196 
THE FLORIST AND PGMOLOGIST. 
The cone with us is of a reddish brown colour, and from 6 to 7 inches in 
length. The trees, which for several years only produced male catkins, have 
also borne seed, which ripened here in the last week in September or first week 
in October. The seed requires watching, in order to collect it when ripe,, for 
the cones burst open quickly on a sunny, drying day, and very soon shed their 
seeds. Like all the Pioeas, the trees bring their seed to perfection the same 
season as that in which the cones are produced; but it is not so with many of 
the Pinus family, the growth and ripening of whose cones take from two to 
five or six years, and in many cases four years. On this subject I may have 
some remarks to offer on a future occasion, for the information of amateurs 
and those who have not had the opportunities which I have enjoyed of ob¬ 
serving: Conifers in this countrv. 
Bicton . James Barnes. 
TIIE BALSAM. 
It is nearly three hundred years since the common garden Balsam (Im- 
patiens hortensis), was introduced to England from the East Indies, or from 
Cochin-China. From it have Qome the beautiful varieties that recently made 
the name of Smith so famous, and which are also so much cultivated by 
many growers in every part of the country. They are very largely grown, 
though so seldom seen at the London exhibitions. At the summer shows held 
in the provinces they generally put in an appearance, but are rarely produced 
as they ought to be—as dwarf, compact, and yet bushy plants, thickly hung 
with flowers, and these of a large size and very double. Too often there is a 
large redundancy of foliage, and that in many cases much drawn, and, con¬ 
sequently, the flowers are immature and unsatisfactory. Very recently, I saw 
at a large provincial flower show some Balsams grown in this wise—out of 
four collections of six plants each, there were scarcely two plants that could 
be termed creditable specimens of culture. 
There is considerable difficulty in getting a thoroughly good strain of 
Balsam seed—the seed saved in England does not meet the demand, and 
recourse is had to the Continent to procure a supply. It is but rarely that 
first-class continental seed can be obtained, and even in cases where seed from 
the finest strain of English-grown plants has been sent to the Continent to be 
grown from, it invariably degenerates, probably owing to unskilful culture. 
Growers of this favourite annual, so worthy of cultivation, should endeavour 
to secure a good strain of seed, and save some from the very best flowers only 
when they have them in first-rate condition. Balsam seed will preserve its 
germinating power for several years—in fact, seed five and six years old has 
been found to produce better plants and more double flowers than newer 
seeds, while some of the best growers of the Balsam always keep their seeds 
two or three seasons before sowing it. 
Next in importance to the necessity for a good strain of seed is that of 
good cultivation. From the same packet of seed have been raised plants that 
produced very different results—in the one case fit for the exhibition-table, in 
the other for the dunghill. The two results have been well described by a 
very successful cultivator :—“ Very fine plants with stout, sturdy, tree-like 
stems, covered with fine, large, Camellia-like flov r crs, interspersed with fine, 
dark green, shining foliage, being the produce of one cultivator; while, on 
the other hand (from the same packet of seed), the plants were slender and 
thin, with semi-double blooms, altogether presenting a very meagre appearance. 
Now, it is very hard to convince some people that all this difference is purely 
