THIS beautiful flower is a very remarkable exemplification of one of the great aims of modern science, which is the annihilation of Time. You have heard of, and possibly you may have seen, the Indian juggler who sows a seed in a pot of earth, and in the course of a few minutes presents to your admiration the plant the seed produces--not in a nascent state, as we see a pea or bean emerge from the earth, but complete, with stout stem, many leaves, perfect flowers, and fruit. How is it done? We decline to tell, because we do not know. This, however, we all know, that the essence, the very life, and, indeed, the intention of all conjuring is deception. Now the subject before us does not bring into the field this element of deception, but it does in the most striking manner illustrate the capabilities of science in the annihilation or the reduction of Time.

For many years past the florists, like the cattle-breeders, have been systematically shortening the time of the perfecting of their produce for the market. The breeder of cattle has to keep in mind that his horned family must be ready for the market at an early date, and the feeder has to work up to the breeder's notion, in order to make the meat manufacture pay. This is well known; and one of its results is that as civilisation destroys our teeth, it at the same time provides us with tender meat.

If you will turn back to the horticultural papers of, say, thirty to fifty years ago, you will quickly learn that the growing of good gloxinias, cinerarias, calceolarias, and other of the more delicate florists' flowers, was slow work; but now it is done in "no time," and one may well be flustered when suddenly called upon to discourse in a learned way on any of these subjects. Imprimis--Begin with offsets; lose a lot; have great trouble to root them and to keep them--bah! Begin with seeds that will grow like weeds; lose none, and have a stock of gorgeous plants in about three months without difficulty, instead of in three years with difficulties innumerable. Somebody else may say "bah" now; the sheepish ones are those who stick to the old custom. Many earnest workers have contributed to this "shortening" process in the manufacture of our floral fancy bread; but few have laboured so consistently, scientifically, and with such solid results as Messrs. Sutton and Sons, who can show at any time between June and October gloxinias grown quickly from seed, that may be allowed to turn with delight the head of any one who knows a gloxinia.

The gloxinia is a stove plant, loving moisture and some degree of shade. Like our own foxglove, which may be called the British gloxinia, it is a woodland plant, and enjoys in its nourishing bed the tricklings from the fountains far above it on the happy hills. It must be grown in a good soil, and with heat and moisture sufficient, or it had best not be grown at all--because, in truth, it will not flourish unless kindly treated. For the great grower, the month of January is the time to sow the seed; for the little grower, the proper time is before the end of February. The sowing is a nice affair. Those who skimp are sure to limp, for the plant will not be trifled with--and, indeed, why should it, when it has done no harm to anybody? Prepare for the purpose a compost of peat, loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand, and with this fill convenient-sized pots or seed-pans. A shallow seed-bed will answer perfectly, therefore deep boxes are not required. Having sown the seed, plunge the pots or boxes nearly to the rim in a bed of tan or any other moist material, the temperature of the house or pit to range from 65 degree to 75 degree, the mean, of course, to be 70 degree.