THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ June, 
02 
other kind called Dusty Miller, and these I 
planted on the same border. Next I got Daf¬ 
fodils and other things from the fields. Then 
I purchased packets of seed, such as Wall¬ 
flowers, Stocks, Larkspurs, &c., and with these 
had a grand show' of flow'ers all that year. 
The following spring I went with an uncle 
to see two different Auricula and Polyanthus 
show's. They were the first I had seen ; one 
was held in Halifax, the other in Bradford. 
Previously to going to these shows I had ob¬ 
tained four Auricula plants, supposed to be one 
of each class ; they W'ere called— 
Bright Farmer, a green edge. 
Emerald Isle, a grey edge. 
Pillar of Beatify, a white edge. 
Grand Sultan, a purple self. ' 
These I had thought w'ell of before I had seen 
the Auricula shows; but after this a strange 
feeling came over my mind all at once, which 
caused me to think I had been on the wrong 
track, and there and then I fell out of conceit 
with all the pets I had previously obtained. 
However, the same spring I went to see another 
Auricula show, near Halifax, and there I made 
a purchase of half a dozen plants, had them 
brought home in their pots as grown and 
shown, while at all three shows I took notes 
of other good things which w'ere exhibited, 
and in the following August I spent every 
penny I could get together in securing as 
many of them as I could. For several years 
after I went to see the shows all round the 
country, so that at eleven years of age I had got 
together a nice collection of my own, and at 
fourteen years of age I entered for the first time 
as an exhibitor. 
That same year I commenced the Tulip 
fancy, and three years later I was an exhibitor, 
not only of Auriculas, but of Polyanthuses and 
Tulips likewise, and three years further on I 
became an exhibitor of Pinks, Carnations, and 
Picotees. At that time, and for some twenty 
years after, growers and exhibitors of florists’ 
flowers were plentiful; so much so, that I 
could then count them by the score, where now 
I could not name half a dozen. 
From the year 1830 to 1840 and onwards, the 
older of the most staunch cultivators gradu¬ 
ally died off, and there were none of their kin 
to come forward to fill their places. Besides this, 
some of the younger men began to fall away 
from flowers and take up with other fancies. I, 
for one, however, persevered, and at length I 
became one of the largest growers of Auriculas, 
Polyanthuses,Tulips and Carnations, and though 
almost self-taught, I happened to be most 
fortunate in the cultivation of these different 
flowers, so that I may truthfully say that from 
the year 1828 up to 1850-55 I gained more 
prizes at the various shows of the above-named 
flowei’s than almost any other person.— John 
Hepwoeth, Huddersfield. 
VILLA GARDENING. 
June* 
LLA GARDENERS are resigned to 
dispensing with spring this j'ear,—that 
is to say, the weather is so cold, dull, 
and uncongenial, as to be the very opposite of 
what the poets have described as spring like. But 
some have thought that spring and autumn 
have changed over a bit; the former now 
dull, cold, and wet, the latter warm, sunny, 
and dry. Gardeners of all grades and condi¬ 
tions are sadly in arrears with their work ; the 
crops do not grow kindly, and many seeds have 
decayed outright in the ground. 
Greenhouse. —It is a matter for regret that 
many of the old hard-wooded greenhouse 
plants should be so little grown now. Choro- 
zernas, Croiveas, Boronias, &c., are fine things, 
but they are less grown than they used to be, 
and especially by Villa Gardeners, who prefer 
plants of quicker growth. Those who grow 
these may put them out-of-doors in the earlier 
part of the month, if it be warm and summer- 
like, choosing a shaded and sheltered position, 
and in a fortnight or so repotting any that 
may require it. It is necessary to stand the 
plants on an ash bottom, to prevent worms 
coming through, as far as it can be done. These 
remarks apply to specimen plants, but young 
stocks are best kept in a cold frame or pit; and 
when the weather is favourable, the lights may 
be tilted at the sides, shading from powerful 
sunshine, watering rather early in the after¬ 
noon, at the same time giving a slight syringing 
overhead, and in the evening reducing the air 
at the back, leaving only sufficient for night 
ventilation. 
As a rule, Villa Gardeners, who have but 
limited glass accommodation, look to soft- 
wooded and quick-growing plants for the de¬ 
coration of the greenhouse. The Azalea 
should be an exception to this, for it and the 
Camellia can be wintered in a low temperature. 
They are rarely so fortunate with Camellias 
as with Azaleas ; the buds of the former are so 
apt to drop in a vexatious manner, when flowers 
are anxiously looked for. Camellias that have 
gone out of bloom later than usual (and the 
spring is a very late one), if wanted for early 
flowering next season, should be kept warm and 
syringed, but so that a drier atmosphere may 
be maintained, and a second growth prevented. 
Any Camellias that need repotting should be 
shifted, using turfy loam and sandy peat of 
good quality. Azaleas should be encouraged 
to grow freely after flowering, as it is during 
the summer that the incipient flower-buds are 
formed. 
The Mimulns make an excellent greenhouse 
plant at this season of the year. Young plants, 
grown from seeds sown last autumn, or early 
this spring, in heat, will now be coming into 
