. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. 192 CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. reduce the number of "blooms seen at flower-shows ; but the last year or two has seen a decided increase, both in point of numbers and quality. For the in- formation of exhibitors, we may state that, in judg- ing spikes of flowers, the first j)oint noticed is the individual flowers, the perfection of which consists in the petals being thick of substance, the edges smooth and even, the florets occupying the centre full and compact, closely arranged, rising high in the middle, and of globular form, with a stifl guard
. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. 192 CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. reduce the number of "blooms seen at flower-shows ; but the last year or two has seen a decided increase, both in point of numbers and quality. For the in- formation of exhibitors, we may state that, in judg- ing spikes of flowers, the first j)oint noticed is the individual flowers, the perfection of which consists in the petals being thick of substance, the edges smooth and even, the florets occupying the centre full and compact, closely arranged, rising high in the middle, and of globular form, with a stifl guard petal, forming the base of the flower and ex- tending about half an inch or so in proportion to the size of the centre ball; so that the different parts of the flower present a uniform appearance. A few years ago we saw the foregoing varieties finely grown at Mr. W. Chater's Hollyhock nursery, at Saffron Walden; and we have reason to believe they have all been preserved to the present day. The Pansy or Heartsease. — The dear old Heartsease of our gardens is Viola tricolor. Scho- lars inform us that Viola is from the Greek Ion ; Nicander, in his " Geoponics," states that the Gre- cians called it Ion because certain njTuphs of Ionia gave the flower first to Jupiter. Others, however, say that it was called Ion because when Jupiter had turned the young female whom he loved into a cow, the earth brought forth this flower for. Group of Pansies. The arrangement of flowers on the spike needs to be regular, not being crowded together in a confused mass, nor loosely hanging with open spaces between each bloom, but so disposed that the shape of each may be distinctly seen when fully blown, the upper- most covering the top; and nothing can add more to the beauty of the spike than a few green leaves between the flowers, which give it an elegant and graceful appearance. A further important point is colour ; the brighter, stronger, and more distinct the flowers the better. We hav
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