THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
283 
spike. The more one sees of this plant and understands 
what little trouble it gives in order to grow it success¬ 
fully the better he likes it. I feel fully persuaded that 
as those bulbs get stronger it will be more valued. I 
believe it will go on flowering for fully six weeks or two 
months at a time, and this with only the trouble of 
planting it in April in rather a warm bed, when the soil 
is fairly light and rich, and taking it up again in Novem¬ 
ber and storing it in a dry place during the winter. If, 
therefore, we can get a white, fragrant flower, but a lit¬ 
tle inferior to a eucharis, with so little trouble, I think we 
must admit that our gardens have substantially gained 
by the introduction of this plant.” 
Our experience is as follows : Last year we bought at 
auction a large quantity of Bessera elegans, which we 
found after growing were mixed with Milla biflora. The 
two flowered freely together, making one of the most 
showy and finely contrasted flower-beds on our place. 
The Milla soon showed its specific name, biflora, mis¬ 
applied, for many of the stems had as many as four 
flowers each. We carefully separated the bulbs and 
planted them, by themselves this season in rows, in the 
same manner as we recommend for gladioli, without 
giving special attention either to manuring or to culti¬ 
vation. They commenced to bloom early in July, and, 
notwithstanding we have suffered from excessive drought 
the plants were never so full of bloom as at the present 
writing, October io, and they will continue to bloom as 
long as the frost holds off. Some of the bulbs have 
thrown up ten flowering stems each, and we have had as 
many as eight flowers on a single stem, and not infre¬ 
quently as many as three open at the same time. 
We do not know of a plant that gives so much satis¬ 
faction as this, as it is constantly in flower for at least 
three months in the summer. It grows as freely as the 
gladiolus, increases rapidly by offsets and delights in 
dry, sunny weather, which it can usually have here in 
abundance. It seeds freely, and if the seeds are sown 
in pans as soon as ripe they will flower the following 
summer. 
NEW INTRODUCTIONS AND TWO NEW PLANTS. 
I HAVE often wondered if there was any criterion by 
which we could judge of the real merits of new in¬ 
troductions of plants before we purchase. Although I 
always try to form a candid opinion about them, I often 
fear my judgment may not be truthful, biased, like 
many others, by my estimation for old favorites, so that 
I am unable to see the real merits. Old associates have 
a wonderful influence and controlling power over opin¬ 
ions, and, no doubt, this is very frequently unsuspected 
and unknown. Many gardeners and amateurs will be 
found to tell you they cannot see in most of the new 
plants any improvement over the old kinds. This reminds 
me of what an old workman of mine once said : “ I have 
been married over fifty years to that woman you saw pass. 
People of the present time would call her ugly, and I 
have no doubt she would not be considered pretty at any 
time; but you see I do, and the longer I look at her I 
think the prettier she becomes.” I expect many persons 
are affected in a similar way in regard to plants. That 
very many new introductions are, perhaps, superior to the 
old ones, I will admit; but when we think of the vast 
amount of inferior ones thrown into the market every 
year with high recommendation, it makes us cry for 
some remedy, so that purchasers may have a sure guide 
by which to judge of plants before purchasing, and to give 
more confidence to those who procure them every year 
only to find a slight change in the color of the flower, or 
some insignificant feature in which the difference consists. 
Ofttimes, I dare say, the one who recommends them 
is perfectly honest in his opinions, but we cannot share 
them with him; tastes differ as much in this as they do 
in fashions, and we can see at once just how this is, for 
there is an immense difference observable to every one in 
the appearance of a well-made garment and one poorly 
made. The same difference can be seen between a well- 
cultivated plant and one improperly cultivated. This has 
no doubt, in many cases, resulted in the lack of appre¬ 
ciation of some valuable things, and I therefore say never 
cast away any plant until it has been subjected to several 
trials, nor lose confidence in the recommendation until 
this is done. But what I wish to ask is, can any way be 
suggested for establishing reliable information, so that 
purchasers can be protected from what many call frauds ? 
Any one purchasing as great a number of the new things 
introduced as I do has good reason to complain that 
many of them are very unsatisfactory—even worthless. 
I have, however, always found that the recommendations 
of the Royal Horticultural Society in England were a 
safe criterion by which to judge, although much diversity 
of opinion exists even on this, but their awards to me 
have come most true as a general rule. Now, I would 
make no suggestions as to what could be done in this 
matter, preferring to leave it here for abler heads to offer 
a remedy, which many will admit is needed for this state 
of things; but I am always willing to give any ideas 
that I think would benefit the public. The reverse seems 
to be the case with many persons, who seem to think 
because they have been sold others may as well be sold 
also, which is rather a bad state of things. 
I shall now refer to two introductions that have been 
placed in the market within the last two or three years, 
and which I think worthy of the highest recommenda¬ 
tion that can be given to them. They are the coleus 
Firebrand and Golden Bedder. The first is a grand ob¬ 
ject ; inside, from the brilliant fiery appearance it rep¬ 
resents, its name is most appropriate; and when out¬ 
side, although the sun extracts this delicate appearance, 
yet it holds sway as a dark bedder over any other I 
have tried, and is a grand addition to our bedding 
plants. The second, Golden Bedder, inside I would con- 
