2. The brighter the scarlet outside, and the deeper the purple inside, the better the flower. The loss of the rich purple is fatal, therefore, to the scarlet Fuchsia. But a Fuchsia may be white outside, and in that case a bright scarlet corolla would be a good contrast, though a purple would be better.

3. The form of the buds or drops before they open cannot be too round, because that form is the most beautiful before opening, and gives the widest sepals when open.

4. The footstalk of the flower should be long enough to let the bloom fall beneath the leaves, and not long enough to let them hang into the branch below them, for the flowers should all hang free of the foliage.

The corolla or purple should be large and close, and the sepals should reflex, to expose their inside surface, and to show the corolla out well.

5. The anthers should hang conspicuously below the purple, and the pistule below them.

6. The flowers of a Fuchsia should come out at the base of every leaf all over the plant, and we have many which do so.

We

The best flower we could form or imagine would hardly compensate for a bad habit. should therefore discard at once all those which have their flowers at the ends of branches only, and we should value very little any that had flowers all of one colour. We do not mean that we could not be induced to name and send out any that were all of a colour, because there may be sufficient novelty to justify a name and a first

price for instance, if one were perfectly white or purpie, it would be a very great curiosity, and be very beautiful, but there is no excuse for sending out scores of very coarse red things, of ugly growth and great sameness, to the confusion of those who wish to grow collections, and the great loss of those who only wish to grow a few of the best.

The tendency of the outside to a greenish white colour is very general, and a great number of the new ones are of that character.

WHAT A FIRST-RATE FUCHSIA OUGHT TO BE.

The form of

This has been partly explained. Globosa, the size of a cherry, the colour of a scarlet geranium outside, the corolla dark blue or purple, the sepals ought to turn up wrong side outwards, like a Turk's cap Lily, the corolla hang down like a close roll of velvet, the pistil and stamens hang down prominently, and this would be a fine Fuchsia. Another variety might have a blue corolla, the colour of the Nemophylla. A Fuchsia of the same form, with sepals as white as a snow-drop, corolla dark, and another with corolla light, a third with scarlet corolla, and a fourth with an orange one,-and here we should have six real good Fuchsias all different. But there might be twenty varieties of as many different forms, and all might have some point of excellence. It is by no means difficult to conceive many varieties that would be very conspicuous and very acceptable. The

greatest drawback upon many of these plants is the want of contrast between the sepals and corolla. The sameness to one another, the coarseness and raggedness of the flower, and the awkwardness of the habit, all of which has arisen from the raisers of seedlings making the coarse varieties produce the seed instead of the fine ones; instead of impregnating the more beautiful of the globe varieties with the Fulgens and others, they have saved seed from the coarse large varieties, and had their labour for nothing-that is, they have produced nothing worth keeping.

The sooner people confine their seeding to the finest of the Globosa kinds, the sooner will there be a manifest advance in the flower-as it is, if the growers continue to seed from the coarse ones we shall go back.

PROPERTIES OF THE CINERARIA.

It will be recollected that this very beautiful plant has a small starry flower, with narrow petals, projecting outwards, all round a yellow disk, such petals being pointed or notched. Hitherto, if a new colour, or an unusual size, has been attained, it has been considered a justification to name the plant, and send it out as a new one. All this may be very well for a time, but the period has arrived, when some regard should be paid to the form and habit of a new variety, and the properties may be summed up in a few words.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, blunt, and smooth at the ends, closely set, and form a circle without much indentation.

2. The centre or yellow disk should be less than one third of the diameter of the whole flower in other words, the coloured circle formed by the petals should be wider all round than the disk measures across.

3. The colour should be brilliant, whether shaded or self, or if it be a white, it should be very pure.

4. The trusses of flower should be large, close, and even on the surface, the individual flowers standing together with their edges touching each other, however numerous they may be.

5. The plant should be dwarf.

6. The stems strong, and not longer than the width across the foliage; in other words, from the upper surface of the truss of flower to the leaves where the stem starts from, should not be a greater distance than from one side of the foliage to the other.

In these remarks we allude to the plant when in perfection, for, as the Cineraria is a constant bloomer, it continues to branch and bloom long after its proper truss has lost its chief beauty, and its form; the blooms are then more distant and straggling, but still beautiful, for every little branching truss of flowers will preserve the character of the principal one, and the plant look well to the last.

PROPERTIES OF THE RHODODENDRON.

1. The flower should be circular and campanulated, or hollow like a globular cup.

2. The five divisions of the petal should be concealed by means of the lapping over-and it should be large.

3. The petal should be thick, smooth at the edge, stiff, and hold its shape well.

4. The truss of blooms should be pyramidal or dome-shaped, stand clear of the foliage, the flower compact, touching, but not crowding each other.

5. The footstalks should be stiff and elastic.

6. The colour should be brilliant, the spots distinct and contrasted, and stand well without 'fading.

7. The plant should be bushy, the foliage bright clear green, large, and disposed all round the branch, especially round the flower.

8. The stems should be well covered with leaves, and the bloom should be abundant.

9. It should not bloom until the middle of May if hardy, as by beginning before the frosts have gone, the blooms are always spoiled.

The following would be considered great faults: The petals pointed, thin, notchy, frilled, or crumpled; the divisions narrow, the flowers loose in the truss, the footstalks weak and too long, the colour dull, the spots not bold nor strong; the foliage narrow, dull, and far apart; the habit lanky, plant straggling and ugly.