignorance, but upon patient observation 
and intelligent deduction, and will never bo 
moved by hasty denunciation, springing from 
imperfect and erroneous assumption.—E. S. 
Dodwell. 
•P.S.—Mr. Camm’s assumption that if the practice 
of dressing flowers goes on, it will be “not the best 
florists or the best flowers that will win,” but “ the 
most skilful operators and. the most highly-dressed 
and artificial flowers that will carry off the prizes,” 
is strangely at variance with history. For two 
years in succession, at the Northern Show of the 
National Carnation and Picotee Society, the premier 
flower selected (the best in the whole exhibition) 
had been untouched by the dressing-tweezers; 
whilst at South Kensington, on July 23rd, two lots 
of flowers on which the utmost effort of art (and I 
presume to say I know something of what art can 
do in this direction) were virtually nowhere in the 
competition. One came from the grand collections 
at Slough, contributed by Mr. Turner, the premier 
of florists, in his loyalty to the Society ; but the 
blighting, blasting heat and wind of the previous 
week had made art helpless. The other was the 
contribution of Mr. Burnaby Atkins, and the dresser 
was Mrs. Burnaby Atkins, who will certainly take 
high rank at Carnation and Picotee competitions, 
when she gets the better varieties to manipulate. 
Another point I wish to say one word upon is the 
absence of all notice of two large boxes, containing 
upwards of one hundred flowers set up by myself, at 
the exhibition in question, without cards, and un¬ 
touched by the dressing-tweezers. It argues a very 
imperfect examination of the exhibition by its 
critics that these collections, which, from the 
stand-point adopted by them—the evils of the card 
and the dressing-tweezers—should have supplied 
them with an illustration of their ideal, went un¬ 
noticed. But to me, it is an illustration of an old 
experience, and a well-understood truth—that 
flowers so exhibited quite lack the attraction pos¬ 
sessed by those which havo [received the loving 
gentle attentions of the skilful and faithful servitor 
of Flora. 
MARL FOR SIIRUBS AND FRUITS. 
HERE tkis abounds, as it does in many 
parts of the country, an improvement 
may be made in light soils which 
could scarcely be conceived by those who have 
been strangers to the use of Marl. From ex¬ 
periments with shrubs, fruit-trees, and straw¬ 
berries, my faith in the qualities of this soil 
has been greatly strengthened. As illustrative 
examples, I may cite the following 
On a hill composed of marl, which was taken 
out to form a site for some new buildings, 
evergreen shrubs, conifers, and deciduous trees 
of every description were planted, giving a 
little turfy soil to each, in order to start them, 
and now they have far outdistanced in growth 
their compeers planted at the same time in the 
ordinary soil. 
Fruit-trees, such as peaches, pears, and plums, 
planted with a quantity of this marl, mixed in 
the ordinary soil along with a few bones and 
some brick rubbish, have given excellent results. 
Strawberries in pots under glass were larger 
and of finer quality than I ever had them, and 
they were grown in a mixture of marl with the 
loam. Though the plants did not have the 
best of treatment while fruiting, they carried 
their crop in good order, retaining all the roots 
to the last, these filling the pots and growing 
outside while on the shelves ; and not an insect 
of any kind could be seen when the plants were 
done with.—M. T. 
VILLA GARDENING FOR 
OCTOBER. 
E are on the verge of autumn. The 
days close in rapidly, and the night 
air is chill, though by day the sun 
shines warmly, and the air is soft and balmy :— 
“ Red lie the moors—the glorious autumn moors, 
Crimson, and red, and scarlet, with the glow 
Of twice ten thousand nodding heather-bells ; 
With wealth of colour gorgeous as the tints 
Of Iris’ purple robe.” 
But the woodland, the lines of which frame 
this picture, are yellow and orange and red, in 
their autumn tints, and already the leaves fall 
in thousands, obedient to the law which decrees 
their budding in sping and their decay in 
autumns. 
Greenhouse. —Any plants in the open air, 
placed there for the purpose of ripening their 
growth, should now be placed under glass, the 
tender ones, of course, occupying the green¬ 
house. What excellent late summer plants 
Ahutilons make ! and as they can be wintered 
in a cold greenhouse, so long as sharp frost can 
