colours in either of these classes of flowers, because it depends on taste; but whatever colours they are, they should be dense and decided, as if the petals were formed of coloured matter throughout, and not merely stained on the surface.

THE TRUE DOUBLE ANEMONE.

There should be as many rows of petals as would form a good double flower, displaying some of the inside surface of every row, and the inner row should cover in the seed vessel in the centre.

The petals should be thick, broad, free from notch or serrature, and in all respects like those described first.

They should all imbricate, that is, the second row of petals should exactly cover the divisions of the first, and the third should cover the divisions of the second, and so on.

The flowers should be two inches across when expanded, and rise well up in the centre.

PROPERTIES OF THE PANSY OR HEARTSEASE.

1. It should be round, flat, and very smooth at the edge, every notch, or serrature, or unevenness, being a blemish.

2. The petals should be thick, a d of a rich velvety texture.

3. Whatever may be the colours, the ground

colour of the three lower petals should be alike : whether it be white, yellow, straw colour, plain, fringed, or blotched, there should not in these three petals be a shade difference in the principal colour.

4. Whatever may be the character of the marks or darker pencillings on the ground colour, they should be bright, dense, distinct, and retain their character, without running or flushing, or mixing with the ground colour; and the white, yellow, or straw colour should be pure.

5. The two upper petals should be perfectly uniform, whether dark or light, or fringed, or blotched. The two petals immediately under them should be alike; and the lower petal, as before observed, must have the same ground colour and character as the two above it; and the pencilling or marking of the eye in the three lower petals must not break through to the edges.

6. In size there is a distinct point, when coarseness does not accompany it in other words, if flowers are equal in other respects, the larger is the better; but no flower should be shown under one inch and a half across.

GENERAL REMARKS,

Ragged edges, crumpled petals, indentures on the petal, indistinct markings or pencillings, and flushed or run colours, are great blemishes; but if there be one ground colour to the lower petal and another colour to the side ones, or if there are two shades of ground colour at all, it is not

D

a show flower, though many such are improperly tolerated-the yellow within the eye is not considered ground colour. In selecting new varieties, not one should be let out which has the last mentioned blemish, and none should be sold that do not very closely approach the circular form.

One of the prevailing faults in the so-called best flowers is the smallness of the centre yellow or white, and the largeness of the eye, which breaks through it into the border. We are so severe in these matters ourselves, that we count the very best of them no bloom in summing up the good ones; there are few stands, even of thirty-six, that contain twelve good show flowers.

PROPERTIES OF THE HYACINTH.

Some of these are already appreciated a little, but none sufficiently distinct. There are a few of the present varieties which have long spikes of flowers, and those very compact-both of which are desirable-but they for the most part have very ill-shaped pips. There are others which have very prettily formed pips, of a great size, but they are far apart on the spike, and some hang awkwardly; and those who exhibit the flower, know but little as to what caprice is to decide their fate; but as the time when the flower can be seen forced has arrived, and the period for showing in pots is approaching, we take the opportunity of defining a little the properties which

should be esteemed; as nearly all the points have been attained in different flowers, there is every reason to hope, that as soon as we persevere in raising seedlings in this country, and force the Dutch to follow the example, we shall make rapid advances towards obtaining several properties in the same flower. We commence with the pip.

1. Each pip or flower should be round and not ragged.

2. The petals should be broad, thick, blunt at the ends, not pointed, and reflex enough to throw up the centre well.

3. The foot stalk should be strong, and hold the flower out stiff in a vertical position, that is, facing the spectator, and by no means weak, to allow the pip to hang with the face sloping toward the ground. The foot stalks should also be of a length, to make the pips touch each other and no

more.

4. The pips should be large, for unless the pips be large they cannot touch each other without very short foot stalks, and the flowers would be so close to the stem, that the truss itself would be no size.

5. Double flowers should have the rows of petals above each other very regularly imbricated, so as to throw up the centre.

6. The outer petals, therefore, of a double flower need not reflex, and should not reflex so much as a single one, because the centre is raised by the second and third rows of petals.

7. The spike should be bold, round, compact, and pyramidal, with a number of flowers at the

bottom, gradually diminishing to a single flower at the top.

8. The flower stem should be very strong and upright, and no part of it should be seen from the lowest flowers to the top, in consequence of the closeness of the pips to each other.

The colours should be bright, clear, and dense, whatever the shade; and any better approach to scarlet, blue, or yellow, than those shades we now possess, would be highly esteemed: flowers with dark eyes, very clear outsides, and those with striped petals, would be held to be better than selfs in general, but would give no point against form.

PROPERTIES OF THE NARCISSUS.

The great variety of this beautiful spring flower would almost seem to defy us to lay down general rules, yet there is no more difficulty in imagining what would be the most beautiful than there is in any other of the numerous families for which we have already provided models of perfection.

It is very true that some narcissus have only a single flower, others a large bunch-some are white, others yellow-some have narrow petals, others broad-but all are pointed. The only varieties, however, calculated for florists or show flowers, are those which have bunches or heads of flowers, and a few necessary qualities would render them beautiful objects.